Lp,s are doomed!
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Stoners cheered when Canada legalised cannabis. How did it go so wrong?
The grass is always greener… rows of cannabis plants growing in a greenhouse at the Hexo facility in Gatineau, Quebec.
The grass is always greener: rows of cannabis plants growing in a greenhouse at the Hexo facility in Gatineau, Quebec. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images
Growers have gone bust, and the black market is still thriving
Mike Power
@mrmichaelpower
Sun 5 Apr 2020 12.18 BST
The lights shone more brightly than anything I’d ever seen. One million blinding watts strafed across the leaves of countless cannabis plants that peeled off in neat rows in every direction. The warehouse was as pristine as a pharmaceutical facility, and as we strode around in crisp white nylon overalls and box-fresh wellies, the atmosphere was surreal – interstellar, almost: – it felt as if we were on a mission to Mars. It was definitely a glimpse of the future.
It was 2017 and I had been invited to visit this legal medical cannabis “grow” in the town of Gatineau, near Ottawa. I was in Canada after writing a paper for the drug-law reform thinktank Volteface, proposing an online-only, legal cannabis market in the UK as a way to break the logjam between the UK’s two million cannabis smokers and those who fear legalisation. I was meeting with Canadian police and politicians to hear more about that country’s plans to completely legalise cannabis the following year.
Back in the UK, a million-watt grow like Gatineau’s would put you in jail for a decade. Here, it was likely to make its owners a very cool, very legal few million in mere months. Added to that, the state would benefit, too, as taxes from sales of the crop would be collected for the common good rather than enriching criminals. It felt utopian.
Were cannabis activists’ hopes of a regulated cannabis market just a pipe dream?
For the three decades I have campaigned to reform drug laws, I never expected to see change happen so quickly, or at such scale, as it did in Canada. But, two years on, the Canadian experiment hasn’t quite turned out as we reformers had hoped.
The Gatineau greenhouse through which I strode on that day in 2017 was owned by a firm called the Hydropothecary. Now named Hexo, in October 2019 it shed 200 of its 800 staff. On 4 March one of Canada’s biggest growers, Canopy Growth, announced the closure of two mega-greenhouses in the towns of Delta and Aldegrove – with 500 job losses. The firm also cancelled the opening of a new site in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
Meanwhile, the black market is still vibrant while cannabis stocks have crashed, medical patients say they can’t get hold of essential medicines, and thousands of jobs have been lost. So what went wrong – and what went right? Were cannabis activists’ hopes of a regulated cannabis market just a pipe dream?
Canada had permitted cannabis for medical use since 2001. Medical patients were allowed to grow up to 400 plants, and licensed producers cultivated larger crops for sale online to those with valid prescriptions. But most Canadian cities had illegal – but tolerated – dispensaries where the drug was sold completely indiscriminately. These stores made Amsterdam’s coffee shops look as prim as a WI cake stand. The quality and variety of cannabis on sale at these illegal outlets was outstanding, bewildering. Business was not just booming, but blazing.And it was all completely illegal.
‘Canada made cannabis boring’: plants being tended at Aurora.
‘Canada made cannabis boring’: plants being tended at Aurora. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images
Canada’s Cannabis Act of 2018 was a bold attempt to impose some order on this anarchic retail scene. It legalised the sale to adults of 30g of cannabis in austere packaging from government-licensed shops. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said: “The old approach to cannabis didn’t work. It was too easy for our kids to get it and gangs and drug dealers were reaping the profits. That changes from now on.”
Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief, became an unlikely cheerleader for legalisation, arguing that to do so would “keep cannabis out of the hands of youth, and profits out of the hands of criminals”. Two other key goals of regulation were the protection of public health and the reduction in criminality associated with the illegal market. After 50 years of the unending, senseless drug war, peace had broken out.
Or so it seemed. Because while Canada may have lit the fuse on an ambitious experiment, every high has a low. Within a year the industry was experiencing mass layoffs, multi-billion-dollar stock-market losses, executive firings and corporate scandals as the overhyped new sector experienced a dramatic and humbling public correction.
What went wrong? Alastair Moore, co-founder of Hanway Associates, a London-based cannabis consultancy, says the Canadian industry has been driven by vulture capitalism and wishful thinking. “A mix of greed and naivety led this industry to great heights – and has left it on its knees. While some made lots of money, others lost their investments and now many others have lost their jobs.”
According to Moore’s fellow founder, George McBride: “The key thing is that Canada did actually get the reforms through. In and of itself, that is a huge feat. It’s the first time any major developed country has done so. And so, kudos. However, getting it through has involved a lot of politicians who didn’t understand what they’re talking about designing a really complicated system.”
So just how does a state create and regulate an entirely new business of intoxication that has always existed, essentially, in a countercultural, outlaw space? Canada, it turns out, did so cautiously, with every decision deliberated over by a centralised government Task Force.
Added to the complexity of the policy and its implementation, the needle of international capital’s wonky moral compass swung straight at these lucrative new markets. Hundreds of millions of dollars were raised on global capital markets and the Canadian landscape was quickly dotted with massive new grow sites.
The so-called “green rush” had started and production went into overdrive. Stock prices soared and fortunes were staked, made, doubled and tripled in an atmosphere reminiscent of the 90s dotcom boom, or the Yukon gold rush of the 19th century, when 100,000 prospectors headed into the Canadian hinterlands in search of riches. Many firms hoped to corner the Canadian market by throwing millions of dollars of shareholders’ money into massive grow sites. This time, the gold was green. But soon, things started to fall apart.
The main problem Canada’s smokers and growers faced was access: too few retail shops were able to open to serve the eager new market. Canada is a country of 38 million people, divided into 10 provinces that are similar to US states, with provincial governments producing a patchwork of varying regulations. Over a third – 13.5 million – of all Canadians live in the state of Ontario. But as of 2 March this year, Ontario had just 41 retail cannabis stores. The province of Alberta, home to 4.4 million, has 423 stores.
And where there was product available, the price was almost double that of the illegal market. C$5.59 to C$10.23 per gram (or over £40 a quarter ounce). That was caused by tax burdens and overheads: the legal market has to comply with regulations on fungicide and pesticide residue levels, and draconian security requirements for grow sites, such as huge vaults in which to store the cannabis and record-keeping for every person who enters these vaults.
The illegal market, meanwhile, is completely unregulated – and thriving. Statistics Canada, a state agency, reports that just 9% of cannabis users buy all of their product from a legal source. Four in 10 Canadians told the organisation that they bought at least some cannabis from illegal sources in 2019.
The next problem was that many stores sold poor-quality grass, with smokers complaining that it had been poorly dried and cured, and tasted bad. Modern cannabis users are accustomed to a range of flavours, from lemon to mango, pineapple, strawberry and pine. These flavours are derived from the plant’s natural aroma profile, which skilled growers preserve by careful breeding, correct harvesting and slow, cautious curing of the fragrant flowers.
Many players in the new mass market often skipped these steps in the pursuit of profit, says David Brown, a British Columbia-based cannabis industry analyst. “Many consumers have had complaints about high prices and what is perceived as lower quality, especially the tendency of many of the legal dried flower products to be overly dried, often from a rushed or improper curing and drying process.”
Why would anyone drive a few miles up the road to score bad weed from many of the government shops when your regular black-market dealer lives nearby, has better product and brings it to your door for half the price?
The nose knows: a customer sniffs display samples at Evergreen Cannabis in Vancouver.
The nose knows: a customer sniffs display samples at Evergreen Cannabis in Vancouver. Photograph: Elaine Thompson/AP
It’s worth reflecting, also, on the psychology of some of these users. “For a long time, cannabis has been the mark of the rebel, the outsider, the outlaw,” says Brown. “A lot of the people who complain about ‘bad weed’ and so-called ‘fake legalisation’ are doing so because parts of their countercultural identity have been altered forever by this law change. Canada has made cannabis boring – and that was kind of the point.”
With few shops to sell to and customers clinging to their traditional dealers, the new cannabis corporations found themselves holding a glut of product. There is a stockpile of grass weighing in at 400 tonnes, at last count, according to official government inventory figures.
The rollout of retail shops was left, in many cases, to inexperienced officials in provincial government departments, says McBride. “Ontario authorities said, ‘We don’t trust private organisations to run cannabis shops. We’re going to do it all ourselves.’ Then they tried to do it, but they squandered about $80 million trying to figure out how to do it, and got absolutely nowhere. They had to cancel it and invite private tenders. All these big, shiny grow facilities that cost C$10m, C$20m or C$30m to build, and which all grew loads of cannabis – there was nowhere to sell it, because there weren’t any shops,” he says.
In a stinging irony, medical patients – the very people whose decades of activism had driven the wider reforms, faced cannabis shortages and a steep increase in price after legalisation as suppliers diverted their medical product in bulk to the new recreational market rather than in hundreds of smaller deals to medical patients.
Dan Sutton of Tantalus Labs, a British Columbia-based grower that uses natural sunlight and greenhouses, says legalisation has been “largely negative” for medical cannabis users because of this new sales dynamic: “Physicians have been telling medical users they should buy from the recreational marketplace, which is completely inappropriate – and it loads them up with extra taxes and tariffs.”
Sutton originally built his low-impact, sunlit grow to service medical users, and still focuses on this original customer base – though they make up just 10% of his sales. “Many licensed producers now don’t,” he says. “Some have just pulled their financial resources on their medical platforms. If a medical user can’t get their medicine – for people, with, say, multiple sclerosis – that can lead to severe impairment, traffic accidents and potentially death. That blood is on those licensed producers’ hands that stopped serving those users’ needs,” he says.
Paul North, director of communications at Volteface, which commissioned me to write the paper, says Canadian customers’ response to the malfunctioning new markets is understandable: “You have to provide a superior experience to the illicit market. When it comes to cannabis, this is not easy. Dealers have no marketing restrictions, and can offer a sweet deal and deliver a product to your door. For most people, cannabis use is a relaxing, problem-free and enjoyable experience. Buying the drug needs to match that experience, and; until it does, the illicit market will continue.”
Hype talks, but money walks. The early euphoria in the cannabis stock market has been replaced by a major dose of paranoia. All cannabis stocks have tanked, with an average 50% wipeout in value right across Canada and the US in the last year. Major players such as Aurora Cannabis took the biggest hit, with its shares falling from US$12.83 in March 2019 to US$2 today. Another bud behemoth, Tilray, has also had its share price slashed by 80%, from over US$81 to US$16 within a year. Other cannabis giants including Aphria lost 60% of their paper value in 2019, while Canopy Growth sank by 54%. Financing has dried up for the new industry, and small-scale retail investors – often young professionals investing via smartphone apps – have lost large sums of money. None of this is to assert that Canada’s policy has been a failure. If we compare it to the UK cannabis industry, where illegally trafficked children have been found enslaved in abandoned buildings growing cannabis for gangsters, it is better by several orders of magnitude.
Steve Rolles of UK-based drug law reform group Transform agrees that it is harsh to judge the project’s success so soon. “We are still in the rollout phase. They are still in a transition from an illegal economy to a legally regulated one. It will take some time for new market equilibrium to be established, and for new social norms to emerge, and for teething problems to be addressed.”
Big, shiny grow facilities cost C$20m or C$30m to build and grew loads of cannabis – but there was nowhere to sell it
How best to create a legal cannabis industry is a question with a particular urgency in the UK today as we build a market for medicinal use – albeit agonisingly slowly. I strongly believe that cannabis will be legalised for adult use in the UK within five years. And it all goes back to that Gatineau greenhouse I visited in 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/05/stoners-cheered-when-canada-legalised-cannabis-how-did-it-all-go-wrong
"The price of cannabis will be dollars a ton. It will be processed in to consistent high value products that will have very good margins."
More pipe dream.
"The quality and variety of cannabis on sale at these illegal outlets was outstanding, bewildering. Business was not just booming, but blazing.And it was all completely illegal."
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/05/stoners-cheered-when-canada-legalised-cannabis-how-did-it-all-go-wrong
"They were first, they normalized cannabis."
YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT!!!!!
Cannabis activist have done all the leg work all the way to the supreme court over and over and we all chipped in...
They have push the government to act.
You ignorant hypocrite piece of shit!
NewsBriefs BUTTONS
Marijuana Activist Launches Canadian Constitutional Challenge
ACTIVIST NEWS
November 1995
The owner of a hemp and marijuana products store in London, Ontario has filed a constitutional challenge to change the laws prohibiting marijuana in Canada.
Christopher Clay, 24, was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, marijuana trafficking, and possession of psilocybin mushrooms after a search warrant was executed at his store. Police seized 17 clone plants and approximately $30,000 in legal merchandise, according to Clay. Clones are cuttings that can be grown to produce genetically identical plants. Clay claims that the plants contained no THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
The search warrant stemmed from Clay's alleged sale of a three-inch marijuana clone to an undercover police officer on May 17. Clay's store, the Great Canadian Hemporium, has been selling hemp paper and clothing items for about two years. The charge of trafficking carries a life sentence if Clay is convicted.
According to Clay's lawyers, Alan Young and Paul Burstein, the constitutional challenge is based on three ideas. First, Clay's lawyers will argue that the Constitutional right to privacy means that the government cannot dictate behaviors that take place in the home. They will be using the reasoning of the 1975 Alaskan Supreme Court ruling allowing possession of personal use amounts of marijuana in the home. [How can a store claim to be a home if no one lives there? -- EES]
Young and Burstein will also argue that the 1988 Canadian Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion means that the government cannot regulate matters concerning how individuals treat their own bodies. Clay's lawyers will also challenge the legal status of marijuana, arguing that possession or trafficking of the drug should not be treated the same as possession or trafficking of "harder" drugs like cocaine and heroin. Such issues were litigated in the U.S. Courts in the 1970s.
Clay says he needs to raise $60,000 (Canadian) to succeed with the constitutional challenge. He is selling "victory bonds" through the Internet for $20. Contributions supposedly will be redeemed for marijuana -- in Canada -- when his case changes the law, he said.
Young said Clay's case is similar to the case that decriminalized marijuana in Germany in 1994 (see, "German High Court Legalizes Use and Possession of Small Amounts of Cannabis," NewsBriefs, July 1994, p. 1).
[Information for this story was submitted by Chris Clay through his World Wide Web page, which can be found at http://www.hempnation.com/. To make contributions to Clay's defense fund, contact the Hemp Nation Headquarters, 343 Richmond Street, Suite 101, London, Ontario, NGA 3C2, 519-433-5267. For more information about this case, readers can contact Chris Clay at the address above or via e-mail at cclay@icis.on.ca. Professor Alan Young can be reached at Osgoode Hall Law School, 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3, 416-736-5595, fax: 416-736-5736. Attorney Paul Burstein can be reached at 11 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M5R 1B2, 416-966-4034, fax: 416-964-5821, e-mail: burstein@inforamp.net.]
https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/windsor-pot-activist-bows-out-of-legal-fight-after-3-year-battle
Well, cannabis is not legal yet.
The only legal cannabis is stock market bunk weed bonehead.
Only a matter of time before price plunge to pennies a gram.
What will you do then?
You will hold an empty bag like a fool that you are.
Buy more shares asshole, before price drop more...Lol
"Canopy’s future is in the hands of management. And they are not saying anything".
What do you want them to say?
They sold their greenhouses for pennies on the dollar.
They dumped 1000 workers.
What can they say? We are doomed??
Bag holder. Lol
"Canadian marijuana users also prefer to get their products through illicit means as about 50 percent of pot that is consumed north of the border is obtained on the black market, according to The Walrus."
According to The Walrus...
Legacy market is not in the red but you are!
50%?
Prove it?
You have a licence to print money and you lose billions..
From now on, i will call you Charles Ponzi.
Adele Spitzeder & Sarah Hove would be proud of you.
What a bullshiter you are!
Who says 40%?
Klein?
How was that counted? Who did the counting? You?
What ever happened to facts you trumper?
Me think legacy is doing well and i don,t hear any complaints.
Legacy fresh canna has lots traction but Crappy is doomed!
So much for your bullshit testing Happy Crappy.
You do not know what your talking about!
'Misleading' THC and CBD labelling practices prompts letter from Health Canada
Producers told to ensure label matches potency
By SAM RICHES
Alternate text
Labels are placed on bottles of cannabis oil. PHOTO BY DAX MELMER/POSTMEDIA
In March, Mandesh Dosanjh, president and CEO of Pure Sunfarms, wrote a blog post on LinkedIn calling out discrepancies in potency labelling practices among Canadian cannabis companies.
Specifically, Dosanjh wrote that some companies were taking a “static” approach to labelling THC and CBD values, where “one potency label is pre-printed and applied across many batches which fall within a pre-determined range to save on costs.”
“We believe this approach to labelling misleads consumers by creating a false impression about the potency of their dried flower,” he noted.
In a letter obtained by The GrowthOp, Health Canada is now reminding licence-holders that “the THC and CBD content values displayed on a dried cannabis product label should reflect the value as tested for the lot.”
In the letter, which was sent industry-wide, Health Canada states that “labelling practices in which the THC and CBD values displayed on the label of a cannabis product […] that have not been obtained as a result of cannabinoid testing on each lot or batch of cannabis, may result in non-compliance.”
Health Canada further writes that labels derived from “historical cultivar-based results or other practices, do not correspond to an accurate measurement of a specific lot’s THC and CBD content values, and may not correspond to the amounts the cannabis product could yield.”
Dosanjh, who first contacted Health Canada about this issue last December, said he’s happy with what the letter states, but would like to see more information about the potential impact of non-compliance moving forward.
The letter “was very clear on what you can and cannot do and how you should be labelling,” he said.
Dosanjh added that the discrepancies in labelling practices could amount to millions of dollars in savings and revenue for producers who were taking a static approach.
“What I believe certain producers are trying to do is indicate to consumers that the product they were buying was at a higher potency by using an average,” Dosanjh argued. “As a result, I think they probably saved millions of dollars if they were a large producer.”
In February, Pure Sunfarms submitted a complaint about the practice to Health Canada.
According to Bloomberg, which obtained a copy of the complaint, it notes that 18 separate batches of products sold under Canopy Growth’s TWD brand were labelled at 20 per cent THC, and the “statistical likelihood of this many lots coming back with identical test result potencies of precisely 20.0 per cent is extremely low.”
Health Canada also made clear in the letter that “cannabinoid contents can be reasonably rounded and remain compliant with the labelling requirements.” Additionally, the letter states it is acceptable “to use the less-than sign (<) when dealing with quantities of cannabinoids that are less than 0.1 mg or are based on the analytical method’s limitation.”
Health Canada does not recommend labelling products as containing ‘0’ THC or CBD “unless it can be demonstrated with assurance that the product does not contain the relevant cannabinoid.”
“I think that it was all about transparency and doing the right thing for consumers so they can continue to have trust in the industry,” said Dosanjh. “And I absolutely believe that consumers will see this as a sign that certain organizations like Pure Sunfarms want to stand up for the consumer and do the right thing and not prioritize profits over transparency.”
The GrowthOp
More bs.
The same old song and dance.
More bs.
The same old song and dance.
"The buds of the flowers keep growing if they are not pollinated which gives your smokeable varieties in all their wonderful varieties crossbred and grown for different characteristics."
Flowers when pollinated still grow but you will have seeds.
Just like 1966 Mexican brick bunk weed.
Crappy Growth was famous for seeds in every containers under Brucy.
Smoking hemp taste like shit.
Hemp was all they had.
"Momentum also depends on the economy continuing to re-open. During the pandemic, when sales were mostly online, the company found it difficult to market its premium products. People go with what they know, the executives observed. It takes in-store persuasion to create a shift."
It,s hard to take in-store persuasion seriously when one sniff will reveal the caper.
Canopy has no premium products, but lots of unsold useless bunk.
Don,t believe me? Ask someone who works at Crappy!
You don,t know anyone? You are on your own pal.
IE. crappy growth PREMIUMis bunk... The nose knows!
Crappy growth swims in blood for a reason folks.
https://ottawacitizen.com/business/local-business/canopy-growth-cites-growing-pains-to-explain-lacklustre-first-quarter
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/21/08/22498020/sorry-but-high-thc-cannabis-buds-are-overrated
Touché surtout par une diminution de ses ventes à l’international lors du dernier trimestre, le producteur de cannabis Canopy Growth a brûlé deux fois plus de ses disponibilités en encaisse qu’au trimestre précédent, soit 186,2 millions. Bien qu’elle continue d’accumuler les pertes, soit 63,6 millions sur des revenus nets totaux de 136,2 millions au premier trimestre de son année financière 2022, la direction réitère que la firme de Smith Falls sera profitable à la fin de celle-ci, soit en mars prochain. Le titre a perdu plus de 50 % de sa valeur en Bourse depuis six mois.
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/21/08/22498020/sorry-but-high-thc-cannabis-buds-are-overrated
Great coworkers, terrible management
Trimmer (Former Employee) - Smiths Falls, ON - 4 August 2021
Started as an Adecco and worked until I was officially hired on. Immediately it became clear that the higher ups do not care about the employees, you're just a number. I had some amazing coworkers, but many employees from other sections of the plant were hostile, much like highschool cliques. During big factory meetings with Q and A's employees, especially adeccos, were actively punished for asking questions that painted canopy in a bad light. We were told no more moving up, only outside hires would get higher up positions. These are often reserved for friends of people handing out the jobs and not the people most qualified. There were issues with several people not being paid over time. We worked over time almost every single shift, sometimes pulling near doubles. All in all its an unbelievably toxic environment where you don't matter if you're one of the many employees doing general labour roles. Canopy only cares about its public image and is not commited to making good products or treating their employees equally and fairly, the mental toll it takes on its employees is unbelievable
Pros
Good coworkers, cool Christmas party
Cons
Long hours, pay issues, toxic environment, terrible management, section favouritism
Ratings by category
1.0
Work/Life Balance
https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Canopy-Growth-Corporation/reviews
"A big reason behind Canopy Growth's woes is its focus on cannabis 2.0 products like edibles, vapes, beverages, etc., instead of dried cannabis with high THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical in cannabis that gets users "high"). At the end of the day, consumers enjoy the drug due to its "buzz" sensation and want to take the path of least resistance to get there."
Crappy is running a show they don,t understanding.
Big reason why cannadians purchase weed from canna users.
And why they stay away from crappy growth.
You are stuck with newbies who buy a stale joint on saturday,s.
No prison for pot!
Looks like the fools are no longuer fools.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/07/31/where-will-canopy-growth-be-in-1-year/
Canna oppressor investing in a stock market bunk weed caper!
You pay for a cannabis monopoly that is sinking down fast!
The cannabis culture is doing well without you...
Running on all cylinders. Overgrowing you hypocrite.
When cannabis sell for pennies, weed will be free at last!
You will be history. Lol
No prison for POT!
Free the weed!!
Overgrow the government!!!
Prove it!
I only deal with facts.
Twiggy, pretty please, don,t put me on ignore...
https://potheadbooks.com/pages/about-us
About the author
DANA LARSEN is the author of Green Buds and Hash, The Pie-Eyed Piper, Hairy Pothead & the Marijuana Stone, and Cannabis in Canada: The Illustrated History.
Dana is also one of Canada’s most well-known and respected advocates for cannabis reform and an end to the global war on drugs. He often appears in local and national media to discuss issues around cannabis and prohibition.
Visit DanaLarsen.com to find out more!
Dana is the founder, co-founder or founding member of all the following organizations.
SFU League for Ethical Action on Drugs (1989-1993)
The Hype, Journal of the Gentleman Junkie (1990-1994)
Cannabis Canada Magazine (1994-1997)
Cannabis Culture Magazine (1997-2004)
The Canadian Marijuana Party (2000-2003)
The BC Marijuana Party (2001-2003)
End Prohibition: NDP Against the Drug War (2004-present)
The Vancouver Seed Bank (2005-2008)
The Vancouver Dispensary Society (2008-present)
The Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (2010-present)
Candidate for federal NDP in West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast (2008)
Candidate for leadership of BC NDP (2011)
Sensible BC: Your Voice for Marijuana Reform (2012-present)
MJ Creams (2015-present)
Pothead Books (2016-present)
Overgrow Canada seed giveaway campaign (2016-present)
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Happy loves the corruption.
https://potheadbooks.com/pages/excerpts-from-the-history-of-cannabis-in-canada
She cannot deal with facts, but drowns in myths and falacy.
A Trumper by nature...
We try to educate her to no avail.
She,s doomed! That,s what happens when you,re not educated...
Or better yet, ask for a refund!
i,m not a yes man. You don,t like it? Shove it!
Hey Grumpy...
Ho come on... get off your high horse please Fluffy...
I<ll tell you a secret Pappy.
Politicians are corrupted!!!
They wine and dine with LPEES CEOSSS & Health Canada & Ex-Cops.
Boy you have a lot to learn,,, kind of naive.
Haven,t been aroud much in your life, did you?
My FREEadvise to you glossy...bite an eight of Martha<s finest.
Wait 2 hours, drink water and learn to chill.
That canna boost will jump start your brain.
You will become creative... in any venture.
I<m not a yes man, nor a trumper and despise Nixon velly velly much.
If you only knew what he did to peacefull KIDS.
And Fluffey Twiddidilili is calling me a criminal?
What an arse you are.
After all, the largest Canadian LPs have lost over $10.2 billion in aggregate. Billion!
— Matt Lamers 🌻 (@matt_lamers) March 9, 2021
The losses largely stem from those giant greenhouses & consequent writedowns.
The reason this lawsuit will be so watched is because it digs into the question: What were they thinking?
Because they were all so arrogant they thought, "growing weed is easy, it's just a plant" and were financially incentivized to drive up the stock price regardless of actual performance. Fraud was the blueprint. IFRS reporting was used to fudge the numbers. These are proven facts. https://t.co/M6TXX53Wgy
— The Greed Rush (@greed_rush) July 29, 2021
More proof @CanopyGrowth is a Ponzi scheme built by Bruce Linton. https://t.co/F15d4DEqej pic.twitter.com/8acZI5S0JE
— The Greed Rush (@greed_rush) September 16, 2020
My tax dollar at work folks! What a bunch of crooks!!
The Greed Rush Retweeted
Michael Miller
@Porters6thForce
·
Aug 6
Looks like Canopy's first quarter got a $20M boost from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program.
They have now received more from the federal wage subsidy program than any other public cannabis company to date.
$CGC #PotStocks #CEWS
my tax dollars at work Twiddler... you smock!
Replying to
@matt_lamers
Canopy also collected payroll subsidies from the ???? government worth $11 million as part of Canada’s COVID-19 relief program to help keep workers on its payroll ?? #cdnecon
10:13 AM · Aug 4, 2021·Twitter Web App
5
Retweets
2
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Likes
Jeff Goldenberg
@jeff_goldenberg
·
Aug 4
Replying to
@matt_lamers
All those poor jobs too
???? ?? qi?l??
@WhereisCatnip
·
Aug 4
Replying to
@matt_lamers
Whoa whoa! ?????????
The following media includes potentially sensitive content. Change settings
No One Important
@sad_gurl_101
·
Aug 4
Replying to
@matt_lamers
And they bust unions like no one else but the workers are winning.
JessieBGrowing
@JessieTweeting
·
Aug 4
Replying to
@matt_lamers
Unbelievable.
and a racist...
Cannabis prohibition
Cannabis was added to the Confidential Restricted List in 1923 under the Narcotics Drug Act Amendment Bill after a vague reference to a "new drug" during a late-night session of the House of Commons on April 23, 1923.[17][18] More specifically, the government introduced the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other Drugs; this was a consolidation of other legislation but now listed three new drugs, including marijuana.[19]
Historians often point to the 1922 publication of Emily Murphy's The Black Candle (which was reprinted in 1973) as the inspiration for the addition of the three extra drugs. Murphy was a suffragist and police magistrate who wrote a series of articles in Maclean's magazine under the pen-name "Janey Canuck", which formed the basis of her book.[20] She used numerous anecdotes culled mostly from anti-drug reformers and police to make her arguments, which make strong links between drugs and race and the threat this poses to white women. She claimed that a ring of immigrants from other countries, particularly China, would corrupt the white race. [21] "It is hardly credible that the average Chinese peddler has any definite idea in his mind of bringing about the downfall of the white race, his swaying motive being probably that of greed, but in the hands of his superiors, he may become a powerful instrument to that end."[22]
Although Murphy's anti-drug writings were widely read and helped spread the drug panic across the country, historian Catharine Carstairs disputes that the seven-page chapter Marahuana—a new menace in Murphy's book inspired the inclusion of cannabis on Canada's restricted substance list. Specifically, Murphy was not respected by the Division of Narcotic Control because of the creative liberties she took in presenting research they had assisted her with. According to Carstairs, "There were insinuations in the records that the bureaucrats at the division of narcotic control did not think very highly of Emily Murphy and did not pay attention to what she was writing about, and they didn't consider her a particularly accurate or valuable source."[23]
Another bone head!! What an cannabis ignorant peice of shit you are.
FUCK OFF TDIDDLE DI tdiddle do!!! you racist pig!
I pay tax on everything bonehead!.
Tax on the ranch alone is more than you could imagine.
I have a house in manelli and Santa Martha and i pay tax there too.
I,m licenced to grow 20 plants and i don,t have to pay tax.
TAKE YOUR CRIMINAL BULL SHIT AND SHOVE IT!
Cannabis has no buziness in crime.
IT<S A FUCKING PLANT ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IGORANT BASTaRD!
History
Early drug prohibition
Drug prohibition in Canada began with the Opium Act of 1908,[14] which was introduced based on a report by then-Deputy Minister of Labour, Mackenzie King. Following the Asiatic Exclusion League riot of 1907, King went to Vancouver to investigate causes of the riots and claims for compensation. Some of the claims came from opium manufacturers seeking compensation for damage done to their production facilities by the mob that attacked Chinatown and Japantown. While in Vancouver, King interviewed members of a Chinese anti-opium league and came away in favour of suppressing the drug because "opium smoking was making headway, not only among white men and boys, but also among women and girls."[15] In his report, King summarized the progress of the anti-opium movement in China, the United States, Britain, and Japan to make the point that Canada was lagging behind in this international movement. King's recommendations were the basis for the 1908 Opium Act, which prohibited the sale, manufacture, and importation of opium for other than medicinal use.[16]:24 This was followed by the Opium and Drug Act of 1911, which outlawed the sale or possession of morphine, opium, or cocaine. Smoking opium became a separate offence, punishable by a maximum penalty of $50 and one month in jail.[16]:24 King introduced the new legislation based on recommendations from the chief constable of the Vancouver police and to bring Canada's drug laws in line with resolutions passed at an American-led international anti-opium conference in Shanghai.[16]:25 The name of the 1911 Act is significant because it separates opium, associated with Chinese users, from "white drugs," so labelled because of the colour of both the drugs themselves and the race of those presumed to be consuming them.[15]
The next wave of legislation began with the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act of 1920, which was amended in 1921 and again in 1922 before being consolidated in 1923.[15] Penalties became stiffer in the 1920s, with far more prison terms being handed out compared with the earlier period when fines were typically given.[16]:25 Maximum prison sentences also increased from one to seven years and in 1922, possession and trafficking became a deportable offence.[16]:25 The catalyst for these laws also differed from the earlier ones in that they were largely the result of the agitation of moral reformers, particularly those in Vancouver who had stirred up a full-blown moral panic over the drug issue in the early 1920s.[16]:25 Race remained a persistent theme, and the drug prohibition movement was closely related to the move to totally exclude Chinese immigrants from Canada, which led to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.[16]:46
Cannabis prohibition
Cannabis was added to the Confidential Restricted List in 1923 under the Narcotics Drug Act Amendment Bill after a vague reference to a "new drug" during a late-night session of the House of Commons on April 23, 1923.[17][18] More specifically, the government introduced the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other Drugs; this was a consolidation of other legislation but now listed three new drugs, including marijuana.[19]
Historians often point to the 1922 publication of Emily Murphy's The Black Candle (which was reprinted in 1973) as the inspiration for the addition of the three extra drugs. Murphy was a suffragist and police magistrate who wrote a series of articles in Maclean's magazine under the pen-name "Janey Canuck", which formed the basis of her book.[20] She used numerous anecdotes culled mostly from anti-drug reformers and police to make her arguments, which make strong links between drugs and race and the threat this poses to white women. She claimed that a ring of immigrants from other countries, particularly China, would corrupt the white race. [21] "It is hardly credible that the average Chinese peddler has any definite idea in his mind of bringing about the downfall of the white race, his swaying motive being probably that of greed, but in the hands of his superiors, he may become a powerful instrument to that end."[22]
Although Murphy's anti-drug writings were widely read and helped spread the drug panic across the country, historian Catharine Carstairs disputes that the seven-page chapter Marahuana—a new menace in Murphy's book inspired the inclusion of cannabis on Canada's restricted substance list. Specifically, Murphy was not respected by the Division of Narcotic Control because of the creative liberties she took in presenting research they had assisted her with. According to Carstairs, "There were insinuations in the records that the bureaucrats at the division of narcotic control did not think very highly of Emily Murphy and did not pay attention to what she was writing about, and they didn't consider her a particularly accurate or valuable source."[23]
More likely, cannabis was added to the list because of Canadian involvement in international conferences where it was discussed. According to one government official, cannabis was outlawed after the Director of the Federal Division of Narcotic Control returned from League of Nations meetings where the international control of the drug was broached.[16]:49 Cannabis did not begin to attract official attention in Canada until the latter 1930s.[16]:51 The first seizure of cannabis by Canadian police was not until 1937.[16]:48 Between 1946 and 1961, cannabis accounted for 2% of all drug arrests in Canada.[16]:112
Popularization
While recreational use of cannabis in the Western hemisphere had been growing since the 1800s, it remained almost unheard of in Canada until the 1930s, and it was not until the 1960s that cannabis surged in popularity as a drug. Initially in the 1960s the drug was popular among middle-class college students, only later expanding to other demographics.[24] The maximum penalty for possession of small quantities was six months in prison and a $1,000 fine for a first offence.[25] Convictions for cannabis skyrocketed, from 25 convictions between 1930 and 1946, to 20 cases in 1962, to 2,300 cases in 1968, to 12,000 in 1972.[26] The Narcotics Control Act of 1961 increased maximum penalties to 14 years to life imprisonment.[27]
According to a report titled For The Senate Special Committee On Illegal Drugs, the increase in marijuana use during the 1960s was due to the "hippie psychedelic ethos", a counter culture that rejected traditional values, the growth of underground newspapers, and the increased discussion about the drug in the mass media. The report also suggests that increased travel to parts of the world such as the Far East, where hashish was readily available at moderate cost, contributed to the popularity of the drug culture.[28]
In response to the increased popularization of marijuana and the increase in criminal charges against middle class citizens, the government formed the Royal Commission of Inquiry in the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, usually referred to as the Le Dain Commission in 1969 to investigate the non-medical cannabis use in Canada.[29] The commission's 1972 report recommended removing criminal penalties for cannabis possession, though not legalization, per se. While the subsequent two federal governments discussed the recommendation, no steps were actually taken to change legislation.[30]
During the 1980s, Gallup polls indicated that cannabis use was stabilizing; this may have been because of the penalties and the changing opinion of the public toward a less permissive attitude that objected more strenuously to the marijuana-based lifestyle. However, cannabis use increased significantly during the 1990s. For example, statistics for Ontario between 1996 and 2000 indicated that use among 18-29 year olds increased from 18% to 28%.[28]
An October 2016 national poll by Forum suggests that about five million adult Canadians now use cannabis at least once a month; this was expected to increase by 19 percent after marijuana is legalized.[31] Canaccord Genuity analysts Matt Bottomley and Neil Maruoka released a research note with a more moderate estimates as to the number of users. They predicted that approximately 3.8 million persons will be recreational users (presumably on a frequent basis) by 2021.[32]
With the confirmation of adult-use legalization in Canada's launch in October 2017, several celebrities have agreed to promote specific brands. Tweed Inc. will be producing and distributing Snoop Dogg's Leafs by Snoop cannabis brand, and Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes known as Jay and Silent Bob will be promoting Beleave Inc.[33] Stars from the popular Canadian show Trailer Park Boys are launching the brand Trailer Park Buds, produced in collaboration with Organigram.[34]
Industrial hemp
Cannabis cultivation was banned in Canada in 1938, under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act.[35] Commercial cultivation and production of industrial hemp was legalized in Canada in 1998. Prior to that point only a limited number of experimental growers had been licensed under Health Canada, beginning in 1961.[36]
Developments since 2001
Medical cannabis legislation
The regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes, established by Health Canada in July 2001, defines two categories of patients eligible for access to medical cannabis. BC College of Physicians and Surgeons’ recommendation, as well as the CMPA position, is that physicians may prescribe cannabis if they feel comfortable with it. The MMPR (Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations) forms are a confidential document between Health Canada, the physician and the patient. The information is not shared with the College or with the RCMP. No doctor has ever gone to court or faced prosecution for filling out a form or for prescribing medical cannabis.[citation needed] Category 1 covers any symptoms treated within the context of providing compassionate end-of-life care or at least one of the symptoms associated with medical conditions listed below:
Severe pain and/or persistent muscle spasms from multiple sclerosis, from a spinal cord injury, from spinal cord disease
Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, and/or severe nausea from cancer or HIV/AIDS infection
Severe pain from severe forms of arthritis
Seizures from epilepsy
Category 2 is for applicants who have debilitating symptom(s) of medical condition(s), other than those described in Category 1. The application of eligible patients must be supported by a medical practitioner.[37] Health Canada permits cannabis for approved patients who can demonstrate a medical need for compassionate end-of-life care or debilitating symptoms.[38][when?] Chris Buors, a cannabis activist, was sentenced to six months in jail in November 2004 after pleading guilty to cannabis distribution and marketing charges arising from his operation of the Manitoba Compassion Club which served patients suffering from a variety of illnesses.
In a survey conducted by the United Nations in 2011 it was revealed that 12.6% of the population, roughly 4.39 million adults, have used cannabis at least once in the past year, while the estimate for those aged between 15 and 24 was 26.3%. Considering the massive size of the cannabis market, it is clear that prohibition has harmed the Canadian government greatly, like others worldwide, from an expansive additional source of revenue at a time when cuts in benefits and investments are being used to balance the budget and come out of debt. However, the loss of tax revenues is not the only problem associated with the current cannabis use policies: prohibition has kept the drug industry illegal and, subsequently, deregulated. This makes for risk-premiums that create a monopolized market with high barriers to entry, which in turn, leads to increases in violence, organized crime and the diversion of limited government resources to prosecuting drug users (i.e. non-violent crimes).[39]
In April 2014, the Medical Marijuana Access Program was replaced by the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (or MMPR) by Health Canada.[4] Under the MMPR, legal medical cannabis production is authorized to licensed producers whom Health Canada maintains a public database of.[40] Patients wishing to fulfill a medical cannabis prescription must register with and order from a licensed producer of their choice. To receive prescription for medical cannabis, a patient must obtain a medical document from a healthcare practitioner and obtain Authorization to Possess from Health Canada.[8] Individuals with an Authorization to Possess valid on March 21, 2014 fall under a grandfather clause and may hold a maximum quantity of dried herbal cannabis as specified by their Authorization to Possess or 150 grams, whichever is less.[41]
In June 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada expanded the definition of medical cannabis to include any form of the drug, including but not limited to brownies, teas, or oils.[42]
While marijuana is legal for medical use, Toronto Police executed Project Claudia in 2016, seizing 279 kg of marijuana from multiple dispensaries regardless of their adherence to the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations. 186 charges were laid, many related to the sale of food. The interrupted service prompted medical marijuana patients to protest at TPS headquarters.[43][44][45]
Cannabis refugees in Canada
There are cases of users of medical cannabis in the United States who, on being persecuted in their own country, have fled across the border to Canada as "cannabis refugees", where they have sought asylum under the United Nations refugee convention.[46] This began occurring in the early part of the 2000s when the U.S. Attorney General, John Ashcroft, ordered a clampdown on the use of medical cannabis in the United States. Some of those who have fled are wanted by the U.S. federal government on charges related to their use of cannabis.
Failed decriminalization bills (2003, 2004)
On May 27, 2003, the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien introduced a bill that would have decriminalized the possession for personal use of small amounts of cannabis. Possession of 15 grams or less would have been punishable only with a fine, and those possessing between 15 and 30 grams would be either ticketed or arrested for criminal charges at the officer's discretion. Personal cultivation of up to seven plants would have also become a summary offence, while the punishment for cultivation in larger amounts would have been more severe. The bill looked likely to pass into law, but it died when Parliament prorogued. The bill's death was largely due to pressure from the American government's Drug Enforcement Administration, which had threatened to slow down border-crossings along the Canada–United States border with increased searches for cannabis.
An identical bill was introduced in November 2004 by the minority Liberal government of Paul Martin. It did not become law when Martin's government was defeated in a confidence vote. After the Conservative minority victory in the 2006 election, the new government did not continue with this legislation, nor did a private member's bill put forward new legislation on this topic.[47]
The Vancouver plan (2005)
This is a draft by the city authorities in Vancouver called Preventing Harm from Psychoactive Drug Use dated November 2005, that aims to regulate the sale of cannabis. The principle is "when A Framework for Action: A Four Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver was adopted by City Council in 2001, Vancouver committed to developing a comprehensive strategy based on the best evidence available to address harmful drug use in the city. In public meetings across the city, citizens called for a more focused, coordinated and sustained approach to addressing drug related issues. Since that time, our understanding of the issue has grown. This plan highlights both the complexity and centrality of prevention in any discussion of a comprehensive Four Pillar approach to harmful drug use." A Four Pillar Approach to Drug Problems that was founded by Donald Macpherson consists of the equal involvement of facilities that deal with Prevention, Treatment, Enforcement and Harm Reduction strategies in a commonly shared goal to manage the negative impacts of severe drug use and dependence on the community and the individual.[48]
Marc Emery extradition and trial (2005–2009)
Marc Emery, a cannabis activist and former cannabis seed distributor from Vancouver, was extradited to the United States, where he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for "distribution of marijuana" seeds.[49] Though accused of laundering seed money from 1998 until his arrest in 2005, Emery paid provincial and federal taxes as a "marijuana seed vendor" totalling nearly $600,000.[50]
Anti-drug strategy (2007)
In October 2007, while in his first term in office, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new national anti-drug strategy. Following the Conservative victory in the 2008 election, the government reannounced the policy in February 2009. The proposed legislation would have dealers facing one-year mandatory prison sentences if they are operating for organized crime purposes, or if violence is involved. Dealers would also face a two-year mandatory jail sentence if they are selling to youth, or dealing drugs near a school or an area normally frequented by youth. Additionally, people in Canada who run a large cannabis grow operation of at least 500 plants would risk facing a mandatory two-year jail term. Maximum penalties for producing cannabis would increase from 7 to 14 years.[51]
Bill C-15/S-10: mandatory minimums for cannabis (2009)
Legislation submitted by the Conservative minority government moved in a new direction on cannabis towards increasing penalties on cannabis trafficking by introducing mandatory minimum sentencing.
The Senate sent the bill back to the house. Parliament was prorogued at the end of 2009 so the bill died,[52] but it was reintroduced as Bill S-10. Bill S-10 did not become law, in March 2011 as parliament was dissolved after a non-confidence vote.[53]
Legalization (2017-2018)
Main article: Cannabis Act
On April 13, 2017, a bill to legalize cannabis by July 1, 2018 was introduced to Parliament. It would allow for national use by individuals 18 and over, and possession of 30 grams. Provinces could further restrict possession, sale and use. Provisions were not made for legal sales.[54][55]
Final legalization
On June 1, 2018, the Canadian Senate passed an amendment to C-45 outlawing cannabis "brand-stretching". The amendment, which passed 34–28,[56] outlaws the sale and display of cannabis-related merchandise and makes it difficult to publicly promote cannabis once legalized.[56][57] However, this amendment was rejected by the Liberal government when the bill was returned to the House of Commons and does not appear in the final version of C-45 that received Royal Assent.[58]
After being passed by the House of Commons, the bill was sent to the Senate. On June 19, 2018, the Senate passed the bill and the Prime Minister announced the effective legalization date as October 17, 2018.[59] Canada is the second nation (after Uruguay) to legalise the drug.[60]
As expected, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes became legal across the country on that date, under the Cannabis Act.[61] Persons aged 18 or older can possess up to 30 grams of dried or “equivalent non-dried form” in public. Adults are also allowed to make cannabis-infused food and drinks "as long as organic solvents are not used to create concentrated products." Each household is allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants from "licensed seed or seedlings", although Quebec and Manitoba chose to be excluded from this aspect of the legislation. Each province set its own procedures for retail sales, and these vary greatly, as discussed in a later section, but all include an option for on-line sales.
The first Legal Recreational Cannabis in Canada was purchased by 46-year-old Ian Power.[62][63]
Since marijuana is illegal in the US per federal legislation, the government warned that "previous use of cannabis, or any substance prohibited by U.S. federal laws, could mean that you are denied entry to the U.S". Canadians travelling within the country (but not internationally) are allowed to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis. Naturally, driving under the influence of drugs remained illegal. [64][65]
Key court decisions
All of these decisions have invalidated the prohibition of cannabis based on the insufficiency of the exemptions provided for legitimate medical users of the drug. However, the laws have been and will probably continue to be modified in order to adapt them to constitutional requirements. As such, there is the possibility that a judge will uphold as valid a newer revision of the law. This also does not stop prosecutors from pursuing charges against cannabis users. Therefore, cannabis users cannot be assured that they will not be prosecuted for their use of the drug.
2000: R. v. Parker (Ontario Court of Appeal)
R. v. Parker was the landmark decision that first invalidated the cannabis prohibition. However the declaration of invalidity was suspended for one year. It concerned the case of an epileptic who could only alleviate his suffering by recourse to cannabis. The Court found that the prohibition on cannabis was unconstitutional as it did not contain any exemption for medical use.[66]
2003: R. v. J.P. (Ontario Court of Appeal)
On May 16, 2003, the Ontario Superior Court found the accused party, "J.P.", not guilty. The appellate court ruled that the Medical Marihuana program's rules do not form a basis for the prosecution of J.P., as they do not themselves contain any effective prohibitions.[67]
The Crown appealed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court to the Ontario Court of Appeal. But in October 2003, the Court of Appeal upheld the invalidity of section four of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as it applies to cannabis, on the same grounds as those given by the lower court. The court stated in its ruling:
As we have held, the MMAR [Medical Marihuana Access Regulations] did not create a constitutionally acceptable medical exemption. In Parker, this court made it clear that the criminal prohibition against possession of marihuana, absent a constitutionally acceptable medical exemption, was of no force and effect. As of April 12, 2002, there was no constitutionally acceptable medical exemption. It follows that as of that date the offence of possession of marihuana in s. 4 of the CDSA was of no force and effect. The respondent could not be prosecuted.[This quote needs a citation]
2003: R v Malmo-Levine; R v Caine (Supreme Court of Canada)
In late 2003, in R v Malmo-Levine; R v Caine,[5] the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed a general constitutional challenge to Canada's criminalisation of marijuana possession, brought under the Constitution Act, 1867 and under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One of the appellants had been convicted in the lower courts of simple possession of marihuana, while the other had been convicted of possession for the purposes of trafficking. If they had succeeded in their challenge, the cannabis law would have been struck down entirely, unlike the more limited challenges based on the medical use of marihuana.
The appellants argued that the federal Parliament lacked the authority to criminalise marihuana possession. They also challenged the offence under three sections of the Charter: s. 7 (liberty and principles of fundamental justice), s. 12 (cruel and unusual treatment and punishment) and s. 15 (equality).
On the first point, they argued that the criminalisation of marihuana did not come within the federal criminal law jurisdiction. With respect to s. 7 of the Charter, they argued that the right to liberty and the principles of fundamental justice protected by s. 7 included a "harm principle": that the federal criminal law power can only be used to criminalise harmful conduct. With respect to s. 12, they argued that the punishment for possession was grossly disproportionate. On s. 15, they argued that singling out marihuana possession infringed the equality guarantee of the Charter.
The Supreme Court dismissed their appeals. On the issue of the criminal law power, the Court unanimously concluded that the federal criminal law power included the power to criminalise marihuana.
The Court split, 6-3, on the Charter issues. Speaking for the majority, Justices Gonthier and Binnie found no infringement of any of the Charter provisions. On s. 7, the majority found that the proposed "harm principle" did not qualify as a principle of fundamental justice, and in any event the government had provided sufficient evidence of harm to justify its actions. Nor was the law arbitrary. On the issue of punishment, the fact that there was no minimum sentence for the offences indicated that the law was not grossly disproportionate. On the equality issue, the lifestyle goals of the accused did not rise to the level of inherent personal characteristics to trigger s. 15 of the Charter.
The three dissenting judges each wrote their own reasons. All three agreed that the federal criminal law power included the power to criminalise marihuana. Justice Arbour accepted the appellants' argument that the principles of fundamental justice included a "harm principle". She concluded that the criminalisation of marihuana failed to meet that requirement, and so was unconstitutional. Justices Le Bel and Deschamps did not accept the "harm principle" as a principle of fundamental justice, but they both concluded that the law was arbitrary and therefore infringed the principles of fundamental justice.
2007: R. v. Long (Ontario Court of Justice)
The Ontario Court of Justice held in R. v. Long that the prohibition in the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act against the possession of cannabis were unconstitutional in the absence of an accompanying constitutionally acceptable exemption for medical cannabis. The current exemption depended on the government supplying cannabis, which it was only doing as a result of the policy. However, the policy did not impose a legal obligation upon the government to supply cannabis to those who needed it for medical purposes. The court held that without such an obligation, the exemption was constitutionally unacceptable, as access to marijuana depended on the implementation of a policy rather than the application of a law. If the government wanted to control the supply of cannabis, it had to impose an obligation upon itself to supply marijuana to eligible persons. The court held that if the government was obliged by law to supply cannabis in accordance with the policy, the exemption would be constitutionally acceptable.[68]
A notice of appeal was filed by the Crown on 23 August 2007 and the verdict was overturned by Superior Court judge in 2008. The case was sent back to Ontario Court of Justice for retrial.[69]
2007: R. v. Bodnar/Hall/Spasic (Ontario Court of Justice)
In R. v. Bodnar/Hall/Spasic, the Ontario Court of Justice followed the Long decision, holding that the prohibition against possession of cannabis in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is invalid and of no force or effect. Hon. Justice Edmonson stated in his ruling that "there is no offence known to law that the accused have committed."
2008: Sfetkopoulos v. Canada (Federal Court of Canada)
As of 10 January 2008, Justice Barry Strayer of the Federal Court of Canada struck down the federal regulations concerning the growing of medical cannabis by licensed producers. Prior to the case, a producer was prohibited from growing for more than one person. The Marijuana Medical Access Regulations require all medical cannabis users to obtain their prescription from a limited number of sources:
Personally grown
Produced by a designated individual for that person
From a licensed dealer
At the time, there was only a single licensed dealer in Canada, which grew in Manitoba and processed in Saskatchewan, making it difficult to access. A multitude of users requested a single designate, of which all applications were denied except for one. This regulatory structure was, they argued, a violation of the Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, because it forced sufferers to go through illicit channels to obtain medical cannabis, to which they were legally entitled. Thus, they were being forced to break the law in order to ensure their constitutionally-protected right to "security of the person."
The court agreed with this reasoning and struck down subsection 41(b.1)[70] as being of no force or effect.
This, however, does not concern the non-medical use of cannabis.
2011: R. v. Mernagh (Ontario Superior Court)
On April 12, 2011, Justice Donald Taliano found that Canada's Marijuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) and "the prohibitions against the possession and production of cannabis contained in sections 4 and 7 respectively of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act" are "constitutionally invalid and of no force and effect".[71] The government was given 90 days (until 11 July) to fill the void in those sections, or the possession and cultivation of cannabis would become legal in all of Ontario. This includes the non-medical use of the drug.[72]
The mid-July deadline was extended when federal government lawyers argued that current cannabis laws and regulations should stay in place until Ontario's highest court could hear the appeal, which took place over the 7th and 8 May 2012.[73] In granting the deadline extension, the Court of Appeal noted that "The practical effect of the decision if the suspension were permitted to expire on 14 July would be to legalize cannabis production in Ontario, if not across Canada."[74] The decision released February 1, 2013 states that the Ontario's Appeals Court has upheld current cannabis laws in Canada, overturning the decision made by the lower court judge in 2011.[75] In the decision, the appeals court ruled that the lower court judge had made several errors in striking down Canada's cannabis laws, citing an absence of a constitutional right to use medical cannabis. The court also stated that Mernagh failed to provide evidence from a doctor that he met the criteria for the use of medical marijuana. The decision was met with criticism and disappointment from many in Canada, including the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. After the ruling, they restated Mernagh's (and many other medical marijuana users in Canada) issue with the current cannabis rules: "Allowing the current regulations to stand unchanged will leave many people with serious health conditions without effective access to legal authorization to use cannabis as medicine."
2015: R v. Smith (Supreme Court of Canada)
The Supreme Court ruled in this case that the restrictions limiting authorized patients to dried marijuana under the MMAR and the MMPR were unconstitutional.[76]
2016: Allard et al v. Regina
Injunctive relief granted by Judge Manson to those previously licensed under MMAR within certain dates. MMPR declared unconstitutional by BC Superior Court, declaration suspended for 6 months to allow government time to respond to ruling and reincorporate personal production.[77]
Preliminary steps to legalization
After the Liberal party formed a majority government after the 2015 Canadian federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that a federal-provincial-territorial process was being created to discuss a jointly suitable process for decriminalizing Cannabis in Canada for personal use. The plan was to remove cannabis consumption and incidental possession from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.[11] In November 2015, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said that she and the ministers of Health and Public Safety were working on specifics as to the legislation.[78] During an annual celebration of cannabis culture in April 2016, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced the government's plan to introduce new legislation to the House of Commons the following spring.[79]
Since that time, some people with minor convictions for cannabis possession are asking whether the Government of Canada plans to give them pardons that would allow them to travel to the United States and to get employment in certain fields. As of 22 December 2015, a decision had not yet been made in this regard. Wilson-Raybould said that conversations with various levels of government will be required before making a decision on this issue.[80]
While the legislation was enacted, making Cannabis in Canada legal for all intents and purposes, sales for recreational use did not commence until October, 2018.[81]
Cannabis will be taxed, producing revenues of $618 million per year initially and eventually, billions, according to a report by Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) in 2016.[82] A recent government estimate indicates that the illegal marijuana industry is worth $7-billion per year.[83]
The Liberal Party of Canada tabled bill c-45, "An Act respecting cannabis" which was put forward to Parliament on April 13, 2017 with the intent of legalizing recreational use of Cannabis by July 1, 2018.[84] Bill C-45, was in the Parliamentary process in late August 2017.[85] Meetings were to be held September 11–15, 2017 and a report was expected by parliament by the end of September.
In the lead-up to marijuana legalization, in 2017 The Globe and Mail conducted an investigation into the use of chemicals by federally regulated marijuana companies. Their findings concluded the use of chemicals was far worse than the government knew. On December 31 the spokeswoman for Health Canada, Tammy Jarbeau, said, the government will "provide the Minister of Health with the authority to issue an administrative monetary penalty of up to $1-million per violation to a licensed producer for a violation of the Act or its regulations."[citation needed]
Positions of Canadian political parties
The Liberal Party of Canada supported the legalization and regulation of cannabis for recreational use.[78][86] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supported ending the prohibition of marijuana, and defended his and the party's stance multiple times since announcing his candidacy for party leader.[87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97] Since the Liberals won a majority of the seats in the House of Commons during the 2015 Canadian federal election, the Trudeau government had little difficulty passing legislation to make cannabis legal, but almost all Conservative party members of parliament voted in opposition to the legislation (one member voted for).[98] However, Conservative Senators temporarily stalled the bill in parliamentary committees, proposing amendments including attempts to prohibit private cultivation, among other items.[99]
The Conservative Party of Canada favours decriminalization of cannabis.[100][101][102] Former Prime Minister of Canada and CPC leader Stephen Harper is quoted as saying, "Tobacco is a product that does a lot of damage. Marijuana is infinitely worse and it's something that we do not want to encourage."[103][104][105] Past CPC interim leader Rona Ambrose had on multiple occasions reiterated Mr. Harper's position, but had also stated that she wanted Mr. Trudeau's government to "get a move on" with their plan.[106]
The New Democratic Party supported the legalization and regulation of cannabis as of the federal election of 2015.[107] The NDP have promised to immediately decriminalize cannabis should they form government.[108] The NDP party leader Thomas Mulcair publicly clarified his support for decriminalization in 2012.[109]
The Green Party of Canada supported the regulation and taxation of cannabis.[110]
The Bloc Québécois supported the decriminalization of cannabis.[111]
The Libertarian Party of Canada supports ending drug prohibition, including cannabis.[112]
The Marijuana Party of Canada championed cannabis legalization at the federal level. The party still exists after the legalization of cannabis in Canada. This is largely due to criticisms it has with how cannabis has been legalized in Canada and changes it wants made to laws, rules and regulations, and changes to cannabis business related matters. Provincial parties also exist, including the British Columbia Marijuana Party and Bloc pot.
The Christian Heritage Party rejects the decriminalization of cannabis and demanded that the prohibition be maintained for the health and safety of Canadian society and Canadian youth.[113]
See also
By province or territory
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
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References
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Mr. LADNER: Suppose the accused is only fined?
Mr. BELAND: Under section 4 of this act it is provided that he must not only be fined but sentenced to imprisonment...
On the schedule:
Mr. BELAND: There is a new drug in the schedule.
Bill reported, read the third time, and passed.
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Schwartz, Daniel (3 May 2014). "Marijuana was criminalized in 1923, but why?". CBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2016. ...it's understandable why people would later link the decision to The Black Candle. But Carstairs says it's probably just happenstance.
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Hathaway, Andrew (2009). "The Legal History and Cultural Experience of Cannabis". Here to Help. Here to Help. Retrieved 16 December 2016. In Canada, the government rejected the Le Dain proposal to remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession.
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Canada introduces legislation to legalize marijuana, Associated Press, 13 April 2017 – via Fox News
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"First legal purchase of cannabis made in Newfoundland and Labrador". 16 October 2018.
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R. v. Long, 2008 CanLII 64390 (ON SC), <http://canlii.ca/t/21sxf>, retrieved on 2018-03-10
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
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http://cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/T-2030-13%20reasons%2024-02-2016%20(ENG).pdf cas-cdc-www02.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/T-2030-13%20reasons%2024-02-2016%20(ENG).pdf
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Kane, Laura (22 December 2015). "Canadians with marijuana convictions call on Trudeau to offer pardons". Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
Cullen, Catherine (1 November 2016). "Legal marijuana could raise federal cash — but not right away, PBO says". CBC News. CBC. Retrieved 4 December 2016. as early as January 2018
Cullen, Catherine (1 November 2016). "Legal marijuana could raise federal cash — but not right away, PBO says". CBC News. CBC. Retrieved 4 December 2016. In the first three years, it expects the number of cannabis users aged 15 and over to grow by more than half a million, rising to an estimated 5.2 million in 2021.
Cryderman, Kelley (27 November 2016). "Report on Canada's marijuana legalization due this week". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
"LEGISinfo - House Government Bill C-45 (42-1)". www.parl.ca. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
Valiante, Giuseppe (28 August 2017). "Provinces agree legal pot must be competitive with black market, Bill Blair says". Retrieved 12 January 2018 – via Toronto Star.
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"Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau talks jobs, marijuana, and other hot topics in Durham". Durham Region. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
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Culberson, Dan. "Canadian Conservatives Joined The 21st Century This Past Weekend". Civilized – Cannabis Culture Elevated. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
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Further reading
Busted: An Illustrated History of Drug Prohibition in Canada, Susan C. Boyd, (2017). Fernwood Publishing. ISBN 9781552669761.
Canada. Parliament. Senate. Special Committee on Illegal Drugs; Colin Kenny; Pierre Claude Nolin (2003). Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-8630-3.
vte
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What a bonehead... lol
You are invested in a game that you do not understand.
You have,nt live it but you could at least due dilligence in the subject. Namely the history of why cannabis was criminalized.
Why? no reason at all...
You need to educate yourself lady.
Instead of listening to Crappy Growth CEO interviews...
" We are on track for bla-bla-bla" bullshit.
Crappy Growth is on track for sweat fuck-all!
Remember klein is making millions and you are not.
Sucker born every minute...
Developments since 2001
Medical cannabis legislation
The regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes, established by Health Canada in July 2001, defines two categories of patients eligible for access to medical cannabis. BC College of Physicians and Surgeons’ recommendation, as well as the CMPA position, is that physicians may prescribe cannabis if they feel comfortable with it. The MMPR (Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations) forms are a confidential document between Health Canada, the physician and the patient. The information is not shared with the College or with the RCMP. No doctor has ever gone to court or faced prosecution for filling out a form or for prescribing medical cannabis.[citation needed] Category 1 covers any symptoms treated within the context of providing compassionate end-of-life care or at least one of the symptoms associated with medical conditions listed below:
Severe pain and/or persistent muscle spasms from multiple sclerosis, from a spinal cord injury, from spinal cord disease
Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, and/or severe nausea from cancer or HIV/AIDS infection
Severe pain from severe forms of arthritis
Seizures from epilepsy
Category 2 is for applicants who have debilitating symptom(s) of medical condition(s), other than those described in Category 1. The application of eligible patients must be supported by a medical practitioner.[37] Health Canada permits cannabis for approved patients who can demonstrate a medical need for compassionate end-of-life care or debilitating symptoms.[38][when?] Chris Buors, a cannabis activist, was sentenced to six months in jail in November 2004 after pleading guilty to cannabis distribution and marketing charges arising from his operation of the Manitoba Compassion Club which served patients suffering from a variety of illnesses.
In a survey conducted by the United Nations in 2011 it was revealed that 12.6% of the population, roughly 4.39 million adults, have used cannabis at least once in the past year, while the estimate for those aged between 15 and 24 was 26.3%. Considering the massive size of the cannabis market, it is clear that prohibition has harmed the Canadian government greatly, like others worldwide, from an expansive additional source of revenue at a time when cuts in benefits and investments are being used to balance the budget and come out of debt. However, the loss of tax revenues is not the only problem associated with the current cannabis use policies: prohibition has kept the drug industry illegal and, subsequently, deregulated. This makes for risk-premiums that create a monopolized market with high barriers to entry, which in turn, leads to increases in violence, organized crime and the diversion of limited government resources to prosecuting drug users (i.e. non-violent crimes).[39]
In April 2014, the Medical Marijuana Access Program was replaced by the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (or MMPR) by Health Canada.[4] Under the MMPR, legal medical cannabis production is authorized to licensed producers whom Health Canada maintains a public database of.[40] Patients wishing to fulfill a medical cannabis prescription must register with and order from a licensed producer of their choice. To receive prescription for medical cannabis, a patient must obtain a medical document from a healthcare practitioner and obtain Authorization to Possess from Health Canada.[8] Individuals with an Authorization to Possess valid on March 21, 2014 fall under a grandfather clause and may hold a maximum quantity of dried herbal cannabis as specified by their Authorization to Possess or 150 grams, whichever is less.[41]
In June 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada expanded the definition of medical cannabis to include any form of the drug, including but not limited to brownies, teas, or oils.[42]
While marijuana is legal for medical use, Toronto Police executed Project Claudia in 2016, seizing 279 kg of marijuana from multiple dispensaries regardless of their adherence to the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations. 186 charges were laid, many related to the sale of food. The interrupted service prompted medical marijuana patients to protest at TPS headquarters.[43][44][45]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_Canada#Medical_cannabis_legislation
There you go!
Happy is a Refer Madness Queen who does,nt have a clue...
Yeah right Legacy growers just LOVE to smoke tainted bunk...
I,m health Canada (2001) licenced bonehead.
Hey HAPPY, watch and learn just why LEGACY RULES...
Knowledge is power!!!
Columbia ~
Gas Chromatograph cost
Browse Gas Chromatographs
Min Max
Monthly Rental Rate $250 $1990
Purchase Price $3,700 $115,000
60/mo Financing Rate $31 $1,605
48/mo Financing Rate $37 $1,947
5 more rows
"Black market does not test anything or label anything."
More BS from an "expert" that don,t know the legacy market...
You are such an canna ignorant bullshiter.
You think that Crappy Growth "invented " testing?
Testing is one of the reason why legacy rules.
You learn a lot by testing your product.
Cannabis originated in Mongolia/China 12,000 years ago.
They were not testing then, but still had great buds to sell.