A new poll suggests Canada may have reached the tipping point and a 66-per-cent majority favours legalizing marijuana.

Hallelujah! Finally we might get a sensible public policy discussion in this country about what to do about a relatively benign substance that has been demonized and outlawed for a century yet is as readily available in schoolyards as cigarettes.

The prohibition and a 40-year-long “War on Drugs” have led to pot being more widely accessible, taxpayers considerably poorer, gangs richer and thousands upon thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens branded “criminal.”

Another 50,000 or so Canadians are busted every year for possession; throw in 20,000 or so traffickers and producers and this so-called war is costing us as much as $400 million annually in law enforcement, court and corrections.

Bearing in mind a million dollars a year buys roughly 12 new cops, 14 teachers or public health nurses, ask yourself: Couldn’t all that money be better spent?

The federal Liberal party obviously thinks so – 77 per cent of delegates at the weekend convention voted to legalize the herb, echoing the Senate special committee on illegal drugs (chaired by a Conservative), which 10 years ago urged the government to free the weed. Four decades ago, the LeDain Commission similarly called for an end to the criminal prohibition of cannabis.

Across the country today, more and more people agree.

Read More

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is getting tougher on pot growers than he is on rapists of children. Under the Tories’ omnibus crime legislation tabled Tuesday, a person growing 201 pot plants in a rental unit would receive a longer mandatory sentence than someone who rapes a toddler or forces a five-year-old to have sex with an animal.

Producing six to 200 pot plants nets an automatic six-month sentence, with an extra three months if it’s done in a rental or is deemed a public-safety hazard. Growing 201 to 500 plants brings a one-year sentence, or 1½ years if it’s in a rental or poses a safety risk.

The omnibus legislation imposes one-year mandatory minimums for sexually assaulting a child, luring a child via the Internet or involving a child in bestiality. All three of these offences carry lighter automatic sentences than those for people running medium-sized grow-ops in rental property or on someone else’s land.

A pedophile who gets a child to watch pornography with him, or a pervert exposing himself to kids at a playground, would receive a minimum 90-day sentence, half the term of a man convicted of growing six pot plants in his own home.

The maximum sentence for growing marijuana would double from seven to 14 years, the same maximum applied to someone using a weapon during a child rape, and four years more than for someone sexually assaulting a kid without using a weapon.

Read more @ The Province

CANNABIS CULTURE – Marijuana culture is growing in the Canadian Prairies, and now the home of much of our country’s hemp-growing industry will play host to the 1st Annual Prairie Medicinal Cannabis Cup from July 8 – 10 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Jeff Lundstrom, owner of Skunk Funk Smoker’s Emporium in Saskatoon and organizer of the Prairie Medicinal Cannabis Cup, says the event was designed to showcase the thriving cannabis culture that exists on the prairies and offer a unique perspective as a centre of hemp cultivation.

“There’s a strong movement there and people aren’t aware of it because the bigger cities soak up a lot of the attention,” Lundstrom told CC in an interview filmed during the Treating Yourself Hemp Expo in Toronto. “Saskatchewan stands on the edge of what built this country – potash, uranium, agriculture – we are the frontline in the hemp industry.

Watch the full interview on Pot.tv

The event will feature a cannabis competition where judges will sample ten different strains, six of them local Saskatchewan strains. The three-day event will feature guest speakers, live music, catered food, a vapour lounge and designated area for combustibles, free giveaways, a Sunday Award ceremony, and more.

Tickets can be purchased at Head 2 Head in Regina, Skunk Funk, Jupiter and Undergrind in Saskatoon, and Watch Tower in Moose Jaw.

Organizers don’t plan on releasing the location of the event until the day of the event and ticket-holders can call a hotline (on the back of the ticket) to acquire the information and directions.

For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136314446439803

Conservative Stephen Harper could win a majority government with as little as 34% of the vote on May 2. We must ensure this does not happen, or S-10, and mandatory minimums like it, will be law in 100 days. The most important thing you can do is VOTE on May 2!

WhyProhibition.ca is finalizing its list of strategic votes and will be releasing that with the latest poll information this weekend.

Why so late?

