Ted Smith Anyone working in the illegal cannabis industry needs to be prepared to get arrested at any moment. A recent rash of police raids on medical cannabis dispensaries across Canada have shown that some organizations are much more prepared than others to deal with the consequences. Since the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club survived 4 […]
Activism
Sing a Cannabis Carol For the Holiday Season
Owen Smith Medical cannabis patients may be celebrating this holiday season with festive infusions that relieve their pain and lift their spirits. It has been a successful year for the cannabis movement from our Supreme Court of Canada victory to the election of a government friendlier to the plant. The Hempology 101 Society and the […]
Safe Inhalation Spaces Facing Shutdown By New Dispensary Rules
Ted Smith While there are many reasons to celebrate medical cannabis dispensaries getting licenses in Vancouver and Victoria, the new bylaws could be forcing the closure one of the most important components of a true compassion club. Without a safe place to consume their medicine, many patients would be forced to smoke outdoors or in […]
Horses v Carts: How The Public is Mislead on the Subject of Medical Cannabis
Judith Stamps In 2003 Anne McLellan, Canada’s then health Minister, announced the advent of government-provided medical cannabis to be grown in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Quoted in response, was Sgt. Glen Hayden of Edmonton, who said: “the government is putting the cart before the horse.” In March 2015, the Pennsylvania Medical Society published a white paper […]
Medicated Cookies Face Possible Extinction In Victoria Dispensaries
Ted Smith Proposed regulations for dispensaries drafted by staff for the Victoria city council suggest following the lead of Vancouver to prohibit cannabis edibles, but there is another option council may take. Instead of an outright ban of anything but basic oils infused with cannabis, the city could adopt regulations that follow the policies laid […]
Cannabis and the Rabbi: Reflections on a Most Unusual Forum
Judith Stamps Last Tuesday evening, November 24 2015, I had the unique privilege of speaking at a forum on cannabis held at the Temple Emanu-El, the conservative Jewish synagogue in Victoria BC. The event was planned and hosted by the congregation’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Harry Brechner. On the panel with me were Dieter MacPherson, president […]
Ted Smith Interviews Owen Smith and Kirk Tousaw
Owen Smith Ted Smith and I are known largely for our work in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. However we both now live north of Victoria, amongst the temperate rainforest near unassuming Duncan. This is also the home of our constitutional lawyer and Supreme Court champion Kirk Tousaw. This […]
Delivering The Cannabis Goods: Why Home Visits Are A Critical Part Of Health Care
Ted Smith Currently the City of Victoria, B.C. is preparing to license medical cannabis dispensaries but several key functions of the oldest club in town appear to be in danger of being prohibited by the new regulations. While it is wonderful that the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club and other dispensaries are getting a business license […]
The Battle of Winnipeg
By Dean Schwind Manitoba activists fight to free the weed If you are a student of history you will know that all of the worlds empires have had a central seat, a Rome, Washington, or Ottawa if you will, where laws and politics, power and money, are the commodities of trade. The hub of the […]
Grass Fed: A New Canadian Edible Cannabis Documentary
Owen Smith Medical cannabis patients come from all walks of life, they may be a retired sea captain, an aspiring dog groomer, a taxi driver, a nurse, a competitive swimmer, you name it. Medical cannabis patients are not always easy to pick out of a crowd (unless they’re smoking a joint). Thankfully, documentary filmmaker Ezra […]