IQALUIT - The RCMP raided Nunavut's first compassion club selling marijuana for medicinal use Jan. 29, and charged two men with drug trafficking.

Police seized two pounds of marijuana, $7,200 in cash, a GMC Yukon and trafficking materials during a search of two Iqaluit residences, according to an RCMP press release.

Ed deVries, 51, was charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime. Sakku Kripinak, 30, was charged with one count of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Both are members and organizers of the Qikiqtaaluk Compassionate Society, which received societal status under the Nunavut Societies Act on Dec. 14.

DeVries was released with conditions and is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 15. Kripinak was also released and is scheduled to appear in court on May 7.

"I know that Mr. deVries was subject of the search and seizure and subsequent charges," RCMP Supt. Steve McVarnock said. "But again, whether or not it was in relation to his club or whether it was personal, that's all got to come out in the court process."

When pressed about the relationship between the bust and the compassion club, McVarnock said: "My understanding is that it is associated. The compassion club is associated to the investigation."

In an interview prior to his arrest, deVries said more than 500 people in Iqaluit, a city of nearly 7,000 people, were registered with the society, including elders, and the list was growing.

"We're not in hiding. We're in an appropriate downtown location that is respectful to the neighbourhood," he said. "We run controlled hours, very strict hours, and we're acting in respect to the neighbourhood."

The club, which deVries said sold marijuana for medical use, is modelled after southern compassion clubs.

Clients must sign up before purchasing marijuana from the club and there is a 10 gram limit per day.

DeVries said he hoped making the club an official society under the Nunavut Societies Act would help change public perception about marijuana.

"I think the validation by our government will allow a lot of people who have been holding back to give them a little more confidence to come forward," he said. "It's given the people of Iqaluit that have come to the compassion club a different perspective on herbal cures."

In December, deVries said the society had made contact with an RCMP liaison to discuss the society's activities, but had yet to receive a response.

McVarnock said the RCMP's role is to enforce the law.

"Basically the RCMP, we have no position on a compassion club. We look at drugs and drug trafficking in the context of the legislation we have to work with," he said.

The society was hoping to get an exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which allows possession of a controlled substance if "the exemption is necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest," according to the act.

"We'll be presenting a petition plea to our ministers at all levels and our health representatives to grant the society that exemption," deVries said in December.

But even with an exemption, compassion clubs are illegal in Canada, according to Health Canada.

"The only organization that can legally supply marijuana seeds and dried marijuana is the Government of Canada, who currently obtains its supply from Prairie Plant Systems. This supply can only be accessed by individuals who have applied for authorization to possess marijuana for medical purposes and have received this authorization from Health Canada," according to a statement e-mailed to Nunavut News/North from Health Canada media relations officer Philippe Laroche.

The Marijuana Medical Access Regulations only apply to individuals for personal use.

"Once approved under the MMAR, individuals have three options for obtaining a supply: they can apply under the MMAR to access Health Canada's supply of dried marijuana; they can apply for a personal use production licence, or they can designate someone to cultivate on their behalf with a designated-person production licence," stated the e-mail from Laroche.

"I guess it's time to change the law, that's my stance on it," deVries said.

In an interview with Nunavut News/North before the bust, Qikiqtaaluk Compassionate Society media representative Eric Idlaut said the idea of a compassion club was becoming popular in Nunavut's other communities.

"We're receiving a lot of inquiries from smaller communities on how to become members with our society," Idlaut said. "The first inquiry is how to become members of our society and how they can come up with a compassionate society in their own communities."

Elders who use marijuana as medicine would benefit from having a place they can obtain it without having to pay street prices, Idlaut said.

"Looking at prices being paid for medicine in smaller communities, it's crazy especially when elders are paying almost $100 (a gram)," he said. "When you reduce it to $7 (a gram) that's a huge difference."

DeVries said the club will focus on assisting Iqalummiut with applying to Health Canada under the medical access regulations for marijuana for personal use.

He added that people in Iqaluit will still purchase marijuana, whether it is purchased from a compassion club or off the street.

"You don't take away people's medicine just because the doctor died," he said.