Serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1984
WEDNESDAY
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June 27, 2012
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Shooting second in a month
Gangster Randy Naicker killed on busy Port Moody street Jeremy Deutsch jdeutsch@thenownews.com
There are reportedly nine dispensaries or “cannabis clubs” in B.C., with the majority located in Vancouver. Some clubs have sprung up quietly, only to be shut down or raided by local police, such as the case last year at a club in Kamloops. Since the laws around medical dispensaries are a grey area, MacLeod is worried the RCMP will shut him down, but he said he has the support of his business neighbours and the landlord of the building. MacLeod also believes he has the unofficial support of some Coquitlam city councillors, who he said have given the idea a “warm reception.”
For the second time in less than a month, a deadly gang-related shooting has rocked Port Moody. The shooting happened just after 4:30 p.m. Monday during rush hour near the corner of St. Johns and Queens streets. Within minutes, the body of the dead man, which was covered by a white sheet, was lying in an open parking stall beside an Infinity SUV with the driver’s-side window smashed. Police are calling the shooting targeted and gang-related. On Tuesday, the Vancouver Police Department identified the dead man as Randynesh Raman Naicker, 34, a noted gangster and founder of the Independent Soldiers. Naicker was convicted in 2005 and served five years in prison for kidnapping and unlawful confinement of another gangster. But a man who spoke to The NOW said Naicker had been trying to turn his life around in recent months and had been working for an area business. The man said he wasn’t all that surprised the former gangster was ultimately gunned down, suggesting his past had caught up to him. But the shooting was a shock to people in the area. CM Bhatt, the owner of Aroma Restaurant, which is located just a few metres away from the scene on Queens Street, was drinking tea on the restaurant’s patio when he heard the shots. The restaurant was quiet at the time, as it was before the dinner rush. Bhatt looked up and saw a man with a gun wearing a black mask covering his entire face. He then saw the shooter take off with another person in an SUV or a van.
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Lisa King/NOW
Christopher “Mac” MacLeod offers a variety of edibles, as well as strains of marijuana, at his Brunette Avenue cannabis dispensary.
Marijuana dispensary now open First of its kind in the Tri-Cities will allow customers to buy medical cannabis Jeremy Deutsch jdeutsch@thenownews.com
Tucked away in a small Maillardville strip mall is the home base for a non-profit society — the first of its kind in the Tri-Cities. Last week, the only medical marijuana dispensary in the area opened its doors in Coquitlam in Village Square. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, the Coquitlam Natural Path Society intends to provide medical cannabis from its storefront operation to people who have a legitimate medical need for the drug. The society’s founder and president, Christopher MacLeod, said he wanted to open up a dispensary in
the Tri-Cities to cut down the travel time for locals who use the dispensaries in Vancouver. “We want to fulfill a need for the community, and we want to give people good quality medication that they can trust at a safe location,” he told The NOW. The dispensary offers both ingestible and traditional forms of marijuana on site. But MacLeod said there are strict rules in place to ensure the pot is distributed properly. He explained that before clients get their pot, they must be members of the society, which requires them to have their medical marijuana exemptions from Health Canada or a prescription or proof of a diagnosis from a doctor. Clients are also expected to sign
the society’s code of conduct, which implies the user isn’t buying the drug for anyone else. MacLeod said he also plans to a have a naturopathic doctor on site with a doctor’s office. As for the crop, the society gets its product from the excess produced by licensed users who grow their own pot, but under federal rules aren’t allowed to keep large amounts. MacLeod said the product is tested to make sure the bud is safe for use. Under Health Canada guidelines, pot can be prescribed and used legally to treat a number of illnesses and conditions. But the path for many dispensaries in the past has been fraught with challenges.
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