Canada's most high profile cannabis activists; Marc y Jodie Emery, Chris y Erin Goodwin and Britney Guerra, aka the Cannabis Culture 5 [CC5], returned to court May 23 at Toronto's old city hall.
Here are the takeaways: The Crown has finally provided full disclosure of the evidence against the CC5. There will be a judicial pre-trial meet. Another court date is set for June 15th.
The CC5 left by noon with their lawyer to review the evidence and discuss their case. Happily, unlike during the CC5 March bail hearing [Here!] [Here!] the grinding tedium of the court process was kept to a minimum, the proceedings mercifully short.
Sadly, mainstream news coverage of the May 23rd court date has been minimal and in very short supply. So too an answer from Toronto Police Services [TPS], the Mayor's Office or the Trudeau government, to the excellent questions Jodie raised in her court step media scrum. Here's my unedited video clip of her comments for you to see @ HERE!
Consider this:
Why are police targeting Canada's most high profile cannabis activists, and the increasingly popular dispensary movement now, after the cannabis community has fought for decades to legalize weed? As Jodie explains we potheads are peaceful, non violent, and guilty at worst of a victimless crime!
Why aren't other more violent, dangerous offenders now being rounded up instead? Inexplicably, with legalization coming in Spring 2018, the number of cannabis prohibition busts quite drastically continues to grow!
Make no mistake! The new Canadian reefer madness is creating an unnecessary and very costly burden for our overtaxed police and court system! Taking away dollars that could be much better spent on our hospitals and schools, and to protect us from the much more dangerous criminal elements on our streets!
Welcome to Prohibition 2.0! The Trudeau neo liberals and their corporate cronies are eyeing the big profit$ and tax dollar$ to be made from "legalization". Of course decriminalization or an amnesty doesn't make any sense! Plus an example must be made of the high profile Cannabis Culture 5 activists for standing in the way. Trudeau's henchmen are very busy clearing the path for a big cannabiz monopoly takeover come next year!
MORE LINKS
Oh Cannabis News Y Views: Lots of informative links from Winter 2016-17 are posted here @ 1 @ 2 @ 3 @ NOW!
COMMENTS:
A very successful Green Village was held north of the Queens Park Legislature at the Charles Street staging area for the May 6th 19th Annual Toronto Global Cannabis March.[LINK] It quickly became a happy cannabis picnic adventure! Also a very excellent shopping event! I'm posting photos here and on Twitter, to provide you with a better idea on product pricing and availability. Here are a few personal observations:
Buds: A wide variety of strains were available from the umpteen vender's setting up their tables y tents. They were very friendly, knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. Generally speaking, buds cost $9-12 a gram [$1 US = 0.73 Cdn!], tax included! I was pleased to find a "Green Crack" bud. Bought it on a whim! There was lotsa creative marketing. Plenty of great deals. "Weed The North" handed out free t-shirts while promoting their bargain priced, pre rolled, 420 joints. Jamie and the venerable "Village Cannabis Dispensary" bud masters brought along some quality boo. Also their trez kool Pink Floyd VCD t-shirts too.
Vaporizer Pens: Disposable vaporizers were widely available to sample and buy. Most were priced in the $40 - $60 range for a disposable pen, $70-100 for a reusable charger with a full tank. It's important to be able to check these out yourself for duds! Standard bearer "Toko" was in attendance. There were plenty of new models from the competition to try out for quality control purposes too.
Dream Leaf: I got a refillable vapor pen being test marketed at the "Puffdog Farms" stand [LINK] [thedreamleaf@gmail.com] in exchange for a review. Here goes:
I chose the Pineapple Express and Blueberry OG extracts. Yummy! A natural taste! Not too sweet! A good high!
The sleek, silver or white battery provides a strong, steady and hearty draw. It's very easy to recharge and use, even when I'm in a hurry. The handy USB charger always keeps the heater going for a full day outing, no problemo!
The Dream Leaf pens are very competitively priced at $20 for the battery, $40 for a refill tank. Screw them together. The pen is 14.5 mm in length and .8 mm in width. The handy, tailored mouth tip makes for a smooth, even draw. The overall presentation is very kool and discreet. One can comfortably vape pretty much anywhere on these sleek lil' babies, without being noticed by any uptight squares.
Dream Leaf stressed that they are very careful about pesticides and the processing of their potent and mind expanding extracts. Are still working on a brand name and the marketing angle. Plus they promise it'll be convenient to get refills on a regular basis here in the Toronto area.
I'll follow up on my continued use of these Dream Leaf pens in the "Green Marketing" section of my Oh Cannabis News y Views blog. I can also write a more lengthy review, as the product, distribution details and strains are developed further, if Dream Leaf likes.
Keep an eye out for this one! In my books, Green Leaf's new prototype pen scores a solid A+
[Are you interested in a review? See below [#1].
