Re: "Pot sales need strict regulation," Dec. 5.

While it is true that cannabis prohibition has impeded research intended to find therapeutic benefits, it has stimulated funding and approval of research intended to find harms.

Unlike new pharmaceutical drugs, cannabis has been used by millions of consumers for thousands of years. Our so-called "rigorous" drug-approval process is intended for new pharmaceuticals, not herbs and other traditional, natural health products.

There would be pros and cons to selling cannabis with alcohol. Liquor-store employees are generally unfamiliar with cannabis and unqualified to offer advice. People with drinking problems who have switched to cannabis might not appreciate the temptation of alcohol sales where they purchase cannabis. Great care must be taken when using cannabis and alcohol together.

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A steady stream of customers returned to Trees Dispensary Nanaimo on Friday, just three days after police raided the Bowen Road pot shop.

The dispensary is back in business, although not without challenges.

The store is short-staffed with the arrest of three employees, the phone wasn't working and credit cards were being run up manually without a point-of-sale machine. Even the display cases were looking a little empty.

Where there used to be about five to six pounds (two and a half kilograms) of bud, there's now only one or two, says store manager Anita Roy - and that's only thanks to restocking efforts by the Trees chain, whose executives are determined to keep the Nanaimo store open.

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Selling marijuana in liquor stores makes sense - the stores are in the business of selling a controlled substance that alters the mental state; they have the necessary expertise and infrastructure.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has partnered with the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association to push for the sale of recreational marijuana in public and private liquor stores - if and when the federal government legalizes the drug.

It should be sold in a socially responsible way, "in an age-controlled environment with a proven track record of ID checks, and that's what we currently have within our liquor stores," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith.

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Last week, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) and the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association (BCPLSA) announced a partnership to advocate for the sale of marijuana for recreational use at liquor stores across B.C. by Christmas next year.

The union and private retailers' association noted the existing liquor distribution and retail system in B.C. already offers a disciplined retail environment that is age-restricted, with all the right infrastructure to sell this additional option for hedonists.

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Will the cat-and-mouse game continue?

Headlines were made last week, when the Nanaimo RCMP raided three marijuana storefronts in the city and arrested several dispensary employees.

Police said they took action against the dispensaries after receiving 'several' complaints from the public. In one case, the police allege, a 15-year-old girl had purchased marijuana from a storefront.

Last month, the RCMP issued letters to dispensaries giving the storefronts seven calendar days to shut down or they would be raided.

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Considering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mandate - to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould - to begin the process of legalizing and regulating cannabis in Canada, isn't it time for RCMP to put a moratorium on investigating cannabis dispensaries ("Pot shops stand firm after visit from cops," Dec. 3)?

The institution of policing must accept cannabis prohibition is practically over.

Discriminating against citizens, including sick citizens, who choose to use the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant is on its last leg and should not be tolerated by civilized society any longer.

Stand down.

Stan White, Dillon, Colo.

[end]

The provincial government is responding with caution to a revived call from B.C.'s Children and Youth Representative Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond for "secure care" for youth struggling with drug addiction following the takedown of a drug house in Prince George two weeks ago.

The approach would require youth to enter detox, even if it's against their will.

In an email, a Ministry of Children and Family Development spokesman said it is "widely agreed" that voluntary services "are the most effective means of addressing addiction issues, which are often concurrent with mental health problems."

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They're members of the chamber of commerce and Downtown Vernon Association.

They say they have complied with all aspects of business licensing and they have helped police try and solve crime in the downtown core.

Yet the owners of MMJ Total Health Care are feeling angry after a visit last week from Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP officers, warning them that their medical marijuana dispensary and compassion business may be in danger of being closed permanently.

"We received a verbal warning that we were in danger of being shut down," said Jeff Gaudette, one of three co-owners of MMJ Total Health Care. "The officers would not leave a copy of the letter with us.

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As B.C.'s largest union and the province's liquor stores join to pitch a plan to sell legal pot in booze outlets, critics warn it'll lead to a marijuana monopoly

The ballots were barely counted on federal election night when British Columbia's largest union began planning its pitch to sell legal marijuana in liquor stores.

"On Oct. 19, after the election results, that's when we first started having informal conversations about it with our senior staff," said Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union.

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Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach Program

The number of Coast youth abusing drugs and alcohol has jumped by 60 per cent since last year, and cocaine is fast becoming the drug of choice for teens, according to reports from the Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach Program.

"One of the main drugs used by kids on the Coast now is cocaine and it's almost surpassing pot as a recreational drug because pot is so common now for kids that it's become like a daily thing for them. So they're looking to harder drugs like cocaine or hallucinogens like mushrooms and acid," outreach program coordinator Tonya Ste. Marie said.

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We were shocked this week to find out about the dramatic upswing in the number of youth abusing drugs and alcohol and the prevalence of cocaine on the Coast.

