UP IN SMOKE?

It's a substance British Columbians of most walks know well. On any
given day, but on the sunnier ones the better, the faint whiff of
marijuana can be detected from many beachside perches, dorm rooms,
balconies and backyards.

Deep Cove, of course, is no exception to that rule. In fact, some joke
the waterfront neighbourhood sets the standard for pot-scented
environments. But the potential influx of bud in the community from a
planned medical marijuana dispensary has caught the ire of the
District of North Vancouver council, and kicked off what's become a
heated discussion about land use, medicine and community service.

The District

"Marijuana legislation has nothing to do with us," says district Coun.
Doug MacKay-Dunn.

"The most important thing for us is land use. If we were talking about
a liquor store there is no way we'd grant a licence. Any attempt to
make this a broader, philosophical issue is nothing more than a
smokescreen, pun intended."

Since the news of Deep Cove resident Ken Starr 's plans to open a
medical marijuana facility, the district has made no secret of its
feelings towards the planned operation.

Within days of Starr's business intentions coming to light late last
month, district councillors convened a special meeting, passing the
first reading of a bylaw that "generally prohibits the use of land,
building or structures for the retail sale, distribution or dispensing
of marihuana except by persons authorized under the Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act, Medical Marihuana Access Regulations and any other
applicable legislation."

Health Canada does allow people to purchase, and some to grow,
marijuana granted they pass the government's regulations. Upon
approval, Health Canada will ship either seeds or marijuana to the
recipient by courier. Starr's operation -- called the ReLeaf Dispensary
Society, a registered non-profit organization -- doesn't have
permission from Health Canada to sell the drug to any potential
clients. No dispensary does.

The Re-Leaf society does require a doctor's recommendation for one of
the numerous conditions listed on their website, and Starr told The
Outlook he plans on monitoring all customers and transactions as
closely as possible.

But without that currently absent federal blessing, the district,
after a third reading and passage of its bylaw, will prohibit Starr
from opening up shop.

MacKay-Dunn says he, and the district, have received a "tsunami" of
emails protesting the dispensary. He's adamant it's the wrong location
for such an operation. Deep Cove is an out-of-the-way,
insular-by-choice neighbourhood, and if Starr's intention is to serve
the North Shore then a more central location may be a more logical
choice.

"Why Deep Cove? It's not the city, not Lonsdale or the Quay area,"
says MacKay-Dunn.

"And it is my job to protect the interests of the district. We believe
in community-based, bottom-up planning. Sure we make decisions people
don't like, but there's always a good process. This hasn't had any of
that. It's arrogant and it disrespects the community. It's 'I can do
anything you want and you can't stop me.' The game's afoot now."

A painkiller

The frequency, intensity and duration of the headaches were getting
worse. Her ability to handle day-to-day routines was becoming less and
less the norm. It hurt. And Bowen Island's Andrea Kaufman continued to
try the rotating door of medications to rid her of the migraines.

Finally, the former New Yorker and retired psychiatrist opted to try
something new. She did her research before deciding on, and being
prescribed, pill-form marijuana. Her choice hasn't led to the
prevention of her migraines, she cautions, but it does allow her to
function.

"It's effective and reliable enough that I know it will provide
relief," Kaufman says.

"And I'm a retired doctor, I know all these meds well. This has really
eliminated a lot of pain and sense of despair."

As an American citizen, Kaufman doesn't have access to Ottawa-approved
marijuana. She uses a Seattle-based prescription. Kaufman, admittedly,
has never tried marijuana in its traditional form, but says the chance
to have a location where current and prospective users could learn
more about the healing qualities of marijuana would be an asset to the
community.

There's a clear advantage, she adds, to people not only understanding
the medicinal advantages of marijuana - for instance what strain works
best for specific situations and symptoms - but also the clientele
that would frequent such a place.

"There's a lot of people out there suffering from pain syndromes who
are not into pharmaceutical painkillers."

Ken

He'd had a well-paying job, working in the movies, but he took no
gratification in his work. Sure, he could provide for his family.
Sure, he could afford a home in Deep Cove. But, he says, he wanted to
help. He wanted "to do some good."

His decision to do some good by providing medicinal marijuana,
however, wasn't made overnight. Starr's story, like Kaufman's, goes
back a few years. In 1996, Starr was hit by a drunk driver. It was
four years, he says, before he could walk without any pain. He took
his prescribed meds, a veritable laundry list he remembers, and
nothing made him feel any better. When the pain disappeared, the
nausea arrived. A sick, vomiting zombie, he called himself.

A couple years after the accident, a friend suggested he try smoking
some pot. He did. And it worked.

"I had tried it as a kid," Starr, now 38, says.

"And it got me off my medication and took care of the pain in my
knees. I found it ridiculous not to use it."

He admits, at first, he wasn't buying his weed from "proper" sources.
Like many, if not most, pot users, he knew a guy and that guy sorted
him out. But as his grandma's health declined and her arthritis grew
worse and worse about three years ago, Starr began researching
dispensaries.

Like it did for him, marijuana helped his grandmother live with her
daily pain. He began suggesting it to other seniors who he thought
would benefit from marijuana use and says he saw changes in them too.
He started calling the dispensaries in Vancouver, asking how many
people they served from the North Shore. He saw there was a demand,
and knew it was time to open up his own dispensary on this side of the
bridges.

"I'm a born and raised North Shore, this is my community. I'm
passionate about this and I want to help," he says.

"There is a need here, so why not try and help right
here?"

Like the claims of the district, Starr says he has received a flood of
emails from residents saying they're preparing their paperwork in
anticipation of his opening. The feedback, Starr says, has been
positive. Interested residents have reached out to him, looking for
information on the service and education on the benefits of medicinal
marijuana use, a service Starr is happy to provide.

Different strains of marijuana will help different conditions, Starr
explains. A sativa, for instance, is a mild, more "uplifting"
offering, while indica is a 'heavier painkiller," resulting in a more
drowsy state for users. There are also hybrid strains, Starr adds. He
plans to offer all three options if and when he opens.

The maximum amount of weed a potential dispensary client can purchase
is five grams per day. For those who can't get get to the location,
two weeks worth of product can be ordered in advance. Prices range
from from $4 - $10 per gram, Starr say he hopes to never charge more,
and he will be rotating strains.

Since getting possession of the building, Starr say he's been
approached by growers interested in selling their pot to him. he
interviews all potential candidates and those whom he feels are a good
fit are chosen. There are no connection to organized crime, Starr
says, and he favours the numerous "mom and pop" growers on the North
Shore as his suppliers. He admits he has to rely on his instinct when
talking to growers, but there's little other criteria in place to help
him make such decisions. More regulation, he says, would be welcome,
but until new regulations or a policy overhaul comes into effect,
Starr works with what he's given.

"There's a lot of people on the North Shore who grow, and I'm trying
to buy it from people who have federal exemptions. But some don't,"
Starr says.

"I wish it was more regulated by that's sort of how it's done. I'm
just trying to trying top provide a safe, compassionate spot for
people with a medical need. There isn't a spot on the North Shore for
this and I think it's time there was. That's why I'm doing this."