Hashish: Moroccan or Afghani was plentiful, priced at $15-20 gram . A carefully weighed jeeb usually came packaged in a small, brown envelope, so it doesn't get lost. In recalling the vintage originals from back in the day, I'm pleased to report that the taste, texture, body and colour was quite authentic, but of course the THC is much higher nowadays!
Concentrates-Shatter: There were lots of excellent $5 to $10 dabs. The "McMedible Centre" featured $3 dabs! By the way, free samples were in abundance at the Green Market, if you arrived early for the protest march.
M-edibles: Plenty of tasty, cannabis infused baked goods, candies and snacks were available, priced at $5-20 depending on potency and size. "Fritz's" gummies, lollipops and t.v. treats remain a big personal favourite. Glad to see my "Canada Pure 710" gummy faves available here in the Toronto area again. "White Label Baking's" 3 pack, 75 mg gummies scored a knock down punch. "Jake and Eva's" home made cookies came courtesy of a lotta TLC! Regretfully, the expiry dates on most of these products remain allusive, an especially big no no for the medical cannabis patient. Let's get on top of this quick folks!
Topical Creams: Chatham's "Spread the Love" was on hand to let us sample their infused creams. Dana Larsen's Karma Kup Award Winning "MMJ" topicals were in plentiful supply. They were regularly priced, but with the tax included, still a very good deal.
Swag: "Weed Maps" was on hand to sign up new subscribers. Hand out free prizes. I scored a Weed Maps cap. As for stoner clothes, pipes, jewellery, or rolling papers? There were a lot of really kool vender's at the Green Market. It was a shopping extravaganza for psychedelic stuff that was certain to catch your eye, whether one was straight or high!
Food: Blech! Greasy, fast food trucks ruled the day. Some natural and exotic fast food options would've been very much appreciated. Cannabis infused too? All the better! Marc Emery introduced me to the "High Society Supper Club" crew [Link] [highsocietysupperclub@gmail.com]. They were in attendance, drumming up local business for their dinner events. Perhaps we will soon see some more tantalizing offerings in the fast food department at our future cannabis events? During the daze, months and years ahead? I hope so!
IN CONCLUSION:
The streets of the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] have become a thriving weed patch during the ongoing Project Claudia/ Gator raids! Regretfully, it's very hard to freely sample and openly ask questions about the many available products and stains, many of which were here, all in one safe, friendly place!
The Green Market downtown, cannabis market cum picnic event was a definite crowd pleaser. Surely, it demonstrated a very strong demand that's going unfulfilled. More of these "on the fly" outdoor markets are certainly in order for our GTA cannabis community as the summer season beckons us outdoors. They could also be a real compliment to the Toronto tourist scene! Unfortunately, Mayor John Tory can't grasp that despite his business sense! Certainly Toronto's falsely maligned GTA cannabiz entrepreneurs do, and a splendid time was guaranteed for all!
REVIEWS?
Perhaps I should do product reviews more often! Please contact me via email or my site if interested. Should it turn out that your product or service flunks the test, we can certainly talk first, to try to fix the problem. I'm a hard but very fair and honest marker. Quite well read! Email me @ [LINK] [davechiarelli@gmail.com]
COMMENTS?
On Saturday May 6th 2017, Toronto cannabis activists marched to protest the Trudeau government's legalization plans in Canada. Wait a minute! Cannabis activists marching against legal weed?
Ironically, yes it's true! It was absolutely necessary too! To wit; in her fight against "complacency", Grand Marshall Jodie Emery [Flare] lead the march carrying two signs that read:
"Just Say No To Cannabis Arrests!" and "No More Marijuana Arrests!"
Further protest chants included;
"No More Raids!"
"Fuck Project Gator!"
"This is What a Police State Looks Like!"
"We're Here! We're High! Get Use to It!"
And last but not least, frequent calls for "Freedom" and "Amnesty!"
The march proceeded north from the Green Market gathering point on Queen's Park Crescent at Charles Street, outside the provincial legislature. We marched east on Bloor St, and south on Yonge, our protest numbers blocking both lanes of traffic. At Wellesley Street, the march turned west, back to Queen's Park again.
Marchers included a happy mix of cannabis activists both old and new. Although we were visibly angry, it was a very positive and empowering march. There were medical cannabis patients. Rights activists. Heritage tokers who remember the bad old days only too well. And newbies who don't want to see it happen again, under "legalization".
Saturday's march was fueled by anger over the Trudeau government's largely ignored attempts to create a police enforced monopoly over the legalization process in Canada. It's easy to see why that rubs us the wrong way; both grass root activists and simple enthusiasts alike, in our homegrown, Canadian, cannabis community.
