Pubdate: Fri, 06 May 2016 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Pamela McColl Page: A15 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n307/a03.html DISPENSING MARIJUANA IS QUACKERY Re: "Marijuana rules seek to weed out number of shops," May 3. Marijuana is not a medicine, and dispensing pot in the absence of evidence-based science amounts to quackery. Dispensing marijuana has no quality control, no standardized composition or dosage for specific medical conditions. It has no prescribing information, nor are there any high-quality scientific studies that establish its effectiveness or long-term safety. Marijuana products are restricted for good reason. A mountain of evidence now exists that seals the case that marijuana is not safe for human consumption. By adding a level a legitimacy through a regulatory system, the mayor and council of Victoria have significantly further burdened the emergency and health-care systems of the city and they have defied the Criminal Code of Canada. Pamela McColl Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom