Tag Archives: Cannabis

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Trudeau dragging his feet on pot legislation stinks

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Police inside the Cannabis Culture store on Church Street. Police raid Cannabis stores across the country on Thursday March 9, 2017. (Craig Robertson /Toronto Sun)
You’d think they would be out of doobies.

Even after Toronto Police cleaned the place out of all their pot, the stench of marijuana was ripe inside the store. Police took out tens of thousands of dollars worth of product from envelopes and jars.

But they didn’t get it all.

Staff found police left behind some rolled joints and undetected envelopes of pot.

The smiling group, who got off on warnings by the same police who did charge owners Marc and Jodi Emery, quickly rolled and sparked up the spoils in defiance right in front myself and colleagues Maryam Shah and photographer Craig Robertson.

The message was clear.

“We will be open again tomorrow,” General Manager Jamie McConnell insisted. “When you are in the pot dispensary business, you expect this.”

Having said that arresting the Emerys on the airplane and “raiding every store” did “come as a surprise.”

Meanwhile, even though the aroma inside Cannabis Culture at 461 Church St. was strong, it’s not the biggest stink in this story of the mission by the federal Liberal government to “legalize” marijuana.

That big corporate entities, and big government, would prefer to corner the market and cut out small pot pioneers is what smells the most.

“Government wants the large player dispensing model for tax collection and profit but the buying public want this storefront model,” said McConnell. “We pay our taxes and we serve 2,000 people every day.”

But it’s the Shoppers Drug Mart, or perhaps even an LCBO-style model, that is the way government is taking legalization – clearly a different direction than letting people like Emery get a foothold into that future multi-billion dollar goldmine. They don’t have to look back far in history to see how people with names like Bronfman, Kennedy and Sleeman were thorns in the side of the law during prohibition times but later became pillars of society.

Ironically many of today’s pillars and powerful who have invested in a pot full future.

While you certainly can’t blame police for doing it’s job – and they did it professionally Thursday as the people in the store admitted – you can question Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he smoked marijuana as a member of the House of Commons, did it come from a legal source or from the grey market like the Emerys operate?

There’s a lot of hypocrisy to go around.

Yes, the laws are there – but to cut the pot enthusiast pioneers out of the legislation pot quest is unreasonable. There’s nothing wrong with being fair and to work with, and talk to, the Marc Emerys of the pot world instead of jailing them.

And accept there’s enough financial buzz for both models to exist.

“We will take as much time as it takes to do it right,” Federal pot czar Scrarborough MP and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair told Bloomberg in an interview Monday. “I’m pretty reluctant to suggest a specific time frame, frankly, because I don’t know how long this will take in each of our 10 provinces and three territories.”

Perhaps the Trudeau government should let them all smoke or get off the pot altogether.

Original article can be found here

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Cannabis Culture pot shops raided across Canada, Marc and Jodie Emery arrested

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 Toronto police raid a Cannabis Culture shop in Toronto on March 9, 2017, as stores are being raided across the country. CITYNEWS/Bryan Carey 

Police are raiding Cannabis Culture pot shops across the country, the day after Marc Emery and Jodie Emery were arrested at Toronto Pearson International Airport. 

Marc Emery, Canada’s Prince of Pot, owns the Cannabis Culture shops with his wife Jodie. 

Shops are being raided in Toronto, Hamilton, Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa. Toronto police said it’s part of an investigation dubbed Project Gator, which is targeting marijuana dispensaries. 

Just after 11:30 a.m., the Cannabis Culture at 461 Church St. posted a video of what they said was an ongoing raid at the store. ​​

​Video posted by Cannabis Culture

Peel police confirmed a man and a woman were arrested at the airport on Wednesday night, but did not release their names. 

The pair were arrested around 7:30 p.m. at the departure area, police said. 

 
A lawyer for Marc Emery and Jodie Emery posted on Facebook that the pair will appear in court on Thursday. 

“Just spoke to Marc Emery. He and Jodie Emery have been arrested in Toronto and are both being held for a bail hearing tomorrow at Old City Hall,” Kirk Tousaw wrote. 

“It appears they were arrested at the airport and not as part of a raid.” 

Another lawyer, Jack Lloyd, did not say what charges the Emerys are facing. Toronto police, who arrested the Emerys, have also not said what the charges are. 

Earlier Wednesday, Marc Emery had posted on Facebook that he and Jodie were heading to Spannabis, a cannabis expo, in Barcelona. 

Original article can be found here

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Chemainus dispensary reopens following RCMP raids in North Cowichan

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 Leaf Compassion’s Regional Manager Justin Gurinskas stands out front of the store location in Chemainus that was raided by RCMP on Friday. / MIKE GREGORY/LADYSMITH CHRONICLE 

A Chemainus dispensary reopened less than 48 hours after North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP raided three cannabis retailers in North Cowichan late Friday morning. 

Officers entered Leaf Compassion and Green Aura in Chemainus with a warrant at around 11 p.m. on Friday and were still on scene in the early hours of the evening. 

“They went ahead and arrested all of our staff that were on site and began their search and seizure,” said Leaf Compassion’s regional manager Justin Gurinskas outside the store just minutes after owner Kyle Cheyne was arrested and taken into custody. 

Green Tea Medical Dispensary, located in Duncan but part of the North Cowichan municipality, was also raided on Thursday. 

But that didn’t stop Cheyne, who also has Leaf Compassion locations across the island, including Victoria and Port Alberni, from reopening in Chemainus on Sunday morning. 