A quick history lesson -For almost 100 years, Canada's independent growers, producers, and dealers, as well as medical and recreational users, have been discriminated against by our countries cannabis laws. It's been done with extreme prejudice to Latin's, Asians, the poor and the disenfranchised in general. Socially, economically, politically or otherwise, -any discontent? Anyone could be arrested, rounded up and contained at will! When we got out of line, even today's pot smoking baby boomers faced arrests, jail time, criminal records and the loss of our most basic civil rights as a Canadian citizen. All justified, without reliable medical evidence or any serious debate about the "danger of cannabis", under our countries false and racist prohibition laws from the 1920's. [CBC] [Star]
Now comes Prohibition 2.0! Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected on a promise to legalize cannabis in 2015, police have actually stepped up their cannabis busts. The "Cannabis Culture 5's," Marc and Jodie Emery provide a case in point, as do Toronto's Project Claudia and the cross country Project Gator cannabis dispensary raids in general. These have all been documented at length on the social media and here at my blogsite, as well as by the mainstream media [Sun] [Straight] [Marij]
Why are Canada's independent cannabiz community being target in record numbers like never before? A short year before legalization? To raise prices for more taxes! And to clear the way for the Trudeau government's small number of hand picked licensed producers! So that they can create a huge monopoly over the big bucks to soon be made with legally "regulated" weed. As concerned stock ticker speculators on Bay Street keep careful watch on the profit margins too! [HighTimes]
Marc and Jodie are Canada's most well known, uncompromising and "in your face" cannabis power couple. They have personally put everything on the line to help get the job done right, with a more, effective, community based, and traditional free enterprise mindset, as Canada becomes the first G7 country to legalize weed.
A stalwart Libertarian, Marc has invested millions of Cannabis Culture's profits into our Canadian legalization effort. His activism is guided by a strong, principled belief in our most basic civic rights. Agree or disagree with him on an issue, he invariably sparks a much needed public debate where it's otherwise sadly lacking.
The Emery's Cannabis Culture brand first gained notoriety as an Canadian seed magazine and mail order company. That earned Marc a highly dubious 5 year prison term in the United States even though he didn't break any laws in Canada. [CBC] Since then, it's become very popular and successful again, as a grass root, neighbourhood style, craft cannabis, dispensary franchise. [Wiki]
The Emery's had planned to open a chain of 200 new stores across Canada in 2017. [Post] Surprise! They became the indie showcase target of the Project Gator police raids this March instead! Just before Trudeau announced his corporate monopoly "legalization" plans for next year!
It's specially fitting that one of Emery's was again asked to marshal the 19th Annual Toronto Global Marijuana March. This year Jodie lead the charge, with Marc in tow, to help shake hands, share a toke, and spread the good word. Certainly they are up to the job. As a very progressive couple, they are most fitting representatives for our forward thinking Canadian cannabis community. In true style, they seem comfortable switch hitting on the fly, or in taking care of business separately or together, as need be.
Add an eager group of Canadian cannabis activists! What do we get? The 19th Annual Toronto Marijuana March afforded the collective anger of Toronto's cannabis community a loud voice in the public debate otherwise being denied to us by our elected federal "leaders".
Enough! So much for suffering in silence!
Mr. Trudeau, you have been put on notice! We've had enough of your reefer madness!
PS: There is much more to report! Some more news stories will be included in my Oh Cannabis News y Views 4 blog [LINK]. A blog on the Green Market at Queens Park Crescent will also follow shortly.
PROTEST VIDEOS
My live videos from the march are now posted on Youtube. Here are the links and some brief notes:
19th Annual Toronto Global Marijuana March 1: Or as we can hear the protesters chant; "Fuck Project Gator"! Jodie kick starts the march, with a police escort nonetheless, heading north from the Queen's Park provincial legislature. You can even see the CN Tower in the background! How Toronto! @ HERE!
19th Annual Toronto Global Marijuana March 2: The lively protest approaches Bloor and Yonge. Downtown traffic in Canada's largest city grinds to a halt @ HERE!
Jodie Emery: Why We Protest? As Jodie says, "No to complacency!" Yes to an "freedom", "amnesty" and a "moratorium" on the police busts and arrests @ HERE!
Jodie Emery: No More Busts! "No Prohibition 2.0!" or "The law is the law?" Jodie points out that police have a lot of discretionary power, despite what they say. She notes that there aren't any busts at the Green Market or during the march. Also, she speaks with some of the medical cannabis patients in attendance about how the dispensary busts drastically limits our right of access to safe weed @ HERE!
Tokin' With Marc Emery!: Canada's "High Prince of Pot" smokes a festive joint with some of the everyday cannabis activists and enthusiasts in attendance while reflecting on Prohibition 2.0, and Cannabis Cultures path forward @ THERE!
MARC + JODIE EMERY -MY BLOGS!
This is a list of my blogs on Marc and Jodie Emery's Cannabis Culture story, as seen from here in my hometown of Toronto, Ontario Canada:
On Cannabis Culture and Toronto's Wild West: Oh! Oh! Toronto Mayor John Tory's "Wild West Show" targets Marc's first Church Street LGBTQ dispensary. It's a sleazy, slum landlord takedown tale. Reminds me of a bad, b-grade, cowboy movie with the mayor in the black, oversized, ten gallon hat @ HERE!
On Marc Emery + The Ontario's Pot Busts: Here's a report on the Peterborough Cannabis Culture raid and Marc's protest afterwards at the police station. Nope! They won't come out to talk! Also includes my notes on his speech to the faithful at the busted, ransacked dispensary @ THERE!
