Councillor pushing for legalized medical marijuana
By: Mona Mattei, Trail Daily Times (CN BC), 06-10-09

GRAND FORKS - A city councillor has decided to take a lead role in municipal advocacy for the legalization of medical cannabis in the province.

In order to see the change in federal and provincial laws, Grand Forks councillor Joy Davies is trying to get cities in B.C. to support a motion for systemic change. To help educate the community about the use of marijuana as medicine, she is organizing an education forum of experts in the field for June 18 in Grand Forks.

In a motion made at the city council meeting Monday, Davies asked for the city's support to take a motion to the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) meeting in the fall to press the province to undertake the licensing of medical marijuana.

Her motion asked that the licensing of medical marijuana be the responsibility of the province not the federal government, and presses for the ability for compassion clubs to grow the medical cannabis needed for patients or for patients to grow their own.

Although that motion was defeated, Davies is still working to move it forward. She is taking it to the floor of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' annual conference in Whistler and will reintroduce it locally, if possible.

Since the suicide in December of a close friend whose doctor would not prescribe medical marijuana for her chronic pain, Davies has been researching the issue, talking with government authorities, and people involved with compassion clubs.

"Everybody wants to legalize medical use of marijuana because the federal system is failing apart," said Davies. "(Councillors) see our people every day. We see the social stigmatism that they are living under and the fear of being found out. They are the most vulnerable people and they shouldn't live like that."

Davies wants to take the resolution to the UBCM because it is the municipal advocacy group to the provincial government. Davies believes that the pressure from the local levels across the province may be what will create the change for the future.

At the forum in June, Davies hopes to provide city councillors and the community with information on the medical use of marijuana and the need for change in legislation.

The panel will include Rielle Caplar of the Centre for Addiction Research of B.C., Victory city councillor Phillipe Lucas, and Judge Jerry Paradis of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Only 20 per cent of the 2,000 people licenced by Health Canada to use medical marijuana buy it from the federal government's existing program due to quality problems. There are 15,000 patients authorized by their doctors to use medical marijuana, but to access other sources means that they must buy illegal products.

"The way I see it, each community should be able to have a compassion club and to legally grow the marijuana for the club," said Davies. "If a legal compassion club is regulated by the province, licenced by the province, taxed by the province, we can get it done properly so that people can maintain their dignity."

© 2009 H.U.M.A.N.: Hemp Users Medical Access Network - Toronto Medical Marijuana