Canada

Clubs Growing in Maritimes Groups talking over where Buyers’ Club left off

In this past summer issue of Cannabis Digest, I wrote about the closing of a compassion club that had been in exis- tence for 10 years in Halifax—the Hali- fax Buyers’ Club of Canada. The outlet spearheaded by John Cook has been forced to close up shop due to John’s ill health. Since then many have asked what now fills that void in Atlantic Canada.

In another article, “Maritimers Unite for the Fight,” I outlined the history and activities of Maritimers Unite for Medi- cal Marijuana Society in the Atlantic provinces. This article will take a look at the other existing and/or upcoming services in Atlantic Canada, including those that do not delve into medication provision, but instead offer advocacy, ed- ucation, and other forms of support for patients.

Chris Enns and Jes James (who, ac- cording to Miles Howe of The Coast in his Mar. 1 article “Is Medical Marijuana going to Pot?” took on the alias of the famous train robber when she started using cannabis to treat her ailments) are co-founders and directors of The Halifax Compassionate Club.

Although THCC claim to have ex- isted since 1998 on their face book page, they were not known to the MUMM board until 2007. They offer patient ad- vocacy, cannabis education, and safe ac- cess to medicine. According to the above article in The Coast, THCC have roughly 100 patients on their books.

THCC is registered as non-profit in NS through the Registry of Joint Stocks and Deeds. They first incorporated in Mar. 2009. After being in default in 2010 and 2011 for non payment of the regis- tration fee, they once again officially reg- istered Nov. 3, 2011. THCC has five reg- istered directors, according to the Service NS website.

THCC recently opened a dispensary (The Farm Assists) in Porters Lake, NS. There is a vapour lounge for patients, and a hydroponics store in the basement. Volunteers play a vital role in the dispen- sary’s daily operations. The dispensary is open from Tues. to Sat. and focuses on the production, dispensing, and deliv- ery (for $10 you can have your medicine dropped off at your door) of medical can- nabis.

THCC was one of the sponsors for Peace East, held Sept. 14-16. Peace East was a medical cannabis educational fes- tival held at the Stewiake River Park,

Lanesville, featuring guest speakers, Marcel Gignac, director of communi- cations for Medical Cannabis Patients Alliance of Canada; Christian Laurette, film maker and producer of Run from the Cure (the Rick Simpson story); and John Dunsworth aka Jim Lahey (of The Trailer Park Boys).

Peace East included 48 hours of mu- sic and comedy routines. The festival at- tracted local attention due to noise com- plaints. Comments made on facebook by Four-twenty Jes (aka Jes James) suggest that in spite the beautiful location that “since the owner of the park and those who live there are not in alignment, we may find somewhere better for next year.” Peace East is slated to be held mid Aug., 2013.

THCC can be reached by email <compassionateclub@hushmail.com or FarmAssists@hushmail.com> or by phone at (902) 281-2176 or 495-0420.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Marijuana Society, not regis- tered as a non-profit (but would defi- nitely qualify to become one), was cre- ated over a year ago to provide patients with accurate information about can- nabis. The NLMMS, with patient Mike Dawe at the helm, believe that cannabis is an extremely useful medicine that is vastly misunderstood. This organization is helping to shed light on an array of topics pertaining to medical marijuana in the hopes of making the lives of patients in Newfoundland and Labrador some- what easier. You can find the NLMMS on facebook.

Karma Compassion, in Lower Sack- ville, NS, has also been in existence for approximately a year. Its objectives are to help people obtain access to cannabis as medicine and to teach patients and med- ical growers how to grow, prepare and medicate with cannabis in all of its many useful forms. Assistance with household (grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.) and light duty property management (lawn mowing, etc.) is available when needed. KC may be found on facebook or by emailing <karma-compassion@hotmail. com>

When asked about plans for the future of Karma Compassion, the reply was, “I hope to continue to help people access medical marijuana, help preserve our Personal Production Licenses, and work towards the legalization of cannabis.”

Karma Compassion pairs growers with patients. KC always hopes to hear from more growers as there are always patients

requiring assistance with obtaining their medicine. KC is also accepting donations to assist John Cook.