The NDP, led by Jack Layton, has been on an historic and unprecedented rise in the last few days, overtaking the Liberals for 2nd place nationally, and within 5% of the Conservatives as of Friday. Depending on how the votes split riding by riding, this could potentially yield a Conservative majority government but could also result in an NDP minority government. The outcome will likely be decided by who turns out to vote.

The NDP under Jack Layton has been the most positive party in the House of Commons on marijuana law reform and medical marijuana, and is truly a friend to our community. Jack Layton is a man we have personally met with many times, and he has always been honest, open and very friendly. He understands the failures of prohibition, and is not afraid to talk about them.

Beyond Prohibition Foundation and WhyProhibition.ca have no doubt that an NDP government would be the best electoral outcome for our community and would represent the best chance for cannabis law reform in Canadian history.

The Conservatives have spent this campaign using a strategy called “micro-targeting” which involves focusing on specific areas in specific ridings to get a majority government with the lowest percentage of popular vote, possibly as low as 34%.

We must ensure that Stephen Harper can not micro-target his way to victory.

By voting strategically, we can not only stop Stephen Harper from obtaining a majority, but could potentially usher in the a government ready to make substantial change to Canada’s marijuana laws.

Please, for our country, for our friends and for our future, get out and VOTE on May 2.

Source

Today in R v. Mernagh the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found the entire regulatory scheme governing medical marijuana (the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations) to be invalid. As a result sections 4 (prohibiting possession) and 7 (prohibiting production) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act were stricken. The government has been given 90 days to fill the legislative void or it will become legal to possess and produce marijuana.

The basis for the decision was that the government’s controversial decision making allopathic physicians the only gatekeepers to patient access created a scheme that was too restrictive and made it too difficult for Canadians to lawfully acquire the medicine. In the Court’s words “…it is long past time for the government to provide the medical access to marihuana that was directed by the Parker court over ten years ago…” Parker was a 2000 decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal that gave rise to the MMAR scheme.

“Complaints about the doctor-as-gatekeeper role, from patients and physicians, have been a constant feature of this flawed system,” said Kirk Tousaw, the Foundation’s Executive Director and a BC lawyer that successfully argued R v. Beren, in which the BC Supreme Court found certain supply-side aspects of the scheme to violate the Charter. “This decision represents a huge step forward for critically and chronically ill Canadians that want to access this safe and effective medicine without being turned into criminals for doing so.”

Jacob Hunter, the Foundation’s Policy Director and an authorized medical cannabis consumer, also hailed the decision: “I know how hard it has been to find a supportive physician. There are a million medical cannabis consumers in Canada and, in ten years, less than 10,000 have been able to become legal. That just isn’t right.”

The Foundation urges the upcoming new government of Canada to work with patients, producers and distributors of medical cannabis over the next 90 days to craft a legislative model that works. “Who knows,” speculated Tousaw, “the government could always choose not to re-legislate, as did with the abortions laws after the Morgentaler decision, and finally put an end to the harms being caused by marijuana prohibition. ”

The Foundation congratulates Mr. Mernagh and counsel Paul Lewin for their outstanding efforts and salutes all those that assisted in the case.

Source

I’m not sure if you are aware but Canada is going to have an election for a new prime minister in just over a month. This is huge for us because we’ve had quite a few ineffective parliaments in the past few years. If we can get a majority government in that isn’t Stephen Harper’s conservative party, we have a great chance for our country to be the first in North America to legalize fully. I believe it is going to be a strong part of his competitions campaigns. I made this inforgraphic type image to shell out some key information and to remind Canadian stoners to vote!

-Joel

Thanks for sending this in Joel! And for our Canadian readers, make sure to get out and vote!

Read more for the full infographic!

More than half of British Columbians support the legalization of marijuana, but the prairie provinces are even more pot-friendly, according to a new poll.

In the latest Angus Reid Public Opinion poll on drugs, 50 per cent of Canadians said they want to see marijuana legalized, while 44 per cent oppose decriminalization.

People in Manitoba and Saskatchewan were most likely to want legal pot, with 61 per cent of those polled expressing their support. Fifty-four per cent of British Columbians surveyed said they want to see marijuana legalized.

Albertans were the least likely to support legalizing pot, with only 45 per cent in support.

Only 33 per cent of Canadians said they want to toss the decriminalization legislation introduced by the previous Liberal government. But the majority said they support the federal government’s proposal for a national anti-drug strategy and mandatory minimum jail sentences for grow operators and drug dealers.

