Canada’s Cannabis Journal since 2010
By Owen Smith Based in a mythical pre-historic Costa Rica, two young men discover the miraculous healing properties of a special herb and begin a quest to bring it’s material and health benefits to the people of their kingdom. Loosely based on the constitutional challenge to legalize extracts for medical patients in Canada, Owen has written […]
By Owen Smith Cannabis Digest readers may have noticed that a good portion of my blogging over the last six months has included the tag “previously appeared at lift cannabis”. Lift is a website that helps patients to navigate the complexities of Canada’s medical marijuana regulations and gives patients a platform to explore and review […]
On March 20th, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments for and against medical cannabis derivative products becoming legally available to authorized patients. The courtroom was filled with supporters while many others watched in the overflow rooms and on the CPAC live stream. The entire proceeding was recorded and is available to view online […]
By Owen Smith In April 2012, our argument for extracts had been successful in the BC Supreme Court, effectively legalizing medicinal cannabis extracts for federally licensed patients, and eventually their caregivers, in British Columbia. However, the judge ruled that my trial should proceed regardless of the constitutional victory because “society’s interests in having the charges […]
(image: bubbleman fresh headies) By Owen Smith Our key expert witness during the extract trial in 2012 was Dr. David Pate. His expertise in cannabis botany would help the court understand how and where the cannabis plant produces its’ medicinal compounds. This would help us show that the restriction to dried marihuana is arbitrary and […]
By Owen Smith Two years after I had been arrested and charged in the act of making cookies, lozenges, gel caps, and massage oils with cannabis infused vegetable oils, we would begin the trial that would hear the constitutional challenge that was recently before the Supreme Court of Canada. After Ted Smith testified, Gayle Quin, Gina Herman […]
The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club (V-CBC) is the beating heart of the Extract Trial. With thousands of active members, the discreet downtown Victoria dispensary founded by Ted Smith has served medical cannabis patients since 1996. The club barely skipped a beat after I was arrested and has since expanded and improved upon their product line. […]
Liam McKnight is one of the many Canadians who benefit greatly from the use of extracted cannabis products. It was my honor to meet Liam and many other medical cannabis patients at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa last weekend. The RvSmith extract trial that I recently brought to the Supreme Court of Canada has […]
By Owen Smith In this series of Blogs I am telling the story of the constitutional challenge to grant medical patients access to cannabis derivatives and extracts. I wouldn’t be in this position at all if it wasn’t for Canadian activist Ted Smith. Ted was my boss at the time I was arrested making a […]
I recently travelled to Ottawa with Ted Smith and Dieter Macpherson and my partner Coco (see photo above) to attend the March 20th hearing in Supreme Court of Canada. This would be the climax of our 5 and a half year quest to declare the Canadian medical cannabis regulations unconstitutional. We were hosted by Kelly […]