A QUESTION OF WEED OUTLETS AND LEGAL LOOPHOLES

If you've ever visited my woodsy home community of Deep Cove in North
Vancouver, you'll know you're never too far from the stink of skunk,
both of the blackand-white animal and green-weed variety.

So the news that this laid-back, pot-friendly neighbourhood would
soon be home to the North Shore's first marijuana dispensary was
somewhat puzzling. After all, it hardly seems as if there's a supply shortage.

Puzzlement, however, was not the only reaction local residents had to
the announcement by the Re-Leaf Dispensary Society that it had
already rented a strategicallylocated space for an outlet selling
so-called medical pot.

In a North Shore News story, society spokesman Ken Starr gave
assurances community safety would not be compromised by an influx of
pot smokers. But he acknowledged his registered, non-profit
organization neither had a business licence nor permission from
Health Canada to sell the drug.

Some residents were not amused, and were not shy about letting their
feelings known to North Vancouver District council. And it was not
lost on those involved that this was a municipal election year and
every vote counted.

Mayor Richard Walton and his fellow council members issued a
statement saying they were "very concerned about this situation" and
intended to "take whatever steps possible within the law" to ensure
the proposed dispensary did not operate within the district's
boundaries, including introducing a bylaw to that effect.

This in turn prompted a blast from Dispensary Society lawyer Kirk
Tousaw accusing the district of lacking compassion and saying it had
no right to force its citizens onto the black market.

Tousaw added that the "stigma and lies" surrounding medical marijuana
ran deep, and he himself would send his aging grandmother to a
dispensary "in a heartbeat".

Now, whatever you think about marijuana's effectiveness as a cureall,
the fact remains that these pot outlets are not always popular with
Lower Mainland taxpayers who believe their sales are not always for
legitimate medical purposes. And it's obvious there's significant
abuse of the licensing system.

Last week, the RCMP said it believed organized crime was using
medical licences to traffic its product, noting that about one-third
of the licensed grow ops police investigate turn out to have more
plants than permitted.

The RCMP comments followed the arrest of two men at a Maple Ridge
property that was approved for two pot-production licences with a
total of 220 allowable plants, but which had nearly seven times that
number. The Mounties also seized a helicopter.

How do I feel about a medical pot dispensary in Deep Cove? Well,
better than I do about a skunk's nest.

Also, I agree with the Dispensary Society that, when marijuana is
viewed as medicine rather than a recreational drug, some of the "cool
factor" may be removed, making it less attractive to young people.

However, I do think it's time that Health Canada found a less
looseygoosey way of dispensing the drug than through "non-profit"
dispensaries operating in a legal grey zone.

My view is that they should let regular local pharmacies do the job
- -if they're prepared to do so.