Despite the strong support countrywide for legal marijuana, about 90 per cent of Canadians opposed legalizing harder drugs like ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.

Still, about half of respondents said they disagreed with the Conservative government’s efforts to end harm reduction programs like supervised injection sites and needle-exchange programs.

People in B.C. were much more likely than most Canadians to say that the country has a serious drug abuse problem affecting the entire country, with 46 per cent agreeing compared to a national average of 37 per cent.

The results of the latest poll are consistent with similar surveys conducted in April of this year and in May 2008.

The latest survey was conducted online and polled 1,000 randomly selected people. The margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

What do you think? Should marijuana be legal?

Source

International Centre for Science in Drug Policy’s Evan Wood sees promise in California’s bid to legalize pot. (Photo by Martin Dee)

With California gearing up for a vote next month on Proposition 19, a groundbreaking ballot measure that would fully legalize marijuana, a drug-policy expert is disappointed that Canada is moving in the opposite direction.

Dr. Richard Mathias, a professor at UBC’s school of population and public health, said it doesn’t make sense that the Conservative government is continuing to push for mandatory prison sentences for cannabis possession.

The physician was referring to Bill S-10, a Senate legislation that passed second reading on September 29. The bill is a reincarnation of two similar measures that previously died in the House of Commons.

“You have to be completely blind to not realize that truly harmful drugs are tobacco and alcohol,” Mathias told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “We’ve shown from a public-health perspective that we can deal with those harms. When I went to medical school, which is a fair number of years now, we used to smoke in class. Medical students now look at me with wide open eyes—you know, how bad could that be? The culture has changed completely. And we can do the same things for the harms that drugs are causing.”

He said that is the reason why he considers California’s Proposition 19—or the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010—as “extremely enlightened”.

“What prohibition does is it takes away the tools that public health has used so successfully in terms of tobacco and, to a lesser extent, alcohol and completely ties our hands so we cannot use these tools to try to prevent the harms that are associated with drugs,” Mathias, a member of the Health Officers’ Council of B.C., said.

Proposition 19 is one of a number of initiatives that qualified for a vote in the general election to be held in California on November 2.

The proposed legislation seeks to allow persons 21 years old or older to possess one ounce (28 grams) of marijuana for personal use. The substance cannot be consumed in public view. It will also permit the cultivation of small amounts of cannabis in each private residence or parcel of property.

The measure will likewise regulate activities related to the sale and distribution of marijuana. Licensed cannabis distributors will pay all applicable federal, state, and local taxes.

According to the initiative bill, there is an estimated US$15 billion in illegal marijuana transactions in California each year. An official voter information guide noted that cannabis taxes could generate US$1.4 billion annually.

In Canada, there are no mandated prison sentences for drug offences. This could change if the Conservative government succeeds with Bill S-10.

The measure provides a range of penalties. One seeks to impose a minimum of six months’ imprisonment for cultivating at least six marijuana plants.

On October 7 this year, the Vancouver-based International Centre for Science in Drug Policy released a report detailing the failure of the U.S. federal government’s cannabis-prohibition policy.

Coauthored by the centre’s founder, Evan Wood, the document showed that even with more money for antidrug campaigns, the potency of cannabis in the U.S. increased by approximately 145 percent from 1990 to 2007. The retail cost of marijuana also decreased from US$37 per gram in 1990 to US$15 per gram in 2007.

Marijuana has also remained almost universally available to American youth, despite the past 30 years of prohibition. The report indicated that cannabis use among Grade 12 students rose from 27 percent in 1990 to 32 percent in 2008. Among 19- to 28-year-olds, use increased from 26 percent to 29 percent in the same period.

The paper noted that the U.S. federal antidrug budget saw a 600-percent inflation-adjusted increase in two decades, from US$1.5 billion in 1981 to US$18 billion in 2002.

In a phone interview, Wood, a UBC medical professor, noted that the California experiment with Proposition 19 has enormous potential.

“If they prove that you can successfully tax and regulate cannabis and the world does not come to an end, I think it’s going to generate interest throughout North America,” Wood told the Straight.

According to Wood, measures like Bill S-10 speak to the “discordance between what we know from a scientific perspective of what we should be doing about the drug problem and what the average citizen thinks”.

