BACK CHAT

Maple Ridge is opening its first medical marijuana dispensary for
patients accredited by their doctors or Health Canada. The move opens
up the familiar debate over the drug's medicinal value. There are six
other such dispensaries in B.C. Join the conversation at: theprovince.com

Recommended treatment

As a person with multiple sclerosis, I will certainly use this
facility as recommended by my doctors at the UBC MS clinic.

Mental addiction

Pot has more of a mental addiction than physical. I quit using
regularly a few years ago. It caused me to be a bit irritable and I
had trouble sleeping. But after a few days, I was fine.

Pot makes me too paranoid, so I don't use it much anymore.

Works for me

After breaking my ribs, I took Tylenol 3 for pain. The T3s didn't
work worth a damn; they just made me really drowsy, cranky and
severely constipated. A friend dropped off some pot for me to smoke
or eat in my food if I wanted. Those joints and brownies were way
better. I wasn't stressed, and had no more constipation. I was
relaxed and more comfortable.

Marijuana has major benefits and should be legalized, or at least
decriminalized.

Bad for that neighbourhood

This is right across from the new Don Cherry's sports bar. Like this
neighbourhood needs more hammering. I thought we were cleaning up
this area of town.

I've nothing against this type of operation, but it should have gone
into a different neighbourhood to give it just a bit more legitimacy.

Sheepish people

I prefer codeine-based medicines and those from the poppy plant.

I know I can die from them. But I like supporting the pharmaceutical
movement that tries to keep marijuana illegal by convincing the
sheepish people that it is harmful.

Open drug market

Police officers in Maple Ridge won't be doing anything to stop drug
use. They are busy giving out cheesy traffic tickets at speed zone
changes or handing out seat-belt infraction tickets to shoppers. They
have their priorities straight.

Downtown Maple Ridge is a open drug market second only to East Vancouver.

Helps combat pain

The few friends I have known with cancer, a terminal illness or
intense pain all feel that marijuana helps them immensely.

In this day and age it's about time the general population tries to
understand this.

Medicinal abuse

It won't be long before there are the "medical users without the
federal permit".

All of these bogus users are just using the system to try and smoke
with less trouble.

I have had several in my apartment buildings -- they all have been
evicted. If I can win, why can't the courts win in this legal haze?