High! Read Oh Cannabis News Y View @ Summer @ May-June @ March-April @ Jan-Feb @ December Also follow me live on Twitter @davidchiarelli
HEADLINES
Project Gator Cannabis Culture 5 Bust: Marc Emery tells Oh Cannabis that the crown wants to strike a pretrial deal, perhaps by the next December 4th court date! Exclusive blog y video interviews @ Here!
Legal Cannabis Prices: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposes a $1 excise tax on legal weed sold by government LP's [licensed producers] at $10 a gram. A further 10% tax will be added to any strains more expensive then that. Canadian growers, craft dispensaries, and seasoned pot smokers shrug in disbelief. See below ....
Med Pot Access: Despite legalization plans, Canada's medical cannabis patients still suffer from a worsening legal weed shortage and an inexplicable medical cannabis prescription tax, with no relief in sight. See below ...
"Loose With Wynne" or "More Ontario's Corporate Neo Lib Hijinks": Ontario Premier Wynne's proposed provincial legislation takes a further huge police jackboot to the province's popular vapor lounges and craft cannabis dispensaries. Also, the creation of a very limited and strictly controlled stand alone CCBO [Cannabis Control Board of Ontario] corporate monopoly over the sale and distribution of legal weed. More! See below ...
Prohibition 2.0: The Canna Clinic raids continue across Canada, as TPS [Toronto Police Services] and the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] play Whack-a-Mole to little avail, with our countries craft cannabiz industry prior to legalization next year. See below ....
CC5 [Cannabis Culture 5]: get a bit of a respite. Bail Conditions for Marc and Jodie Emery, Chris and Erin Goodwin and Britney Guerra, have been softened somewhat, as the slimy case slowly snakes it's way through our court system. See below ....
Back in the USA: The US GOP House and Senate is split over AG Sessions plans to squash state legalization rights, but he could still win by default. See below ...
OH CANADA
Write Your Federal MP: Canadians for Fair Access To Medical Cannabis [CFAMM] wants the Trudeau government to eliminate the unjust and abhorrant HST and Excise tax on medical cannabis prescriptions! A sample online letter is provided along with a lot of other useful email tips. Please share! @ #DontTaxMedicine!
Legalization Date: We still don't know exactly when legal weed will go on sale in Canada next year. Here are some government hurdles that Bill C-45 still has to pass through before it becomes law @ CBC
Bill C-45 Review: The House of Common's Health Committee has completed it's study of Canada's new legalization bill. Mostly minor changes, for example to the height of legal homegrown plants and to the Non Smokers Health Act are recommended. The committee seems oblivious to a lotta other awfully, more huge elephants in the room. Too bad! The bill's oppressive and unrealistic Prohibition 2.0 thrust continues to serve Canada's greedy, corporate neo lib masters and feed hungry police budgets, rather than serve us. See below and @ CTV
M-edibles: A further amendment will allow for cannabis edibles and concentrates to be produced and sold, but only one full year after legalization, to allow for further study [he writes as he brushes the crumbs from his keyboard ... ] @ Lift
Cop Data DNE [Does Not Exist]: Canada's police forces are using reefer madness scare tactics to oppose legalization next spring. The shocking claims that they're constantly slipping into the public discourse are quite frankly unsubstantiated. Turns out, the data to back up the fear mongering about everything from stoned drivers to weed crimes, just simply DNE @ CTL
Flying High: Canadian airport security is relaxed for medical cannabis users, allowing up to 150 grams to be carried on board flights. Sounds like a party, eh?!? But howzabout medibles?!? At least we can eat those in fight for those ... er ... long trips!!! Jeez @ Star
