Pubdate: Fri, 26 Feb 2016
Source: Cowichan Valley Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Cowichan Valley Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/cowichanvalleycitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4349
Page: 6

LETTING PEOPLE GROW A LITTLE POT RIGHT DECISION

A federal court judge ruled this week that medical marijuana users can
grow a few plants for their own use. It was the right decision.

Most of the people who were fighting for this grow it as a medication
for themselves.

Most of our medications cannot be grown or made at home. They require
ingredients and expertise that the average person does not possess. So
we have to buy them.

The cost of medications can also mount up really, really quickly. Just
ask anyone with a health condition who's taking conventional drugs.

So for those who rely on medical marijuana, to be able to plant a few
seeds and eliminate the lion's share of the cost of their drug, this
is huge.

It can cost hundreds of dollars every month to buy it processed, and
for some, that's just not a viable long-term option.

Now that we as a country are moving towards legalization, we cannot
see any good reason for people not to be able to grow a few plants for
their own use, as they can already make their own beer or wine at home
for personal consumption - and the fun of it.

It will be key, of course, to make sure that people are only growing a
small amount for themselves.

A few plants pose no more danger than growing any other herb or
vegetable.

But when people start turning their properties into big grow ops,
that's when the real problems start with ventilation and mould and
such.

Just like with anything else, a commercial operation must live by
different rules, because it's a different beast. Just as a winery or
brewery selling a commercial product is not the same as creating a few
bottles to share with friends over dinner.

And as with beer and wine, we doubt that allowing people to grow a few
plants is going to put commercial marijuana operations out of business.

There will always be plenty of people who don't want to go to the
trouble of growing their own and are perfectly happy to have somebody
else deal with that part, along with the processing.

People have the ability to grow a lot of their own food, after all,
yet supermarkets and produce stands are still doing a booming business
anyway.

And we certainly agree that legalization is the right move for a
number of reasons.

It can finally help us put a big dent in the illegal drug trade, which
is often paired with organized crime. Marijuana is already big
business, just not the kind that benefits the mainstream economy.

The City of Duncan is intelligently already making their case to get
in on the potentially significant profits that taxing a legal industry
can bring.

We really don't see a downside here.
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MAP posted-by: Matt