|
Cannabis Digest
A Quarterly Medical Cannabis
Journal published by The International Hempology 101 Society |
|
|
Cannabis Digest
A Quarterly Medical Cannabis
Journal published by The International Hempology 101 Society |
|
|
Cannabis
Digest
 Twelfth Edition, Winter 2007
Oldest Canadian Compassion Club Celebrates 11 Years of Operating, by Ted SmithOn Sun. Jan. 28, 2007, the Cannabis Buyers Clubs
of Canada will be celebrating 11 years of providing cannabis products to
people with incurable, physical disabilities and diseases. The oldest
compassion club in Canada, the CBC of C has grown to about 2000 members.
The club has had a storefront on Johnson Street for almost 6 years, which
is more than the 5 years that it slowly grew in an apartment up the
street. Though the club has suffered 4 police raids, several robberies and
other problems, it continues to grow and improve its service to the
members. We have been very successful in court, with all 11 trafficking
charges eventually beaten, one way or another.
We are blessed with a great staff and a
membership that constantly inspires us to do more to change the laws
suppressing cannabis. The last year has been relatively quiet for the
club-that is just the way we like it. In March 2006, the Mayor and Council
of Victoria wrote a letter to the federal minister responsible for Health
Canada, Tony Clements, which stated the MMAR were ineffective and
inadequate, asking for a review of the entire program. While this letter
is not a license to operate, it is a clear indication of the support that
the community has for our organization, and further proof that the public
is fully aware that Health Canada is not trying to allow easy access to
inexpensive, quality cannabis for sick people.
Since one of our court cases we have been in correspondence with different officials at Health Canada regarding the inclusion of cannabis resin in the MMAR so that people with licenses to possess and grow cannabis do not have to fear prosecution if they make edible or skin products with the herb. While we do not think that the federal government will seriously involve themselves with existing compassion clubs, we will continue to put pressure on Health Canada to make this change. Otherwise we do not anticipate the Conservative government will be willing to fully cooperate with any compassion clubs unless forced to do so by the Supreme Court of Canada. We will quietly wait for a better federal government to be elected. 8TH Annual Cannabis Convention, Sun. Feb. 11/07VICTORIA, B.C. : The 8th Annual Cannabis
Convention on Sun Feb 11 could have one of the most exciting line-ups of
speakers ever gathered together at the University of Victoria to talk
about the plant and the problems of the drug war.
This year will feature former RCMP officer and
past director of security of the University of Victoria, Hunter McDonald,
who is now a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Other speakers
include Greg ‘Marijuana Man’ Williams, who was arrested with Marc Emery
and is also fighting extradition to the US, author Chris Bennett, lawyer
Robert Moore-Stewart, Seattle Green Cross founder Joanna McKee and Dana
Larson, owner of Vancouver Seed Bank and founder of eNDP Prohibition. The
8th Annual Cannabis Convention is at the University of Victoria, in the
David Lam Auditorium, 1-4:20 pm. Free admission. Contact: hempology@gmail.com
Hunter McDonald was involved in
the arrest of Ted Smith at the University of Victoria of Nov 8, 2000 and
informed him that he was not allowed back on campus until the end of the
court proceedings. Ted politely informed him that not only would he be
allowed back on campus, but that he would be teaching classes before Mr.
McDonald retired. In an article in the Martlet, Nov 20, 2003 he was asked
about the weekly 420 Hempology 101 meetings. “It’s not on our radar. We
have much bigger problems to deal with: sexual assaults, violence and
rapes,” said Hunter McDonald, Director of Campus Security. “If you look at
the problems we have, they don’t involve kids smoking dope at the
fountain.”
Hunter is now a private investigator. Greg Williams was arrested with
Marc Emery and Michelle Rainey in July 2005, and charged with conspiring
to distribute marijuana seeds, money laundering and conspiring to
cultivate cannabis by US DEA officials who have applied for all three to
be extradited to that country. Since that time Greg has been the manager
of the popular web site POT.TV. The extradition hearings begin in May,
2007.
Chris Bennett has written two excellent books on the history of
cannabis and prohibition, GREEN GOLD, THE TREE OF LIFE; MARIJUANA IN MAGIC
AND RELIGION, and SEX, DRUGS, VIOLENCE AND THE BIBLE. He will talk about
the historical medical uses of cannabis.