“We’ll literally keep fighting this until it goes to the Supreme Court of Canada,” he said. “We have too many people, especially seniors, who are pushing us for the access to feel better.” 

Cheyne requires medical marijuana due to cysts he developed first as a child. 

Both Green Aura and Leaf Compassion have been fined $200 twice by the Municipality of the North Cowichan in recent months for not holding a business licence. 

North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefebure said it can take significant staff time and resources to be able to issue a ticket. 

“To serve a ticket we have to find the owner of the business,” said Lefebure, noting that the RCMP’s actions are separate from those of the municipality. 

“Serving a ticket is not necessarily easy and takes time and energy…so that is a restriction on the ability of our bylaw officers.” 

The store front operations at dispensaries are also not licenced by Health Canada. 

According to the RCMP, investigators gathered evidence of possible offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. 

“The RCMP is guided by the current legislation and the laws as they exist in Canada. While there may be pending changes in the legislation, until such time as this legislation has been passed and new laws enacted, the RCMP will enforce the laws of Canada as they exist today says Insp. Ray Carfantan, officer in charge of North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP. 

“The North Cowichan/Duncan Detachment engages in ongoing consultation with the community to ensure that the priorities of the community are reflected in the policing priorities for the Detachment. Our community priorities are in alignment with the priorities for both Canada and the Province of British Columbia.” 

In total, at least four staff from Leaf Compassion as well as the co-owners of Green Aura, Cody Aginas and Trevor Pewarchuk, were arrested and have charges pending. 

Aginas said all of the cannabis was seized from their store, as well as a computer and other hemp products. 

“We do have plans to reopen in the very short term. It won’t be myself but there will be representatives of Green Aura,” Aginas said. “We were there to help people and the municipality is being unjust to not offer this help and support to their community.” 

The investigation remains ongoing and “marijuana, marijuana derivatives and evidence of sales were seized,” the RCMP said. 

Employees at both Chemainus dispensaries have started online campaigns to raise funds for legal fees. 

“We’ve spoken to our legal counsel and they’re pretty confident that the charges will be dropped,” Aginas said. 

The raids come within hours of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Vancouver Island last week and reinforced that marijuana dispensaries are illegal. 

Cheyne said he doesn’t plan on being “intimidated” despite the RCMP sending a letter to the building’s owner threatening to take possession if things continue. 

“They guaranteed me that they’re going to continue to attack me and I guaranteed them that I wasn’t going to stop either,” he said. “At the end of the day we just need to care.” 

Original article can be found here

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Nelson council passes cannabis bylaws

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 City council’s rules about dispensary location and licencing will be in effect until the federal government comes up with new legislation. / BILL METCALFE 

Nelson council voted in favour of final adoption of its medical cannabis business licence bylaw as well as its cannabis business zoning amendment bylaw on Monday night, stating that the bylaws will be in place until the federal government brings in regulations. 

Mayor Deb Kozak said council has spent an inordinate amount of time discussing this. 

“There have been many hours of staff and council research, it has been onerous. We are trying to put in place a good interim bylaw composed of best practices, plus taking into consideration our small downtown.” 

The business licence bylaw 

The business licence bylaw restricts the number of cannabis dispensaries in the city to six and requires operators to apply for a $5,000 annual licence. 

It imposes a number of specified security provisions such as video surveillance cameras, security and fire alarms, and air filtration. It contains stipulations about signage and the number of staff who must be on the premises. Windows facing the street must be opaque. 

People under 19 are not allowed on the premises unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, and no one may smoke or ingest cannabis on the premises. 

A violation of the bylaw can lead to a maximum of six months in jail or a $10,000 fine. 

The business licence bylaw had already passed third reading at a previous council meeting and was on the table again Monday for final adoption. 

Before the vote, city management presented a summary of 64 comments from 36 commenters that the city had received from the public about the licencing bylaw. 

The most frequent comment was from 16 people who felt that the licence fee was too high. Only seven of the 64 comments asked for dispensaries to be disallowed. 

All councillors including Mayor Deb Kozak voted in favour of the bylaw except Councillors Bob Adams and Janice Morrison. 

Adams moved that the bylaw be withdrawn and that there be no bylaw until the federal government comes up with its marijuana legislation. No one seconded his motion. 

Morrison stated that she disagrees with people being allowed to sell or purchase marijuana regardless of licencing. 

“This is an illegal business and until such time as the federal government, which I feel has done a really good job of abdicating their role, gets this completed, I think these compassion clubs and marijuana dispensaries should be closed in the city of Nelson,” said Morrison. 

The zoning amendment bylaw

The zoning amendment bylaw had already passed second reading at a previous council meeting and was on the table again Monday for third reading and final adoption. 

The bylaw creates rules about where cannabis-related businesses may be located, in this case in the C1 (downtown commercial) and MU4 (waterfront mixed use) zones, and it stipulates that in those zones they may not exist within certain specified distances of each other, or within 80 metres of the youth centre or a public school. 

Whenever a municipality changes the rules on what kind of business can exist in specific zones of the city, it must hold a public hearing so that property owners in the immediate area can speak about how they zoning change will affect them. 

Seven people spoke, five of them owners or employees of existing dispensaries explaining why the bylaw is onerous. 

The most common concern was that three dispensaries located in the Front Street area are now in violation of the new bylaw because they are located too close to each other and too close to the youth centre, and will have to either move or apply to the city for a variance. Moving will not be easy, they said, because of a lack of commercial real estate space in Nelson. 

Phillip McMillan, who has run the Compassion Club as a non-profit since 1999, said, “This bylaw will add unnecessary costs to sick and dying people who are financially struggling. I have tried to make my product as affordable as possible.” 

