Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jun 2017
Source: Lake Cowichan Gazette, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Black Press
Contact:  http://drugsense.org/url/qVfIVacM
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4076
Author: Andrea Rondeau

DOES BUSTING POT SHOPS MAKE SENSE AT THIS POINT?

It's a Catch 22 for marijuana dispensaries.

Municipalities are not granting them business licences because
technically they are still illegal (though that is soon to change).
But then they get in trouble for operating without a business licence.

Not surprisingly, many, including the Town of Lake Cowichan's new
addition Green Tree Medical Dispensary, are not letting that stop them
from setting up shop in anticipation of their product becoming legal
July 1, 2018.

In North Cowichan several dispensaries have carried on in spite of
fines from the municipality. And there are still more operating in the
regional district that don't need businesses licences at all.

You can't really blame them for wanting to get in on the ground floor
of this new and growing (no pun intended) industry. Marijuana has been
great (illegal) business for thugs for decades. It will no doubt
continue to be great for business when it can be used recreationally
by anyone over the age of 18 in Canada in a year's time.

That's not to mention those who use it for medicinal purposes -
obviously the focus of Green Tree.

Anecdotally, a large number of folks have found success in using
cannabis in various forms as treatments for often chronic illnesses
and pain. They prefer it to easily addictive opioids, and often state
that it produces far fewer side effects for them to deal with.

The science may not be there yet (and why the heck isn't it? There's
really no good excuse), but if it helps people with their pain, and it
does, it can only be a good thing.

These folks need somewhere reliable and respectable they can safely
get their marijuana, in whatever form they prefer.

We understand both sides of the argument with regards to marijuana
enforcement in the run-up to July 2018.

It is illegal. And we're not ones to encourage people to engage in
illegal behaviour.

But we also have to look at the expenditure of resources to go after
something that's not even going to still be illegal when the cases get
to the courtroom, should they go that far. And it makes zero sense to
start handing out harsh sentences or even sending people to jail for
something that's not even illegal anymore.

So maybe we should just live and let live for now.
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MAP posted-by: Matt