Not surprised that "Smart Approaches to Marijuana", with its' ties to the pharmaceutical companies, wants to force their minority opinion upon the rest of us. They ignore facts and wish us to continue to pursue a costly and ineffective drug policy.

The only ones wasting taxpayer money are those calling for the failed prohibition to be enforced. More like, "Stupid Approaches to Marijuana."

It is ridiculous to suggest that the burden should be placed on the VPD when every level of government (and society) is at odds on this issue. The VPD are being given mixed messages from every direction and are expected to respond in a manner that will please each and every opinion on the matter. Let them do their jobs keeping the peace on our streets and keep the politicking away from them.

Yeah, PAM from SAM is everywhere working for this very well funded and highly connected outfit from the US. She somehow has direct access to our politicians, the police and the media who print every wacky thing she says without questions.
Pam isn't mentioned on the SAM Canada website oddly enough, but here's a disturbing thing that is, SAM's mission: " to prevent the establishment of a marijuana industry that would market marijuana to children and minorities"...I'll let that sink in......
This group is headed by Kevin Sabet who, right out of high school has made his entire living off the prohibition of marijuana working for the NIDA. Patrick Kennedy is along too. Talk about well funded and connected. Patrick is a "reformed" alcoholic who now wants to preach to us about the health dangers. Oh yeah, he is involved with one of the Duponts in addiction rehabilitation centers in the US. This why they don't want prohibition to end. They want the flow of research, forced rehabilitation and enforcement money to keep flowing. They should be called SAD.
Funny too how our elected officials are so quick to ignore the Supreme Court and ban edible products in dispensaries. The verdict said it was unconstitutional to deny marijuana users the right to consume edibles....but yet Vancouver City Council says to hell with Canadian's rights....huh....wonder what else they ignore to do what they want. Those people have way too much power to make lofty decisions that they are not qualified to make. Who are they to determine what is medicine and how it should be dispensed and to who.
I notice that after their much talked about public hearings, the city went with exactly what they said before. Nothing anyone suggested was used in the regulations. It was always about the $30,000 licence fee. From here on out it will be how to squeeze as much revenue out of marijuana as possible. Politicians want to take advantage of marijuana users, somehow punish us for them having wasted so many resources trying to eradicate it. They are angry that the people want this substance...nervous that they will be caught in their lies.
Where's all the weed gonna come from? You might get a licence to sell, but nobody has permission to grow and distribute to you.....oh yeah city councilors aren't qualified.

If it were legal to grow your own we wouldn't be in this mess.
There's no denying the commercial aspect to marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver. If it's medicine then why do we need 85 outlets? If it's a commercial endeavor it needs a licence, period.
Right now these shops have zero accountability to the community. They host loud late night parties, do we have any pharmacies doing that?? (actually it would be pretty funny and creepy if they did, amirite?)
There are limits on the number of pharmacies and their proximity to each other. Community consultation occurs before the opening of a new pharmacy, this should absolutely be the case with pot dispensaries.

So the policy of the VPD is to "focus on violent traffickers, upper level dealers, and people who sell harder drugs such as cocaine, meth, and heroin". Well, they need to get their head out of their a** and take a stroll through the DTES. Open dealing everywhere, and the threat of violence is rampant. But then I can sympathize with the police, the idiots around actually think they are helping addicts by helping them stay addicted. They would make a good dent by closing places like insite. It's hard to quit heroin, why let people like the idiots at insite make it so easy to stay addicted?????

SAM Canada nor SAM USA has received nor would they accept monies from pharma - this is pure conjecture and both CKNW and The Georgia Strait are being asked to stop printing theories and stick to the facts. SAM Canada is self-funded and we are always looking for people to join us and help out.

Pam is going to get dispensaries legalized across Canada, because once the VPD is forced to bust them, they will win Charter challenges. A big reason Vancouver has so many of these shops is because Burnaby, etc. won't let them get a foothold, recruit patients, etc. Once you have recruited a certain number of doctor notes to wave in Court, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Crown to suggest you are simply a common drug dealer. Add to this the City stating that the federal policy is mismanaged and I think there is a very good chance that we can see dispensaries everywhere due to Pam's actions.

And the guy above saying grow your own is right. Grow your own. Better quality, and you know for a fact that no pesticides, fertilizers, etc. are used. Dropout dopers aren't the most honest of people, y'know.

I'm not surprised that the VPD have no desire to close down these stores since they are making a dent in organized crimes bottom line and the cops have full control of how the pot is dispensed. The more pot heads that buy from the stores, the better for the cops, although I'm sure organized crime will eventually muscle in on the action.

With all the truly important issues facing the world today, from hunger, water loss, climate change, disease, poverty, war, human rights, missing aboriginal women, racism, terrorism.....the list is endless. This seems a pretty petty and self-righteous fight to fight. If you want to make the world better and safer for your children then start with some of the problems that will really affect them.

@Brade

" human rights, missing aboriginal women, racism, terrorism"

Connecting the dots is how I interpret your post.
I totally agree if not on point.
The status quo business model villanizes connecting the dots.
Our vaulted leaders and system of checks and balances would have to work together and share the responsibility of which they promised to uphold. Actually fulfilling the promise of leadership and governing through democracy, which we all know is highly unprofitable and criminal in the eyes of the real power players.
Keeping the propaganda intact by citing dire straits is what bottom lines are all about.
Profits need not be shared nor entered into the ledger when everybody is subscribed to status quo fear mongering. No one has the time or the will to check the numbers wink wink.
Pyramid schemes in the financial sectors of past have nothing on this prohibitionesque rape of democracy happening right before present day eyes.
Look at the latest Reefer Madness dots currently being lined up.
Same old dots.
Yet there is 'defiantly' some very creative book keeping going on.
Dots not lining up.
That is for sure.