All councillors including the mayor voted in favour of the bylaw except Adams and Morrison. 

Original article can be found here

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Producer of tainted medical marijuana responds to proposed lawsuit

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Wagners law firm in Halifax has filed a notice of action against the federally licensed producer

 Organigram, a medical marijuana producer based in Moncton, says it is working to get its full organic accreditation back after an investigation into how low levels of pesticides got into the company’s products. (Tori Weldon/CBC) 

A New Brunswick-based medical marijuana company says it will “vigorously” defend itself if a class action lawsuit goes ahead over pesticides found in company products. 

Organigram Inc. issued voluntary recalls of almost all of its products sold last year after residual levels of unapproved pesticides were found. 

On Friday, Wagners law firm in Halifax filed a notice of action in Nova Scotia Surpreme Court against the federally licensed producer and its parent company, Organigram Holdings Inc. 

Lawyer Ray Wagner said in an interview that his firm has received hundreds of calls from Organigram consumers who are worried about the potential impact of pesticides on their health. 

The proposed lawsuit alleges negligent “design, development, testing, manufacturing, distribution, sale and marketing of [Organigram’s] purported organic medical cannabis,” the firm said. 

The action also seeks refunds for consumers on recalled products, and accuses Organigram of breaching its contract with consumers to provide certified organic products. 

Customer refunds 

In a news release Tuesday, Organigram CEO Denis Arsenault responded to the legal action, saying the producer will “vigorously defend our company and its actions related to the product recall.”

 Organigram CEO Denis Arsenault says the company offered all non-insured clients a credit equal to the purchase price of the recalled product. (CBC) 

He added that the company offered all non-insured clients an account credit equal to the purchase price of the recalled product. 

The majority of clients are satisfied with this response, he said, and any claims by Wagner’s that customers were offered a refund at first are erroneous. 

“We have been in constant communication with clients who purchased recalled product,” he said. 

“We have been clear that Organigram will meet their needs by providing account credits valued at 100 per cent of that product’s value and will make freshly harvested and tested product available to them.” 

Posting test results 

Starting next week, Organigram said, it will post all test results of its harvested marijuana on its website. 

The company is the only producer of medical marijuana in New Brunswick that has been approved by Health Canada.

 Ray Wagner said that initially, his firm was not going to pursue a class action suit because Organigram had said it would refund customers, something the producer denies. (CBC) 

It issued voluntary recalls of almost all of its products sold last year after residual levels of two unapproved pesticides — myclobutanil and bifenazate — were found. 

When burned, myclobutanil produces hydrogen cyanide, which interferes with how oxygen is used in the body and can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. 

As a result of the recall, the Moncton company’s organic certification was suspended in January. 

In the news release, Organigram said it recently completed an investigation into events leading to the December and January recalls and has put new growing and harvesting protocols in place. 

Organigram did not say what it discovered about how the pesticides got into the company’s products. 

Marijuana harvested after the recall has tested negative for pesticides, the news release said. 

“With the new procedures in place, we are fully confident in our ability to deliver high-quality product to our clients,” said Arsenault. 

Financial impact 

News of the lawsuit caused a sharp decline in Organigram Holding Inc.’s share price. 

On Tuesday, shares dropped by 32 cents, or 12.96 per cent, to $2.15. 

Over the last five days, shares dropped 14 per cent and are down 25.86 per cent to date from last year. 

Arsenault said the company has allocated $2.26 million this quarter to cover losses associated with the recalls. 

In an email to the CBC, he added that the share price does not reflect the business’s long-term potential. 

“We remain confident that Organigram has addressed the issues with the recall [and] will exit the situation a stronger company.” 

Original article can be found here

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Vancouver Park Board shoots down 4/20 permit 4-3

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Sunset Beach in Vancouver will be home to a 4/20 gathering next month for the second year in a row. 

It also won’t be sanctioned by the Vancouver Park Board for the second year in a row after commissioners voted 4-3 against issuing a permit to 4/20 Vancouver organizers, which would have allowed them to purchase insurance. 

NPA commissioners John Coupar, Sarah Kirby-Yung and Casey Crawford were joined by Green Party commissioner Stuart Mackinnon in supporting a motion that “will not permit or approve future 420 and/or cannabis day events on any property that falls under Park Board jurisdiction.” Catherine Evans (Vision Vancouver), vice-chair Erin Shum (Independent) and chair Michael Wiebe (Green Party), despite their objection to the unsanctioned event taking place on the West End waterfront, voted against the motion. 

“The only way we can say that ‘no this is not an appropriate use of park space’ is to say no to them,” said Mackinnon. “We know that regardless of whether we give them a permit or not, they’re going to come. We know that regardless of whether we give them a permit or not, they may or may not have insurance, and they may or may not give us money, and they may or may not clean up after themselves. There are no guarantees.” 

The vote came despite a recommendation from park board staff to issue a permit given that the event will take place with or without the board’s approval and would be a way to potentially offset costs. The conclusion was reached by both a special working group and a steering committee and presented in a report prepared by manager of business development Octavio Silva. 

“While both groups acknowledge the challenging aspects associated with the 4/20 celebration and protest, they also recognize that the event will occur regardless,” stated the staff report. “Further, with the impending federal legalization of marijuana, there is recognition that in the foreseeable future, the 4/20 initiative will likely shift from being a protest to a legal celebration.” 

4/20 Vancouver organizer Dana Larsen was not impressed by the decision reached at nearly 11pm and spoke to reporters outside the meeting afterward. 

