NV MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPENING

Deep Cove Pot Shop Will Only Sell to Licensed Patients

IF all goes according to plan, Deep Cove will soon be home to the
North Shore's first marijuana dispensary.

The Re-Leaf Dispensary Society, a non-profit group founded by Deep
Cove resident Ken Starr, plans to open a store in a small commercial
complex near the corner of Mount Seymour Parkway and Deep Cove Road
some time next month. The organization has rented a space in the strip
and is in the process of renovating. The outlet will sell marijuana to
people who use it for medical purposes.

"Our goal is to help everyone who has a legitimate medical need," said
Starr, who will own and manage the operation.

"I believe we're sort of a destination spot. . . . I don't want it to
be out in everyone's face."

Starr said the store will only sell to society members, and to become
a member, a customer must present proof of a legal exemption to drug
possession laws granted by Health Canada, or a doctor's prescription
or recommendation. The last two must be faxed to the store directly
from a doctor's office, said Starr.

Although the organization has been registered with the province as a
non-profit group, it does not have an exemption from Health Canada
permitting it to sell the drug, said Starr. It also doesn't have a
business licence from the District of North Vancouver, he said,
explaining that the municipality doesn't issue those to non-profit
dispensaries.

"We're sort of in a grey zone, legally," said Starr. "Health Canada
has set up the guidelines we abide by."

Starr made assurances that the dispensary would not compromise the
safety of the neighbourhood. Any customer found sharing or selling the
drug or using it in the vicinity of the store would have their
membership revoked, he said. The premises will be secured with an
alarm and video cameras, and no drugs or cash will be left on site at
night.

Meanwhile, Starr's lawyer is trying to set up a meeting with the local
RCMP to discuss the dispensary. "I don't think police and the medical
communities need to be adversaries," said Kirk Tousaw.

None of the store's products will come from criminal organizations,
added Starr. Rather, the marijuana will be bought from growers who
themselves have exemptions from Health Canada allowing them to produce
it for personal consumption.

"There is no official response to what they're supposed to do with the
leftovers," he said. "It's become standard practice that they sell it
to dispensaries. . . . It seems to be an allowed practice."

If police do raid the dispensary, Starr's lawyer believes a
constitutional challenge would likely ensue. Courts across Canada have
already found the federal government's system for licensing
dispensaries to be overly restrictive, Tousaw said. Right now,
compassion clubs like Re-Leaf are the only way to fill the gap.

At the moment, North Shore users of medical marijuana -- which Starr
estimates number in the hundreds -- have to go to the Vancouver
Dispensary Society's outlets on Hastings and Thurlow Streets to fill
prescriptions. Many suffer from serious illnesses or disabilities,
making the journey something of a trial. Under the circumstances, it's
inevitable that a dispensary will at some point open here, he argued.

"If it's going to come to the North Shore, I want to make sure it's
done right," said Starr.

The store will continue to be run as a non-profit, with proceeds from
sales going to cover overhead costs. Those costs will include paying
staff, however, such as him.

"I'm not looking to get rich," said Starr.