Government Issues Section 56 Exemptions By Owen Smith The landslide 7-0 decision from the Supreme Court of Canada in my favour is now a landmark in the landscape of Canadian cannabis litigation. The facts that we assembled form a fortified field position for further advancements against the forces of cannabis prohibition. While the war wages […]
Tag: law
Personal Gardens are the Foundation
Allowing Home Gardens Must Be Foundational To Any Future Cannabis Regulation Policy By Judith Stamps The title you’ve just read is the conclusion to today’s blog. To arrive at it, I followed this series of thoughts. 1. PROPERTY: In the early modern era—17th and early 18th centuries—political theorists asked themselves this question: If […]
High Court Heroics
By Ted Smith (editors note: Health Canada has since made a response to the Smith ruling, read about it HERE) Cries of relief and outrage could be heard across Canada early in the morning, last June 11. Tears of joy streamed down many faces as news spread about another blow to cannabis prohibition, though not […]
Health Canada Fails Patients
By Beth Cormier After reading this Globe and Mail op-ed, it is clear to me that this journalist has not done their medical cannabis history homework. The Harper Government did not make the initial decision that medicinal cannabis users could only smoke cannabis; rather they have upheld the status quo. The Harper government has continually […]
Will Owen Smith Change The Law On June 11?
For Immediate Release Mon June 8, 2015 Victoria, B.C.: On Thurs June 11, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada will hand down its decision in the trial of Owen Smith, former head baker for the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club. This is the first time the highest court in the land has ruled on a medical […]
The Extract Trial: Kirk Tousaw
By Owen Smith Kirk Tousaw is one of Canada’s top Cannabis lawyers. Born in the state of Michigan, Kirk has been an advocate for cannabis legalization since high school. He obtained a degree in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy before moving to Vancouver in 2002. There he completed his Masters thesis on the “Malmo-Levine case” […]
A letter to Her Majesty the Queen Regarding Cannabis Extracts
On March 20th, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments for and against medical cannabis derivative products becoming legally available to authorized patients. The courtroom was filled with supporters while many others watched in the overflow rooms and on the CPAC live stream. The entire proceeding was recorded and is available to view online […]
Updates from The Cold Eastern Front
By Debbie Stultz-Giffin Maritimers Unite for Medical Marijuana Society (MUMM) is outraged over the escalating trend of law enforcement in Nova Scotia to lay charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act against medical cannabis patients for growing and possessing their medicine. The Medical Marijuana Purposes Regulations (MMPR) implemented last spring endeavoured to cancel the […]
Historic Extract trial Hits Ottawa
Decision Should Radically Change How Cannabis Is Used As Medicine In Canada ”Would you confine your points to things that really matter!” This was the last thing Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said to crown lawyer Paul Riley before Riley quickly closed his arguments. It was an appropriate ending to a special morning in the Supreme Court […]
The Extract Trial: Not Guilty
By Owen Smith In April 2012, our argument for extracts had been successful in the BC Supreme Court, effectively legalizing medicinal cannabis extracts for federally licensed patients, and eventually their caregivers, in British Columbia. However, the judge ruled that my trial should proceed regardless of the constitutional victory because “society’s interests in having the charges […]