“If only we would drink alcohol instead of smoking cannabis, we would get a permit like that,” said Larsen while snapping his fingers. “This is clearly just prejudicial. It’s not about Sunset Beach, it’s about the dislike of cannabis users and the cannabis culture… Vancouver does not have a lot of great spaces for large outdoor events. We’ve worked with the city and we tried to work with the Park Board, and Sunset Beach is the best place we could get for this kind of event.” 

Larsen pointed out that the annual protest against prohibition laws and celebration of cannabis culture predates the dispensaries that now openly operate in the city. The rally has taken place every year since founder Marc Emery held the first one at Victory Square in 1995 outside Cannabis Culture’s downtown headquarters. 

Last year’s event on April 20 – the first time in many years that the annual pot prohibition protest was held away from its traditional home outside the Vancouver Art Gallery due to construction – cost taxpayers an estimated $155,000 dollars. Reasons for denying the permit ranged from the amount of garbage left behind at last year’s event to concerns minors would be able to partake, tourists on the Seawall might stumble into it, and the grounds could be destroyed if the weather is wet. The board would have also have needed to suspend its anti-smoking bylaw and concern was expressed about the precedent this would set. 

“Basically there was a downloading from the City of Vancouver to the Park Board because ‘we don’t want to deal with it, you take it,’” said Coupar, who introduced the motion Feb. 20. “I am very concerned that we as commissioners would consider suspending our own bylaws for one group. I think this is a real mistake for us to condone this.” 

After last year’s rally, park board staff worked with the City of Vancouver’s legal department to explore ways it could prevent it from returning to Sunset Beach Park or any other park in the city and to identify a more appropriate location for the event. Both the PNE and the False Creek area currently occupied by the touring Cavalia show were considered. 

A separate “4/20 Classic” is planned for outside the art gallery.

Original article can be found here

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ACMPR cannabis oil price scan, Feb 28, 2017

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 Cannabinoid content and the price of medical cannabis in Canada vary with licensed producer, location of production, and production method. We track cannabinoid content and pricing data for all available cannabis oils to understand how these prices change over time, and to highlight offerings with the best value. 

 Publicly available information from licensed producer websites was logged February 28th 2017 for all available cannabis oils in the ACMPR. Potential THC and CBD content was logged from each producer website. In cases where percent values were given, the datum was converted to mg/mL units. Cannabinoid ratios with dried cannabis are used for producers that do not show actual medicinal content of oils. Non-compassionate pricing was taken for each offering, and for LPs offering multiple volumes, we’ve shown the price for the largest volume. Each instance was counted for offerings of the same cannabis oil in different concentrations. Cannabis oils available in two separate forms(oil and capsules) were counted once. 
  The number of cannabis oils available to ACMPR patients increased to 60 this month. New to the summary, Broken Coast has created a Custom Blend with 25mg of THC per mL. In total, 15 producers produce oils for their patients, and 13 of these producers had oils available at the time of this scan. All producers with oils available had at least one THC oil in their store. Of the 15 producers, 7 had at least one cannabis oil with significant amounts of CBD (and negligible amounts of THC) available. Nine of 15 producers had at least one 1:1 offering available with comparable amounts of THC and CBD. Two producers have unique cannabis oil variants available as well; Emerald Care has a sativa and indica oil with cannabinoids in carboxylated form. Whistler also has a high THCA oil available along with a high CBG oil. 

Seventy percent of the total number of cannabis oils had significant amounts of THC compared to other cannabinoids. These THC offerings had an average of 21.94 mg/mL of THC. Thirteen percent of the offerings (8 selections) had significant amounts of CBD compared to amounts of THC. These CBD offerings had an average of 17.07 mg of CBD per mL of oil. The remaining 10 (17%) offerings had even or comparable amounts of THC and CBD (1:1 cannabis oils).

 The average price for 10mg of THC was $1.02, down from $1.13 last month. Aphria’s Champlain Indica is the lowest price for THC, at $0.60 per 10mg THC. 

The average cost for 10mg CBD was $1.61, down from $1.67 last month. For the third month in a row, Canntrust’s CBD offering maintains the market minimum price ($0.90 per 10mg). Tweed and Aphria also have CBD oils priced below $1.00 per 10mg of CBD. 

For 10mg of cannabinoids (THC or CBD) from 1:1 strains the price was $1.14, down from $1.82 when this summary was performed last month. The minimum price for THC/CBD cannabinoids from a 1:1 cannabis oil was $0.67, from Aphria’s Capilano Hybrid Oil. 

 For specific information on each cannabis oil, as well as information on each producer, check out Lift. 

Original article can be found here

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Leaf Compassion worker responds to her arrest by RCMP

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 Vancouver Island resident Jenelle Uhler had her first — and hopefully last — taste of prison last week. She’s not too happy about it. 

Uhler was one of several otherwise law-abiding Canadian citizens who were swept in a recent crackdown by North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP that saw three medical marijuana dispensaries raided. 

The one she was busted at, Leaf Compassion, re-opened again on Sunday, and the young mother of two is abiding by her release conditions by not entering the premises. 

Instead, she is protesting outside to highlight the absurdity of the situation. 

 
Uhler also turned to Facebook to vent after her release in a widely shared post. 

Here’s what happened in her own words:

“I have thought all night about making a public post regarding everything that happened yesterday and well into this morning, and have come to the conclusion that I would like to let people know what happened. Yesterday at approximately 10:35am the dispensary that I work at got raided, as well as others in the district of North Cowichan. 

