Pubdate: Wed, 04 Nov 2015
Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN)
Copyright: 2015 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Contact: http://www.leaderpost.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.leaderpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361
Author: Alec Salloum
Page: A5

REGINA ADVOCATES KEEPING EYE ON SASKATOON BUST

Need Licence to Sell Pot, Police Stress

Side-effects from Saskatoon's Compassion Club drug bust and arrests 
may include paranoia for Regina medical marijuana users.

The non-profit Saskatoon-based dispensary was not licensed by Health 
Canada, which led to the arrest of its owners, seizure of their 
stock, and charges of possession and trafficking.

"Face it, you're putting people's health at risk here (who) really 
depend on this cannabis as a medicine. This whole thing's gone way 
beyond just smoking weed," said Darin Wheatley.

Wheatley, owner of B&B Hydroponics in Regina, is an advocate for 
legalization and the use of medical marijuana.

Sgt. Todd Wall of the Regina Police Service declined to discuss RPS 
policy or approaches to the idea of dispensaries in Regina.

"It's two sides of the coin," said Wall, head of the Regina 
Integrated Drug Unit's street enforcement team.

"That person (in Saskatoon) was dispensing marijuana but didn't have 
a licence to do so ... at this point, as of today, in this country, 
it's still an illegal transaction," Wall said.

Louise Folk, manager, strategy and operations with the City of 
Regina, said for a dispensary or licensed producer to function in 
Regina would require a licence from Health Canada, which is the 
regulatory body for all medicinal products, and from the federal government.

"The land use for medical marijuana can only be granted if a licence 
has been issued from Health Canada," Folk said.

Folk was not aware of any dispensaries currently operating in Regina, 
though there are two Health Canada-certified licensed producers - 
Prairie Plant Systems Inc. and CanniMed Ltd.

Across Canada there are 26 licensed producers that can cultivate, 
sell and/or produce medicinal marijuana in accordance with Health 
Canada regulations.

However, under the now repealed Marihuana Medical Access Regulations 
(MMAR) laws, thousands of people across Canada who were able to 
access medical marijuana are now in jeopardy of losing access to 
medical marijuana.

MMAR allowed for one of three options: a person could apply to Health 
Canada's supply of medical marijuana, apply for a personal 
use-production licence to grow it for themselves, or have a 
designated grower licensed to provide them with marijuana.

These laws are currently under an injunction and are in limbo, but as 
it stands, former MMAR users and providers can operate legally.

"To me, of course it should be safe. There should be safe growing 
practices, and there should be quality control ... but people have 
been growing it themselves for years," Wheatley said.

"The police don't create the laws; we just enforce them ... whether 
we agree with those laws or not, that's the game we're involved with 
here," said Wall, adding that there's always discretion.

Despite the arrests in Saskatoon, an employee of one Regina-based 
medical marijuana provider, which requires a physician's prescription 
and operates under MMAR, said he was hopeful for the future of 
legalized marijuana.

"It's just like the end of alcohol prohibition, as soon it started to 
come to the end, they started jailing everyone they could ... I think 
the same thing will happen with medical marijuana," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom