Canada’s Cannabis Journal since 2010
Ted Smith In my first few years of being a cannabis activist I learned a great deal about the wide range of potential uses the cannabis plant could have if not for prohibition. Being a seventh generation Canadian on both sides of my family, but the first not to grow up a family farm, I […]
Ted Smith Survey #5- Accessing Marijuana for Medical Purposes Continued access to marijuana for medical purposes: It is anticipated that there could continue to be a need to enable access to marijuana for those who require it for medical reasons, but for whom reasonable access is not possible in the legalized context. This might require […]
Ted Smith Survey #4- Enforcing Public Safety and Protection Strengthened laws and appropriate enforcement response: Establishing a successful legalization regime will require the strengthening of laws that will minimize or eliminate criminal involvement. It could also require the strengthening of laws to punish those who choose to operate outside of its parameters, including those who […]
Ted Smith Survey #3-Designing an Appropriate Distribution System Phased-in approach to distribution: In the initial stages of legalizing marijuana, only allowing a proven system of distribution (e.g., through the mail, as is currently done in the medical marijuana regime) could minimize the risks of uncontrolled/illegal retail sales outlined above. This system could enable access for […]
Survey #2 Establishing a Safe and Responsible Production System GOVERNMENT LINK Production Model: Experience with both home cultivation and government-controlled production in the context of relatively small numbers of medical users suggests neither approach would be in the public interest in the context of the larger numbers of users expected in a legalized market. Therefore, […]
Ted Smith This coming fall, everyone with the Cannabis Digest will be proud to be getting ready to print the publication’s 50th issue. With so much happening in the cannabis scene, it is exciting to have the opportunity to document the changes as we shift from prohibition to legalization. We feel our newspaper has a […]
Ted Smith Questions – Minimizing Harms of Use This is my answer to the first of five surveys the federal government task force has created to guide them as they introduce laws to legalize cannabis. Over the next 4 weeks I will be posting my responses. Everyone has until August 28 to fill in these […]
Ted Smith When Bill Blair announced who was on the task force making recommendations to the federal government regarding the legalization of cannabis on June 30, the cannabis community was clearly shut out of the process. Instead, lawyers, doctors and police officers will make up the panel that will write the general framework upon which […]
Ted Smith Well it has been a very busy spring for cannabis activists across Canada. Starting with April 20 celebrations, which were highlighted when Canada’s Minister of Health informed the United Nations that our country was going to introduce laws legalizing cannabis in one year’s time, this spring has been full of excitement. There is […]
Ted Smith People that do not even smoke cannabis know that BC has some of the best herb in the world. For decades cannabis farmers have illegally used first hidden valleys, and then basement hydroponic setups to produce volumes of high grade herb. But with legalization on the cusp those days are soon coming […]