This consisted of arrests of all people working, myself included, as well as some of my closest friends, and the confiscation of all products on the premises. This led to a 14-hour detainment in the Duncan RCMP detachment, where we sat in a freezing cold cell, with two cameras pointed directly at the one shared toilet, with no option to let our families know where we were. 

Instead we were told “it’s all over Facebook and the news, your husbands know where you are, I’m sure.” I am now facing charges, and have a list of compliances I must meet, including the promise to appear in court, a no contact order with my friends/co-workers, and in my opinion, second family. As well as, I am not allowed to be on the premises of Leaf Compassion Chemainus, and an order prohibiting the use of cannabis products.

 Ironically, I attended a Chemainus public and city council meeting the Monday before, where I listened to people in the community talk about all of the issues they are facing with robberies at an all time high. One business owner’s story was hard to even believe, when he said he called the RCMP after two people stole a bunch of his things from his store, and after calling police and leaving a message, he didn’t even get a response for 2 FULL DAYS! People are having their houses broken in to and police are taking over two hours to attend the scene. 

This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to the RCMP. I have always had a strong belief that our police officers have the hardest job in the world, as well as an incredibly thankless one, and I respect their courage immensely. 

All this being said, the faith I have in our justice system, and government is at an all time low. Why in God’s name are we allowing our tax dollars to go towards this. There is real crime happening. 

Cannabis is a plant. It has been used for its healing properties ever since we can begin to date the existence of man. 70% of the people that came into our dispensary were seniors. I have had every story imaginable told to me from the people who have come to me for help. 

I have literally watched skin cancer disappear from a woman’s face after applying the cannabis oils topically, without the high associated with smoking the flower. I have had grown men cry to me, thanking me for “giving them their mom back” after she had such bad tremors and nervous twitches, associated with dementia. I have had the sweetest old couple who both suffered from such bad chronic pain, with no relief from any doctors prescriptions, come to me and say they were ready to commit suicide together because they couldn’t handle the pain anymore. This was their last hope. And guess what? It worked. They came back in, a couple weeks later, crying with tears while thanking me from the bottom of their heart. My own husband was getting booked in for knee replacement surgery and instead used a tincture, with not even enough thc to get a high, and he is pain free, with no surgery needed. 

Whether people use cannabis for pain, depression, insomnia, anxiety, cancer, MS, etc. Why should anyone have the right to tell you not to use a natural medicine to help yourself? Why in God’s name are we still fighting, in 2017, for the right to grow a certain plant that is used for the treatment of so many different ailments? Why am I treated and possibly charged like a criminal for this plant? Because let me tell you, I sure don’t feel like a criminal. I feel like a fucking rock star. And that’s what I am. I’m an amazing mother of two beautiful, intelligent, kind children. I come home every night and share a pot of tea with my husband, as we maintain our miniature farm. I myself am a kind, loving, smart, motivated woman who knows what is right and what is wrong and so far, have a clean criminal record. All of you other rock stars out there, keep up the fight! Our freedom is on the line. This movement is too important to give up. I am in no way saying I am taking my conditions lightly, because I am not. But I believe in this, like I believed in our community support for Shawnigan Lake. And this will be okay. 

 It will be okay because people are brave enough to stand up to unjust laws. 

And that is exactly what this is, unjust.

Original article can be found here

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Halifax firm suing pot producer endorsed by Trailer Park Boys

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Organigram, a Canadian cannabis producer, business partner and brand developer for the Trailer Park Boys, recalled their medical marijuana voluntarily after unapproved pesticides were found in their product. 

The cannabis producer once backed by the Trailer Park Boys could face a class action lawsuit after pesticides were found in its products. 

Wagners Law Firm is filing suit against Moncton-based medical cannabis producer Organigram over the contamination and recall. 

It said in a news release Monday that the chemicals myclobutanil and bifenazate, “both considered toxic,” and are not authorized for use on cannabis under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. 

“Over 2,000 customers are estimated to have purchased the contaminated products, primarily throughout 2016,” the release said. 

“On December 28, 2016, Organigram recalled five lots of product that tested positive for the presence of myclobutanil and/or bifenazate. On January 9, 2017, Organigram initiated a second recall of an additional sixty-nine lots of product containing myclobutanil and/or bifenazate.” 

Their certificate was suspended in January of 2017. 

Health Canada’s regulations allow a list of 13 pesticides in medical marijuana. Myclobutanil and bifenazate are not among them. 

A previous Organigram news release stated the recall cost the company $500,000. 

“Thanks to the prompt action of our team, the understanding and loyalty of our patients and investors, the support of our licensed testing counterparties, and the collaboration and oversight of our industry’s regulators, (Organigram) has been able to address these challenges and setbacks immediately and definitively,” said Organigram, CEO Denis Arsenault in a previous news release. 

The Trailer Park Boys teamed up with the company in November to develop TPB-branded products aimed at recreational marijuana users. 

The Chronicle Herald contacted Organigram Monday morning for comment on the suit but has yet to hear back. 

Recently, Greg Engel assumed the position of CEO, with former CEO Denis Arsenault moving to the position of chairman. 

“We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to find and recruit Greg,” said Arsenault in a release. “Greg emerged as the leading candidate following an international search. His experience and leadership will be instrumental as we enter the next phase of our growth.” 

Dawn Rae Downton — proposed representative plantiff in the suit — consumed Organigram products for a year before learning about the banned pesticides. She was using the product for inflammatory arthritis. 

Wagners’ news release says Organigram originally offered a refund of the recalled product for purchasers, but changed their minds and offered a “credit” toward future purposes. 

