Hashishi

Montreal Compassion Club opens new wheelchair-friendly pot dispensary
10-2-`07 | The Canadian Press

MONTREAL - The Montreal Compassion Club, which sells medical marijuana to those with illnesses such as cancer, epilepsy and HIV-AIDS, has opened a new storefront location.

Founder Marc-Boris St-Maurice said Tuesday the new location is without curtains because he has nothing to hide. "We're being a little more open and visible about what we're doing, but our activities are the same," he said at a news conference at the new location.

The club first opened in 1999 but was shut down a year later when St-Maurice was arrested.

It reopened in 2003 after St-Maurice was acquitted of marijuana trafficking.

"We've been operating a little more discreetly since then," he said.

St-Maurice said the new location, which has a dispensing counter displaying various grades of marijuana, is more spacious and is wheelchair-accessible.

He said about 10 per cent of the club's 1,000 members have cards from the federal government authorizing them to buy medical marijuana and others have their doctor's authorization.

The dispensary sells different grades of marijuana for between $7 and $10 a gram, while hashish goes for $15 to $20 per gram, which one club member describes as "market value."

It also offers marijuana cookies selling for $6 each.

St-Maurice also said he wants the Quebec government to be involved in the distribution of medical marijuana, which is currently being done by Ottawa.

He argues it's a health matter that comes under provincial jurisdiction.

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