Cheap Weed: Trudeau's all wet! Get this -he's proposing a $1 [Cdn] excise tax per gram for legalized government LP [licensed produced] weed. Plus an additional 10% tax on any strain costing more. Meanwhile, in Toronto at least, our city streets are all ready awash with a tsunami of cheap, top quality, underground, craft grass, sometimes as low as $150 an ounce [Tom Cruise, Kosher Cush, Alien OG etc.] which the LP's can't match in price and potency, let alone availability. For example, of the new low water mark, a vast range of top notch strains [Rock Star, God Bud, etc. etc. etc.] were selling for as low as $5 a gram, prerolled joints for $2-3 at the September Toronto Karma Cup .... Keep up the good work Justin! Stick to your water guns! Let's watch for a pricing race to the bottom that could prove a financial lifesaver for we poor lowly cannabis medical patient and recreational consumers alike, as government legalization goes awash under Prohibition 2.0 @ Global
Reality Check: Guess what?!? Now a huge legal cannabis shortage is widely expected as Canada's LP's struggle to meet the increased market demand next spring. Most medical cannabis tokers were all ready painfully aware of the licensed producers inability to keep their heads above choppy waters in just producing and delivering the goods in meeting our relatively much smaller prescription needs []. As for the flood of new commercial buyers looking to buy some legalized LP Trudeau-juana weed? Tch! Tch! Diver down! See above and @ Global and @ Global and @ Macleans
Reefer Monopoly Madness: CC5's Jodie Emery explains that since the Canadian government doesn't really want to legalize pot, so much as they just want to profit from it, civil disobedience once again becomes our only option against Canada's unjust pot laws. Nice one Jodie! Screw Trudeau's pricing and taxation pipe dreams and the mad, keystone cop, crackdown attack on our huge, existing and flourishing underground cannabis market @ OCitizen
Med Pot Access: Alas, medical cannabis patients take note -there's no specific promise guaranteeing our access to the greatly reduced legal supply for meeting our prescription needs once recreational weed is legalized! So far, Trudeau's still greedily taxing our medical cannabis prescriptions too!!! More @ OCitizen
Ontario Prohibition 2.0: New legislation from the Wynne Liberal government to regulate and distribute cannabis are super strict, punitive, and not very well thought out. No public consumption? No craft dispensaries? A legal age of 19? Duh @ Vice
Puff on This: A frank overview of everything that's wrong with Wynne's Weed Plan 101 @ Vice
Vapor Woes: Ontario's health conscious tokers, our vaping lounges, med pot dispensaries, and even the government licensed producers come under attack by the ill considered anti vaping thrust of Wynne Lib's Prohibition 2.0 plan's for legal weed @ Vice
Leaky Gov't Boat: Leaked Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services documents suggest Wynne's ill conceived plans are all wet, a sinking proposition! But are the Lib's listening to reason? Will they even still be in charge of the provincial ship of state after next spring's election, when the new laws take effect? @ Vice
Legal Pot? Wynne Loses!
RCMP Doubts: Canada's venerable mounties argue that federal legalization plans won't succeed in killing the black market @ NatPost
No Canna Do: Another of Canada's resilient Canna Clinic dispensaries has been raided, this time in Toronto's bustling Kensington Market. TPS [Toronto Police Services] arrest 15 employees, seize 169 kilos of cannabis, 14.5 kilos of oil, 4.9 kgs of shatter, and $14,400 in cash! @ Global and @ CP24
Fighting Provincial Weed Monopolies: CC is prepared to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to advocate for the right to move weed between provincial borders without import or export tariffs or taxes. Ironically, the test case involves booze @ CC
Busted: Ming's Cannabis Culture Ottawa dispensary, in the Bank Street shadow of Parliament Hill, is raided once again. She and her Good Bud's remain undaunted @ OCitizen More from Ming @ Twitter
Ming Saad: Ottawa CC Rocks!
