Pubdate: Thu, 24 Mar 2016
Source: Chilliwack Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Chilliwack Times
Contact:  http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1357
Author: Paul J. Henderson

WANTED & UNWELCOME

Chilliwack's new medical marijuana dispensary is welcomed by patients
.. but not city hall

Those behind a new marijuana dispensary just open in Chilliwack say
they have been overwhelmed with support and encouragement from the
general public.

 From city hall, however, not so much.

WeeMedical Dispensary held its grand opening on Saturday, the latest
of about half a dozen similar shops run by a society based in Vancouver.

"People are so thankful we are here," manager Shayli Vere told the
Times during a visit to the tidy, sparse shop on Fifth Avenue a day
before they opened.

"We really think we are going to be a great addition to the
community," said May Joan Liu, a board member of the WeeMedical
Dispensary Society, which runs a number of similar shops in places
like North Vancouver, Nanaimo and Port Alberni.

But three days before the shop even opened its doors, the owners and
the society were made aware of just how unwelcome they are at city
hall.

"They are in contravention of the criminal code and the city's zoning
and licensing bylaws," Mayor Sharon Gaetz said Tuesday.

The city's lawyers, Vancouver-based Lidstone & Company, issued a
warning letter on March 16 to the society and the two owners, David
Ronald Andre and Brian Stewart Elderkin of Chilliwack.

In it, lawyer Sara Dubinsky explains that the only zone where
distribution of marijuana is permitted in Chilliwack is in the
Agricultural Land Reserve, so the dispensary is in violation of the
allowed uses of the commercial zone where it's located.

Further, WeeMedical does not have a business licence and cannot get
one for a business in a location without applicable zoning.

"Please be advised that if a marihuana dispensary commences operation
at 46000 Fifth Avenue, the City may commence legal proceedings to
enforce its bylaws without further notice," the letter said.

The business opened up March 19, three days after receiving that
letter, and Gaetz said fines to the operator and owners totally $2,000
per day were issued March 20, 21 and 22, and would continue to be
issued as long as they stay open.

Vere responded with a petition targeting Chilliwack city council to
allow WeeMedical to do business as a dispensary society. After six
days, as of Tuesday, it had 267 supporters.

Vere said the dispensary is run on the model of a health
clinic.

"We are very clinical, very clean and we are here to support
patients," she said.

"We are here to provide accountability for the product out of our
shop," Liu added.

Various strains of cannabis are for sale at the clinic in prices
ranging from $10 to $13 per gram. They also sell tinctures, capsules
and edibles. Those purchasing products need a membership and have to
be over 19 years of age. To get a membership, clients can show a
dispensary card from elsewhere or can provide a note from a doctor or
otherwise prove they have a condition listed by Health Canada as
treatable with medical marijuana.

According to data obtained by the Times in 2013, there were more than
500 personal use production licences in the City of Chilliwack, and 77
designated person production licences.

How that marijuana is distributed by the designated licensed growers
is somewhat of a mystery.

"This is better than buying out of a guy's car in the alley," Vere
said.

When asked about that, Gaetz referred the question to Chilliwack-Hope
MP Mark Strahl or Health Canada.

"Health Canada is the body that is supposed to be regulating the
distribution," she said, adding and reiterating that WeeMedical is in
violation of the criminal code and city bylaws.

"If it is legalized, and we anticipate that it will be, we anticipate
there will be some regulation," she said. "We will wait for those
regulations to come down then the city will move in concert with the
federal and provincial governments."

As for the police and whether a crackdown can be expected, RCMP
spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail said only this: "Businesses and/or
individuals operating in contravention of the Controlled Drug and
Substance Act (CDSA) and Health Canada Regulations may be subject to
investigation and criminal charges in accordance to Canadian laws."
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MAP posted-by: Matt