“We’ve received hundreds of calls about the situation since the recalls came to light. People are very worried about the impact this has had, and may have, on their health. We have been monitoring the situation,” said Ray Wagner, counsel for the proposed class action. 

“When the company finally indicated they would offer refunds, we felt that it was appropriate to refrain from filing the class action — affected individuals could obtain compensation without the need for litigation. However, the reversal in position, which was done without announcement, is wholly unsatisfactory to our clients. Licensed medical marijuana producers cannot shirk their responsibilities to customers. These are medical products. They were held out as organic. They need to be helpful to patients, not harmful.”

Original article can be found here

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Medical Cannabis Keeps Woman from Heart Transplant

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The cannabis community, and compassionate people everywhere, were sent reeling when a woman from Sacramento was denied a heart transplant because of her use of cannabis. 

According to CBS Local, in Sacramento, Summer Waltman suffers heart complications because she has fetal alcohol syndrome. She has previously undergone heart surgery, and she has a pacemaker. Now, Waltman needs a transplant but is being denied one because of her status as a medical cannabis patient. 

Even though there is a state law that prohibits discrimination against medical cannabis patients, the hospital has determined that Waltman’s cannabis use could cause complications with the transplant, and therefore she is not eligible for one. Waltman regularly uses medical cannabis for pain management and to help deal with the side effects of her condition. 

“It seems to me like they’re just sending her just to die,” her cousin, Andrew Babcock, told CBS Local in an interview. “Just watching her go through all this is hard; it’s devastating for the whole family. She didn’t ask for all of that; she just wanted to be a normal person.” 

Mercy General, the hospital denying Waltman the transplant, issued this official statement: “Patient care is our top priority and we respect the privacy of our patients and legally cannot discuss the specifics of their care. There are very strict criteria to qualify for specialized heart procedures.” 

Although it is definitely true that there is not enough research on how a cannabis consumer would accept a transplanted heart, the decision by the hospital to completely deny Waltman any chance of recovery is harsh. As Walman’s story gains more media attention, there is much hope that Waltman and her family will receive the miracle they are currently seeking in the form of another organization that is willing to perform the transplant. 

Original article can be found here

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Smoking medical pot ‘a really dangerous thing for your lungs’

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VANCOUVER – Not all medicinal marijuana is created equal. That’s what some experts are saying as they warn about the health risks and curtailed effectiveness associated with smoking medicine. 

As medical pot becomes increasingly mainstream and Canada moves toward legalizing the substance, health experts are emphasizing the need for doctors and patients to consider the sometimes serious side effects linked to the various ways of consuming the drug. 

Paul Farnan, an addictions specialist at the University of British Columbia, likened a recommendation to smoke medicinal marijuana to a doctor handing out a prescription to light up an opium pipe. 

“We know there’s something in opium that helps pain, and we’re able to pharmaceutically develop morphine and other analgesics, but we wouldn’t say to people, ‘You have pain? Why don’t you smoke opium?’” he said. 

“We’re kind of saying to people, ‘We think there’s some stuff that cannabinoids will be helpful for. Why don’t you just smoke cannabis?’ First of all, cannabis is actually a really dangerous thing for your lungs.”

Mikhail Kogan, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said he sees no reason for people to smoke marijuana medically anymore. 

It’s difficult to absorb enough of the drug through the lungs, and gastric acids interfere when someone eats it, he said, adding that it’s more effective to take the drug by other means, such as under the tongue. 

“Rectally is actually a lot more preferred because of the volume of absorption. You can put a lot more and it gets absorbed a lot better, but not everybody is open to this way of administration,” Kogan said. 

“We have so many other products now, so many modes of delivery, that smoking in my opinion is very archaic and has very little clinical applicability,” he added. 

“Having said that, I think that probably the majority of people still smoke because it’s the most available method.” 

Health Canada officially recommends against smoking marijuana. 

“Many of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke are also found in cannabis smoke,” reads its website. 

The Canadian Medical Association has no formal position on the consumption of medicinal pot, but it officially opposes the inhalation of any burned plant material. 

Association spokesman Jeff Blackmer added that many physicians are reluctant to prescribe medical marijuana because of the absence of peer-reviewed research into whether the drug is medically effective, its possible side effects, appropriate dosage and more. 

A “strong majority” of doctors would prefer not to be involved as so-called gatekeepers, Blackmer added. 

“Most of them hate it,” he said. “This is something that was imposed on us by the government and the majority of physicians do not want to have anything to do with it.” 

Debra Lynkowski, head of the Canadian Lung Association, urged patients and doctors to take lung health into consideration when discussing medicinal marijuana. 

“When you burn something, that combustion releases toxins and carcinogens, and they’re released regardless of what the source is,” she said. 

“Our primary concern with regard to that is just to be considering any kind of lung health implications.”

Colette Rivet, head of the association that represents licensed cannabis producers in Canada, said that while the industry is against smoking medical marijuana, ultimately it can’t restrict what patients do. 

“We know that there’s an issue with smoking. However, we can’t control it at the patient level,” Rivet said. “We’re trying to develop new product forms so they would be more inclined to go away from that.” 

Each licensed producer has its own unique document that physicians fill out when prescribing medical marijuana, which includes a minimum amount of information required by Health Canada, Rivet said. 

Beyond that, some companies ask whether a patient would prefer dried marijuana or oil, while others don’t, she added. 

A Health Canada spokesman confirmed that patients are in charge of requesting the form of medical marijuana they prefer, whether dry leaf or oil, and they are not restricted in how they wish to consume it. 