Joanna McKee founded the Green Cross Patient Cooperative in 1993, giving free cannabis to patients until she was arrested in 1995. A judge eventually threw out charges against her, and she has since retired from the front line. She will be telling us her story and giving us an update on the medical clubs in the USA. Robert Moore-Stewart
represented local activist Ted Smith in four trials and two others related
to police raids at the CBC of C. He has also represented some growers and
members of the club in various circumstances while practicing law in
Victoria. He will be talking about the current status of the laws in
Canada.
Dana Larson has been involved
in various cannabis and anti-prohibition groups for over a decade on the
West Coast. Former editor of Cannabis Culture, Dana has opened a new
store, the Vancouver Seed Bank, on Hastings Street with the hope of using
his seed sales to further the legalization movement. He has formed
eNDProhibition to educate supporters and representatives of the NDP about
the follies of the drug war and the benefits of legalizing cannabis.
This promises to be one of the most exciting
annual conventions the society has ever hosted. The UVSS Hempology 101
Club has been growing in numbers every year, and with the excellent
line-up of speakers for this year, attendance should be the best
ever.
COURT CASES FINALLY OVER, by Ted SmithThe long saga of my court cases finally ended on
Dec 6, 2006 when the B.C. Court of Appeal threw out my last appeal because
I could not afford to pay more money for court transcripts. The appeal was
against my conviction for trafficking THC in pot cookies on International
Medical Marijuana Day on Nov 15, 2000. I was sentenced to one day in jail,
which amounted to just over 2 hours in a courthouse cell. This was the
last of four separate trials. In the first trial I was granted an
acquittal on Sept 7, 2004 for trafficking by Justice Chaperon in B.C.
Provincial Court from the police raid at the CBC of C on Jan 3,
2002.
In the second trial from the March 21, 2002
raid, I was found guilty on Jan 7, 2005 for trafficking cannabis resin by
Justice Harvey, after charges of trafficking were dropped because of the
previous acquittal, when she ruled that the MMAR only applied to dried
marijuana and did not allow any edible or skin products to be made from
it. I filed an appeal myself and wrote such a convincing argument in my
factum the Federal Department of Justice concede to my appeal and dropped
the case entirely. A few weeks later, on Jan 20, Justice Kay found me
guilty of trafficking for sharing a few joints at the University of
Victoria on Nov 8, 2000 and I was given a $500 fine. I appealed the
decision but was not able to successfully convince any of the three judges
from the B.C. Court of Appeal that heard my case early in 2006. Finally, I
was convicted of trafficking THC on Oct 10, 2005 by jury and sentenced to
1 day in jail by judge Wilson of the B.C. Supreme Court. That is the
appeal that was just dropped due to lack of funds, as I needed another
$800, on top of the $1,800 that I already paid, to print the rest of the
transcripts needed for the appeal. The first two appeals cost $2,200 in
total. Even after conceding to this conviction, I have beaten 4 of the 6
trafficking charges that I faced and have gotten a tremendous amount of
media attention to the cause in the meantime.
Most importantly, the acquittal I received gave the club more credibility than anything else we have done over the years. You may not realize it, but while there is no court cost to appeal a decision the defendant does have to pay for the transcripts from the trial to a private company that has copyright to print transcripts at over $6 per page. So while I had some good arguments that I wanted to get off my chest about the judge’s instructions to the jury and the appropriateness of the THC charges, I could not afford to fork out more cash. The club is already in debt over $70,000 from the police raids, thieves and other mistakes. So this ends the last of my trials and tribulations in the courts of B.C., hopefully for a very, very, very long time. I would like to thank everyone who came out to my various court dates, to everyone who extended me a thank you or handshake and those who helped contribute in any way to my legal defense fund. I would also like to thank my lawyer, Robert Moore-Stewart, and wish him the best when he retires next year. Updates, Warnings and Suggestions, by Gayle QuinThe Fourth Annual Art Auction went well this
year. We received $850 and every one was thrilled with the art they took
home. It is one of my favourite events of the year and look forward to
what the walls will look like next year. Thanks to all the artists who
donated their work.