“Your average Canadian is frustrated about the drug problem, and that makes it politically popular to propose tough-on-crime measures,” Wood said. “But the reality of the situation is, the $5 billion that they’re proposing to spend on new prisons will do nothing to improve community health and safety.”

He also said that advocates for drug legalization want to counter one myth.

“The alternative to prohibition is not full, free legalization, easy access to drugs, but, rather, strict regulatory tools in a legal framework like age restrictions, operating hours, warning labels on things, taxation,” Wood said.”These are actually compatible with not only increasing or creating tax revenue for governments but also decreasing the availability of drugs to young people.”

- Article from The Georgia Straight.

Seattle area marijuana activists will gather outside the Federal Courthouse at 700 Stewart Street on Friday, September 10, to protest the sentencing of Marc Emery, the so-called Prince of Pot, who faces five years in federal prison for selling marijuana seeds by mail order to Americans and to call on President Barack Obama to pardon him. The controversial Canadian faced federal charges after DEA agents entered Canada and arrested Emery in 2005. Emery is expected to be sentenced to five years in federal prison under a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors.

“The Emery case is a prime example of the overreach of the federal government and the need for marijuana laws that match social reality in America,” said Philip Dawdy, Sensible Washington’s co-founder and vice-chair. “It’s crazy that he’s going to prison for selling seeds and that the federal government is willing to spend millions of dollars prosecuting and imprisoning him. President Obama should pardon Emery and get busy with reforming America’s outdated marijuana laws.”

When Emery was arrested in 2005, federal officials described his arrest as a blow to efforts to legalize marijuana in the US. Emery was the publisher of the Vancouver-based Cannabis Culture magazine and planned to use his seed-selling profits to fund legalization efforts in the US.

Activists will gather outside the US Courthouse from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday while Emery, already in federal detention in SeaTac, is being sentenced.

It’s ironic that only last week John McKay, the former US Attorney for Western Washington who originally charged Emery, wrote an op-ed in the Seattle Times in which he noted that marijuana prohibition has failed and that it’s time for new marijuana laws on the federal level.

Sensible Washington is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization dedicated to the repeal of marijuana prohibition in Washington State. The group was sponsor of this year’s I-1068, which failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, and plans to file a new legalization initiative in January 2011. Since June, Sensible Washington has tripled its volunteer network to some 6,000 citizens committed to ending marijuana prohibition.

More information about Sensible Washington can be found at www.sensiblewashington.org.

Article is from Sensible Washington

A marijuana farm in western Canada has been raided by police, but officers were left shocked when they found bears guarding it.

Around 13 black bears strolled around the fields but police soon realised that they showed no signs of aggressive behaviour and were in fact tame.

They are thought to have been lured into the British Columbian farm by dog food and officers said they might have to be put down if they’ve become used to living around humans, the BBC reported.

Police uncovered two separate outdoor marijuana crops of about 2,300 plants in total.

The five police officers were called to the marijuana plantation, near Christina Lake, to dismantle the farm and arrested two men in the process, while stumbling across the bears.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant Fred Mansvield, said: ‘They (the bears) were tame, they just sat around watching.

‘At one point one of the bears climbed onto the hood of a police car, sat there for a bit and then jumped off.’

We want the Canadian government to bring Marc Emery home, to serve his sentence in Canada.

This is a normal process called “Treaty Transfer” whereby American and Canadian prisoners are transferred home to serve their sentences in their native country. This is normally done so that prisoners can be closer to their families, and be better monitored and reintegrated into society.

Once Emery is sentenced in the USA, his lawyers will try to initiate the treaty transfer process. They expect no objection from American authorities, but there must also be support from Canada’s Public Safety Minister.

Originally we were fighting for Canadian officials to block Marc’s extradition entirely. Now we are simply asking the Public Safety Minister to accept Marc’s treaty transfer and allow him to serve some of his sentence in Canada.

The Canadian Minister of Public Safety is Vic Toews (pronounced “Taves”). Please contact Mr. Toews and tell him that you want him to support Marc’s prison transfer back to serve his sentence in Canada.

Pease be polite and respectful – but very firm – when contacting Vic Toews office.

