UBC researchers are cautioning policy makers not to alter a cannabis distribution system thatsa国际传媒攚hile not legal yetsa国际传媒攚orks well.
Associate professor Zach Walsh, who teaches psychology at UBCsa国际传媒檚 Okanagan campus, and PhD candidate Rielle Capler, say store-front dispensariessa国际传媒攐ften under fire by law enforcement and city governmentssa国际传媒攁re a tried and true method of selling cannabis. The pair recently published a study on medicinal cannabis dispensaries and determined customers prefer the independent storefront as opposed to growing their own, or getting it from a dealer.
The call comes just days after the City of West Kelowna that have been operating there for several years, and is looking to close down four others that are operating as not-for-profit organizations that do not require business licences. The citysa国际传媒檚 reason for cancelling the business licences is that the dispensaries are operating illegally and over concern about the quality of the cannabis being sold.
According to Walsh and Capler, in Canada, dispensaries are not an authorized source for cannabis, although many operate as sa国际传媒渃ompassion clubs,sa国际传媒� selling cannabis for medicalsa国际传媒攏ot recreationalsa国际传媒攑urposes. Their research suggests that when recreational marijuana use becomes legal in 2018, the current system of dispensaries should remain.
sa国际传媒淒ispensaries do serve a role in our society, especially for some people with chronic illnesses who use cannabis for medicinal purposes,sa国际传媒� said Walsh. sa国际传媒淭here is a self-regulatory model that already exists and improvements can be made in a legalized environment.sa国际传媒�
The study is one of the first to specifically look at the experience of dispensary users. It compared their experiences to those who purchase cannabis through other sources including self-production, and illegal sources, such as friends or street dealers.
sa国际传媒淥ur study shows there are people who have preferences for dispensaries especially compared to other illegal sources,sa国际传媒� said Capler. sa国际传媒淥ur study also provides insight into some of the aspects of dispensaries that the government may want to emulate in the legal framework for both medical and recreational use.sa国际传媒�
Recently, the Ontario government announced that once restrictions come off next year, it will sell marijuana in dedicated stores run by the provincesa国际传媒檚 liquor control board.
While operating under the shadows of provincial laws and city bylaws, dispensaries have thrived in neighbourhoods across Canada. Capler calls the current method a sa国际传媒榥atural experimentsa国际传媒� thatsa国际传媒檚 been underway for decades and says law makers should this keep in mind when addressing regulation policies.
sa国际传媒淒ispensaries are not new and they provide a proven, valuable service,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲hile some are thought of as a nuisance, in reality many of these dispensaries are small, independent, long-standing businesses who serve a dedicated clientele.
For their research, more than 440 people who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes were asked to compare different methods of purchasing cannabis on a number of factors such as quality of product, safety, availability, efficiency and feeling respected. Study participants rated dispensaries highly across most categories with the only prominent negative being that the cost of dispensary product is often higher than from a street dealer.
sa国际传媒淐learly dispensaries are already playing a big role in cannabis access in Canada,sa国际传媒� Capler added. sa国际传媒淭he provincial and municipal governments will have to either look at including them in a legal frameworksa国际传媒攐r drawing on whatsa国际传媒檚 working in dispensaries as they build a new model. We want to think this paper may, in some way, guide policy to create a system that works.sa国际传媒�
Their research, supported by a grant from the UBC Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, was recently published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
