By admin | February 16, 2013
Medical pot changes come under fire
The Sunshine Coast will be part of a nation-wide protest next Thursday against the federal government’s proposed new medical marijuana regulations.
The regulations, set to take effect in just over a year, would end the current system that allows licensed patients or their designates to grow medical marijuana, replacing it with a prescription-based system that would shift all production to private companies operating under contract to Health Canada.
Spearheaded by the International Hempology 101 Society, the Feb. 21 nation-wide day of protest will target constituency offices of Conservative members of Parliament, including West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country MP John Weston. A rally is planned for 11 a.m. outside Weston’s Sechelt office at 5760 Teredo St. in Trail Bay Mall.
“Bring a sign, come educate others, or come and be educated,” said Eric Bills of Halfmoon Bay, who is supporting the day of protest.
The protest was timed to take place with a week left until Health Canada’s Feb. 28 deadline for public comments on the proposed changes.
Bills, a lawyer from the U.S. who said he saw first hand how the war on drugs was a failure, quoted Health Canada numbers that peg the cost for patients growing their own marijuana at between $1 and $2 per gram.
The cost per gram under the proposed commercial system will rise to $8.80.
“That’s a huge increase for these people who often have AIDS, cancer or some other serious illness that keeps them from working,” Bills said. “So now you’re going to quadruple the price. It’ll just create more illegal activity and bring in more organized crime.” Read the rest of this entry »
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Brandi Woods : Medicinal Cannabis Products
By admin | February 15, 2013
Brandi form the VCBC gives a guest lecture highlighting Vaporizers for the Medicinal Cannabis Products Lecture at the University of Victoria.
Ted Smith hosts a Weekly Lecture Series at Uvic
Wednesdays 3-4 at the Uvic Cinecenta
www.hempology.ca
Purchase the Hempology 101 Textbook to accompany the lecture series online here www.hempology101store.ca
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‘Marijuana millionaire’ to match donations made to decriminalize pot in B.C.
By admin | February 9, 2013
‘Marijuana millionaire’ to match donations made to decriminalize pot in B.C.
Holding it high, Bob Erb displays a cheque for $25 million. The campaign to decriminalize
marijuana in B.C. is getting a little help from the “marijuana millionaire,” as recent lotto
winner and marijuana activist Erb has promised to match all donations made to the
Sensible BC campaign to decriminalize pot in the province.
The campaign to decriminalize marijuana in B.C. is getting a little help from the “marijuana millionaire.”
Recent lotto winner and marijuana activist Bob Erb has promised to match all donations made to the Sensible BC campaign to decriminalize pot in the province.
Erb, a former B.C. Marijuana Party candidate, won $25 million in the November 2 Lotto Max draw. He’s already donated $120,000 to the Sensible BC campaign and now plans to match donations as the campaign prepares for a fall petition drive to force a referendum on decriminalization.
Sensible BC director Dana Larsen said Erb’s donations will help the group to organize volunteers and resources to collect signatures.
The 90-day effort begins in September and runs until November. Larsen must get 10 per cent of registered voters in each electoral district in B.C. to sign in support, forcing a referendum on the decriminalization of marijuana in B.C. in September 2014.
“This is an issues that’s time has come,” said Larsen. “The polls show that the majority of British Columbians support this, but we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Larsen said decriminalization means provincially mandating that police will no longer dedicate resources to cannabis possession charges. Sensible BC is also calling on the federal government to legalize marijuana.
Last weekend, Erb brought cannabis activists from across Canada to his hometown Terrace for an informal conference and planning session.
“I wrote cheques for most of the groups who came,” he said in a statement. “But most of my funding is going into changing the law here in British Columbia with the Sensible BC campaign.”
Larsen said he was on a fundraising tour for Sensible BC when he heard about Erb’s lottery win.
“It was amazing timing,” he said. “It’s hard not to think that there may have been some sort of higher power at work.”
gluymes@theprovince.com
twitter.com/prov_valleygirl
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West Coast Hempology Textbook Tour
By admin | February 8, 2013
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Fight The MMPR Game Plan
By admin | February 6, 2013
Ted Smith explains the hempology.ca/protest to people across the country fighting for their right to grow their own cannabis.
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Dan Boughan: Growing Cannabis
By admin | February 6, 2013
Dan’s book Medical Growing: A Garden of Peace can be purchased online at www.agardenofpeace.com
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Pot stays illegal in Canada after Appeal Court upholds medical marijuana laws
By admin | February 1, 2013
Pot stays illegal in Canada after Appeal Court upholds medical marijuana laws
TORONTO – Canada’s ban on marijuana was effectively upheld Friday when Ontario’s top court struck down an earlier court decision that said Canada’s laws related to medicinal pot were unconstitutional.
In overturning the lower court ruling, the Court of Appeal ruled the trial judge had made numerous errors in striking down the country’s medical pot laws.
Among other things, the Appeal Court found the judge was wrong to interpret an earlier ruling as creating a constitutional right to use medical marijuana.
“Given that marijuana can medically benefit some individuals, a blanket criminal prohibition on its use is unconstitutional,” the Appeal Court said.
“(However), this court did not hold that serious illness gives rise to an automatic right to use marijuana.”
Currently, doctors are allowed to exempt patients from the ban on marijuana, but many physicians have refused to prescribe the drug on the grounds its benefits are not scientifically proven.
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network called the decision a disappointing missed opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »
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Kirk Tousaw: Compassion in Crisis
By admin | January 30, 2013
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Dana Larsen and Sensible BC at UVIC
By admin | January 30, 2013
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Medical marijuana group says Ottawa’s proposed changes would cause more illegal activity
By admin | January 30, 2013
Medical marijuana group says Ottawa’s proposed changes would cause more illegal activity
A group representing medical marijuana users says the Conservative government’s proposed changes to the medicinal pot system will lead to more law breaking, not less.
In December, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced that medical marijuana licences would no longer be granted by the government and pot would be prescribed only by doctors.
However medical professionals say they’re reluctant to prescribe marijuana because its use is not backed by clinical evidence. Read the rest of this entry »
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