The best way is to write a letter to Vic Toews, postage free:

The Hon. Vic Toews
Parliament Hill
Suite 306, HC Justice Building
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

You can also call Vic Toews office at: 204-326-9889 and 613-992-3128

Vic Toews can be reached by email at: Toews.V@parl.gc.ca and toewsv1@mts.net

FreeMarc.ca

Reading over the NDP website, I find that they are supportive of decriminalizing marijuana.

“Decriminalizing marijuana possession with the goal of removing its production and distribution from the control of organized crime.”

“Adopting a harm reduction approach to substance abuse and permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes”

We should all encourage our friends and family to vote NDP.

Also, if you see this post, you are using the new webserver. Please let me know if there are any problems.

Cannabis Culture reports: “Cheech and Chong have got some pretty blunt advice for Prime Minister Stephen Harper when it comes to Canada’s marijuana’s laws.

“Wise up, you douchebag,” Cheech Marin says with some glee when asked what he’d tell the prime minister.
Chong, who hails from Edmonton, nods in agreement.”

Read More

Those of us who have seen the Canadian mockumentary show, Trailer Park Boys, know the utter genius and rich wisdom to be gleaned from its colorful characters. Richard, commonly known as “Ricky”, as well as “Shitiot” and “Helmet Head”, has delivered some especially poignant thoughts throughout the show. Here is just a small sampling of the “Ricky-isms” generously provided by the man himself. Click ‘Read More’ for the list.

Source

Marijuana activist Marc Emery appears on CTV's Canada AM from the Vancouver studio on Friday, April 30, 2010.

A five-year battle by Canada’s self-styled “Prince of Pot” to avoid extradition to the United States on drug charges appeared to be over Monday.

The federal justice minister has ordered Marc Emery surrendered to American authorities, the final step in the legal process.

Emery, who was charged in the U.S. in 2005 in connection with his Vancouver-based seed-selling business, had turned himself in to sheriffs earlier in the morning to await the federal justice minister’s decision.

Within an hour, his lawyer received an answer.

“The justice minister has surrendered Mr. Emery for extradition,” lawyer Kirk Tousaw said in an interview.

“I imagine there’s some paperwork that needs to be shuffled and arrangements that need to be made. My anticipation would be (Emery would be sent to the U.S.) relatively soon, within the week possibly.”

A spokesperson for the minister’s office said he does not comment on extradition decisions.

Emery has been out on bail since last fall, when he was released from custody while the federal justice minister made his decision.

He made a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors last year, agreeing to plead guilty in return for a five-year prison sentence.

Earlier in the day, Emery called himself a “great Canadian” and told reporters he’s spent his life advocating for the legalization of marijuana. Then he walked into the B.C. Supreme Court building and presented himself to sheriffs.

“I think of myself as a great Canadian — I’ve worked my whole life for individual freedom in this country, I’ve never asked for anything in return,” Emery told reporters outside B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver, with his wife by his side and a throng of supporters carrying “Free Marc” signs.

“And now I will be possibly handed over to the United States for a five-year sentence for the so-called crime of selling seeds from my desk. I’m proud of what I’ve done, and I have no regrets.”

American prosecutors allege he has sold about four million marijuana seeds through his magazine and website, and that 75 per cent of those went to customers in the U.S.

Documents obtained by Emery’s lawyer reveal that a U.S. undercover agent posing as a marijuana seed buyer worked in Canada to secure the criminal charges filed against Emery in Washington state.

The undercover operation is described in a briefing memo to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson dated Feb. 10, 2010, outlining the case against Emery.

The memo said numerous mail order purchases were made by U.S. undercover agents between March 2004 and March 2005 and an undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement agent was then sent to Vancouver.

The memo said the agent was under the supervision of and working with the approval of Vancouver’s police department.

Allegations against Emery include that staff at his Cannabis Culture store in Vancouver counselled the agent on how to smuggle seeds across the border and how to grow the marijuana.

“It is alleged that (the store employee) told (the agent) that border inspectors do not conduct strip searches of females, so she should hide the seeds somewhere on her body,” the memo stated.

The documents say the DEA agent made several deals to purchase marijuana seeds in exchange for cash and that Emery knew she was going to smuggle the seeds over the border.

The information was obtained under the federal Access to Information Act by Kirk Tousaw, a lawyer and former Marijuana Party campaign manager.

