Canada’s Cannabis Journal since 2010
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 […]
Judith Stamps As we start to think about legalizing cannabis, it is useful to consider the mental and social barriers that are likely to keep 35% of Canadians hostile to it. Some hurdles are likely to remain for at least a generation, maybe even two. Here are four worth examining. 1. We lack confidence in […]
While no one can doubt that 2015 was the best year ever for cannabis in Canada, the next year looks to be even more promising for those who believe in the herb. Predicting the future is a tricky game, but after working in this industry for over 20 years I have had plenty of time […]
Ted Smith The year 2015 will be remembered as the year cannabis prohibition was dealt deadly blows in Canada. With a huge victory at the Supreme Court of Canada for cannabis extracts, municipal governments preparing to license storefront dispensaries and a new federal government intent upon legalizing the herb, the future has never looked so […]
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 […]
Judith Stamps On December 3 2015, The Arthritis Society, a Canadian national organization, hosted a roundtable discussion in Vancouver BC to identify priorities for medical cannabis research. In the past two years a number of Canadian organizations have held cannabis forums. Among these are The Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids; Liftcannabis.ca, which hosted […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
(Photo via Warren Chan) Owen Smith After I finished high school there were just a few social groups that I remained in contact with: there were my soccer buddies and my weed smoking friends, two groups that overlapped. Part of this overlapping group were some of my closest friends. After a day of smoking cannabis […]