Pubdate: Thu, 07 Mar 2013 Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC) Copyright: 2013, West Partners Publishing Ltd. Contact: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294 Author: Sean Upshaw KEEP 'MEDICAL' MARIJUANA FROM POTHEADS To the editor: I want to commend Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the present government for their intelligent stance on medical marijuana. I do understand that there are some very rare cases where marijuana is the best or only remedy for an individual's chronic pain. As such, it should be available for use as a medicine. However, for the most part this present arrangement is nothing less than an abusive system that allows potheads to grow cheap pot. Please, we are not so naive to believe that some of this is not being shared or sold with other users for recreational use. If it is a "medicine," then it should be regulated the same as other pharmaceuticals and should only be available by prescription and purchased at appropriate government regulated dispensers. We don't allow citizens to produce other painkillers ad-hoc in their basements, so why this? Furthermore, as it presently is there are all kinds of homes growing pot that are fire hazards. As a realtor, myself and others come across the damage done by grow-ops quite often in the form of structural, electrical and mold issues in homes. Because it was a "legal" grow-op, the seller may not have disclosed it because they were never busted. Busted or not the damage is done, and now an unsuspecting buyer is left to suffer the consequence. His children develop a sickness because of the hidden mold. So, I applaud Prime Minister Harper and Kelowna-Lake Country MP Ron Cannan and the Conservatives for doing what they were elected to do, giving Health Canada the ability to regulate this "medicine" as it should be. All of us will benefit from this new legislation and we can then service those who may need this drug the same as all other citizens receive their medication. And the rest of us can sleep better at night knowing that some pothead next door is not going to burn the whole neighbourhood down. Sean Upshaw, Kelowna - --- MAP posted-by: Matt