I can see the reasoning behind both sides of the marijuana issue; what bothers me is that those in favour of legalizing marijuana want to do so before it becomes the law of the land ( City, police service mired in reefer madness, Aug. 6).

Local police should not be choosing which federal laws they prosecute. Those laws are established by Parliament, and until they are either struck down by a Supreme Court ruling or changed by Parliament, they should be enforced by Canadian law enforcement.

If you want the selling of marijuana legalized, vote for Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party; that seems to be a major plank in their campaign.

Cal Paul

Winnipeg

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THE owner of Winnipeg's sole medical-marijuana dispensary faces drug-trafficking charges after police arrested him and shut down his business Tuesday.

Glenn Allan Price, 54, was arrested at his unlicensed Main Street dispensary and is charged with drug trafficking and possession offences, as well as possession of the proceeds of crime after police issued two search warrants at his home and business. He was released from custody.

The Winnipeg Police Service said the dispensary was an illegal drug-trafficking business, from which they seized two pounds of the drug. Officers seized two ounces of marijuana from the accused's residence above his storefront in the 1400 block of Main Street, police said.

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Re: 'Price to pay,' Aug. 5. As I see it, the Winnipeg police crackdown on Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters owner Glenn Price is largely politically motivated.

Two weeks ago, on July 23, your headline read, "Trudeau backs illegal pot dispensary." Therefore, it seems apparent the federal Conservative party/government directed the Winnipeg police as part of the election campaign.

Because Health Canada has made purchase of medicinal marijuana as impractical and inconvenient as possible (mail-order/courier-delivery only), Vancouver has prioritized police resources on more serious offences, letting a hundred cannabis storefront-dispensaries flourish.

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Storefront filled need, advocate says

DELTA 9 Bio-Tech, the only federally licensed medical-marijuana operation in Manitoba, says it has room for 200 new patients this month.

Others will turn to their own stash of pot. And as a last resort, there's always the street.

Police shut down Winnipeg's only storefront medical-pot dispensary, Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters, in a raid Tuesday. Owner Glenn Price faces drug charges.

The reality for many medical-marijuana users is that the options are limited, despite the optimistic rhetoric, one vocal advocate said.

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Charges shut down Manitoba's first medical marijuana dispensary

Medical marijuana dispensary owner Glenn Price is vowing to fight his drug trafficking charges in court.

Police raided Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters and closed it down on Tuesday. They arrested Price, his wife Sandra, and a customer. Only Price was charged.

"It was determined that the owner was operating an illegal drug trafficking business, which was held out to be a medical marijuana dispensary," police said in a release issued Wednesday.

Police seized about two pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from his business and about two ounces of marijuana from his residence. Price, 54, was also in possession of an undisclosed amount of cash.

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Store owner charged with trafficking, possession

Winnipeg police have moved to close a controversial medical marijuana shop in the city, going so far as to remove the sign hanging from a shingle over Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters.

Wednesday, police said Glen Allan Price, 54, was arrested and charged with trafficking and possession of scheduled substances and possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime.

Earlier this year, Health Canada moved to make it legal for licensed providers to sell marijuana in everything from brownies to lip balm.

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Glenn Allan Price will get his day in court, but does the prosecution of purveyors of medical marijuana really serve the public interest? Well, if you're the federal Conservative government, pursuing an out-of-touch political agenda, clearly it does.

Mr. Price, owner of a recently opened, unlicensed medical marijuana dispensary on Main Street, was charged by Winnipeg police with trafficking and possession following a raid Tuesday.

Many speculate an anti-marijuana activist in Vancouver, where dispensaries have proliferated and are licensed by city council, triggered the raid with a complaint to the Winnipeg Police Service earlier this month.

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THERE are the obvious differences: the mountains, the sea, the climate and, of course, the housing prices.

But this week, our police service officially delineated another difference between Vancouver and Winnipeg. It's an attitude. Specifically an attitude toward medical-marijuana dispensaries.

In Vancouver, where there have been unlicensed medical-marijuana dispensaries for at least five years, the police service has stood by, watched the numbers reach at least 100 and decided illegal pot-to-manage-pain storefront operations are not a policing priority. And only will be if there are concerns about public safety.

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Cops bust unlicensed marijuana dispensary

Former Winnipeg police officer Bill VanderGraaf vented his rage outside of Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters after its owner was arrested there Tuesday morning.

Owner Glenn Price, his wife, Sandra, and a customer were all arrested during a raid that started about 11 a.m.

"It's bulls*!" VanderGraaf exclaimed outside of the Main Street dispensary. "We have many people with health issues in this country, including Winnipeg, and they have every right to access this product in a proper, legal manner ... We should control and regulate, and take it out of the hands of criminals. This man (Price) is doing a service to the community."

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It would be wrong to characterize Glenn Price's arrest Tuesday as being an affront to the many customers who frequented his store this past month to buy marijuana for medical purposes.

Sure, that's the story Price and others will peddle. But that's not really the story, at least right now.

Quite simply, Price was breaking the law.

Federal law dictates Price needed a licence to sell medical marijuana from Health Canada.

He did not get one.

