Judith Stamps A glance online will tell you that it is too late to eliminate the term ‘budtender’ from the cannabis industry. Definitions are offered in Urban Dictionary, Wiktionary, the Marijuana Glossary, and Merriam Webster. Budtender is a blend of ‘bud’ and ‘bartender.’ The budtender, one reads, is: “the first person that one sees at […]
Politics
6 Reasons Victoria’s Dispensary Bylaws Are Better Than Vancouver’s
Ted Smith Last year the city of Victoria announced it would follow the lead of Vancouver in licensing medical cannabis dispensaries soon after the big city declared their intentions. However, the final bylaws that Victoria will soon be passing are quite different than the ones in Vancouver. In several important areas the city of Victoria […]
Cannabis: Where We Are; Where We Might Go
Judith Stamps Legal cannabis will walk onstage in the midst of a crazy scene. But then, maybe all historical periods are crazy scenes. Here are some features of ours. In the 1880’s industrial nations moved from plant-based to chemically based medicines. The transition was hailed as progress, and had, among other effects, a profound influence […]
Cannabis Cookie Parties on June 11
New Date For International Medical Marijuana Day After 20 years plus of using various dates to raise awareness about cannabis on International Medical Marijuana Day, a day to celebrate, with special meaning for many cannabis patients in Canada, has been chosen. Last year the Supreme Court of Canada handed down a unanimous decision protecting the […]
Cannabis Plants, Like Cats, Require Minimal Regulation
Be It Resolved That Cannabis Plants, Like Cats, Require Minimum Levels of Regulation, If Any: A Ramble on Regulations Judith Stamps Imagine a group of city planners and cannabis medicine specialists, designing a system for patient access. Because the oldest compassion clubs are, to date, the best available authorities on medical cannabis and community liaison, […]
Liberal Thoughts on Regulations for Cannabis
Judith Stamps Classical liberalism, endemic to North American thinking, is a rights oriented philosophy that blossomed in the 19th century. Its best-known proponent, John Stuart Mill, argued that the good society is one that offers the most extensive personal liberty to all members compatible with everyone having the same. Influential as it was, this outlook […]
Real and Unreal Oppositions in the World of Cannabis in Canada
Judith Stamps We must not foster the belief that there is a radical dichotomy between Health Canada Licensed Producers (LPs) and medical cannabis dispensaries. And if we are hanging on to an attitude that says: it’s-us-versus-them, we should dump it. So say representatives of the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (CAMCD), spokespersons for LPs, […]
Perceptual Framing, the Cannabis Activist, and the New Cannabis Industry
Judith Stamps Licensed producers that play well with others; licensed producers that don’t; MMAR producers; non-licensed producers; personal growers; soon to be licensed dispensaries (for profit and non;) publicly traded companies; for profit medical script writers; vape lounges; private sellers; brokers; bakers; insurers; bong shops; legal service providers; networking event producers; and tech support companies. […]
Judges Will Decriminalize, Not Trudeau
Ted Smith Many cannabis enthusiasts were tickled green when the Liberals won the federal election last fall after promising to legalize. However, things have not changed quick enough for most in the field, and the appointment of former Toronto chief of police Bill Blair to lead the changes has made it clear the government intends […]
City of Victoria Cannabis Regulations Survey
Owen Smith The City of Victoria is currently exploring potential regulations relating to the operation of medical marijuana-related businesses within the municipality. There are only three days left to complete this survey created by the Victoria City Council to inform the regulation of medical cannabis dispensaries and other cannabis-related businesses. TAKE THE SURVEY HERE 20 years after the […]