Ucluelet man upset after medical pot seized

A Vancouver Island mansays he iscaught betweennew rules and an old system still working through the court systemafter medical marijuana he tried to send by mail was seized.

Last week,Ryan Malazdrewiczof Ucluelet, B.C.,tried to ship asmall package containingpot to his wife who is away visiting family in Alberta.

Malazdrewicz saidboth he and his wife receivedlicences several years agoto produce and possessmedical marijuana, and they use it to treat pain followinga car accident.

But Malazdrewicz saidhis package never left the Ucluelet post office.When heasked why, he said staff told him it had been seized.

"Right now they are stopping my wife, a law abiding citizen,from accessing her cannabis," he said.

In a statement, Canada Post said there are controls for shipping marijuana because it is a prohibited substance outside of prescribed medical use.

If marijuana isdetected in apackage that does not come from an authorized distributor,it is intercepted for further investigation, the postal service said.

New regulations

Health Canada brought in new rules in 2013for the production of medical marijuana.

Under the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulationsthere are only six companies in B.C. that areauthorizeddistributors.

But the rights of existing licence holders such asMalazdrewicz are still before the courts, and he said it isfrustratingthat his package was seized.

"I would like to see the RCMP actually work on what I would consider to be crime," he said.

Malazdrewicz saidhe either wants his package returnedor sent to his wife in Alberta.

RCMPhave yet to comment on the matter.