By Owen Smith
Cannabis Digest readers may have noticed that a good portion of my blogging over the last six months has included the tag “previously appeared at lift cannabis”. Lift is a website that helps patients to navigate the complexities of Canada’s medical marijuana regulations and gives patients a platform to explore and review the strains available at MMPR licensed production facilities. Lift has reported on the struggles and successes of both licensed producers and dispensaries with regular articles, podcasts and even industry awards and cannabis competitions. Cannabis Digest editor Judith Stamps interviewed Lift spokesperson David Brown in a blog that you can read here.
One of Lift’s latest ventures is the Lift Cannabis forum on Thursday May 7 in Vancouver. Lift hopes this event will facilitate the ongoing debate about “quality assurance practices and how they relate to production, sale, and public health”. With the recent announcement by Vancouver City council that they plan to implement regulations for cannabis dispensaries it is sure to be a hot debate.
Cannabis Digest contributor and executive director executive director of the VCBC, Dieter Macpherson will be a speaker at the event. Dieter also serves as an advisor to the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries and is the co-founder of Canlio .
Jonathan Page is a scientist and entrepreneur focused on understanding the biochemical and genetic secrets of medicinal plants, including cannabis (marijuana, hemp). He pursues this research through an academic program at UBC and Anandia Labs.
Brent Zettl, president and CEO of CanniMed Ltd., was a co-founder of Prairie Plant Systems in 1988. In 2000, it became the first and only supplier of medical marijuana to the Canadian government. Under the new MMPR, Prairie Plant Systems supplies medical marijuana through its subsidiary, CanniMed.
Mark Haden is an adjunct professor at the school of population & public health at UBC. Mark has been published on the issue of drug policy in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, and the International Journal of Drug Policy. Haden was involved in producing the Health Officers Council paper on the regulation of illegal drugs in 2005.
Hilary Black will be the moderator for the evening. She is the founder of the BC Compassion Club Society, one of the first medical cannabis dispensaries in Canada. She currently serves as the Director of Patient and Community Services with Bedrocan Canada.
A few special presenters have also been announced.
Emily Kirkham, VP of Laboratory Operations, and the lead analytical chemistry consultant at Signoto, a leading provider of quality control consulting to the Canadian medical cannabis industry.
Philippe Lucas, Vice President, Patient Research and Services at Tilray. Philippe founded one of Victoria’s first cannabis dispensaries, the Vancouver Islands Compassion Society, and later served on the Victoria city council.
Jonathan Zaid is the founder of a patients’ rights group called Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM). CFAMM aims to help others navigate, and ultimately improve, the issues and challenges associated with the MMPR. As a medical marijuana patient Zaid has received much media attention recently for successfully winning his claim for medical marijuana insurance coverage.
I will be in attendance as well as Cannabis Digest Publisher Ted Smith. If you are in the area, I hope to see you at the Lift Cannabis forum
Thursday May 7, 2015.
Doors open at 6pm, Panel at 7pm
UBC Robson Square (800 Robson St., Vancouver)
Tickets are $25 Regular or $15 Student
