Going off script

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/07/2016 (3406 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new dispensary in Winnipeg’s Exchange District will sell you pot if you have an ailment that requires a prescription.

The prescription doesn’t necessarily have to be for medical cannabis, said Don Briere, owner of the Weeds Glass and Gifts franchise, which is based in Vancouver.

“You come in, let’s say you have a prescription for Tylenol 3, which is a pharmaceutical,” Briere said. “You bring that in with your picture ID, and you make the statement that you would prefer to have cannabis as opposed to Tylenol 3. So, you don’t even need to fill the prescription so long as the prescription is made out by a doctor to you and you have proper identification.”

Briere said from there, dispensary employees will direct a customer to purchase the strain they think will suit their needs through the store’s website. The weed will be delivered to your home, sometimes in as little as two days. There is no weed on-site.

The way they do business is not technically legal.

According to Health Canada’s website, getting medical marijuana legally takes longer. First, you have to talk with a health-care practitioner who will complete a medical document for you. Second, you have to register and order your cannabis through a licensed producer who will send the drug through the mail.

CannaConnect, located at 2609 Portage Ave., is an organization that connects potential medical-marijuana patients with physicians to obtain cannabis legally from producers. Meanwhile, a similar company, National Access Cannabis, that also connects patients to health professionals and provides them with information, is gearing up to open at 379 Broadway, according to its website.

Health Canada lists all 33 licensed producers on its website. Briere said his company only buys weed from licensed producers.

“We’re trying to give good, clean, safe medication in a safe place where you won’t get robbed, you won’t get ripped off, you won’t buy bad weed or they say, ‘We don’t have weed, but look, heroin is even better,’” Briere said. He has nearly 30 stores in B.C. and Ontario, with one of its newest in Winnipeg, at 52 Adelaide St.

That isn’t the legal procedure users need to follow to obtain medical marijuana. In the case of Weeds Glass and Gifts, after a doctor prescribes a different drug to a patient, there is no other doctor intervention.

“We ask you what type of ailment you have. We are trained, laypeople only. No doctor skills here whatsoever,” Briere said.

“They’re saying, ‘This type of medication is used for pain in your legs, this type of medication is used for nausea, this type of medication is used for cancer to get appetite, this is a CBD (cannabidiol) it has no psychoactives in there. Your dog is lethargic and in pain with arthritis? You give this in liquid form to your dog.’”

Briere’s business model has got the attention of the College of Pharmacists in Manitoba.

Spokeswoman Susan Lessard-Friesen said if the store is indeed illegally selling marijuana this way, privacy would be one of her main concerns.

‘We’re trying to give good, clean, safe medication in a safe place where you won’t get robbed, you won’t get ripped off, you won’t buy bad weed or they say, “We don’t have weed, but look, heroin is even better”‘– Don Briere, owner of Weeds Glass and Gifts

“They’re not entitled to keep that prescription because they are not a licensed health-care professional with privileges to have that personal health information. That is a huge thing. That is a police matter.”

Meanwhile, Briere said the Winnipeg store is ready to sell recreational marijuana as soon as it’s legal.

“We’re setting up for a recreational market,” he said, particularly referring to the store’s namesake and stock of glass pipes. “We’re setting up because we know it’s coming.”

Until the federal government legalizes weed, the current law stands, said a June 30 statement from Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Health Minister Jane Philpott and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

“The possession, production and trafficking of marijuana remain illegal,” the statement reads. “This includes storefronts selling marijuana, commonly known as ‘dispensaries’ and ‘compassion clubs.’ These operations are illegally supplied and provide products that are untested, unregulated and that may be unsafe. The Government of Canada supports law enforcement actions to address illegal storefront distribution and sale of marijuana in Canada.”

Winnipeg police say they’re aware of the dispensary and they’re looking into the situation, but wouldn’t comment further.

bailey.hildebrand@freepress.mb.ca