The decision was handed down yesterday concerning the operation of Vancouver Dispensaries; instead of doing what is best for medical patients, the Supreme Court of BC has sided with the corporate cannabis model.
Considered to be one of the last barriers protecting their operations, unlicensed compassion clubs in Vancouver that do not fall within the recreational regulations must shut down and close their doors. If they don’t, they will face penalties and fines. If they do, a lot of people are going to lose access to their life saving medicine.
Justice vs. The Law
Despite being constantly under threat, many of the dispensaries in Vancouver are choosing to disobey the decision and stay open regardless; they are doing this for a very simple reason, they refuse to let people suffer.
A common misconception is that recreational regulations and licensed producers can provide what is necessary for medical cannabis patients but unfortunately, that is simply not true.
A medical cannabis patient who relies on something like edibles, suppositories, extracts or a specific strain at a guaranteed quality literally has no options provided by the government. They rely on the bravely defiant operation of their local dispensary and thanks to yesterday’s court decision, medical cannabis products will become even harder to access.
Edibles
With no current regulations for edibles, there is nowhere to purchase them legally. The government has chosen to ignore edibles, telling Canadians to bake them at home.
I remember being 17 years old and deciding to try baking pot cookies for the first time; I was at home while my dad was sleeping. I will never forget how red his face was while he yelled at me for the pungently dank smell that now permeated the house. That was the only time that I have ever tried to bake my own cookies and I still remember that smell on the curtains.
The next step
It seems as though the Provincial Government is very happy to get everyone in BC recreationally high, but when it comes to health care, they would prefer to let us all die.
Despite this step back in the BC Supreme Court, my hope is that compassion clubs in Vancouver will continue to stay open and provide for all those who have fallen through the cracks.
Featured image courtesy of Vancouver Sun.