Dave Douglas with his medical marijuana possession licence and small bag of pot in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012. Photo By CARMINE MARINELLI/Vancouver 24hrs

VANCOUVER - High “medicine” costs to use marijuana from sanctioned Health Canada growers and the black market has frustrated a local man enough to start his own 420 Market in east Vancouver.

It’s been running once a month since October, pot activist Dave Douglas said. His federal medical marijuana licence allows him to purchase a large amount daily — 20 grams — from a sanctioned grower. It’s too much for him to use alone, so he sells it for about three-quarters of the black market price to licensees who otherwise couldn't afford it.