In addition to his seed-selling business and marijuana paraphernalia store, Emery is the president of the B.C. Marijuana Party.

He was originally charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana and money laundering. Two of his Cannabis Culture employees were also accused, but charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

The minister’s memo states the federal government has received more than 2,700 letters about Emery and virtually all of them ask that Nicholson refuse to extradite him.

Emery said he has public support on his side.

“I feel it will be very politically unpopular if (the minister) proceeds with the extradition because, let’s say five to seven million Canadian’s use marijuana … I have the support of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of Canadians.”

If he is extradited to the United States, Emery hopes he’ll be allowed to return to Canada to serve out his jail sentence.

Written by: The Canadian Press

EYE WEEKLY caught up with “Prince of Pot” Marc Emery to discuss the latest on his case and his views on the changing climate of the cannabis world.

Emery will again be speaking at this year’s Toronto Freedom Festival (May 1, 6:30pm, Speakers & Awareness Stage, Queen’s Park North) and his presence is as significant as ever since there have been some shifts happening in government policy for our neighbours to the south — many wonder how close Canada is to following suit.

What’s the latest with your trial?

The US DEA encouraged the justice department to lay three charges against me: conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and conspiracy to money launder. They say, “We’re looking for 40 years on these three counts,” because they come with mandatory minimums in the US, “[but] we can offer you one count if you agree to plead guilty to five years.” I agreed. The justice minister has had all the paperwork since January 8th and has not signed it. The Canadian justice department says they’ve received 2,700 handwritten letters urging them not to extradite me, and seven saying they should. It’s something for the minister, Rob Nicholson, to think about with an election coming up. The minister has to make a decision by May 10th to extradite, not extradite or seek an extension.

What about your colleagues Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams?

Originally the agreement was that I would plead guilty to five-year thing and they would not get any kind of jail time, and that’s how it worked out. Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams basically got sentenced to two years probation and are back doing the thing they like to do best. Michelle is growing marijuana for her medical needs and Greg works at the BC Marijuana Party, so I feel good that nobody who was involved with me is going to suffer any jail time.

What do you think the major difference between Canadian and American drug policy is? Which do you feel is more misguided?

Up until now Canada’s never had mandatory minimums and the judges are aware that when you give someone a high sentence, there’s invariably a turf war between gang members over their spot. The Americans have put more people in jail, but they haven’t solved the problem because more people compete to get into that business once someone’s arrested. But, there’s a movement in every state to have a medical marijuana law or an outright legalization law. California’s the most significant because their legislation has proposed it as a November ballot initiative coming up this year. In the United States you’ve got 75 congressmen that have signed on to a bill that will legalize four ounces or less. That’s not happening at any level in Canada.

- Read the the whole article on Eye Weekly.

Advocates of medical marijuana are hailing a landmark Nova Scotia court ruling, hoping it leads the way to taxpayer-funded pot supplies for low-income patients across Canada.

Last week the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered the provincial government to pick up the tab for the medical marijuana smoked by Sally Campbell, a chronically ill woman on welfare.

Some provinces already pay for the marijuana prescribed to patients under workers’ compensation claims. Since 2008, the federal government has also paid for the marijuana consumed by a handful of military veterans receiving disability benefits.

But until now, no province has covered the cost of doctor-prescribed marijuana for people on social assistance, according to a cross-Canada survey by the Nova Scotia government.

“This is a new and developing area of law. I’m not aware of any precedent in this area,” says Kirk Tousaw, a Vancouver Island lawyer who represents people seeking federal licences for the medical use of marijuana.

Tousaw says the Nova Scotia ruling may not immediately or directly influence the law in other provinces. However, “it does represent a court saying that this particular drug deserves to be financially covered in certain circumstances,” he says. “I think it’s a very positive development.”

Even more optimistic is Chad Clelland, the director of community relations for Medicalmarijuana.ca – a national coalition of doctors, patients and pot-growers that has spent years helping low-income Canadians find affordable sources of medicinal pot.

“It would be fantastic if this case opened the door in other provinces, if it helped needy patients get affordable access to marijuana,” he says.

Less happy about the matter is the Nova Scotia government, which for years fought Halifax resident Campbell’s request for an increase in her provincial income assistance, to pay for her monthly pot supply. Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter has said what worries him about the decision is not having to fork out money for Campbell’s marijuana, but that the ruling may result in the cash-strapped province having to pay for a host of other medications.