The sale of edibles is banned, but a June 2015 decision from the Supreme Court of Canada ruled medicinal marijuana patients have the right to prepare their medication however they want, including cooking it. 

Original article can be found here

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Company in tainted cannabis scare shuffles top staff

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Stock photo of a marijuana commercial growing operation.

A federally licensed medical marijuana company caught in the fallout from a recent tainted cannabis scare has shuffled its senior management ranks, naming a new chief executive officer. 

Organigram Inc., which was discovered selling products containing a banned pesticide that produces hydrogen cyanide when heated and can cause serious health problems in those who consume it, announced Wednesday that Greg Engel has been appointed CEO, taking over from Denis Arsenault. 

Mr. Arsenault, who ran the company for the past three years, is moving to the board of directors as executive chairman, Moncton-based Organigram said in a press release issued before markets opened. 

The move is the second high-profile shakeup at a federally licensed medical marijuana company since Canada’s tainted cannabis problem came to light. The CEO of Mettrum Ltd., which was also found selling product containing the banned pesticide myclobutanil, has left that company. Mettrum was purchased by rival Canopy Growth Corp. in January, and its CEO Michael Haines was not retained, the Smiths Falls, Ont.-based company said. 

Mr. Arsenault said in a statement that the corner-office change at Organigram had been planned, and that he will stay on with the company in an investor relations role. Mr. Engel is a former CEO of another medical marijuana producer, Tilray Canada Inc. 

The management shuffle comes just two days after Organigram announced the results of an internal investigation into a recall announced two months ago after myclobutanil was discovered in medicine sold to patients. The company said its investigation turned up “inconclusive findings” with “no hard evidence leading to the source of the contamination.” 

The inability to pinpoint the problem, and the continuing worries over banned chemicals in the sector, have cast doubt on the credibility of the new industry, which is licensed by the federal government to produce safe, pharmaceutical products for patients who use the drug to treat everything from cancer-related pain to epilepsy. 

Three federally regulated companies – Organigram, Mettrum and Aurora Cannabis Inc. – have issued recalls due to the myclobutanil scare. The Globe and Mail uncovered the problem in December when Mettrum issued a recall, but neither Health Canada nor the company disclosed to the public that the pesticide was the reason. 

Soon after the Mettrum problem came to light, Organigram announced its own recall due to myclobutanil, which was discovered after Aurora found the chemical in a bulk shipment it purchased from the company. 

The recalls have exposed serious gaps in Health Canada’s oversight, particularly as Ottawa prepares to legalize cannabis for recreational use in the coming year. An employee at Mettrum told The Globe he witnessed workers spraying the chemical directly on plants as far back as 2014, despite knowing myclobutanil was banned. Staff hid the chemicals inside the ceiling tiles to evade detection when Health Canada inspectors visited the site, the employee said. 

Health Canada acknowledged to The Globe last month that it had not been testing companies for any banned pesticides because if felt the industry knew those chemicals were prohibited, and therefore would not be using them. 

Organigram maintains it has never used myclobutanil, which is known among growers as an easy but dangerous shortcut to saving crops threatened by mildew. Organigram said the chemical could have gotten into its plants through “inputs” in the growing process, such as contaminated fertilizer, soil or peat moss. 

Organigram is taking a $2.26-million charge due to the recalls. However, contrary to an earlier report, the company is not refunding money to patients who bought the recalled product, but will instead issue credit on future purchases. 

This has angered customers who consumed the tainted cannabis and now want their money back. Several affected patients told The Globe they are not sure if they can trust the products again, particularly since Health Canada does not require regular safety testing for all 38 companies in the industry to ensure the medicine is clean. 

Some patients say the products have left them with serious health conditions, including lung problems, rashes, abdominal pain, and persistent nausea and vomiting. At least two law firms are now looking at launching actions that would force the company to surrender profits related to the tainted product. 

Since the recalls came to light, Health Canada has mandated that Organigram and Mettrum start testing all their products for pesticides. Health Canada has also said it would introduce random testing for pesticides for the broader industry. 

However, some companies don’t think those efforts go far enough. Another licensed producer, CanniMed Therapeutics Inc. in Saskatoon, said last week it is commissioning independent lab tests on some of its products and making the data public to show consumers that its medicine contains no banned pesticides. In doing so, the company hopes to distance itself from the myclobutanil worries now hanging over the sector. 

Organigram said Mr. Engel, 52, will assume the CEO job on March 13. “I consider this appointment an outstanding opportunity,” Mr. Engel said in a statement. 

Original article can be found hereq

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Gun fired during robbery of a Toronto marijuana dispensary

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This is the latest in a series of recent marijuana dispensary robberies in Toronto

The Canna Clinic dispensary was robbed on Thursday night. (Chris Mulligan/CBC)

Toronto police are investigating after a gun was fired during the robbery of a marijuana dispensary on Thursday night. 

Police received a call for a robbery at Canna Clinic dispensary near Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East at 10:40 pm. 

Police say three suspects with their faces covered walked into the business with a gun and stole a quantity of marijuana and cash. 

A gun was discharged inside the store, but nobody was injured. 

Police say the suspects were adult males in their 30s and ask anyone with information to call investigators at 55 division.  

Police say they have cleared the scene as of Friday morning. 

This is the latest in a series of recent marijuana dispensary robberies in Toronto. 

Earlier this year, Toronto police said these dispensaries are operating illegally and while they would not withhold services from dispensary staff, they would seize any illegal narcotics found on a premises during a robbery investigation.

