B.C.'s provincial health officer is defending the value of marijuana as a medicine after federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose urged the City of Vancouver to shut down all local pot dispensaries rather than regulating them.

Dr. Perry Kendall took issue with various federal policies on pot in an interview with Black Press, particularly Ambrose's suggestion marijuana doesn't have the utility of approved pharmaceuticals.

He said there's "a growing body of evidence" that cannabis is effective as an appetite stimulant, an anti-nauseant and as a chronic pain killer, including against spastic neurological conditions like ALS, among others.

The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine has drafted a bylaw to regulate medical marijuana grow-ops.

The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine (RDKS) has drafted a medical marijuana bylaw aimed at preventing grow-ops from cropping up near schools, daycare centres and hobby farms.

Prompted by changes to the way medical marijuana is being handled by federal and provincial law, the regional district started reviewing its zoning policies in July 2014.

Growing marijuana is legally permitted in areas within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and some of that land is close to public facilities, including schools, in Terrace and Hazelton.

The Vancouver Police Department executed a warrant on Weeds Glass and Gifts, located at 2916 West Fourth Ave, April 29. 

The investigation started in March due to public safety concerns, including a 15-year-old being hospitalized after allegedly buying edible products from the store, as well as other incidents involving young people, according to a VDP press release.

With the City of Vancouver looking at new rules to regulate the booming retail marijuana business, one of the hurdles some pot shops will face is police background checks of their operators. 

CBC decided to do its own background checks and quickly found some local operators have had serious run-ins with the law, including instances not involving the marijuana business. In one case, two of the operators of the Sea to Sky Alternative Healing Society — well aware their police involvement could back to haunt them — have removed themselves as directors of the pot dispensary at least on paper. 

They say they welcome Vancouver's move toward regulation of the city's 80-plus pot dispensaries. 

People under the age of 25 or suffering addiction should not be prescribed medical marijuana, according to stricter standards being introduced by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.

A version of the new professional standards was published on the college's website earlier this month, but has since been taken down.

College registrar Dr. Heidi Oetter said the statement is being reworded to allow for some exceptions for palliative-care patients and patients with seizure disorders.

Oetter said the new policies will also prohibit doctors from charging patients for completing a medical document prescribing cannabis.

"We certainly have learned from our colleagues to the south, particularly in places like Colorado and Washington state," she said.

'People make mistakes,' says other pot shop owner with criminal record

With the City of Vancouver looking at new rules to regulate the booming retail marijuana business, one of the hurdles some pot shops will face is police background checks of their operators. 

CBC decided to do its own background checks and quickly found some local operators have had serious run-ins with the law, including instances not involving the marijuana business. In one case, two of the operators of the Sea to Sky Alternative Healing Society — well aware their police involvement could back to haunt them — have removed themselves as directors of the pot dispensary at least on paper. 

They say they welcome Vancouver's move toward regulation of the city's 80-plus pot dispensaries. 

Citizens will soon get to have a say on how Vancouver should regulate the storefront sale of medicinal marijuana.

City council ignored a warning from Health Canada and voted to send a proposed legal framework for cannabis-related businesses to a public hearing.

When the new rules are eventually voted into law—an outcome that’s all but certain given councillors from all three civic parties have already spoken in their favour—Vancouver will become the first municipality in Canada to permit and regulate the over-the-counter sale of marijuana.

OTTAWA - The political showdown between the Harper government and Vancouver intensified Tuesday in advance of city council’s consideration of a plan to strictly regulate the fast-growing pot dispensary business.

Two federal ministers sent a stern letter to both council and the Vancouver Police Department saying authorities should crack down rather than regulate and therefore legitimize pot dispensaries.

The letter, signed by Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, warns that the city’s action could lead to the tripling in youth usage of a substance that brings “serious and lasting” negative health effects.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 28, 2015) - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (CSE:ACB)(FRANKFURT:21P)(WKN:A1C4WM)(OTC PINK:PSNTF) ("Aurora" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that 2400 clones of 7 different strains have been moved to the flowering stage. Commonly used names for the strains are Purple Kush, Agent Orange, Girl Scout Cookies, LSD, Strawberry Cough, AK47 and Exodus Cheese. Patients can be assured that the variety of strains will address a wide range of needs. More strains will be introduced as production ramps up. Aurora is expecting the first harvest to occur towards the end of June, 2015. Once in full production, the facility will be harvesting approximately 2500 plants every 7 days that will result in up to 100 kg of product per harvest.

B.C.'s Chief Medical Officer says marijuana does have some medical benefits, countering claims from federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose that it has no medicinal value.

Last week, Ambrose spoke to On the Coast's Stephen Quinn about the City of Vancouver's plan to regulate marijuana dispensaries. 

A board shows different products for sale at a medical marijuana dispensary in Vancouver, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2015. The free-for-all era of Canada's commercial medical marijuana industry is over as a new crop of growers try to woo scarce investment dollars in an increasingly competitive business, observers say. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward (The Canadian Press)