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| Pot Remains Burning Issue |
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Posted by FoM on April 06, 2002 at 07:58:52 PT By Don Descoteau Source: Victoria News 
Medical marijuana supporters who gathered at Victoria City Hall this week left disappointed, after hoping their attendance at a joint Victoria city council and police board meeting would prompt local police and politicians to relax enforcement of marijuana laws.Instead, decisions on how to police the distribution of “medical marijuana” was put off until later. “We’re trying to avert disaster here,” said Ted Smith, founder of the Cannabis Buyer’s Club. Smith referred to the possibility that a seriously ill club member might come to harm having to buy pot on the street if people such as himself, a proponent of the distribution of pot as medicine, continues to be arrested and charged in relation to marijuana trafficking. “We just want the Victoria police to consider making the enforcement of cannabis laws a lower priority,” he said. Smith said he had feared his club would be shut down by Victoria police, but was encouraged after he and a number of medical marijuana supporters addressed Victoria city council on the issue back on March 28. Victoria police Chief Paul Battershill refused, at the joint council-police board meeting Tuesday, to discuss specifics in the case of Ted’s Books, the storefront location where members of Smith’s club have been purchasing marijuana for alleged medicinal purposes, because trafficking charges against Smith are currently before the courts. That left police board members and city councillors talking about the general concept of medical marijuana and related policing options. Smith — along with the 20 club members and supporters who attended Tuesday’s meeting — was hoping a decision would be made that would allow the club to continue operating without fear of police intervention, and to continue policing itself against alleged re-selling of pot on the street by unscrupulous club members, as police allege in a recent legal case against Smith. But for club members with high hopes of an easing of enforcement of existing federal drug laws in Victoria, all that came out of the discussion was a promise to gather information on the topic for a future police board meeting. Victoria Coun. Art Vanden Berg said his understanding of what Smith and his supporters were asking for at the previous March 28 council meeting was an idea of what priorities the police would set for enforcement. Battershill said while the department has a wide range of priorities, he doesn’t think his officers are spending “an inordinate amount of time” enforcing marijuana laws. Coun. Pam Madoff asked if there weren’t other jurisdictions where police had put marijuana investigations on a low-priority basis. Victoria deputy chief Geoff Varley said he wasn’t aware of any departments where that was the case. However, the Vancouver police department’s stance on the issue has been rather well-publicized of late. “I think you start down a very slippery slope when you tell police officers ‘we don’t want you to follow the law,’” said Battershill. He said police officers are not authorized to make judgment calls on what is more or less important under the law. Police say while Victoria medical pot distributors, such as the Cannabis Buyers Club and the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, are illegally supplying marijuana, given they are not licensed by the federal government at this time, the biggest problem is the re-selling of pot on the street by people who have purchased from such clubs. Smith said he has a solution for such problems. “They tell us who it is and we cut them off. It would end right there.” Coun. Pam Madoff said she would be interested in hearing more about the complexities of the medical marijuana debate. Battershill wasn’t getting drawn into that discussion. He said he has turned down “about a dozen” invitations to forums on the decriminalization of marijuana, because he doesn’t think the police belong in that debate. Source: Victoria News (CN BC) Related Articles & Web Sites: The Compassion Club Canadian Links Problem Pot - NOW Magazine Pot On Back Burner Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 08, 2002 at 12:57:47 PT |
| Medical Marijuana Club Opens in Nova Scotia
Monday, April 8, 2002 – Page A5 Halifax -- A Nova Scotia man has set up Atlantic Canada's first chapter of a national club for people who need to buy marijuana for medical reasons. John Cook's Compassion Club is one of about a dozen groups in Canada that are part of the Cannabis Buyers' Club. Mr. Cook said he started the club to help patients who don't get relief from traditional pain killers and haven't yet received government exemptions. CP [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Patrick on April 06, 2002 at 18:48:51 PT |
| not today. "He said police officers are not authorized to make judgment calls on what is more or less important under the law." Yeah right. And what do you call a warning instead of a full on ticket? Is that not a police officer using his discretion? Cops are not automatons that blindly follow your political will. They are but people who want to help society not harm it. I for one am grateful to the cops that don't crack skull because of pot anymore. They earn my respect. They have a tough job as it is and should be allowed to serve the people not the politicians who can't read the truth. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Dan B on April 06, 2002 at 17:57:10 PT:
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| "I think you start down a very slippery slope when you tell police officers 'we don’t want you to follow the law,'" said Battershill. Really? Then what's all this I hear about a war on some drugs? That is the ultimate "screw you" to the ultimate law of the land: The Constitution. So, don't give me any crap about slippery slopes. [ Post Comment ] |
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