According to the Sunshine Coast Youth Outreach Program, 60 per cent more youth are using and abusing drugs and alcohol than compared to the same period last year, and the new drug of choice for teens is cocaine. Cocaine is fast approaching the popularity of pot among local teens, according to youth outreach program coordinator Tonya Ste. Marie.

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Selling non-medical marijuana in liquor stores makes a lot of sense - the stores are already in the business of selling a controlled substance that alters the mental state and impairs abilities. They have the necessary expertise and infrastructure. The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union has partnered with the B.C. Private Liquor Store Association to push for the sale of recreational marijuana in public and private liquor stores - if and when the federal government legalizes the drug.

It should be sold in a socially responsible way, "in an age-controlled environment with a proven track record of ID checks, and that's what we currently have within our liquor stores," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith.

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Sunshine Coast RCMP raided S&M Medicinal Sweet Shoppe on Saturday, Nov. 28, seizing over $100,000 worth of product and merchandise in an effort to shut down the medicinal marijuana candy producers, who were operating out of a residential home in the Selma Park area.

"Due to the seizures we made relating to their products and logistics, we believe the business was essentially forced to shut down after the execution of the warrant," Const. Harrison Mohr told Coast Reporter this week.

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Pot advocate urges growers to cut carbon footprint

British Columbians often boast about their green lifestyles, whether they're biking to work, eating local produce or spending the weekend outdoors.

But when they light up a joint - and 15 per cent admit they've done so in the past year, according to Statistics Canada - their green lifestyles go up in smoke.

Marijuana has a massive carbon footprint due to the high energy required to light indoor growing operations. B.C. Hydro estimates illegal grow ops steal at least $100 million worth of electricity from its grid annually, and a 2012 peer-reviewed report estimated one per cent of energy use in the U.S. goes to cannabis cultivation.

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The Nanaimo RCMP decided that where there's pot smoke, there's fire, and they snuffed it out.

Police raided local medical marijuana dispensaries on Tuesday and it was something that needed to be done. We agree with a lot of the arguments to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, but we recognize that those sorts of laws aren't in place yet. When we disagree with the laws of the land, we can protest them, but Nanaimo's dispensaries were basically flouting the law and going far beyond a little bit of civil disobedience.

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Patients, cannabis growers, doctors meet to discuss new drug regime

Lacking any clear direction from Ottawa, the Arthritis Society has put together a diverse group that includes medical cannabis researchers, patient advocates, marijuana producers and bureaucrats to identify research priorities for the drug and create prescription guidelines for doctors.

The national charity gathered a cannabis roundtable in Vancouver on Thursday for two days of discussions. It plans to produce a report in the new year, identifying areas where more research could benefit patients, while answering important questions from doctors - such as appropriate dosage levels, how cannabis should be administered and which patients could benefit the most.

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UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Mounties cracking down on illegal cannabis dispensaries with arrests, warnings

Business owners and observers are questioning the hazy future of the province's retail weed industry following a rash of recent pot shop busts.

Last week, Mission RCMP executed search warrants on a marijuana dispensary in the small unincorporated Fraser Valley community of Deroche, as well as the nearby home of the owners, Bob Woolsey, 64, and Dawn Parker Woolsey, 57. Both were arrested and released, pending charges.

Over the next seven days, Mounties raided three marijuana dispensaries on Vancouver Island, one on the Sunshine Coast and one in the Fraser Valley, while another five pot shops in the Okanagan were put on notice of "possible actions" to come.

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Rally planned in support of couple who volunteered to run compassion club

Bob Woolsey doesn't understand why Mission RCMP have targeted his medical marijuana facility in Deroche.

The 64-year-old and his 57-year-old wife Dawn Parker were taken into custody by the RCMP on Nov. 25 after police raided their home, trailer and several other structures.

Woolsey said he and his wife are the volunteer managers of the BC Pain Society's Compassion Club in Deroche.

The couple opened the club on Feb. 1 and have about 400 clients, all of whom have medical marijuana prescriptions.

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Individuals who purchase marijuana illegally must accept responsibility for supporting and financing a wide array of criminal activity, along with the consequential damage and costs such enterprise inflects on society.

No public servant, elected or otherwise, should play any part in the legitimation of the retailing of marijuana acquired from illegal sources.

Federal law enforcement is correct to step in and remedy the situation of illegal shops and to lay charges against operators under the provisions of the Criminal Code. Stop the funding of criminal organizations by not purchasing from illegal entities.

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2 dispensaries in Vernon say they will remain open to serve customers

Marijuana dispensaries in Vernon have been warned by Vernon RCMP officers they may have to shut down if illegal activity is detected.

When RCMP visited MMJ Total Health Care on 31 Avenue in downtown Vernon on Nov. 25, Hasia Glaim, co-owner, was not in at the time.

"Another partner and I went down to the RCMP station Thursday morning and discussed what was said," said Glaim. "They basically sat us down in an interrogation room and told us that what we were doing was illegal and did not comply with Health Canada, and that we should shut our doors, otherwise they could arrest owners, employees and patients who are in the store at the time."

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