(Owen Smith, Bill Stewart and Ted Smith at the Royal Theatre for Cheech and Chong) By Ted Smith Fame and fortune are the goals of many youth, but few senior citizens truly get to look back at a long career and feel they have reached the top. Not so for Cheech and Chong, unquestionably the […]
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THE NDP’S MARIJUANA MISTAKE
How the NDP missed its chance to come out strong on marijuana, and why it’s not too late to make it right By Dana Larsen For four decades, the NDP was the standard-bearer for sensible marijuana laws. From the time of the LeDain Commission report of 1971, it was the most progressive voice in Parliament […]
Marijuana and Lunacy: The Magnificent Failure of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission
On July 16, 1891, British MP and temperance enthusiast, Mark Stewart, rose in the House of Commons to talk about cannabis. Addressing the Under-Secretary of the State of India he asked: was the MP aware that according to recent medical journals, the lunatic asylums of India were filled with ganja smokers? Given these facts, […]
Hemp in the Early United States
By Ted Smith There is little doubt the most important crop in the founding of America was hemp. Used for canvas and rope on the British sailing ships, importing hemp fibre was critical to the ambitious monarchs of the UK. Growing hemp to support the British navy was so valuable that from 1631 to the […]
Post Prohibition World; Social Impacts of Legalization – Cannabis Video Digest (EP 005)
A Post Prohibition World; The Social Impact of Legal Medical Marijuana and more from the Cannabis Digest this week October 11th – 17th, 2014 with Owen Smith Notes/Links Oct 11 UK Drug Policy Slow to Shift By Mark Knowles Mark Knowles keeps us up to speed with #Cannabis in the #UK . http://cannabisdigest.ca/uk-drug-policy-slow-change/ UK […]
Lisa ‘MamaKind’ Kirkman Versus Alberta
Lisa Mamakind Kirkman’s Battles in the Badlands of Alberta By Dean Schwind If you think this story is about the famous sexpot goddess, activist, writer, caregiver, overgrower, and icon in the war to free the weed, Mamakind, you’re wrong. This is about Lisa Kirkman, a woman, a mom, a partner, and a patient who is […]
Flying High Again: An Interview with Marc Emery
By Ted Smith Emery Reflects, Re-evaluates and Reacts Soon after Marc Emery was released from prison I bugged him to grant me an interview. Luckily he had time before taking off to Europe for his first trip abroad with his wife, Jodie. Here is what he had to say. 1. Can you describe your first […]
5 Reasons Doctors Don’t Sign Pot Prescriptions
by Owen Smith Dr. David Hepburn recently spoke at the 15th Cannabis convention at the University of Victoria. He expressed a desire to educate doctors about the use of medical cannabis as he thinks we are falling behind as a country. The registrar of the college of physicians recently wrote that “Canada could follow the […]
The Wild West: Contrasting Clubs & LP’s
The struggles of medical marijuana distribution in Canada By Ted Smith Describing Canadian medical cannabis distribution as the wild west show might seem like a stretch to some, but to those in the field there has never been as much interest, excitement, opportunity and disappointment as we are witnessing right now. The Green Rush is […]
Legal Medical Marijuana – 5 Social Impacts
1) Fewer Deaths from Opiates The number of deaths involving commonly prescribed painkillers is higher than the number of deaths by overdose from heroin and cocaine combined, according to researchers at McGill University. Currently, the U.S and Canada rank #1 and #2 in per capita opioid consumption. Medical Marijuana looks to be a far safer […]