Project Claudia: Mayor John Tory's Toronto City Hall looks to the province to pick up the law enforcement bill for it's unsuccessful million dollar whack-a-mole police crackdown on Toronto's indie dispensaries @ Globe
More Med Pot Access: In challenging the Project Claudia busts, King Canuck Cannabis lawyer Alan Young argues that Toronto police dispensary raids are an unconstitutional infringement on our patient rights @ Star
Senior Med Pot Relief: Cannabis supplier "WeedMD" has inked an agreement with the Ontario "People's Care" nursing home chain. However, it seems another monopoly is in the making with this "exclusive deal" @ CBC
Project Lincoln: The TPS and RCMP have teamed up again, as with the CC [Cannabis Culture] "Project Gator" raids, this time to target Canna Clinic's craft cannabis dispensaries across Canada in Vancouver and Toronto. They have been very busy @ Global
CC5: The Emery's, Goodwin's and Britney Guerra have managed to get their bail conditions modified. They now allow for more travel, work and media, just not in relation to the dispensary arm of the Cannabis Culture's business interests. Remember, CC also runs Pot TV, Cannabis Culture magazine. Then there's their cannabis advocacy efforts. More @ GStraight
Cannabis Control Board of Ontario [CCBO]: Premier Wynne announces the province's plan to create a new government run Cannabis Control Board in Ontario. Not to be confused with the existing government LCBO [Liquor Control Board], up to 60 stand alone storefronts will open over the next year, with 150 to be up and running by 2020 @ CBC and @ Vice
Prohibition 2.0: When the legalization of recreational weed arrives next year, that equals about one government CCBO store for every 250,000 Ontarians. Cannabis will also be available online similar to the federal governments sale of mail order medical cannabis through it's LP's [Licensed Producers]. It's hard to figure how Wynne thinks this super strict regime will be able to compete with the thriving black market craft cannabiz industry all ready in place. The governments plan? Bust and close and close them all down! Phfffffft! Think Project Claudia/ Gator .... Good luck! Not! @ Vice
Cannabis Culture's Jodie Emery slams the provinces "insane" monopoly game with legal weed, urging them to "Stop criminalizing the existing industry." @ CTV and @ Citizen
Missed Opportunity: The Ontario government could probably make much more $$$ by partnering up with our local dispensaries, rather than by trying to bust them all and creating it's own monopoly .... Where's the dollar and sense Conservative Party voice in all this?!? Duh @ Vice
PC/ NDP MIA: Sadly, neither of Ontario's provincial 2 main opposition parties will stick their neck out to say how they'd distribute cannabis, with the next election 8 months away. According to the Trudeau timeline, recreational cannabis will become legal less than a month afterwards, at the latest @ Star
Dr. Doom: More on the governments plans to raid and close the existing dispensaries, and replace them with their own monopoly @ Vice
Return of Dr. Doom: Trying to create a public sector monopoly on selling weed by trying to shut down the free enterprise sector will only fuel the very illicit trade the government claims it wants to stamp out @ Huff
Prohibition 2.0: Ontario proposed minimum age for buying recreational weed will be set at age 19, not 18 as recommended by the feds @ CBC
But would you bring him home to meet mom y dad?!?
Back 2 Basics: Guelph Ontario's Jeffrey Shaver has captured public attention to the cause like never before . It's all a part of the good fight for access to medical cannabis! Jeff's smoking pot outside the Provincial Offenses Court in his underwear to protest the police seizure of his weed and bong @ CBC
Stop Arresting Patients: Ouch! Canuck Medical Cannabis Activist Chris Enns is busted big time with weed during a police traffic stop. Is he deterred? Nope, feeling confident, he's going to make this a constitutional challenge! Video @ Global
Med Pot Access?!? Rights?!?
Jagmeet Singh: The federal NDP Leadership hopeful promises to call for the decriminalization of all drugs for personal use. He does not consider it a "criminal justice problem" @ Huff
Prince Edward Island: Business leaders and owners are now being consulted on the provinces cannabis legalization plans. The public is also being consulted via an online survey. Will government retail stores be the way to go? @ CBC
British Columbia: Seems BC's NDP government might not follow Wynne's lead. Interesting; BC cannabis activism and the dispensary movement on the whole are a lot more vocal, and organized too. But in Ontario?!? Story @ Global
IN THE NEWS
Blowing In The Wind: An extended Trump-Democrat US hurricane relief/ debt ceiling, federal spending agreement now protects state medical cannabis programs from a feared crackdown by the Donald and Jeff Sessions until December 8, 2017 @ Leafly
Reefer Madness Session: US Attorney General [AG] Jeff Sessions gets totally smoked on his ridiculous um ...."theories" .... about weed as the House of Judiciary Committee [HJC] meets to grill him on the Russia Story! Put that in your pipe y smoke it Jeffrey! @ Mash
Med Pot Access: 12 year old epileptic Alexis Bortell is suing US AG Jeff Sessions over her access to medical cannabis! Go grrrrrrl go! @ Slate
Med Pot: Alexis Vs The Session Man!
