Andrew Brown
Editor
Thanks for picking up the latest Cannabis Digest! As you will notice, we have already expanded to 24 pages, and have some new advertisers. We are very thankful for the support of these businesses, and hope our readers will in turn choose to support them—and make sure to mention that you saw their ad in this paper. I would really like to encourage hemp-friendly businesses to consider helping us produce this newspaper, by simply placing a small ad—every little bit helps!
Over the past several months there have been many unfortunate blows to medical cannabis. The obvious ones being the raids against the compassion clubs in Ontario and Quebec, but there has also been some activity in and around the Fraser Valley.
Pitt Meadows is passing a bylaw prohibiting medical marijuana grows by a secondary party. Under the federal Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) a federal exemptee is allowed to designate someone to produce their medicine for them. In most cases the patient is far too ill to be able to expend the physical work it takes to maintain a garden. So, under these new bylaws, these patients will be forced to find a grower outside of their city limits (which will impede their ease of access), purchase Health Canada’s inferior product, or find an illegal source. Pitt Meadows is gaining a reputation for creat- ing ridiculous by-laws, but one’s targeting vulnerable members of our society is simply disgusting.
Just recently, in Hope, a medical grow was the target of a home invasion. The three “rippers,” wielding a gun and two knives, held the couple captive while robbing them of their medicine. The man received a minor laceration to the head, but the couple was otherwise, physically, fine. The RCMP media officer, Corporal Lea-Anne Dunlop, stated to the Hope Standard “A key message here may be that if you have a medicinal marijuana license you may want to keep that information to yourself. Information travels fast.” This statement comes at a time where Fire Chiefs, police officers, and Municipal Governments, are demanding that Health Canada release the names and addresses of license holders. Perhaps these authorities should take heed in the words of Cpl. Dunlop.
I find it strange that medical cannabis is still so stigmatized when there are mountains of scientific/medical studies in support of it, it’s at an all-time high for public support, and it is helping so many people. It is obvious that the main voice of opposition is coming from the Right, and unfortunately, many of these people are in governing positions. If anything, this is a sign that the rest of the public needs to get out and vote in the next elections. After all, these people only represent 30 percent of Canadians, and not all of their supporters are against medical cannabis. Take the time to educate people, and the truth will prevail.
Enjoy this issue, and feel free to send in a letter via email as we hope to begin publishing them in the next issue.
