Canada’s Cannabis Journal since 2010
Judith Stamps The recently announced decision by Health Canada, to permit home growing of medical cannabis, is widely regarded as a step forward for patients, and a win for cannabis culture. The program is called: The Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, or ACMPR. There are good aspects to this program. Under the new […]
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 Later this month the federal government must enact laws allowing patients to grow their own supply of cannabis, as per the Federal Court of Canada decision handed down in the Allard injunction on Feb 24. Many patients have been left without the ability to grow their own medicine for years waiting for the […]
Judith Stamps Sixteen days to go until Health Canada announces its new plan for medical cannabis, and hopes are sinking. Mine are, anyway. Dispensaries raids continue in Ontario, sending menacing vibes to Canada’s cannabis growers, the ones not sanctioned as LPs; to Canadian patients who choose dispensaries as the source of their medicines; and of […]
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 […]
Judith Stamps There are hostile vibes, these days, emanating from Ontario’s elite, at least on the subject of cannabis. The country is on the slow boat to legalization; nine months into the government’s first term, and we have a task force. We also have an online survey, asking for our feedback. But its tone is […]
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 […]
Judith Stamps On the Melding Medical and Recreational Cannabis Dispensaries: A Pragmatic View Interviews with Dana Larsen and Dori Dempster, with input from Neil Allard; Jason Balaam; Maureen Bourke; Sarah Campbell; Marc Emery; Nicholas Fraleigh; and Martin Lee. The Backstory. Cannabis is an ancient medicine and spiritual balm. During its prohibition in the early 20th […]
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 […]