Stephen Calabria New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is debating whether to sign a bill approved by state lawmakers that would legalize the use of medical cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill — approved last Monday by the the state Senate — would allow veterans and other citizens suffering from PTSD to treat the […]
Politics
Surveys Show Liberals Ready To Corporatize Cannabis
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 […]
Task Force Survey Shows Dispensaries Face Future Raids
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 […]
Tough Messages on Cannabis from Central Canada: What Next?
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 […]
Melding Medical and Recreational Cannabis Dispensaries: A Pragmatic View
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 […]
Answers For the Cannabis Task Force – Minimizing Harms of Use
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 […]
Lobbying For Craft Cannabis
Michael Geoghegan Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynn has made no secret of the fact she wants marijuana in Ontario sold exclusively through government liquor stores, or the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) as they are known there, when the Trudeau government gets around to legalizing weed next year. As the Toronto Star reported a a […]
Troubles in Toronto: Project Claudia
Tracy Lamourie It’s becoming a little exhausting being a cannabis activist in Ontario. In the time it takes to smoke a pin joint in a crowd, it seems the entire landscape has changed…and before you even have time to do a dab, it’s changed again. Originally I had planned to use this space only to […]
Who Sits On The Federal Task Force on Cannabis?
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 […]
Cannabis Regulation and the Demons of Absolute Control
Judith Stamps I have begun to suspect that that the minds of some contemporary regulators are under the control of demons. I offer the following examples. Example One In September 2015, the State of California passed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), a comprehensive State licensing system. The Act requires the State to […]