The 11th Anniversary of the CBC of C will be
held on Sunday January 28, 2007. 1923 Fernwood will be rocking and rolling
with a night full of good friends, good music, and lots of fun from 7 to
11 pm. It’s a potluck affair. The night will be DJ’d by Ted and Colby so
look forward to an interesting mix of music and lots of dancing! The
Hempology 101 lecture series at the University of Victoria starts again on
Jan 10, 2007 with Hemp History. It’s free for all to attend, and if you
can’t make if out, log onto hempology101.com for the live broadcast. There
will be lots of exciting guest speakers this coming semester. Also
sponsored by Hempology 101 coming this spring is the 8th Annual Cannabis
Convention on February 11,2007. It’s an afternoon you won’t want to miss,
with guest speakers Robert Moore-Stewart, Chris Bennett, JoAnna McKee and
Stich, Dana Larson, Hunter McDonald and Greg ‘Marijuana Man’ Williams. I’m
not sure how we’re going to fit all these great people into one
afternoon!
The CBC of C is introducing another alternative product: medicinal rice crispy bars! They are not only delicious, but made with a cold infused process, with bud stalk soaked in extra virgin olive oil for 1 month. It has never been heated in the extraction process and so seems to have an exceptional clarity of the head to the stone, while also having great pain killing and muscle relaxing qualities. You may make your own crispy squares by using any rice crispy square recipe and substituting Cannoil for the butter or margarine in the recipe. Don’t forget to use lecithin also to help with the absorbency of the THC and CBD’s in the oil. For those of you who were lucky enough to see Santa Cannabis and try some of his Poppy-Pot treat (and especially for those who didn’t), he has been kind enough to let us include his recipe! Poppy-Pot Recipe: 4 cups freshly popped corn lightly salted, 1cup nuts, 1cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lecithin, 1/3 cup pot butter or Cannoil, 1/2 cup corn syrup (light), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Directions: Put popcorn and nuts in shallow roasting pan (large pan). In heavy saucepan mix sugar, lecithin and corn syrup. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Continue boiling 5 min. without stirring. Remove from heat; add vanilla, pot butter or Cannoil, baking soda, and mix well. Pour over popcorn and nuts; stir to coat well. Stir several times while cooling to keep from sticking together too much. Cool, break apart and store in tightly covered container. Cool on lightly buttered pan. This recipe for Poppy-Pot serves / makes 4 cups. The court decision quoted in this issue that was handed down to one of our friends (see Issue#11). The Federal Department of Justice did not like Judge Sanderson’s decision and filed an appeal. Unfortunately, the B.C. Court of Appeal will release a decision on Jan 9, 2007, soon after publication. Anyone interested in helping out as a volunteer with Hempology 101 can come to the Working Group meeting on March 6 at 6:30 pm at the CBC. Dear Tony Clements, Minister for Health CanadaJan 3, 2007 Thank you for the reply sent by Susan Russell on
Sep 28, 2006 to the International Hempology 101 Society. To refresh your
memory about the correspondence between us, I am including in this package
of information copies of our newsletter, Cannabis Digest, in which you
will find the earlier letters and other information about our club.
Unfortunately, most of the questions we have posed to Health Canada in
these letters have not been answered fully, if at all, and many of the
statements made by various staff in these letters indicates that people
working in the Medical Marijuana Access Division have no actual experience
with the plant. We will continue to write letters to you until the
appropriate amendments are made to the MMAR that allow cannabis resin, THC
and other cannabinoids in home made medicines.
We have attempted to find ways to amend the MMAR
but have been unsuccessful in our search. The references that you gave us
on the internet in the letter sent Feb 24 by Beth Pieterson either do not
work or do not seem to contain the information that we are looking for. We
understand that in the past an advisory committee helped make
recommendations to Health Canada that led to amendments to the MMAR. Is
this committee still functioning, and if so, could you please put us in
connect with them? If this is not the case, we would appreciate it if you
could explain exactly how we can help push for changes to the MMAR without
simply referring us to information of the internet.
In the last letter we wrote we asked where
Health Canada was getting information about cannabis resin. Instead of
answering the question, Susan states that making resins or hash oil “…is a
process that would take place prior to the plants being dried.” Only a few
ancient methods of collecting hash from growing or uncured cannabis are
known of, the vast majority of methods of making hash oils and hashish
involve using the dried plant material. This statement is an obvious
example of how little staff in the Medical Marijuana Access Division seem
to know about cannabis. Where did the information that led Susan to make
this statement come from? Does Health Canada have a library of published
books on the subject, or are staff simply using documents published by
other governments and drug companies? Twice we have referred you to the
book, WOMEN AND CANNABIS: MEDICINE, SCIENCE AND SOCIOLOGY, by Ethan Russo,
Melanie Dreher and Mary Lynn Mathre, The Hawthorne Press, 2002, yet your
department’s responses have totally ignored the existence of this book and
the research contained therein.
