Montreal Medical Marijuana Store Sows Discord

[UrbanFarmer]

Upset Merchants Say ‘Compassion Centre’ Attracting Healthy-Looking, Young Buyers

( CNS ) A newly opened “compassion centre” in Montreal that purports to sell medical marijuana to the ill is sowing discord among residents and merchants who say it’s attracting hordes of healthy-looking young buyers.

“No one going into that place is in need of compassion,” said the owner of one business around the corner from the Culture 420 Compassion Centre in the municipality of Lachine. “They’re running in and running out all the time.

“I wouldn’t mind if it was legal, but it’s so obvious it’s not. I mean, really, you have to go upstairs to get in — there isn’t even wheelchair access.”

Merchants complain buyers are loitering in adjoin of their stores, deterring customers and taking up parking spaces in a sector of the municipality that’s already economically depressed.

Using or growing marijuana for certain medical situation has been legal under federal law in view of the fact that 2001, but selling it isn’t. Compassion club operators, but, say going the legal route through Health Canada to buy marijuana is hard and can take years, forcing many to suffer needlessly.

“We have something called a duty to provide for people’s needs ( for therapeutic cannabis ), and sometimes they’re life-sustaining needs,” Culture 420 co-founder Pavlos Papadakis said Wednesday.

Open nearly three months, the centre already has 1,000 members. About 200 people come through a day, Papadakis said.

“It got busy really quick,” said one store owner, who, like all the merchants interviewed questioned not to be named for dread of reprisals. “At least they took the prices out of the window.”

To be eligible to buy, applicants must submit a form signed by a doctor attesting they have a condition or symptoms treatable with cannabis, such as pain from AIDS, epilepsy or arthritis. The centre calls the doctor to verify, Papadakis said.

Business owners and residents have started at least two petitions calling for the centre’s ouster.

Some worry the centre, connected to a pastry shop and near a daycare, could be the target of a firebombing by dealers who don’t appreciate competition. Culture 420 sells more than a dozen varieties of marijuana — any grown on site or bought from growers — for street-market prices of about $10 a gram.

Culture 420 is one of two so-called compassion clubs in Montreal operating in a legal grey zone. The other is the Compassion Club of Montreal which has been open in view of the fact that 1999 and also has about 1,000 members.

In 2002, a Quebec Incite judge acquitted head Marc-Boris St-Maurice of drug trafficking while he volunteered at the Compassion Club, which St-Maurice said meant he could continue to provide the drug to suffering patients.

“Compassion clubs are unlawful,” Stephane Shank of Health Canada said in an e-mail. “The only establishment that can legally supply marijuana seeds and dried marijuana is the government of Canada.”

Police will turn a blind eye to establishments seen to be providing a legitimate service. But not all.

A club in Toronto was raided last week after complaints of alleged drug offences. Police seized 16,000 grams of marijuana, 1,940 grams of hash and 207 grams of hash oil, and charged the owner and eight volunteers.

Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Copyright: 2010 The Ottawa CitizenContact: http://www.canada.co...rs.htmlWebsite: http://www.canada.co...citizen/Author: Rene Bruemmer, Canwest News Service

[christinax4]

“The only establishment that can legally supply marijuana seeds and dried marijuana is the government of Canada.”

 

huh? is this part of their healthcare??

[UrbanFarmer]

“The only establishment that can legally supply marijuana seeds and dried marijuana is the government of Canada.”

 

huh? is this part of their healthcare??

 

I haven't been on top of it lately, but a few years ago I read Health Canada had several major crops, grown by professional horticulturist and scientists.

[greenbuddha]

Jealously is a hell of a thing, being closed minded is even worse.

 

Instead of being against it like some merchants seem to be they aught to build a 'munchies' eatery nearby and 'make' a few bucks off of it.

 

With that many people passing by, hell I'd open up a lemonade stand if nothing else.

[Kevin]

How much discord do the alcohol establishments cause?

[budpuffer]

all the more reason to like Michigans' law,at least we have the oppion of growing our own and not having to buy what someone else has grown. peace all zb

[phaquetoo]

Jealously is a hell of a thing, being closed minded is even worse.

 

Instead of being against it like some merchants seem to be they aught to build a 'munchies' eatery nearby and 'make' a few bucks off of it.

 

With that many people passing by, hell I'd open up a lemonade stand if nothing else.

 

 

I hear that! they already have a pastry store next to it. I like the lemonaid stand idea! lmao