Price can argue he was doing good by the 225 "patients" he served - it should be noted he's not a doctor or a pharmacist. And he can argue the current process for getting medical marijuana - users have to file their request with Ottawa, then wait several weeks or even months to get their dope in the mail - is too cumbersome.

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Follow Through on Warnings to Close Shop

TUESDAY'S police raid on a medical-marijuana store puts a spotlight on how differently Winnipeg is handling federal pot regulations compared with cities such as Vancouver, where there are dozens of dispensaries and politicians aim to regulate them.

Police arrested Glenn Price, his wife Sandra Price, and an unnamed client Tuesday morning at the fledgling Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters at 1404-A Main St.

As the day wore on, workers removed the shop's sign while police investigated inside the shop. The couple's daughter was frantic. "I have no idea what's going on. The police won't tell me anything," Stacie Price said after repeatedly calling police.

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Meet the man behind Winnipeg's first medical marijuana dispensary

Fifteen years ago, Glenn Price had his wrist gashed open when moving a large mirror that shattered. The damage required 500 stitches, Price said, and the scar to prove it still weaves through his skin to his hand, where extensive nerve damage has left him without feeling in his fingers.

On the same arm, Price "broke" his shoulder 10 years prior to that incident, which to this day leaves him with chronic pain that doctors originally wanted to prescribe powerful painkillers to treat.

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Now that neighbouring U.S. states have legalized marijuana, Ottawa can no longer claim Canada must uphold marijuana prohibition in order to maintain good U.S. relations ( Conservatives losing the war on drugs, Editorial, July 22).

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a chronic case of reefer madness best cured with medical marijuana - the drug's not nearly as dangerous (or exciting) as Harper seems to think.

Consider the experience of Canada's southern neighbour. Despite a history of zero tolerance, the U.S. has nearly double the rate of lifetime marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana has been legally available for decades.

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Trudeau Reaffirms Support for Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana

Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau vowed to legalize and regulate marijuana, if elected, removing the legal grey area surrounding Winnipeg's first medical marijuana shop.

Trudeau was asked if the owner of Winnipeg's medical marijuana dispensary should be allowed to keep his business open after two police warnings to shut it down. Those warnings come despite the fact Vancouver city council passed a bylaw to allow medical pot shops in June.

The Liberal leader said national legalization would allow regulated sales without such inconsistencies and confusion across the country.

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THERE is no better evidence of the change in attitudes about marijuana than the forbearance demonstrated by the Winnipeg Police Service in connection with a man who is openly selling pot from a storefront operation.

The police service issued a news release Monday saying it would not tolerate the lawless conduct of Glenn Price, who has been selling what he calls medical marijuana even though he is not licensed by Health Canada and his product has not been acquired from authorized government dispensers.

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'Not Going Anywhere' Despite Police Order

IN the three weeks since he started selling his product, Glenn Price of Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters has had highs and lows. What he's made clear is, although police have ordered him to stop, he's not going up in smoke.

After a brief hiatus, Price began selling medical marijuana again Tuesday morning, despite being ordered not to by police a week earlier. After a tumultuous few days including two police visits to his shop, a "smoke-in" at Winnipeg police headquarters and a near-doubling in customer interest, Price said Tuesday he's "not going anywhere."

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Local medical marijuana users sparked up a "smoke-in" in front of police headquarters on Monday to show their support for a local dispensary that has been under police investigation.

Glenn Price, owner of Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters on Main Street, said police have been harassing him over the past week for filling medical marijuana prescriptions without a Health Canada licence.

"Winnipeg should have something like this that has easy access to medicine, instead of jumping through federal government hoops," said Price, who added he only serves customers with official medical documentation.

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Pot Smokers Praise Marijuana's Medical Benefits

One of the most powerful and addictive drugs a prescription can buy isn't enough to alleviate the pain Randy Kotyk suffers daily.

Kotyk suffers from cervical spinal stenosis, degenerative bone disease in his neck and back, an arthritic spine, and has had "a number of heart attacks."

In an attempt to numb that pain, Kotyk wears two patches - 200 micrograms - of Fentanyl, the prescription drug that is said to be significantly more powerful than morphine, more addictive than heroin, and has become a drug of abuse trafficked on city streets around the world.

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Any unlicensed seller will be shut down, police say

After a week of turmoil, including two police visits to his shop and a "smoke-in" outside Winnipeg police headquarters, the owner of Manitoba's only medical cannabis dispensary has vowed to reopen today..

Glenn Price was first visited by police last Tuesday at his store, Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters (1404 Main St.). He said he was told to stop selling medical marijuana just two weeks after starting, and although he halted sales for a few days, he promised to start up again.

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Medical Marijuana Proponents Plan Pot Protest at Police Station

A "smoke-in" in support of Winnipeg's only medical marijuana dispensary is planned to take place just outside Winnipeg police headquarters Monday morning.

The peaceful protest at the Public Safety Building on Princess Street follows two visits Glenn Price said police made to his store, Your Medical Marijuana Headquarters, on Tuesday and Thursday of last week. The store owner says police are trying to force him to stop selling the medical weed because he has not been approved by Health Canada.

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