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"Compassion Club" members in court for trafficking charges
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ctvmontreal.ca
Date: Wed. Jun. 23 2010 4:29 PM ET
Thirty-five people connected with Montreal's so-called Compassion Clubs were charged, Wednesday, with crimes related to drug trafficking.
They were arrested in early June following a series of high profile raids on the clubs, which claim to sell medical marijuana to those suffering from chronic pain.
Police say some of the clubs were illegally selling drugs to people who aren't actually sick.
During the proceedings, a number of supporters demonstrated outside the court.
"The message that I want to send today is that the prohibition of marijuana for medical use is an absolute shame and travesty," said Marc St-Marie. "I think that the patient's rights to be healthy come way before the state's interest in prohibiting marijuana."
Meantime, inside the courthouse, most of those charged pleaded "not guilty."
They say they are planning to fight the charges with a constitutional challenge of Canada's drug laws.
Those charged will return to court in September
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But they probably get straight As for computer games and TV.
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Sir-SMoke-Alot
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J
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There are more deaths from consuming Aspirin in the past year than there have been from consuming Cannabis for the past 20.
Quoted from Health Canada:
"The LD50 is estimated to be 20,000 to 40,000 times the amount in one marihuana cigarette (approximately 1500 lb) smoked in a period of 15 minutes (Annas, 1997). Marihuana is not a completely benign agent and it has a variety of physiological effects, but aside from the hazards consequent to smoking, the adverse effects are within the range tolerated for other medications (National Academy of Sciences, 1999, p3.49)"
1500 POUNDS smoked within 15 minutes, you have a better chance of that 1500 lbs dropping out of the sky and crushing you as it is physiologically impossible to smoke that amount of cannabis within that time period.
JamieW
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The black market / drug dealers were hurting bad due to these compassion club openings. They have had lost allot of business(customers) who were going to these clubs as it provided a better safer source of cannabis to end users.
The street dealers care about one thing, and that is to make a quick profit with a quick turn-around. Quality of their substance is not of the utmost concern.
I hope the police are proud of themselves by forcing 4000+ compassion club members back onto the black market to support our local organized criminal gangs.
They should be ashamed of themselves. Current health Canada laws are to restrictive on the allowance of who and whom shouldn't benefit from the uses of Medical Cannabis.
I know this for a fact otherwise my Doctor would not have signed my forms to apply at the local Compassion club.
Shame on the Montreal Police pigs for forcing us legitimate users back onto the black market. I guess they really do support Organized Crime.
Think a little deeper, perhaps there are elements of the Police force that are themselves involved one way or another with these black market criminals, it only makes sense.
J
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I was a member of a club, located on st-laurent street.
I could not and was unable to gain access to this club without written consent from my DOCTOR.
Do you understand that? Does it compute in your brain?
My DOCTOR had to agree that cannabis has beneficial effects for my condition, after exhausting all other resources ( medications ). Your ignorance astonishes me.
The police have effectively placed 4000+ users of medical marijuana back on the streets to purchase off of street dealers, organized criminal gangs.
I assure you the criminal community are celebrating this fact, the underground black market was hurting BAD due to these compassion clubs being able to provide safe medical marijuana to sick people for the past 11 years.
t v
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live , love and laugh
tv
I smoke weed
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So F%^#$@ off!
John
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D
Gates
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We will continue to waste millions (if not billions)on enforcement and "education" to continue to perpetuate myths and misinformation.
It almost seems to me that organized crime is running the agenda in Ottawa. If not though, our policies couldn't serve them better.
Yoshima Yogi
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Marijuana, by its effect on the ANS, enhances both sides of the brain. Through increased Sympathetic action, left brain perception is heightened, while, at the same time, right brain reception is enhanced. This is a physiological fact. More blood, and cleaner blood, is sent to the brain, as in the “fight or flight” reaction. And because of Parasympathetic dilation of capillaries, which signifies relaxation, the blood supply to the entire brain is increased.
When the system is sluggish, as with natives in warm climates (Africa, India, South America), marijuana has been used extensively and for centuries to energize it.
When the system is hyper-aroused, as in today’s lifestyle, marijuana calms. The significance of this fact cannot be ignored. It explains the increased creativity reported as a part of the marijuana experience, because when both sides of brain processes are heightened, both types of brain activity are greater. The left brain notices more, while the right brain receives more. This is the unification of logic and intuition. The term “expansion of consciousness” is explained physiologically as a “shifting of brain emphasis from one-sidedness to balance” (Sugarmena and Tarter, 1978), which fits precisely with the feeling called “high.”
CMS
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AAA Jack
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AGG
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This club is a front for habitual users and the humanity hippie gen of the 60's who started en masse with the habit and it was a way for most of them not to get arrested in first place.