COUNCILLOR PUSHING FOR LEGALIZED MEDICAL MARIJUANA

GRAND FORKS - A city councillor has decided to take a lead role in
municipal advocacy for the legalization of medical cannabis in the province.

In order to see the change in federal and provincial laws, Grand
Forks councillor Joy Davies is trying to get cities in B.C. to
support a motion for systemic change. To help educate the community
about the use of marijuana as medicine, she is organizing an
education forum of experts in the field for June 18 in Grand Forks.

In a motion made at the city council meeting Monday, Davies asked for
the city's support to take a motion to the Union of B.C.
Municipalities (UBCM) meeting in the fall to press the province to
undertake the licensing of medical marijuana.

Her motion asked that the licensing of medical marijuana be the
responsibility of the province not the federal government, and
presses for the ability for compassion clubs to grow the medical
cannabis needed for patients or for patients to grow their own.

Although that motion was defeated, Davies is still working to move it
forward. She is taking it to the floor of the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities' annual conference in Whistler and will reintroduce it
locally, if possible.

Since the suicide in December of a close friend whose doctor would
not prescribe medical marijuana for her chronic pain, Davies has been
researching the issue, talking with government authorities, and
people involved with compassion clubs.

"Everybody wants to legalize medical use of marijuana because the
federal system is failing apart," said Davies. "(Councillors) see
our people every day. We see the social stigmatism that they are
living under and the fear of being found out. They are the most
vulnerable people and they shouldn't live like that."

Davies wants to take the resolution to the UBCM because it is the
municipal advocacy group to the provincial government. Davies
believes that the pressure from the local levels across the province
may be what will create the change for the future.

At the forum in June, Davies hopes to provide city councillors and
the community with information on the medical use of marijuana and
the need for change in legislation.

The panel will include Rielle Caplar of the Centre for Addiction
Research of B.C., Victory city councillor Phillipe Lucas, and Judge
Jerry Paradis of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Only 20 per cent of the 2,000 people licenced by Health Canada to use
medical marijuana buy it from the federal government's existing
program due to quality problems. There are 15,000 patients
authorized by their doctors to use medical marijuana, but to access
other sources means that they must buy illegal products.

"The way I see it, each community should be able to have a compassion
club and to legally grow the marijuana for the club," said Davies.
"If a legal compassion club is regulated by the province, licenced by
the province, taxed by the province, we can get it done properly so
that people can maintain their dignity."