Progress [Of Sorts]: Nowadaze, badly divided US Republicans are fighting among themselves at most every level of government. With weed, it's over federal interference in the spreading state legalization drive. Beware! Quite possibly, the GOP controlled federal House and Senate won't be able to agree on a position. By default that gives a green light to head honcho, reefer madman AG Jeff Sessions! Yup! The complete and utter dick will actually enjoy a freehand to further thwart state rights. Meanwhile, a befuckled President Donald Trump seems totally non plussed that more voters support legalization than voted for him in the real non alt fact world of US politics. Getting angry? Let's hope the spreading grass fire grows to help chase the whole gang who can't straight shoot from office in the 2018 mid term Congressionals @ Civilized
Fighting Reality: A once befuddled American public is now slowly coming to grips with the idea that cannabis should be legalized @ CNN
Following The Smoke Fumes: Unlike in Canada, US legalization can basically occur, or even be blocked, at more than one level of government; state or federal. Here's an updated state medical and recreational cannabis law map for 2017 @ Gov
US Legalization Playbook: Here's what legalization measures are in currently in play, state by state across the US @ Leafly
Meanwhile in Westminster ....
UK Legalization Bill: Check out the parliamentary debates, as the Bill moves towards becoming law @ UK
Not 4 Hire?!? As in Canada, the budding, legal, US cannabis industry will be handicapped by laws preventing the hiring of experienced, battle worn, heritage cannabiz employees with previous pot convictions. Remember: These were earned from fighting, and seemingly winning the good fight against prohibition! No justice, no peace @ Forbes.
Still Not Much Fun With Weed in Much Of Europe!
Europe Tripping 1: My recent road trip to Rome, Prague and Dresdon was rather disappointing weed wise. Perhaps we Canadians are spoiled by the pending changes to Canada's cannabis laws. Alas! Quite frankly, I'm not keen on buy dope from strangers in back alleys ways etc. etc. etc., like we had to do way back in the bad ol' daze. Still, each country is making some progress, it seems. Learn more about smoking weed in the Czech Republic @ Leafly Italy @ WBH and Germany @ HN
No Drones Allowed: Alas! California won't be allowing weed delivery by drone to your home any time soon. Booooooooo @ Verge
Kim Jung Rolls Un: Here's the scoop on ..... are you ready for this?! ~North Korean Pot @ HT
GREEN MARKETING
Karma Cup 2017: Complete news links, and my own judge's review is now posted under separate cover @ Blog
Karma Cup 2017 Winners: Buds Shatter? Extracts? Edibles? Glass? Here are the results! Happy shopping! More @ KC
NORML Canada Conference 2017: Here are the videos from this year's different speakers and workshops, once again held in conjunction with the Karma Cup in Toronto. There's lots from an enlightened perspective, about green marketing, legalization, and the politics of pot! Watch @ Dopechef
Looks good but .....
Europe Tripping 2: Cannabis infused chocolate anyone? Alas! Imagine my disappointment back at the Belvedere hotel, ready to party after I got my hands on a few bars at the local corner store, during our first night in Prague! Yup! Trez kool packaging! But the "weed" is strictly CBD's and/ or hemp seeds!!! There's little more info, except for the very fine print on the wrapper, which simply states that there's no THC!!! Tasty, but kinda sad .......
Canuck Stock Ticker: US pot laws have been creating a lot of headaches and uncertainly for weed on the Toronto Stock Exchange [TSX] @ Globe @ FP
The Dank Duchess!
