Former prosecutor believes municipalities shouldn't wait for federal government for pot approval

B.C. could legalize marijuana on its own without federal approval, believes a former prosecutor that helped legalize pot south of the border in 2012. 

Marijuana falls under federal jurisdiction in Canada, but with some creativity local politicians can push from the bottom up for change, says Tonia Winchester the former deputy campaign director for Yes on I-502.

As medical marijuana gains traction as a treatment option for a host of conditions including chronic pain and other conditions, Canadian employers could find themselves grappling with a sticky issue.

"Individuals have the right to equal treatment ... without discrimination on the grounds of disability," says Jan Robinson, managing principal at human resources firm Morneau Shepell.

"Medical cannabis now needs to be viewed like every other doctor-prescribed drug."

But although employers have a duty to accommodate workers' medical conditions, experts say that duty must be balanced with the need to keep the workplace safe. That can be challenging, especially if employees perform duties such as operating machinery.

While there have been synthetic THC tablets around for quite some time, and medical marijuana markets on the rise, there has been another medical breakthrough as far as marijuana is concerned: yeast.

Yeast – hardly an innocent microorganism – is already used to produce alcohol, but this is believed to be the first time it has generated the natural chemical found in cannabis. They also have unpublished data to show they succeeded in creating a yeast strain that can make cannabidiol.

Researchers from the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany published their results in the journal Biotechnology Letters.

VANCOUVER – Vancouver’s police board has unanimously rejected a prominent advocate’s complaint that the city’s police department was failing to enforce the law against marijuana dispensaries.

Pamela McColl of the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada had accused the department of not doing its duty “to maintain law and order” by not shutting down all pot shops in the city.

But deputy chief Doug LePard delivered a report to the board Thursday that stated criminal laws are less effective than municipal bylaws at closing illegal businesses.

The VPD must respect the City of Vancouver’s decision not to use its bylaw powers to shut down dispensaries and instead create a regulatory framework, he said.

VANCOUVER - Parents of a severely ill baby girl in British Columbia say they will not give up their fight to gain full custody and treat her with cannabis oil, despite dropping court action that sought greater control of her care.

A lawyer for Justin Pierce and Michelle Arnold withdrew the application on Wednesday because five-month-old Mary Jane Pierce has been breathing without a ventilator for two weeks.

But the couple still hope to show they deserve full custody and the right to give her the oil at an upcoming protection hearing. The Ministry of Children and Family Development obtained temporary custody in August and will hold a hearing to determine whether to make it permanent.

Anti-pot shop crusader alleges police not enforcing laws against illegal marijuana dispensaries

The Vancouver Police Department has recommended the Vancouver Police Board dismiss a complaint from an anti-pot shop crusader accusing police of failing to shut down the city’s 100 or so illegal marijuana dispensaries.

In a 15-page report that goes before the board Thursday, Deputy Chief Doug LePard provided a detailed analysis of the complaint from Pamela McColl of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada and outlined why the majority of dispensaries continue to operate without police interference.

5-month-old baby with cerebral palsy remains in BC Women's Hospital

Parents of a severely ill baby girl in care at BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver are no longer seeking the right to treat her with cannabis oil.

Justin Pierce and Michelle Arnold have withdrawn their court application asking for greater control of treatment for their five-month-old, Mary Jane Pierce, who has cerebral palsy.

Arnold and Pierce both have epilepsy, and take cannabis oil, and they believed the oil could help their daughter. 

They allege that officials from the Ministry of Children and Family Development pressured them into giving up custody of their baby.

In two separate votes, Kimberley City Council granted business licenses to two more medical marijuana businesses for Kimberley on Monday evening. Each business will be allowed to dispense medical cannabis products, but each with a limitation — there will be no production allowed. The businesses must source their product from growers elsewhere.

Council first heard an emotional plea from Chris and Lori Weitzel. Chris is battling esophagal cancer. He was diagnosed with stage 4 over a year ago and chose to go a different route than chemo and radiation. After a lot of research, Chris opted for traditional Chinese medicines, medical cannabis and a totally organic lifestyle. He also travelled to Mexico for treatment.

Today in Vancouver, a seminar will look to shed some light on an issue that has become the subject of international debate: should Cannabis-based medications be used to treat children with epilepsy?

The session, called “State of the Science, Law, and Access to Medical Marijuana: Implications for Families of Children with Autism and Epilepsy” will feature medical marijuana advocate Elaine Nuessler, the founder of Medical Cannabis for Sick Kids, an Okanagan-based group that was founded last year.

Yeast has been engineered to produce the main psychoactive compound in marijuana - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Responsible for the majority of marijuana's psychological effects - including the high - THC can also be use to treat symptoms of HIV infection and chemotherapy and researchers are hoping their yeast will be able to pump it out more efficiently than producing synthetic versions.