Maritime Medical Cannabis Consult- ing, a sole proprietorship for-profit busi- ness, was registered on Apr. 16, 2012, in Nova Scotia by David Shea, the owner/ operator. Maritime Medical Cannabis Consulting provides education and net- working in Nova Scotia for individuals interested in cannabis for medical pur- poses.

Shea has been a volunteer in the medi- cal cannabis community for the last three years. Realizing there was still an unful- filled need for education and networking in NS and Newfoundland, David’s home province, he took the plunge and formed the company. Fees for his services start at $25 an hour (the first 2 hours) and $15 dollars for each additional hour. Low in- come individuals may have fees waived in part or full depending on the situation.

Shea offers to provide education and information on a variety of topics per- tinent to medical cannabis including: how to apply for legal medical cannabis in Canada, ingestion methods, how to speak to your doctor, information to as- sist patients with compiling their income tax, and much more.

Shea’s website <www.mmadstories.ca> is full of invaluable information, includ- ing a cannabis calculator that will assist patients to properly dose cannabis in its many forms. By using the calculator, pa- tients can more easily prepare their can- nabis and calculate the daily dose of their various preparations.

Shea can be reached by phone (902) 789 2617 or by email at <davidshea@ mmadstories.ca>

On July 26, 2012, a new bi-monthly internet show emerged from the East Coast thanks to the dedication of Chris Backer. The Maritime Medical Marijua- na Show, by patients for patients, is co- hosted by Backer and David Shea. The co-hosts of the MMMS strive to provide patients with the information needed for all aspects of growing, preparing, using, and managing their medical cannabis. Special guests to date have included Bob Dillman, LEAP representative from NS, and patient and MUMM board member, Donna Jones. The MMMS often offers prizes, is willing to explore suggestions for topics that patients may wish to learn more about, promote MUMM activi- ties, and summarize current events in the world of medical cannabis.

Five episodes of the show have been uploaded to YouTube for your viewing pleasure and cannabis education needs. Past episodes are available for viewing at <www.youtube.com/user/karmammms>

All Things Green Compassion is the newest club/dispensary to arrive on the scene in Halifax. ATGC, spearheaded by Michael Dillon, promises to be a dispen-

sary that should be beyond reproach of the long arm of the law. They follow sim- ilar open, transparent, and above board operational principles that were adopted by John Cook, and offer courteous, per- sonal service for all patients.

ATGCI (the parent company) is reg- istered federally as a business for the in- tent purpose of providing cannabis and extracts to ill patients. By registering as a business, ATGCI will be subject to regu- lar scrutiny by Revenue Canada. They are ensuring by operating in this transparent of a manner that they will be 100 percent open to all concerned with their mode of operation. This club shows great prom- ise with their plans to serve patients and facilitating access to safe, medical grade, affordable cannabis.

ATGC’s immediate goals involve hav- ing a website up and running in the near future and becoming a federally regis- tered non-profit society, both of which are already in the works.

Presently ATGC pair legally exempt patients and growers, offer safe access to several strains of medical grade can- nabis via a mobile service, with plans of a store front looming in the foreseeable future. The store front will also feature a vapour lounge where patients may sam- ple recently purchased meds, relax and meet other patients. They plan to have a complete selection of vapourizers and HOSS water filtration bongs at excep- tional prices. Any profits that are realized will be going back to assist patients and to provide medical cannabis educational opportunities and events. They may be reached by phoning 1-866-611-7697 or by email <contact@allthingsgreen.ca> ATGC are also seeking growers.

Delta 9 Distribution in New Bruns- wick is in its infancy stages of devel- opment. The director is in the midst of establishing a compassion club/dispen- sary for exemption holders in NB. It is looking like this may take the form of both a mobile service and a store front/ dispensary. Patients would be able to ob- tain a month’s supply of medicine as per Health Canada’s guidelines as to how much medicine an exemption holder is allowed to possess if they do not hold a personal production license. Delta nine is looking for both space and growers to make this dream of assisting critical and chronically ill Canadians a reality. Any- one wishing to send Delta 9 a message may do so through their facebook page.

Currently these are all of the known services in Atlantic Canada. If anyone knows of additional services to benefit patients that have not been mentioned, please email <chair@mumm.ca>

Looking forward to keeping you in- formed and up-to-date on East Coast events and happenings!

By Debbie Stultz-Giffin

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