Oh Cannabis: More On Ontario's Dispensary Busts: Cannabis Culture's down but not out! My follow up on the fall 2016 raids is @ HERE!
Toronto Karma Cup 2016: Drat! Foiled! More of Mayor John Tory's Wild West Show! Toronto City Hall unsuccessfully tries to ruin our 2016 cannabis cup, but Marc comes up with a plan @ THERE!
Oh Cannabis: On LGBTQ + Inclusivity: Cannabis Culture's second Church Street location quickly becomes a landmark, downtown, gathering place. It's a friendly place where Toronto locals, progressives and our LGBTQ community can comfortably and freely mix beyond the corporate legalization shadow. No effort is spared in repeatedly busting it. Or in pulling another fast one to finally shut it down! Old habits die hard! The bitter irony seems lost on Mayor John Tory and his henchmen, because the "law is the law" -just like during the Toronto Cherry Beach gay beatings and the infamous police downtown bathhouse raids! @ HERE!
Free The Emerys -The Cannabis Culture Bust: My live coverage of the Cannabis Culture 5's bail hearing @ THERE!
Oh Cannabis Culture: The Project Gator Busts: More, as the Cannabis Culture 5 are released. Leading edge activist duo Chris and Erin Goodwin, along with Britney Guerra also speak out about the necessity of civil disobedience in the struggle @ THERE!
A Toke With Marc + Jodie Emery: I catch up with the Emery's for a toke. We discuss the dire implications of the dispensary busts for Toronto's medical cannabis users. Also includes a report on Cannabis activist Dana Larsen's "Overgrow Canada" cross country project and tour @ HERE!
Oh Cannabis News Y Views: Many more informative links from Winter 2016-17 are posted here @ 1 @ 2 @ 3 @ 4
COMING:
The Green Market: -The 19th Toronto Marijuana March!
Green Leaf Vape Pens -A Product Review!
COMMENTS:
Much more links coming .....
HEADLINES
Bill C-45: Canada Legalizes It: Worried about the Raptors, Habs or Leafs? We are about to become the first G7 country, and only the second in the world next to Uruguay to legalize weed! Works for me! You can read the full text of Canada's new cannabis bill @ Leafly Also check out the government website for more info on "legalization and regulation" @ Canada.ca
Cannabis Activism 101: Pricing? Taxes? Licensing? Distribution? Growing? Age limits? Penalties? Marketing? Packaging? Sales? The devil is in the details, as the saying goes. Indeed, Canadian cannabis activists are responding to our new legalization act with mixed reviews. Here's a good point by point breakdown of the new act's key points, followed by their often very pressing concerns @ Leafly
Cannabis Culture's Marc Emery: Our Prince o' Pot weighs in on Bill C-45 @ CP24
Split Spliff: The Federal government will license producers. The provinces will figure out the sales and distribution angles @ CBC
Canada's Cannabis Tax: The federal finance minister meets with his provincial counterparts in June to discuss the cost of legal weed. Also the new "tax regime". Apparently 90% of the black market would be wiped out by weed at $9 a gram, with our existing HST tax rate. Or will it cost more? @ CTV
Toronto's CC Cannabis Culture 5!
Cannabis Culture 5: The Project Gator court hearings continue on Toronto May 23rd in room 114 of the Old Court House for Marc y Jodie Emery, Chris y Erin Goodwin, y Britney Guerra. They're still awaiting disclosure of the Crown's evidence against them @ Dankr and @ Dankr
More Cannabis Culture 5: Watch the April 21st news video @ Youtube
Solidarity: Bud tenders at the "Canna Clinic" medical cannabis dispensary in Toronto have approached UNIFOR [Link] to form a union. Health and safety concerns, especially in regard to a city wide rash of armed robberies are being cited as reasons for the drive. A unionized workplace could also have the added benefit of strengthening the dispensaries claims that they are a legitimate businesses in the legalization debate ahead @ Vice
Bud tenders unionize!
Oh Cannabis: The Trudeau Liberals moved up their legalization date so as to avoid Canada Day celebrations on July 1st 2018. Do they really think it's better that we get drunk rather than high while celebrating Canada's birthday on the 151st anniversary of Confederation?!? For shame @ CBC
420 Toronto will be held for the last time at downtown Dundas Square this year @ CanLife Here's an event guide to what's happening across our city @ Now
The 19th Toronto Cannabis Global March: It's on for May 6 from 12-5 pm. I hear there will also be a kool exhibitors village along the parade route! See you as we March on Queens Park! More details @ Facebook Also see my blog @ Here!
19th Annual Toronto Global Cannabis March
Jodie leads the way!
Sadly, this years march received relatively little local media coverage. Not by the major news dailies. Nor by local sponsor "Now" magazine, which didn't even bother to pump it up following their early Jodie Emery feature, as the front page story, opting for local songstress Feist instead. Or the local CP24 television news network, whom was totally focused on a big rainstorm that mostly drizzled in Toronto out long before the parade began. My blog, with a bunch of DIY video's are @ HERE!
Why We Protest: However, Now magazine did follow up afterwards with this just plain folk article featuring kool photos and interviews with some of the cannabis activists in attendance @ Now!
High Spirits: Brief lip service was paid in a friendly puff piece referring to protest concerns over "freedom" and the "30 gram pot limit" @ TSun
Check out the more comprehensive City News [not to be confused with CP24] clip @ Youtube
Here's a good piece on the other Global marches held around the world, with a positive focus on the really big show in New York City @ Forbes
420 NEWS
Marc Emery + a 420 crowd sized joint!
Prohibition 2.0: At 420 Toronto, Cannabis Culture [CC] Activist Marc Emery takes to the stage urging "a lot of political activity over the next year and a half" to fight the injustices in Trudeau's legalization plans @ TSun
Moreover, he argues that we are going to have to "fight for every inch of freedom that we are gonna get" @Star
420 Toronto: Lotsa kool photos @ TorLife
420 Vancouver: CC's Jodie Emery reminds partygoers that 420 is also "a protest against prohibition that unjustly criminalize our fellow Canadians." @ GeorgiaStr
"Keep Off The Grass!": Leading West Coast Cannabis Activist Dana Larsen critiques the cities attempts to block this year's festivities. Likewise the negative media coverage, more specifically the Vancouver Sun's insulting reefer madness editorial. Alas! Seems wild, public, booze bashes are just great but everyone gets totally freaked out by some peaceful folks smoking weed @ CC
420 Ottawa: Cannabis activists take their protest to parliament hill, so that the government knows how serious we are @ CBC
For Shame: Ottawa 420'ers shame the federal government for it's flawed legalization bill and the ongoing busts @ InstaG
420 Across Canada: Here are the highlights from festivities across our country this year, with legalization pending @ NORMLC and @ PotTV
Cannabis Activism 420: Marc Emery discusses jail, politics, and Cannabis Culture on 420 @ Froses420Show
OH CANADA
Busted! PM Justin Trudeau is short on answers at his Toronto Town Hall on cannabis as city weed busts continue unabated. Amnesty? Edibles? Impaired Driving? Dispensaries? Privilege? Here's an excellent breakdown of his main talking points @ Now
Charter Rights?!? Legalization might well turn out to be a legal mess. Much of the proposed legislation is likely to be in sharp conflict with our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If not worked out properly in advance, a more just solution could take years working it's ways through our long, drawn out court system @ Huff
War on Drugs 2.0: Here's a summary of why critics argue Trudeau's legalization bill is just a continuation of prohibition @ Vice
Power Ha$ It'$ Privilege$: The NDP's Thomas Mulcair highlights the "abject hypocrisy" behind Trudeau's recent folksy banter about smoking pot. Justin admits toking as an MP. He jokes about his late brother Michel getting busted but let go. That's not been the case for most just plain everyday Canadians, who've been getting arrested since he became our leader. They continue to get criminal records and face an uncertain future @ HSpectator
Trudeau Confessions: CC's Jodie Emery weighs in on Justin's revelations about Michel's "bust" @ Global
Project Claudia/ Gator: Toronto Police Service's [TPS] decide to crack down on our cities cannabis dispensaries because the "law is the law"! Huh?! Then how come they let Uber run it's unregulated taxi service for a year before a law was passed, meanwhile putting our cities licensed drivers out of work? Truth be told, TPS is helping facilitate a corporate takeover of the local cannabiz sector by attacking our long persecuted pot pioneers! For shame @ Star
Lost in The Shuffle: Toronto Police Services vis a vis the Project Claudia raids are continuing to play "whack-a-Mole" with our other less high profile but equally determined dispensaries across the city. I'd like to cover these more. Staff from the Canadian Green Leaf Dispensary on Bloor West report @ Dankr
"Der Capitalist Plot" Or "A Big-Money Power-Play" More particularly, the Trudeau government with police assistance, are helping protect the Big Corporates' cannabis profits on the stock exchange, by mercilessly crushing the grass root competition prior to legalization @ HighTimes
M-edibles Bust: Toronto Police Services raid a cannabis "medible" factory and nail a poor delivery man in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] @ Lift
Actions Speak Louder Than Words or "Bust Em! " The Trudeau government's confusing focus still seems more about cracking down on cannabis users and dealers than upon legalizing it @ CBC
Decrimalize It Now: Is Marc y Jodie Emery's message be getting out? Two big Canadian news dailies editorialize in favour of decriminalization @ Vancouver and @ Ottawa
Dana's Free seed kits to "Overgrow Canada!"
Git Diggin': Dana Larsen reports that he's given away 5,000,000 free seeds on this year's Overgrow Canada cross country tour. That includes the 15,000 packs distributed at Toronto 420. Lots are going out by mail. More info and links are available on my blog @ HERE!
Very Revealing: Canada's big licensed producers react to the new legalization bill. Their mouths are watering over the possibility of opening storefront dispensaries, as police and city councils continue to clear the way, by eliminating the grass roots competition @ Now
High Time$: How to totally eliminate the black market? The Trudeau government could set a very low price for legal weed, to totally wipe it out. Instead, the feds are handling over sales and distribution to the provinces. They hope that the big profits will help speed the legalization process along. Meanwhile, as this article suggests, health and education concerns are actually getting pushed to the back burner of Canadian politics for less than noble reasons @ CBC
Liberal Cronyism 101: How do you spell conflict of interest?!? Here's a who's who of the big wig Canuck public servants and former politicians who are getting into the weed biz @ MacLeans
"Smoked Out!" Or "Pothibition!" Seriously, this reporter dude was sitting behind us at "Vape on the Lake" and must've overheard my postage stamp joke, as I was talking with Marc Emery [Blog]. Got his newspaper article out the day before me. Snooze you lose. No Matter. The newspaper reaches a much wider mainstream audience and it is a great idea! Marc and Jodie Emery deserve recognition for helping to bring about legalization. Certainly deserve to be honoured with a stamp. Oh and by the way, Marc was involved with Paul Magder in bringing about Sunday shopping in Ontario too, no small feat. Put Marc on a commemorative stamp! @ 24Hours
Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! Guess what? Trudeau lied about legalization. Just like the Toronto Police Services [TPS] lied about Marc Emery's Cannabis Culture [CC] dispensaries. Make no mistake, they are both working for the Big Licensed Producers [LP's], not the Average Jane or Joe, be we a medical cannabis or recreational pot head. Cut through the BS @ CanCult
Cops + Robbers: Apparently TPS will "protect" and "not charge" cannabis dispensaries that are robbed, but consider carefully the exceptions. More BS @ LSLLP
Pot Amnesty? Concerned with the ongoing cannabis arrests in Canada prior to legalization, the Federal NDP Justice Critic Alistair MacGregor pipes up, advocating for an amnesty @ Lift
Busted: Canadian's who get busted for pot prior to legalization face a criminal record and a life time of hassles, especially when travelling outside Canada. This could proves especially troublesome for our unsuspecting young folk @ CTV and @ Global
Bill C-46: An Overhaul of Our Drunk Driving Laws: Testing for cannabis? Blood limit levels? Here's a legal brief on the concerns about our new impaired driving bill, introduced to coincide with legalization @ LawyersDaily
Canada West: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta want the federal government to pay the new costs associated with it's legalization plans @ Globe
New Cross Canada Cannabis Trade Deal: An announcement is expected soon to coincide with legalization. The goal of the agreement? To stimulate economic growth across Canada by removing internal barriers to the trade in weed. Makes sense @ FinancialPost
Bad Boy Canada! Bad! Bad! Will legalization violate some of our international "reefer madness" drug control treaties? The verdict's out, but if so, what to do? More @ Ipol
IN THE NEWS
Canada + US Relations: What will legalized cannabis in Canada, the true north strong and high, mean for our neighbours in the US? Unfortunately they are missing out on a great opportunity to correct some big past wrongs. To enjoy some high times while helping balance the budget. Plus Canada gets a head start on grabbing up all those lucrative investment dollars and the new world export market. Hmmm. Thought Trump was all about business and jobs? Surely US prohibition doesn't make much dollars and sense, except that is, for Big Pharma, Big Alcohol and the police @ Time
Cover of the Rolling Stone: Legal weed in Canada makes the infamous magazine cover, well kinda sorta. There's praise but also pressing concerns over the situation south of our border. Everything still seems pretty much up in air in Trumpland. The Ol' Pussygrabber and his Jiffy Sessions man could still stir things up, even though many states are now also moving towards legalization @ RollingStone
England-Merry Again? Liberal Democrats will be running on a platform to fully legalize cannabis in the general election for folks whom are 18+ @ CC
State of the Cannabis Union: Here's a state by state breakdown of the different cannabis policies in the US @ CanInd
Too Big To Fail: Prohibition just doesn't make much dollar and sense when it comes to the growing US cannabiz industry. Der Donald is a capitalist supreme! Just what the #$*! doesn't he get @ Tech420
Rep Pat Garrett: The freshman GOP from Virginia seems to get it. He's got a bill to federally legalize cannabis, but will it get passed into law? More @ WP
Daddy War Bucks Goes For Broke: Nope! AG Jeff Sessions isn't getting any for his fight against medical cannabis! It isn't in the new Congress spending bill anyway @ NWeek
President Hard On Pot: True to form, Trump continues to be a real dickhead. Perhaps there's still no real protection as he insists that he "reserves the right" to ignore the medical cannabis protection provisions in the new spending bill @ Cannabist
Big Alkie: The Big Alcohol companies are working behind the scenes to kill state legalization bills across the US. Why? Some folks never grow up. Still want to play Monopoly. Check out how much $$$ they are spending on their lobbying efforts, and who they are directing it at @ AllBud
Nuclear Weed: A US congressman, Democrat Brad Sherman worries that North Korea might try to sneak a nuke into the US hidden inside a bale of grass. Hmmmm. As opposed to just hiding it in a ship, then docking in New York? San Francisco? Goes Ka-boooom too! Just goes to show how irrational and desperate the reefer madness crowd are growing stateside @ BizInsider
New Federalism Fund: Hooray! The US powerhouse cannabiz firms race to the rescue. Their lobbying goal? To "tell our story and try to educate the government" about cannabis. Glad to see the big focus on cannabis education. Hopefully, they can help dispel nearly a century of reefer madness bullshit and lies! Here's how their lobby works @ Cannabist
Maybe there's hope yet? A bipartisan bill before the house would reclassify cannabis as a schedule 3 substance. Currently it's classified with the Schedule 1 drugs like Ecstasy and Heroin. The change recognizes it's medical uses and could hopefully open the door for so much more @ WashingtonTimes
Merry Land: Maryland's Republican Governor Larry Hogan gets cannabiz inclusivity. He insists upon minority participation in developing the state's cannabis industry, as an issue of "promoting diversity" @ Civilized
Expanding Our Horizons: Uruguay? The UK? Portugal? Spain? Germany? Holland? Here's what's happening with legalization in some other countries from around the world. Yes! I plan to focus more on this and not just Canada and the US in my Oh Cannabis News y Views blog too @ WalesOnline
GREEN MARKETING
Hey Ho -I'm planning to include my "Green Market" Toronto Global Cannabis March photos and links on an upcoming blog! Please stay tuned!
Heads of Industry: Will Canada become an international leader in the cannabiz industry as we take the honour of being the 1st G7 country to legalize the weed? @ Youtube
Legalizing It: How will legalization affect the way we buy cannabis? In Canada? The US? Here's a few projections @ BizInsider
Stock Ticker: Why bust the Cannabis Culture 5 prior to legalization? Too much emphasis on "regulation", along with the lack of a "price point" for legal cannabis, are giving investors the jitters! Since the new government bill lacks details on "cost and taxation", confidence is low. Investors worry that the government won't be able to curb the black market if legal weed is overpriced @ TSun
Making Canada Great Again: Horizons Medical bundles 14 cannbiz stocks together. Includes 10 Canuck entities for a little "Made in Canada" flavour. Makes them available as a single security. It's an new, perhaps safer and perfectly legal way to gamble on the weed stocks at the Toronto Stock Exchange [TSX] @ CBC
Cannabis Holiday Retreats: Discerning tokers are looking for kool, new vacation options @ LAWeek
TGM's Lisa Campbell y Sarah Gillies 420 it!
Toronto Green Market [TGM] Whoa! They scheduled an underground medibles block party for Toronto 420 @ Now
Application Denied: Getting a Health Canada license to grow or sell medical cannabis is a long shot at best! Not much luck @ Dankr
Workplace Safeguards: Employers seek direction from the government about their safety concerns now that Canada is legalizing cannabis @ CBC
Good Buds! Canada's bud tenders continue to take the blunt of police raids on our dispensaries, racking up the most arrests! Cannabis Culture Ottawa's Ming Saad explains it's "ridiculous" that police have raided 14 dispensaries since November and arrested 29 people! Still, committed Cannabis activists such as herself, "aren't willing to wait any longer" @ OSun
Cannabis Culture Activist Ming Saad tells it like it is!
Employment Standards: Are dispensary workers protected by Canada's labour laws while working for an "illegal" business? The answer is a guarded yes @ FR
Workplace Drug Testing? Medical and recreational users beware! Traces stay in your blood for up to a month! California provides some examples of the challenges ahead with legalization @ NORML
Alcohol Blues: Canuck big alkie business types are wringing their hands because the sale of alcoholic beverages could suffer under legalization, as some drinkers choose to toke up instead. This is bad newz?!? @ CBC
M-Edibles From The Peanut Gallery: Now you can buy smooth and crunchy Sativa, Indica or a hybrid infused "Peanut Budder". It comes in a kool, carry around, seal tight jar. Eh? Yes, it contains straight, good, ol' fashioned peanut butter and organic coconut "canna-oil" too @ Eyebake
Customer Service With A Stoned Smile: CannaMed Toronto earns top customer service marks! I bought a Toko Disposable Vaporizer Pen that didn't work at Green Market Toronto. Grr! Grr! Grr! But then they delivered a replacement to me at home! Didn't even know about my blog! Gotta love their Girl Scout Cookies! Grape Kush! Sugar Jack! Etc. Etc. Etc. Yummy!