Source

You read that right. And we suspect that even some of you conservatives are whispering to yourselves, “Holy Obama-care, I should have supported the health-care bill.” Unfortunately, the Big Brother chronic in question is not USDA-grade, but rather Canadian.

The patient, Sally Campbell, 61, won a Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruling that forces a local Community Services Department to pay for her medical marijuana, according to the Chronicle Herald. (Could you imagine the pandemonium in L.A. if Uncle Sam covered medical-grade pot?).

Canada has a taxpayer subsidized health-care system that provides medical services and prescriptions for free or at very low costs. Although she was prescribed medical marijuana, Campbell was denied the drug by the department.

The ruling would make Nova Scotia the first Canadian province to cover medical marijuana for residents, like Campbell, who are on government-provided “social assistance.”

Campbell said it was “embarrassing” for her to have to go through this process to get her medical pot, but that “”I’m really glad it’s over.” We suspect that first toke of victory will go straight to her dome.

Source

Marijuana needs to be legalized soon; Canada’s prohibition is causing too many problems to be the right choice in our country.  We need to regulate and control the production and sales of marijuana. It will create a safer community and get rid of the black market. There are so many medicinal benefits of the drug and it would be insane to keep it illegal for any time longer. It’s time for a change.

A regulated market for the production and consumption of marijuana would reduce crime tremendously and give people a safer way to buy what they already do. All the drug dealers would be put out of business, and the jails would empty out. Millions of people smoke marijuana in Canada and the number is rising. Prohibition has failed for over seventy-five years, and it’s not a method we should be using. Marijuana is the largest cash crop in North America, and it’s being grown and used all over the world. Not only would it be safer to buy marijuana from a store or something similar, but it would also reduce the amount of money going to gangs, and anyone else involved in the illegal drug trade. Also, we would know exactly what is in our marijuana, whereas the black market there can be many harmful things added to it, such as glass particles, harmful chemicals, and other drugs. We have to try our very hardest to tax and regulate marijuana, for the many benefits it will bring to our country.

Prisons all over the US and Canada are filled with offenders who have been charged with something to do with marijuana; be it trafficking, possession, or cultivation. The sad part is that marijuana smokers are some of the nicest people around. Sure, many of these people are probably gang members and criminals as well, but the majority of these offenders haven’t even harmed a bug. The result of all these arrests is very expensive to our countries. The tax payers would have to pay a lot less, because the money we can make on taxing marijuana could double the amount the government makes. Not only will the jails be emptier, but we wouldn’t need to pay taxes to jail all the marijuana offenders. It’s a victimless crime, and we shouldn’t be putting people away for it.

Marijuana is a totally harmless drug, and there are so many medicinal benefits to it. Compared to alcohol and tobacco, marijuana isn’t even on the chart. Alcohol and tobacco have millions of deaths around the world each year, and the number of deaths resulting from marijuana is zero. Seems pretty strange such a harmless drug is illegal when two legal drugs are killing people all over the world. Now keep in mind, smoking anything is bad for your health, but there are a few alternatives to avoid smoking. You could ether vaporize, or cook the marijuana in to your food. Now people like to smoke marijuana to relax or for fun, but many people are consuming marijuana for their health. The THC can cure many health issues including, but not limited to; cancer, nausea, vomiting, stimulation of hunger in chemotherapy patients, and pain in many sorts of diseases. The pure THC oil created from a weed plant is almost a super cure for anything, but there are a few reasons you don’t see or hear about it. First of all it’s still illegal to produce, unless you have a medicinal license to grow marijuana and make it yourself. And one of the craziest things is that medical companies won’t produce it. The reason for that is the fact you can’t patent a plant. So technically you can’t make any money off it, so they chose to use dangerous harmful drugs instead. Marijuana needs to be legalized, not just for the recreational uses many people like, but for the many medicinal attributes it has.

Marijuana laws are in dire need of a revision. Canadians need to do speak out, protest, and get the country thinking. The money that the regulation of marijuana could bring in, could supply more police, better health care, new safer medicinal drugs, and free up our prisons. Marijuana needs to be legalized soon, because this prohibition is harmful for our country and the people in it.