DOING THE RIGHT THING ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Comox Valley RCMP say they had good reasons to believe the North
Island Compassion Club (NICC) had become a front for marijuana dealing.

The Crown, which will prosecute the case, clearly thought so when
approving criminal charges -- using information gathered by police.

The two people who are charged will get their day in court and we will
learn more about what led to a recent raid on the club's Courtenay
headquarters.

Ernie Yacub, a director of the 10-year-old NICC and one of two people
charged, explained his position last week.

"Marijuana is a medicine. We were the only pharmacy in town," Yacub
said of the registered non-profit organization that provides medical
marijuana to more than 230 members.

"Marihuana remains an illegal and controlled substance," notes Health
Canada. That's because a large number of people ingest it
recreationally, in many cases feeding the coffers of organized crime.

Police are obligated to enforce the law as politicians have written
it, a point fair-minded medicinal marijuana supporters have made in
letters to the editor and comments on the Comox Valley Record website
(www.comoxvalleyrecord.com).

However, Health Canada grants access to marijuana for medical use "to
those who are suffering from grave and debilitating illnesses." Where
does medicinal marijuana end and trafficking for recreational use
begin? There's not always an easy answer, and it will be tackled in
the court case involving NICC members.

What is clear, though, is that some Canadians are in debilitating pain
and discomfort -- from cancer and treatment it, for example. In these
cases, any effects of marijuana go right to easing their suffering and
does nothing to get them high.

The Canadian government has done the right thing by approving
marijuana for medicinal purposes, not recreational use. Let us hope
our legislators and law enforcers can tell the difference.