HIGHER LEARNING
Back 2 School Daze for the US Hospitals: Turns out that many will often deny organ transplants to patients who "abuse drugs", which they figure includes cannabis. Be aware @ Gizmodo
Vaping Verses Smoking: A vaporizer seems to be safer and cleaner than toking on a reefer. Decide which is best for you -more @ Leafly
Micro Dosing: How much m-edible cannabis should you eat? Getting it right @ DailyBeast
A Lil' Dab Will Do Ya? Might medical cannabis prove to be a viable treatment method for autism? More @ USA2Day
Women in Cannabiz: Balancing motherhood with a cannabis career @ Lift
It's A Whole New Age: Welcome to the inside poop on the wonderful world of holistic cannabis health @ FreeL
Return of the Baby Boomers: Seniors are discovering how cannabis can help alleviate the burden of ageing @ MassRoot
Painkillers Verses Pot? Here are 5 reasons why medical cannabis can often prove a better solution for your daily aches and pains. Trust me -it's especially true, for those that grow much more common, especially due to work or sports injuries, as we grow older! Ouch, me achin' muscles and bones @ PotV
Pesticide Watch: Here's why we need to know about the dangers of using them to grow pot @ Leafly
Power In The Blood: The National Indigenous Medical Cannabis Association is launched to promote and defend our First Nations relationship with the cannabis plant across Canada @ Vice Also follow @ Facebook
Turtle Island Rocks!
Weed Myths Lie! Myths are stories and beliefs that we think are true and help maintain the status quo. There are lots of them contributing to the stigma that has been used to help falsely justify the prohibition of our favourite weed. Addiction? Overdoses? Laziness? A Gateway Drug? Consider the following @ AllBud
Cannabis Prohibition 101: Like in the US, there were some very nasty ulterior motives for making weed illegal. Historically, and perhaps at present as well, our cannabis laws are not based on medical fact nor have they resulted from any lengthy, reasoned debate @ CBC
Reefer Madness: We can learn a lot from watching the reefer madness propaganda that folks were force fed by the media over the last century of prohibition. It has been that way, with variations on a theme, for all of our lives. Most of it was based on outright fabrications and lies. It's given cannabis a very negative stigma, that's hard to shake!
Vocabulary 101: "Marijuana" is a made up name for cannabis, and not a real word. It usage is also racist in origin. That's why I try, whenever possible, not to regularly use the term on my site @ Leafly
In the daze ahead, watch to see the government's "educational" pieces on legalization, especially as they address it's supposed dangers and hazards. Should be very interesting! Meanwhile, here's some prime examples of the BS from during the baby boomer years @ Pot Ed 50's! and @ Grass 50's! and @ Propa 50's! More @ Anti-Pot!
Much more to come .....
KULTURE KULT INK
Jodie Emery shows us how it's done!
"Around Toronto" or "Making the Activist Scene": Out on bail and now living here fulltime while awaiting trial, Jodie Emery of Cannabis Culture quickly becomes a Toronto fixture. She gets her photo on the cover of Now magazine. Suddenly she's seen everywhere across the city for a full week while it hits the news stands. Jodie also provides a queenly interview that quite fittingly helps put her and Marc's activist struggle into perspective for local readers within the Toronto TPS prohibition scene! Welcome to our city Jodie! Thanks for showing Torontonians how it's done in your face but with a certain aplomb from out BC way @ Now
Frose's 420 Show: Marc Emery discusses pot, politics, his jail gig stateside and more @ Youtube
Celebrity Highs: Because of advertising restrictions, cannabis tech companies need celebrity video "product placements " showing hit stars using their vapourizers and smoking their weed in order to survive. Check out the E-pens and boo next time you watch videos by Snoop, Kid Ink, Fetty Wap, Ghostface Killah etc. etc. etc. @ RollingStone
Reefer Madness -The Musical! Here it is! All singing! All dancing! In colour! Now that's entertainment ..... You might want to make a copy before it disappears again @ Youtube
The 420 Movie: Here's a real antidote to too much political correctness, offered in the spirit of good, stupid, stoner fun .... ahhhh, make up yer own excuse! Watch at your own risk! Our stoner heroes race to find some good weed by 420 @ Youtube
Meat Weed Madness: Triple XXX fun as southern belles battle "minotaurs" and "hillbilly hipster drug fiends" at a farm where weed is grown from ..... gasp! .... "human flesh"!!! Some more el stupido stoner fun @ Youtube
Best Stoner Flicks of The 21st Century: Yup. There's "Pineapple Express" [2008]. Toss in a klassik or two by Harold and Kumar, Jay and Silent Bob and .... and .... and ..... ah, check them out for yourself @ ToC
Getting Anal: Well, I'm going to pass on this, but thought you should know. It's "doctors orders" ... ready? Stick the weed up your butt! You'll get real high!?! Hmmmm. Thanks but no thanks! Suppose if you light it up first, that will really get you hopping, but puleeeze! Don't try passing it around @ GreenRush
"Flipping Off The Donald" Or "A Peace Sign 4 Snoop": Seems smoking a doob or two or three or ..... has helped Martha Stewart see the light @ Cosmo
Final Note: Classic Psych Prog Rockers Pink Floyd always go great with weed! Here's 2 kool "Visual Experience Medley Mixes" by Nufonic @ Here! and @ There!
Much more to come ....
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