PROPOSED BAN ON DISPENSING MEDICAL POT DRAWS CROWD

Council Debates June 21 After Public Talked 4 Hours

A proposed ban on dispensing medical marijuana without explicit
federal approval drew medical marijuana users, legalization activists
and residents from across the North Shore into the District of North
Vancouver's council chambers Tuesday night for a standing-room-only
public hearing.

The draft bylaw comes in response to an abortive attempt by the
Re-Leaf Dispensary Society to begin selling pot to
prescription-holding patients in Deep Cove. Police officers and
district bylaw officers converged on the premises June 11 to prevent
the dispensary from opening.

The legality of medical marijuana dispensaries is murky. The current
legislation only allows licensed patients to grow their own cannabis,
designate another person to grow it for them, or purchase it directly
from Health Canada. Any distribution or dispensing, says the North
Vancouver RCMP, constitutes drug trafficking.

But marijuana advocates say recent court decisions have supported
dispensaries, and several locations operate openly in Vancouver,
Burnaby, Maple Ridge and elsewhere with the full knowledge of police.

"I saw my grandmother suffer," Re-Leaf president Ken Starr told
council. "I tried to help her with medical marijuana, knowing that it
could help her. I don't think I made a strong enough effort so she did
suffer quite a bit. Since then I've made it a personal goal to help
people I see in my grandmother's situation."

Starr said his personal experience with medicinal pot came after he
was hit by a car and went through four years of rehabilitation before
being able to walk. Marijuana, he said, helped him stop taking
powerful pharmaceutical painkillers.

"I was born and raised here," Starr continued. "I'm raising my
children here. They actually go to Seycove and Cove Cliff, within
walking distance of the dispensary. I felt that if one is going to
open in my community, I wanted to be the one who did it. I would like
to make sure it's run properly. I would like the opportunity to help
sick people in North Vancouver."

A series of medical marijuana users addressed the hearing, reporting
that smoking, eating, or ingesting tinctures of marijuana was an
invaluable part of coping with medical conditions. As well, several
residents argued against the proposal, saying it would be more
appropriate to locate the dispensary around Lions Gate Hospital.

The public hearing was closed after four hours of presentations.
Council will debate the proposed bylaw at a special council meeting on
June 21 at 7 p.m.