Judith Stamp These days, Canadian cannabis activists, patients, and supporters alike, live uneasily. The new majority federal government has stated its intention to legalize cannabis, but it will take some time before this plan is finalized. This time gap leaves us in an in-between space. Of course, we recognize many kinds of in-between spaces. An […]
Politics
We The Patients – Our Hope’s and Fears
Beth Cormier Recently I spent some time in the VCBC’s Safe Inhalation Space to speak with some of the patients that use this invaluable service. I wanted to get a sense of their thoughts and feelings about the space and what could happen when the new regulation come into effect in Victoria. The issue is […]
Meeting Last Chance To Save Safe Inhalation Rooms
Ted Smith On Monday Feb 22, 2016, the City of Victoria will be hosting a town hall meeting to give citizens an opportunity to meet with municipal politicians to discuss the new medical cannabis bylaws. With as many as 34 dispensaries openly operating in Victoria, the city is attempting to follow the lead of Vancouver […]
Thoughts on the Distinction Between Medical and Recreational Cannabis Use
Judith Stamps Last month in her article for Canlio, The Trouble With Defining Cannabis Use, Jamie Shaw walked us through some of the difficulties in deciding how to divide the medical uses of cannabis from the recreational. As we approach legalization, this distinction takes on new and urgent meanings. In the upcoming system, there should […]
Beware Sharks, Snakes and Pot-Bellied Pigs
Ted Smith For cannabis enthusiasts the current era is full of excitement and uncertainty. As the veil of prohibition is lifted around the world, new opportunities to work in the industry as an employee or entrepreneur offer an exciting future for many. However, with all of this glorious wealth to be made come a few […]
Notes on the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Victoria Cannabis Buyers’ Club
Judith Stamps On January 31st about 60 of us filled a room at the Fernwood Community Centre in Victoria BC to attend the Victoria Cannabis Buyers’ Club’s 20th anniversary AGM. I will say without equivocation that the meeting sparkled. Here are some highlights, and issues to ponder. 1. Renowned activist Ted Smith, who has […]
Police Still Raiding Cannabis Dispensaries
Arrests still happening despite the Liberal pledge to legalize By Dean Schwind Change is never easy, whether on a personal or on a national level. When a country the size of Canada attempts to change a law that has affected, or will effect, so many of its citizens, it is a complicated affair. The current […]
Small is Beautiful: Spiritual Opportunities for a New Cannabis Industry
Judith Stamps If you’re into alternative economics, you may have come across E.F. Schumacher’s text: Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, first published in 1973 as an accessible paperback for a liberal era. It was republished in 1989 in the rocky years that saw the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl; glasnost and perestroika; the […]
Cannabis in Ireland–Part 3 – Luke “Ming the Merciless” Flanagan
(This is Part 3 of the series on Cannabis in Ireland Read Parts 1 and 2 Here) Owen Smith Many individuals and groups have contributed to change the minds and hearts of the Canadian public and their political representatives. It is because of the actions of these people that Canada is now preparing to remove […]
5 Reasons Why Cannabis Activists In Canada Will Be Upset In 2016
Ted Smith Last week I posted a blog highlighting many developments that I expect will make 2016 the best year ever for cannabis activism. However, we do not live in a perfect world, and after being called an optimist by the editor, Judith Stamps, I felt it was necessary to expose my darker thoughts about […]