FEDS TALK COMPASSION

The medical marijuana movement may be getting more respect, but
there's still a long way to go before Boris St-Maurice, the local
supremo of the federal Marijuana Party, is satisfied. Last week, the
veteran pro-pot activist attended a meeting with the Health Canada
Stakeholder Advisory Committee on the Medical Marijuana Access
Regulations ("It's a mouthful," he says. "It's also affectionately
known as MMAR."). The meetings bring together health professionals,
federal bureaucrats, law enforcement types, smokers and now Compassion
clubs. "It's about time," St-Maurice says. "We've been hassling them
for a year."

St-Maurice says he had an "interesting, lively debate" with the
various members and acknowledges that the invitation represents a
"form of legitimacy" for Compassion clubs among the mainstream talking
heads currently debating the topic.

"There were different perspectives and effective dialogue, but we're
still miles away from where we think we should be," he says. "But I am
glad patients were invited, because the patient should be in charge of
deciding his treatment."

In other pot news, StatsCan revealed this week that marijuana offenses
accounted for about three-quarters of all drug-related crimes, and
that a surge in possession charges has pushed up drug crime rates over
the past decade.

In the meantime, however, St-Maurice has caught federal election
fever. He is currently recruiting candidates.