Your recent letter states that individuals receiving the application package must indicate whether they will be eating or smoking the product, but no assistance is provided for them to do this. Further, individuals with licenses to grow or possess cannabis do not seem to be informed that making any food or skin products from the cannabis they grew or purchased from Health Canada could result in charges of possession of cannabis resin. As we have learned in court, the Standard Operating Procedures used by Health Canada laboratories state that anything that does not appear to be dried cannabis that contains THC and other cannabinoids is considered cannabis resin by law. These tests cannot distinguish between products made from wet or dried cannabis, so the distinction that Susan made regarding hash oils being made before the plant is dried is not applicable in the court of law and is inconsistent with documents from your own department. Should you not warn individuals with licenses to grow and possess cannabis that making any edible, skin or smoking products with the plant could result in charges of possession of cannabis resin? In the first letter sent to us by Susan Fletcher it was stated, “…without adequate scientific evidence of benefits and a favourable risk/benefit profile for the therapeutic indications for which it is proposed”, that cannabis cannot become an approved drug. Why has Health Canada not done this type of study with the individuals that obtain cannabis from their programs? No questions about the effects of cannabis are being asked by Health Canada when people receive cannabis from Prairie Plant Systems or when they grow their own at home, so who do you expect to do this research? We have sent you another copy of the research project that we have initiated which is intended to document the benefits and side effects experienced by people using cannabis products for medical reasons. This is the type of cost/benefit analysis that you claim to need yet are not doing. We have been collecting data from the members with this questionnaire for a couple of years now, gathering evidence that cannabis may cut down, if not eliminate, prescription drug use while improving people’s quality of life. While Susan Russell states in the last letter that a copy of our project had been sent to the Office of Research and Surveillance, we have not heard from them. Since your last letter the federal government has cut any more funding to research on the medical uses of cannabis, which means there is little likelihood that dried marijuana, or any other natural products made with the plant, will ever be approved as a marketed drug in Canada. On the other hand, drug companies are keenly interested in developing means of using the healing properties of cannabis without researching any potential benefits from the raw plant because they can make money selling pills, inhalers and creams but not from a herb people can grow in their garden. While Health Canada seems content to provide low-grade cannabis as medicine in an attempt to barely abide by court decisions, we can assure you that groups such as ours will continue to provide quality medicine, conduct research and educate the public until the government does an adequate job of said activities. The public would be better served, however, if Health Canada were to grant us and other legitimate compassion clubs an Exemption #56 from the CDSA to conduct this research without any financial resources from the government. Our club alone has over 2000 members, real people who walk in our doors, purchase our products and talk to our staff, which is more than all of the individuals with ATP’s that the office of MMAD deals with over the phone and in the mail. Why does Health Canada refuse to work with legitimate groups like ours while the vast majority of medical users continue to access compassion clubs or otherwise purchase cannabis on the street? Specialized cannabis pharmacies could exist throughout the country under a temporary Exemption #56 system that would allow research to be conducted while people’s immediate health care needs are provided until the safety and efficacy of cannabis to the extent required by the Food and Drug Regulations for marketed drugs in Canada is complete. Any other model would continue to compromise the potential benefits that people with serious medical problems could experience with the use of natural cannabis products. We realize that we have asked seven difficult questions in this letter, but the urgent need of our members forces us to act vigorously to defend their rights and provide them medicine. If you have any questions about our club or the proposed Exemption #56 system, please do not hesitate from giving me a call at 250-381-4220. Thank you for your time. Leon ‘Ted’ Smith
President International Hempology 101 Society
While there are several compassion clubs in Toronto
and two in Victoria, there has only been one club in Vancouver since the
formation of the BC Compassion Club Society in 1997. While this is partly
because there is generally more access to cannabis in Vancouver, it is in
stark contrast to cities such as San Francisco, which has more than 40
clubs currently operating. Interested in finding out about this new club,
Gayle and I paid a visit on Dec 18, 2006. We arrived to find the front
room buzzing with members. At the side of the front room was a menu board
that posted the varieties of cannabis for sale, along with the percentage
of CBN, CBD and THC in each strain. |
|
|
Cannabis Buyers' Clubs of
Canada |
