Pubdate: Tue, 30 Jun 2015 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2015 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Kevin Rollason Page: A6 CANNABIS DISPENSARY READY TO ROLL Locally owned pot shop set to open here July 1 MEDICAL marijuana users will soon have a local joint to buy their weed. Your Medical Cannabis Headquarters, a marijuana dispensary, is set to open officially at 1404 Main St., on July 1. It's the former home of Vapes on Main, a medical marijuana cafe. Owner Glenn Price, a medical marijuana user himself, said he has been open with both the city and the province about the nature of the business he is opening. "I have a building occupancy permit," Price said. "I have it registered with the Manitoba Companies office and as a business name. I told everyone exactly what I was doing in this building. I even had to get a letter from my landlord to show the province. "I figured a local person should open a store first." Price said he has found a local doctor who is willing to write prescriptions for marijuana, as long as patients show they need it. Once that's done, Price sends them to a local photo finisher to have a special photo identification card made. Price said starting July 1, they can buy their medical marijuana from him. "No prescription and no card, you won't get the product from me," he said. "I'm following Vancouver's example." Price said a company from Saskatchewan is planning to open another dispensary here on Aug. 1, so he wanted to open first. Bill VanderGraaf, a medical marijuana user who co-founded Vapes on Main, now located at 93 1/2 Albert St. under the banner Vapes off Main, said the main difference between his operation and Price's is "ours is a private club. People socialize together." VanderGraaf, a former Winnipeg police officer, said he'd like to see marijuana legalized. "We shouldn't have a two-tiered criminal, with one with a medical prescription and the other who is a recreational user, but probably still needs to use it for stress," he said. "The government should be doing something other than criminalizing it." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt