Pubdate: Fri, 08 Apr 2016
Source: Campbell River Mirror (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Campbell River Mirror
Contact:  http://www.campbellrivermirror.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1380
Author: Alistair Taylor

POT DISPENSARIES SET UP SHOP

The city is keeping an eye on Campbell River's medical marijuana
dispensaries which opened their doors last week.

Bylaw officers have already visited WeeMedical Dispensary Society
which is offering marijuana products from a storefront on 13th Avenue
but the operators say they welcome the scrutiny.

"I want everybody to feel comfortable. We're not sneaking in," says
Joel Wilson, the co-operator of WeeMedical's Campbell River arm.

Campbell River has now joined the ranks of B.C. communities that are
being forced to deal with these operations in the absence of clear
legal standing. Port Alberni has seven marijuana dispensaries and
WeeMedical was one of them, opening last fall under the threat of
prosecution from the city's RCMP detachment. The police and the city
have since backed off of those threats and the city has actually
issued a business licence to WeeMedical in Port Alberni.

Wilson understands why it went down that way in Port Alberni. The
dispensaries are in a kind of regulatory limbo and cities have no
experience with licensing them so the rules are being made up as we go
along.

The whole issue escalated last fall with the election of Liberal Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau who promised to legalize marijuana. That
legalization hasn't come through yet but a lot of pot dispensaries are
not waiting any longer and are pushing the agenda.

WeeMedical operates as a society and as such, Wilson says, they don't
need a business licence. They've begun following a path in Campbell
River that they've walked in other communities in the province like
Nanaimo, Sechelt, North Vancouver and Port Alberni.

"We've gone through eight of these other stores. We've gone through
the exact same issues. It's a new thing coming to communities right?"
Wilson says.

Usually, right off the bat, police and bylaw enforcement say "No,"
Wilson says.

"We work with them. We're not there to be 'no we're coming in and
that's it.' We're going the other way," Wison says.

But, he says, "The law needs to be changed."

The City of Campbell River's position is that the sale of marijuana is
illegal.

"We have been monitoring the situation as have the RCMP," says City
Clerk Peter Wipper.

Campbell River RCMP raided Trees dispensary on Wednesday. The item
will be on city council's in-camera agenda at Monday's council meeting
to update councillors, he said. In-camera proceedings are not open to
the public or the press.

"We've made it clear that federal law does prohibit the sale of
marijuana, so they're not allowed to do that," Wipper says. "Until
such time that the federal government changes the rules, it will be
the city's position that the use of a marijuana dispensary would be
illegal."

Wipper said that, so far, WeeMedical has been complying with the
city's regulations.

They are selling products and paraphernalia that can be used but
they're not to sell the actual drug itself.

Some communities have decided to license these operations in the
absence of federal regulations but Wipper said the City of Campbell
River won't be doing that.

Meanwhile, there have been "lots" of inquiries from other business
owners wanting to get into this, Wipper says.

Wilson says the demand for the service is high. Seventy per cent of
their clients in Campbell River are not interested in smoking
marijuana, they're interested in the oils, edibles and rubs.

Wilson said they will only sell to people who have prescriptions or
memberships in other dispensing societies.

Jon Buckland is Wilson's partner in the management of the operation.
He said 75 per cent of their clients are seniors.

"They've never smoked marijuana in their whole life," Buckland said.
"They come in with their prescription list with 10 items they want to
get."

Wilson says they had one senior come in and buy THC-infused candies.
They then went back to their seniors residence and handed them out.

"I had seven ladies in the next three days coming in to sign up and
grabbing more candies," Wilson says.

But, as has been shown in other communities, the situation is always
in flux. In fact, on April 5, the RCMP raided the Chilliwack
WeeMedical Dispensary. Chilliwack RCMP said they received a report of
alleged illegal cannabis sales on March 11, a week before it opened.
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