September 19, 2011

RE: LMMD REOPENING

An open letter to the membership and the community,

Once again, I’d like to thank all those who have shown great support, patience and understanding during a challenging time for the LMMD and its membership.

As most of you know, the Langley Medical Marijuana Dispensary (LMMD) was raided on July 19, 2011.  At that time all the medicinal marijuana, edibles and tinctures were seized, effectively closing the dispensary and removing safe, local, affordable access. To the members of a small community-based dispensary this was a substantial loss.

At that point, while we were aware of the unmet health needs of our membership, it was also very clear that we could not act impatiently or unreasonably. To be seen as reactionary or dismissive of the wishes of the community was not then, or now, an option. For us, it demanded that we return to the community for guidance on this issue. To have proceeded without the voice of the community would have been outside the mandate of the LMMD. As advocates in this area of health care, we are keenly aware of our boundaries in terms of how and who we serve.

Over the past 60 days we have returned to the community to assess the continuing medicinal needs and the community support for those in need of medical marijuana.

The support shown, along with the depth of understanding, has been nothing short of amazing. In less than 2 weeks we has received over 1100 signatures on a petition calling for a medical marijuana access “pilot project” in Langley. This request for “pilot project status” has always been central to the LMMD community-based model.

I have always maintained that the actions of the LMMD, and the actions of all dispensaries and compassion clubs, are not a criminal code issue, rather it is and remains, a Health Canada regulatory matter. This understanding rests in the myriad of court judgements regarding Health Canada’s Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, the MMAR, and “compassionate” support.

To date, nine weeks after the looting, NO charges have been laid against me.  I do, of course, hope that this matter will find its way before the courts, if for no other reason than to allow the justice system to once more speak in support of compassionate access.

As the LMMD has always acted on and responded to the need and will of the community towards medical marijuana use and access, I have decided to re-open the dispensary. This was not a decision that I arrived at easily, there was much to consider. But after re-assessing the very clear and certain medicinal needs, the support and understanding of the people of this community with regards to the medicinal use of marijuana, along with the overall support of the LMMD community-based model it was very clear that the dispensary had been and will continue to operate on very solid ground.

I am very proud of the community-based model that we have developed and look forward to once again serving the individuals that it was intended for, those with recognized medical necessity.

My hope is that this period has lead to the much needed “open” dialogue regarding medicinal marijuana access in our community. I also would hope that other communities who wrestle with community-based access will see our dispensary model and “pilot project” as a positive step along the road to increased access and understanding. I firmly believe that it is vital for ALL stakeholders in our community to have a voice if we are to ever usher the medicinal use of marijuana into our community.

We will re-open on Monday Sept. 19/11 for consultations and member intake. Dispensing will begin on Tuesday. We are using this period as an opportunity to review member files and issue new ID cards. Please allow additional time for your first visit. As usual, please call for an appointment.

As your voice, the LMMD is back, better and stronger than ever.

In unity,

Victor “Randy” Caine – Executive Director/Advocate