CANNABIS CULTURE - On the eve of a provincial election, The BC Medical Cannabis Partners are urging citizens to support a provincial medical marijuana program.
The non-profit organization is presently polling all MLA's and provincial election candidates before the May 14 vote.
"Let them know you want a better health system," Partners Director Joy Davies said. "Your voice can change the direction of health care in this country."
Davies urges readers to write their MLAs and ask for their position on a provincialmedical cannabis program. She says a message must be sent to all candidates in each riding that, "it's time for government to stop abusing its most vulnerable people: the sick and the weak."
This February, the Partners sent every MLA a proposal for a provincial program asking them to step up to the plate and fight for the lives of their constituents.
"Some MLA's are listening," Davies said. "Privately, many MLAs have expressed their strong support, but none have even requested that an exploratory committee be struck to further the idea.
Davies said BC opened the door to such a program with the precedent setting Insite supervised injection site, which she said has saved many lives.
The BC Medical Cannabis Partners (a chapter of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners) is a non-profit organization of volunteer patients and caregivers who have been lobbying our provincial government to strike a task force to set parameters for a provincial medical cannabis program under Section 56 of the CDSA (Controlled Drugs & Substance Act).
The proposal is designed to start a process that will develop a system that puts the needs of patients first while meeting the needs of government; and will eliminate our patients, citizens, police, and fire department staff from being placed in dangerous situations due to the criminalization of this medicinal plant. Of course, removing cannabis from prohibition would resolve the criminal activity issues as it would no longer be profitable for criminals to be involved.
Check out the incredible results in Portugal after 10 years of anti-prohibition: lower crime rates, lower drug use, including a significant drop in drug use amongst youths, and medical treatment for addicts instead of criminalization. Unfortunately, these policies are not likely to be adopted in our country anytime soon. I would love to be proven wrong on that point. In the meantime, let's find a way to remove our most vulnerable from harm's way, provide education to both doctors and citizens, reduce our health care budgets and give people a better quality of life.
In a 2010 meeting of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, and in a 2011 meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, our municipal leaders endorsed a resolution to "Decentralize the MMAR (Medical Marihuana Access Regulations) program into the province(s)." A truly compassionate decision from municipal politicians across Canada. A proposal was written and submitted to the BC and federal Ministries of Health but there has been no action from either. Health Canada's newly proposed program is worse than the existing one and our Premier and Minster of Health continue to defer to the federal government. We are happy to provide the full proposal to those interested.
Do you know that cannabis leaves, juiced through a wheatgrass juicer, is incredible medicine and delivers no euphoric high? New Science! But due to the attitude of governments that discourage research, this fact is only now being discovered. This harmless plant has been lied about and propagandized for so many years that most believe the lies to be truth.
Cannabis was listed in the doctor's pharmacopeia from 1850 to 1943. Since it was removed and pharmaceuticals included, western doctors lost their education in the power of the cannabis plant. There are over 20,000 peer-reviewed studies on the benefits of cannabis. Help us promote the truth about medical cannabis.
Joy Davies is Director of The BC Medical Cannabis Partners and a former city councillor in Grand Forks, British Columbia. Contact her for more information at[email protected].