B.C. TO REVIEW POT LAWS

Compassion clubs in Victoria may be one step closer to escaping legal
uncertainty 4after a ruling in the British Colombia Supreme Court
declared sections of the national marijuana program to be unconstitutional.

The decision by Justice Marvyn Koenigsbergn to review the laws
surrounding marijuana distribution is good news for Philippe Lucas
and Ted Smith, who operate medicinal marijuana dispensaries in B.C.
The law currently limits designated suppliers to distribute medicinal
marijuana to one patient. Lucas and Smith hope this changes.

Currently Health Canada is the only provider who can legally
distribute marijuana in Canada. Patients desiring medicinal marijuana
need to fill out a 33-page application, acquire a passport photo and
receive a recommendation from a physician.

Most compassion clubs do not follow these government mandates.
"There's the legal way and then there's our way," said Smith, who
runs the Cannabis Buyer Clubs of Canada. His club provides medicinal
marijuana for people with a diagnosis of a permanent physical
disability or disease. "It's based on a constitutional right to
control what happens to your own body. We're different from Health
Canada. They want doctors to have control and we believe that it's a
patient's right to choose."

Lucas, the director for the Victoria Island Compassion Society, said
the medical association has been one of the main obstacles for
Canadians trying to gain medical marijuana. His non-profit
organization is "a community-based patient-centered model of access."
He said he thinks the potential changes in the marijuana access
regulations will have a "beneficial impact on the community."

"Costs for prescription drugs are stupid," Smith said. "If people
could make their own cookies instead, they'll feel better and the
whole of society would be paying less for health care."

Smith said he hopes Justice Koenigsberg's decision will ease the
regulations surrounding marijuana distribution.

"Obviously I want the whole thing to be legal," he said. "But first
Health Canada needs to let people in based on condition and not
recommendation."

Lucas admits that the laws surrounding marijuana are contentious, and
believes that change will only come through the court system.

Besides his club, Smith also runs a free lecture out of the
University of Victoria called Hempology 101. His lessons on cannabis
prohibition are streamed online. He also facilitates a 4-20 club on
the UVic campus that hosts around 200 kids. "The experience for the
students has been really positive. It's also been great for the
cannabis community in reaching stages of legitimacy," he said.

Lucas is currently doing research sponsored by the Centre of
Addiction Research for British Colombia. Its main office for medical
marijuana is on the UVic campus. His organization has published the
most medical marijuana research in Canada

Neither Lucas or Smith show any signs of shutting down. "It's really
amazing to be helping people improve their lives," Smith said.