Medical marijuana clubs at odds over raids

Two Montreal compassion clubs are pointing fingers at each other over what prompteda series of police raids to shut down the medical marijuana dispensaries in Quebec.

Thirty-five people were arrested when police targeted five clubs in Montreal and Quebec City on June 3.

The head of the Montreal Compassion Centre, Marc-Boris St-Maurice, said responsibility for the situation rests with the founders of a new club, Culture 420,that opened four months ago inMontreal's Lachine district.

The club attracted a lot of new members and a lot of attention from law enforcement, said St-Maurice, former leader of the Marijuana Party.

"The police have clearly stated that the investigation started because of complaints from the people at Culture 420," St-Maurice told reporters on Tuesday, a day before he was scheduled to appear in court to face charges.

"They've only been doing this for four months. We've been doing this for 10 years. And we have never, ever claimed that what we were doing is legal."

The Montreal Compassion Centre was tolerated by authorities because, unlike the Culture 420 club, it tried to limit access to legitimate patients by requiring a doctor's prescription.

At Culture 420, all it took was a declaration made before a commissioner of oaths.

An investigation by the French-language service of the CBC revealed how easy it was to obtain marijuana at the club.

An undercover reporter told workers at Culture 420 he was suffering from migraines.

Staff told him he would be able to obtain the drug after making a declaration that he needed it for medical reasons before a commissioner of oaths. They then directed him to a commissioner of oaths who worked in a nearby building.

Club not illegal: Webber

According to the government, Canada offers only one strain of medical marijuana, and the only legal way to purchase it is through Health Canada.

But the co-founder of Culture 420, Gary Webber, said as far as he is concerned, his club's actions were legal.

He called St-Maurice misinformed.

"His lack of understanding of the law cannot be made everybody's problem," said Webber.

He said he createdCulture 420because othercompassion clubs were unduly bureaucratic.

Webber suggested St-Maurice did not appreciate the competition.

"We were not quiet. We announced on radio and television that we were going to do a radio blitz," he said. "We announced that we wanted to drop the price down by half within six months.I'm sure that wasn't very popularly received."

Club's motives questioned

St-Maurice questions Webber's motivation for launching a club.

"They may be well motivated, or they may just want to capitalize on all the hard work we've done," he said.

St-Maurice expressed concern about the effects of the raids.

People who use marijuana to treat medical conditions now don't have access to the drug, he said.

The absence of the clubs is also motivating other people to move in to fill the void, he said.

Though they may be well-intentioned, St-Maurice said he worries an increased number of small marijuana distributors will only exacerbate the problem of unregulated distribution in Montreal.

Both men are expected to appear at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday.