POT MEETING UNCOVERS NO NEW GROUND

Victoria's two compassion clubs are operating illegally, that much
appears clear.

Apparently, the chances of either the Vancouver Island Compassion
Society or the Cannabis Buyers Club receiving a legal exemption to
provide medical marijuana for their members is slim at this point.

"Ultimately Health Canada's position on this is compassion clubs are
illegal," organization spokesperson Chris Williams said this week.

As for the clubs' continued operation, he added "it's a matter for
law enforcement agencies."

Essentially, the Victoria police have bigger fish to fry right now,
according to Insp. Les Sylven.

"We're trying to get a handle on what's the best use of police
resources," he said. "We look at it as 'what would the community want
us to be doing?' Do they want us to be focusing on the crystal meth
problem or on compassion clubs?"

While there really is no confusion over the fact marijuana
distribution of any kind is illegal right now, Sylven said the issue
of policing the clubs has some practical considerations.

"Is it our greatest priority right now? No. But is it a concern? Yes,
particularly because of the violence related to the people taking
advantage of these clubs. We keep a close eye on that side of it."

The idea of giving compassion clubs a federal exemption to legally
supply cannabis products to chronically ill individuals has been
tossed around for years.

The City of Victoria, hoping to clarify the issue - both clubs
operate from city locations - has been working on and off to secure a
meeting with Health Canada for three years. For various reasons, that
didn't happen until earlier this month, when Health Canada's Linda
Dabros spoke to city staff, local medical health officials and police
in a closed-door meeting. She outlined the current medical marijuana
access regulations, who can receive an exemption to use or grow
cannabis and briefly talked about Health Canada's future plans on the issue.

No decisions will be made on the issue, but a report was due to be
made to councillors at committee-of-the-whole yesterday.

From the city's standpoint, it's "business as usual" in terms of
dealing with the compassion clubs, Mayor Alan Lowe said Wednesday.
"Things have not gotten out of control," he said.

Responding to the statement that keeping a close watch on the clubs
isn't the highest priority for the police, Lowe said council can't
set that priority either. "It's not up to us to tell the police which
laws to enforce."

Annoyed that the meeting was held behind closed doors, Cannabis
Buyers Club co-founder Ted Smith plans to attend a city council
meeting Feb. 23 to voice his opinions on the matter.

"Really, I'm just trying to find out what has happened," he said.
"It's important to find out why we've been snubbed here- and find out
why Health Canada has been so irresponsible."

People with Health Canada exemptions to use marijuana products for
medical reasons are listed under one of three options, Williams said.
They include purchasing dried product from Health Canada, being
granted a licence to grow their own or having another person grow it for them.

The latter case is limited to a one-to-one relationship, Williams
said, not one person growing for a number of people, as is the case
with the local compassion clubs.

Vancouver Island Compassion Society executive director Philippe Lucas
said the rule preventing one cannabis grower from supplying more than
one person, through a compassion club, has been struck down as
unconstitutional. Other similar court cases are in the works, he said.

In terms of the relationship the 550-member VICS has with the city,
Lucas said it continues to be an "integral part of Victoria's social
health network" and receives great support from the local medical community.

As for being monitored by police, he claimed the club has yet to have
a complaint lodged against it in six years of operation.

"Unfortunately because of Health Canada's continued resistance to
licensing compassion clubs, there's never a day that goes by that I
don't worry about raids or arrests," Lucas admitted.