Original article can be found here

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Dispensary worker charged with trafficking left holding the bag. 

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When Cale Ralston came across an ad on Craigslist from a local medical cannabis dispensary looking for a budtender, he figured his luck may finally be turning. 

Recent surgery after an injury prevented the unemployed 29-year-old construction worker from returning to hard physical labour, but he’d previously worked for the Vancouver Island Compassion Society and knows the bud business. 

The gig only paid $12 an hour but at least it was a paycheque. 

Ralston said he got an immediate response from Kayla Thompson, the manager of Green Tree Medical Dispensary in Langford, and soon found himself behind the counter after an interview Feb. 20. 

Two days later he found himself in handcuffs after West Shore RCMP raided the storefront at 688 Granderson St. 

Ralston, who has no previous criminal record, was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking under Section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He said nobody at Green Tree is now returning his requests for legal assistance. 

“I want them to take some responsibility and give me some legal help,” Ralston told CLN. “My mom offered to help pay for a lawyer but she would probably have to take out a loan or something or use her mortgage for it.” 

Ralston said he was assured during his job interview that he didn’t have to worry about potential legal problems. 

“She said we should have no issues with the city and, if there is, we have lawyers and everything should be covered. There shouldn’t be any other issues. We will be getting bylaw tickets but we’ll just keep paying them until they stop. They were very, like, ‘there is going to be no problem and everything will be fine.’” 

But while neighbouring Victoria has adopted new business licensing provisions to deal with the booming pot shop scene, the City of Langford is taking a far stricter approach. The city’s first and only dispensary was raided by police the day after opening on Jan. 17 and again on Feb. 15. Last month the city went a step further and filed a civil injunction against Green Tree to prevent them from re-opening. 

Ralston said the fact that the owners are known to police makes it absurd that they would charge a front-line retail worker with trafficking. 

“It was just ridiculous,” said Ralston. “I was in shock. I literally said ‘I’m not the right person. I’m pretty sure you guys already know who owns this place.’” 

When he texted his new employer from the police station, we was told to “chill out” as he had only been in custody for three hours.


Ralston said he hasn’t been paid for his work yet, which is complicated by being forbidden to return to the Granderson Street location as part of his release conditions. 

In a short phone interview with CLN, Thompson disputed Ralston’s characterization of events but confirmed there are no plans to reopen the Langford outlet. 

“Our employees know they are taken care of,” she said. “There’s two sides to every story… We don’t have much to say. There’s no comment.” 

Green Tree also operate storefront dispensaries on Vancouver Island in Duncan and Nanaimo. 

But while Ralston worries over his upcoming court date, there’s a chance he’ll be let off the hook as the crown has stayed charges against dispensary workers in the past. Legislation for the federal Trudeau government’s plans for adult recreational cannabis use is also expected to be tabled by the spring, and — although he has documents regarding his Feb 22 arrest and his pending court date — the information has not yet been entered into the BC Ministry of Justice online court services database. 

CLN reached out to West Shore RCMP for clarification. 

“Because the matter is still under investigation, I cannot confirm or deny any individuals involved to protect their privacy,” wrote Const. Alex Bérubé in an email. “Once a charge is approved by Crown Counsel (which may vary in terms of length of time due to the nature of the investigation), the name of the person(s) charge becomes accessible to the public.” 

In the meantime, Ralston will continue to look for work, although he said he is no longer willing to take a chance at anywhere he might be arrested simply for doing his job. 

“I want to write a letter to Justin Trudeau saying ‘dude, while you’re taking your sweet-ass time legalizing while LPs are selling crap that’s proven to be garbage laced with pesticides, people who are looking for work are getting arrested,” he said. “I’ve been out of work since June doing physio and now I’ve got this thing hanging over me.” 

Until then the problem dispensary workers face persists. In the past two days alone, RCMP made numerous arrests at other Vancouver Island locations in Chemainus and Duncan.

Original article can be found here

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Sir Patrick Stewart Opens Up About Using Medical Cannabis

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Photo by Gage Skidmore 

Sir Patrick Stewart recently said in an interview that he uses medical cannabis. In an interview with Esquire UK, the 76-year-old opened up about using cannabis spray topically, which he uses to alleviate problems associated with his hands. Stewart will return for the upcoming X-men spin-off Logan, where he plays a weaker, mentally unstable Professor Charles Xavier. The film is the 10th installment of the X-men series. 

Stewart was asked about playing Charles Xavier in old age in the film Logan, and how he is facing the aging process himself. “Physical things [make me feel old]. You get to an age where you go to the doctor, you tell him how old you are and he just shrugs his shoulders and says: ‘Oh, is that it?’” Stewart told Esquire UK. “I mean, my main problem is my hands don’t work very well. But thanks to cannabis they work much better than they used to. Thanks to the law in California now, it’s just a spray that I put on.” Stewart was then asked what happens when he comes back to his home in the UK, where medical cannabis is illegal. “I can’t answer that question,” Stewart said, hinting that there’s more to his use of medical cannabis than he prefers to talk about. 

Stewart is perhaps best known for his deep and authoritative voice. In 2010, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama. An amusing video surfaced which appears to show Sir Patrick Stewart reportedly stoned. He filmed himself with his then-fiancee Sunny Ozell goofing off in a tree house and giving her acting lessons. 

Stewart also answered questions beyond the upcoming film including questions about immigration, politics and mental illness. Stewart has played Charles Xavier for 17 years now over the course of the film series. Logan is coming to theaters on March 3. 

Original article can be found here