Editor:
Re: Mary Jane’s dispensary
It is with sadness that I read the news in regards to the raid by the RCMP of Mary Jane’s dispensary, as they have been providing medicinal cannabis products to a wide demographic; for many a much-needed and greatly appreciated service.
They dispensed medicinal cannabis to anyone 19 years and older for a wide range of medicinal reasons, including stress relief and mood elevators.
Some may say that the latter is recreational but, in my opinion, every single client received a medical benefit, and they accomplished this without causing more clogs in an already clogged medical system.
Regardless of whether the dispensary was operating illegally or quasi-legally, we are flogging a dead horse here and the reality is that such dispensaries will be sanctioned by local, provincial and federal governments in the very near future.
Surely, the majority of citizens have little appetite to pursue this asinine war on marijuana; especially in view of the soon-to-be legalization of such.
The “war against drugs” has been a failure and will never succeed through enforcement.
One only has to look back at prohibition to see the futility of such actions.
I encourage the City of Williams Lake to actively pursue and implement a licensing model for cannabis dispensaries, same as Vancouver and other cities have done; as such dispensaries are here to stay.
Not only are they good, tax-paying, corporate citizens but they will also help transition the purchase of cannabis from unregulated, street-level, vending to a safe environment with quality-controlled products.
Whoever wants to consume marijuana will do so regardless of the legality of such but, by allowing a regulated business model, the criminal element of “cannabis-dealing” will be a moot point, local and federal governments will collect taxes, the crime-rate will be reduced and the RCMP will likely heave a collective sigh of relief, as their caseload will also be reduced.
Bernd Eisele
Williams Lake
