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A Long Two Weeks
By Hemp | April 6, 2002
It certainly has been a two week period of total upheaval. Never before has the Cannabis Buyers’ Clubs of
Canada endured such a period of turmoil, and yet we have survived. It is a testament to the strength of
commitment that not only Ted and the employees have, but also the membership. When we stood in front of Mayor
Alan Lowe and the Victoria City Council the goal was clear: to have our voices heard! Many of us had never
stood in front of a microphone in our lives, but our cause is just, and one by one we stood to tell our personal
stories; of our illness, of our pain, of our need for the medicine. We hoped that they heard our message.
It wasn’t until the meeting between City Council and The Police Board when the answer became clear. Perhaps it was
the vision of a bunch of disabled middle-aged women standing up to speak. Perhaps it was the realization that
cannabis users do not actually resemble long-haired hippies any more than any other group. Or perhaps it was
the realization that we do vote. Anyhow, the response was positive. Our business licence has survived. We can
continue to help the ill.
I am left with a dilemma though. This surrounds the initial events on March 21st. When I was taken into custody,
I was shocked. Not only did I not have any medicine on my person, but I was behind a computer desk doing research
on how to help our clients with the new changes to the welfare act. Basically, I was not breaking any law. To
this date, although the police chose to incarcerate me for two and a half hours, no formal charges have been
laid. This event has not dulled my willingness to continue to fight for this cause. My problem is related to
my twelve year-old daughter. I have no shame for the actions I have taken but I am disgusted by the actions of
the police. How can I tell my daughter that people that are supposed to protect her from harm acted in such a
way? This will certainly not provide her with the image that I want her to have of the police. My daughter
knows that I am not a criminal and to know that her mother was treated as such would cause harm. It is time that
the laws stopped persecuting the ill.
There is so much more work to be done. I am buoyed by the knowledge that many of our members have “come out of
the closet” about their personal choice of medicine. This has made a powerful statement to the world.
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