MARIJUANA LICENCE ABUSE RAMPANT

B.C. Police Uncover Yet Another Violation

Police across the country are increasingly alarmed over the
"widespread" abuse of Health Canada issued medical-marijuana licences.

On Friday, authorities announced they had arrested three people in
Maple Ridge, B.C., who were found to be growing nearly 1,500 plants in
a barn, when they had licences to grow only 220.

Maple Ridge is 40 kilometres east of Vancouver.

RCMP said they seized a helicopter, two pickup trucks and three nine-
to 12-metre trailers that could be used as "mobile marijuana grow labs."

"We do believe organized crime are using medical licences as a guise
in order to traffic their product," said RCMP Const. Michael McLaughlin.

He said about one-third of the licensed grow operations they
investigate turn out to have more plants than are permitted.

"It's very widespread, unfortunately."

Last month, police in Nova Scotia reportedly seized 312 plants from a
man with a licence to grow 15.

"It is a fairly common occurrence," RCMP Sgt. Keith MacKinnon told the
CBC, adding that one scheme involved the sale of a how-to manual for
obtaining a licence by "duping the doctors."

In an email, Health Canada spokeswoman Leslie Meerburg said the agency
works with law-enforcement agencies to "distinguish between people who
are acting within the law and those engaged in illegal
activities."

At the same time Health Canada is facing concerns about
licence-holders abusing the system, it is also facing challenges from
patients going to court to seek greater access to marijuana for
medical reasons.

Meerburg said Health Canada is in the midst of considering measures to
reform the Marijuana Medical Access Program, with an aim to "balance
the need to provide reasonable legal access to this controlled
substance with the government's responsibility to regulate it."

Currently, the law allows Canadians suffering from "grave or
debilitating illnesses" to access marijuana for medical purposes. A
physician must sign a medical declaration indicating what the
marijuana will be used for.

The patient has a choice of purchasing dried marijuana from Health
Canada, growing his or her own supply, or designating someone else to
grow it for him or her.

Those who hold a production licence can produce marijuana for a
maximum of two people. There can be no more than four production
licences per site.

Across Canada, there are more than 10,000 people with licences to
possess marijuana and about 8,000 people with licences to produce it.