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Updates, Warnings, and Suggestions

By Gayle Quin

Wow, what a busy winter it’s been! I guess the time spent in court ate a big chunk of our winter, but the time was well worth it. I also now have an on-going blog on the hempology.ca forums under CBC of C court challenge.
My favourite event of the year (next to Halloween) is when we go Cannabis Caroling. The first Wed. before Christmas, we hot box City Hall—while caroling, of course. And then wander downtown for another round of songs. I love it. This year we had a small group, but we still had a lot of fun.
At the end of Jan. we held our annual potluck dinner to celebrate the anniversary of the CBC of C, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. It was the fist time a whole oven roasted, garlic stuffed, roast of beef showed up. Ted made his infamous potato salad. Instead of the traditional medicinal pineapple upside down cake that I usually make, I found the last bag of frozen prune plums from my Mom and Dad’s place, and made a cobbler with a top comprised of mostly budda ball crumbs and extra oils.
Hempology 101 at UVic has kept us busy, despite the cancellation of the second term of lectures due to the extension of Owen’s court case. After moving the 420 circles to the SUB building in Sept. because of a new smoking by-law, we have been looking at ways to get back to our usual spot. We started a campaign to hold a referendum asking the entire student body if they supported the 420 circles in the center of campus. We won, but not by much. You can read all about it in another article in this issue. The meeting we held following the referendum was a little sad because it was the last meeting Kristen Mann will attend, unless she comes for a visit. We met Kristen her first week of school at the Hempology 101 meeting, and she dove in with both feet and half her body, and has been actively helping with Hempology 101, at the Club, and with the Cannabis Digest. She was a UVic Club winner of the coveted Davies Bowl in 2011, helped me make hundreds of buttons, attended classes faithfully, and was just plain fun. She’s gone back home to Medicine Hat, so now we have a “not so secret agent” helping out in Alberta. Thanks for all your hard work Kristen—and thanks to computers, she doesn’t seem that far away.
February was busy with International Medical Marijuana Week (as if court wasn’t enough). Monday started with our rally at the BC Ministry of Health, and a cookie give-away. Then Ted added a new twist by auctioning off 10 of his t-shirts, contributing just over $100 for the court defense fund. Tuesday, we held a Valentines Day raffle with the first prizes being dates with Ted and myself. Wednesday, we held our traditional 420 meeting at UVic, and Thursday night was a movie night at UVic. No one showed up, which was a good thing because I was locked out of the room we had booked. I was just about ready to set everything up in the hallway, but I couldn’t find a switch to turn the lights out. Better luck next year! Friday was great fun with our first ever scavenger hunt. Two teams of four roamed the city collecting photos and having lots of laughs. Saturday was the end of the 8th Annual Silent Art Action, with just over $600 being raised for the defense fund. Thanks so much to all the talented artists who contribute their fantastic work. I hope everyone who participated is enjoying their new decor. Sunday was the highlight of the week with a very successful 13th Annual Cannabis Convention at UVic. The speakers were fully charged, including me. Definitely go and watch them on Hempology 101’s web page. Thanks to everyone for coming out. We ended the week with an after-party at the Sunset Room, dancing to the great music of five talented DJs. It sure was great to find out I can finally dance again.
Two weeks after that, we held the 2nd Cannabis Convention at UBC. Jodie’s talk was truly inspirational. It was very well attended, with everyone thanking us for putting it on, and some staying late to chat with new acquaintances. A sure sign of success to me!
Another two weeks later, and we were hosting the 2nd Cannabis Convention at VIU in Nanaimo. You could hear a pin drop through Chris’s talk about cannabis and Islam—everyone was mesmerized. John Anderson was also inspirational, and I strongly urge everyone to watch his talk. It’s sad to think we’re finished convention season for another year. It is great getting to spend time with the wonderful people we know, fighting to save this marvelous plant.
The next big event will be Apr. 20—or 4/20. This year will be extra special because Ted is very close to having his text book published! The book will bring a lot of touring for Ted and myself, but we will make sure we aren’t out of contact with everyone at the club unless we are deep in the wilderness. We are always available to answer questions, it may just take a couple of days to respond. And as if that wasn’t enough, Apr. 20 also marks the beginning of Hempology 101 in the park. The first Wed. after 4/20 (April 25) we will be in Beacon Hill Park for the first game of Reach for the Pot this year. The first few weeks are drop-in—first to sign up get to play—before the tournament begins. If you want to play in the tournament, you need to get in contact with Ted. July will be the start of contest season, so get busy with your poems, t-shirts, bongs, pipes, and joint rolling skills, and come join in the fun!
Make sure you don’t forget about Cannabis Day on July 1, at the Court House, at 4:20.
Hempology is very pleased to announce our newest chapter of Hempology 101 at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. They have been busy having movie nights, and we hope to host a convention there in the fall as part of our book tour.
Finally, Team 420 has added Tues. dodgeball at the school playgrounds on Hillside Ave., between Blanchard St. and Quadra St, where we always play soccer on Saturdays. We will still play dodgeball Thurs. on the back lawn of the courthouse. All Team 420 events start at 4:20.

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