cannabisnews.com: Marijuana `Teahouse' Opens Today in Vancouver 





Marijuana `Teahouse' Opens Today in Vancouver 
Posted by FoM on October 31, 2001 at 07:17:21 PT
By Daniel Girard, Western Canada Bureau
Source: Toronto Star
Michael Maniotis insists he's no dope-smoking zealot looking to put a joint in every mouth but simply a compassionate man who wants to ease the pain of people suffering debilitating illnesses.To that end, Maniotis, 42, plans to open the doors today on The Marijuana Teahouse, a 2,000-square-foot facility on the outskirts of Vancouver's rugged downtown eastside, where those stricken with AIDS, multiple sclerosis or other debilitating illnesses can go to try to stop the hurt.
"It provides a safe, socially stimulating environment for people who are medicating with cannabis,'' the veteran restaurateur said in an interview yesterday.Maniotis, who says he began using marijuana at age 15, does not suffer from one of the debilitating diseases Ottawa recognizes for medical exemptions. But he says he suffers from stress and adds cannabis "does help me walk to work in the morning instead of slumping to work.''Maniotis said the teahouse, which will allow healthy people to act as "facilitators'' and also use the drug on site, is simply an evolution of Ottawa's move to okay the use of medical marijuana.But spokespersons for Health Minister Allan Rock, Vancouver police and the city's licensing department are not convinced."Mr. Rock's initiative deals exclusively with access to marijuana for medical reasons,'' said Cyrus Reporter, a spokesperson for the minister. "It doesn't venture into decriminalization generally."That is an issue which should and is being debated by Parliament and the public,'' said Reporter, refusing to get into specifics on the teahouse.Paul Teichroeb, Vancouver's chief licensing inspector, said the teahouse has a one-day event permit for today's opening party. But before the teahouse can reopen, it will have to get another licence because it originally applied as a restaurant and now wants to be part health care facility and part private club, Teichroeb said."We still need the full facts on what they're going to be doing,'' Teichroeb said in an interview. "We also have to ensure what they're proposing to do is completely legal. All the answers aren't available as we speak.''Vancouver police spokesperson Det. Scott Driemel said the police are aware of the teahouse plans to open but refused to say what will be done.Similar, so-called compassion clubs operate across Canada selling marijuana to members who have been verified as suffering from one of a list of debilitating diseases. The clubs are illegal.Other Vancouver cafés selling cannabis have been forced to close, either under police order or an inability to get a business licence.Maniotis vows to fight in court using the Charter of Rights and Freedoms if there's a move to close him down."It's been way too long that people have suffered unjustly for this,'' said Maniotis, who is facing a charge of possessing and trafficking cannabis for an unrelated compassion operation earlier in the year.The teahouse is run by the Merlin Project, which was launched on July 4, the day Rock detailed the regulations on the use of medical marijuana. It has provided information on how to get a licence to use the drug to deal with illness and has recently begun growing pot in downtown Vancouver.The teahouse will have about one-quarter of its space designated as "the medicating area,'' Maniotis said.In that space, which will be walled off from the rest of the café, and ventilated to the outside, he said, people who have medical exemptions from Ottawa will be able to use marijuana. Those with letters from doctors are also okay, he added.A security guard will also be on duty and customers must be at least 18 years old,But people with exemptions will also be able to ask family and friends who are not entitled to use the drug to sample it with them, he said. Note: "People have suffered unjustly for this.'' - Michael Maniotis, Marijuana Teahouse Operator Note: But officials may not buy café's take on the law. Complete Title: Marijuana `Teahouse' Opens Today in Vancouver To Aid Pain Sufferers Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)Author: Daniel Girard, Western Canada BureauPublished: October 31, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Toronto Star Contact: lettertoed thestar.com Website: http://www.thestar.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:FTE's Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmNo Relief from Draconian Pot Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11192.shtmlActing High Above The Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10558.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 01, 2001 at 07:53:49 PT
Excerpt from National Post
Vancouver Teahouse To Specialize in Marijuana
Chronically ill patrons licensed by Health Canada to use pot: Police to monitor
Source: National Post (Canada)
Author: Ian Bailey, National Post
Published: September 20, 2001
Copyright: 2001 Southam Inc. 
Contact: letters nationalpost.com 
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ 
 Brian Howell, National Post -- Most of the marijuana that will be consumed at the Marijuana Teahouse will be eaten rather than smoked, says Michael Maniotis, a director. "We're not ... going to be walking around with Jamaican-sized joints." 
The operators of a new teahouse where the sick can use marijuana to ease the pain of chronic illnesses are promising to seek court protection if anyone tries to shut them down."We are willing to defend our Charter rights if forced to do so," Yoram Adler, a director of the Marijuana Teahouse, said yesterday during an opening ceremony.The threat was made as the Marijuana Teahouse faced immediate hurdles, which include the absence of a permanent business licence."They have no approval for anything after 1 a.m. today," said Paul Teichroeb, Vancouver's chief licensing inspector, suggesting he provided a one-day licence in the rush so the teahouse's planned opening ceremony could go ahead.But the founders of the teahouse, located in the gritty Downtown Eastside neighbourhood that has been ravaged by the effects of crack, sketched out big goals yesterday.They see the establishment -- which they describe as a Canadian first -- as a quiet haven in which people grappling with such illnesses as AIDS and multiple sclerosis can try marijuana in a supportive atmosphere.The austere café, located in the former restaurant of an Eastside hotel, consists of two rooms. The first resembles a mix of a bar and a coffee house.In a rear room, visitors will be able to self-medicate with marijuana they are licensed to use under Health Canada rules that allow approved people to use marijuana to ease their suffering.A spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department said it will monitor the situation, but plans no action as long as the teahouse sticks to municipal laws and Health Canada regulations.
Complete Article -- http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20011101/765127.html
Medical Marijuana Information Links
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on October 31, 2001 at 10:37:28 PT
O Canada!
Quick! Somebody call the DEA office in Vancouver! I'm sure that we have a few dozen thugs to spare for some enforcement in Canada. It's so much more fun to bust doctors and sick people than terrorists!
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