Dank Duchess: Meet the Cali cultivator turned hash maker as she now turns her attention to curating new strains of killer weed, from rare seeds she found in Spain! Go Duchess go!!! @ CN
Snoop Dogg North: Rapper y cannabiz entrepreneur The Snoop has invested in the Canada based Trellis' companies "seed to sale management" software @ FT
HIGHER LEARNING
Weed Ed 101: The Trudeau government earmarks an additional $36.4M for a new health and safety education campaign about pot. Is it a case of too little to late? More @ Global Read the government media release @ GCA
Parents 4 Pot [P4P]: advocates for responsible, stigma free adult use. Also a parent's choice to choose medical cannabis to treat their child's illness. Learn more @ P4P
Med Pot 4 Kids: Here's a doctor's guide for parents @ CC
Know Your Weed History: Prohibition 101 began in the US 80 years ago, when President Roosevelt signed House Bill 6385: The Marijuana Tax Act into law @ Norml
Cannabis Terpenes Rock: Here's 11 you should learn more about @ MJ
Go Solventless: These concentrates or extracts are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to smoking bud @ MR
Misdiagnosed: Does your doctor know that Cannabis can be used to relieve the symptoms of gastro intestinal disorders such as IBS, Crohns, and Colitis? More @ Potent
How Sneak A Toke In Public: Of course, we protest and engage in civil disobedience. But Ontario tokers won't even be allowed to go to a vapor lounge under the provinces legalization plans, let alone toke anywhere in public. Enquiring minds need to know -what is 2B done @ IHL
Trip-ster Guide: The right and wrong ways to inhale weed? Now it can be told! Some tips @ AB
Ghost AG: Meet the weed with a 28% THC count! Compare it with today's other most popular strains @ Leafly
Fentanyl-Laced Weed?!? Here's the dirty lowdown on the mainstream media's big reefer madness myth @ Lift
Finding The Correct Dose? You can't overdose from cannabis. Still, the correct amount for a pleasant buzz varies between individuals. Here's the inside dope on figuring out how much flower, oils and extracts etc. are best for you @ Herb
Sativex -The travelers friend!
Europe Tripping 3: Travelling abroad? Meet legal prescription cannabinoids -the traveler's friend! They can prove very handy and discreet! Love the pharmacy label! Plus most folks have absolutely noooooo idea what they are, lying alongside all the other meds in yer toiletry kit. So if you gotta trip, consider asking your medical cannabis friendly doctor for a prescription for "Nabilone" capsules, or "Sativex" spray .... @ CHealth
High Higher Highest: Canada's post secondary schools race to set up educational cannabis programs for students seeking work in the new legal cannabiz industry @ Lift
Some "Concentrated" Toking Tips: How to smoke shatter, budder, oil, wax and live rosin @ MR
Timely Reading: How to prepare your cannabis crop to survive a hurricane @ WR
HIGH TIMES
The 5 Best Reggae Albums When You Are High: Bob Marley, Damien Marley, Peter Tosh, Steel Pulse, Jimmy Cliff and Sevana. Hmmm. Kool, but lots and lots of others are missing @ Leafly
Marley Remembered: Here's Bob's 1976 High Times magazine interview in it's entirety @ HT
No More Reefer Madness: Higher Ground's TV "Marijuana vs Cannabis" ad week campaign parody emphasizes the advantages of legalization @ HG
Up In Smoke 2017: Cheech gets high. Finds out how it's different being a stoner today. Whoa @ Youtube
WE'ed Are The World: Cheech y Chong go rap @ Youtube
Still Smoking: Cheech y Chong reflect on legalization and the Trump Presidency! A "Mexican Mall" eh?!? More @ Youtube
Party Hardy: Howzabout a tasty, cannabis infused fruit punch to wet your autumn whistle?!? @ Leafly
Stoned: Here's an edited collection of High Times best all time druggie interviews, featuring Bob Marley, Hunter Thompson, Mick Jagger, Steven King, Dave Chapelle, Willie Nelson, and Oliver Stone @ HT
Rasta Chant: Jah Rastafar I shows us how it's done right! Hey! Maybe they can take in our Canuck protester from Guelph [see above] once winter comes ......?!? Bing-bong! Chillum' @ Youtube
COMMENTS:
HEADLINES
Project Gator Cannabis Culture 5 Bust: Marc Emery tells Oh Cannabis that the crown wants to strike a pretrial deal, perhaps by the next December 4th court date! Exclusive blog y video interviews @ Here!
Legal Cannabis Prices: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposes a $1 excise tax on legal weed sold by government LP's [licensed producers] at $10 a gram. A further 10% tax will be added to any strains more expensive then that. Canadian growers, craft dispensaries, and seasoned pot smokers shrug in disbelief. See below ....
Med Pot Access: Despite legalization plans, Canada's medical cannabis patients still suffer from a worsening legal weed shortage and an inexplicable medical cannabis prescription tax, with no relief in sight. See below ...
"Loose With Wynne" or "More Ontario's Corporate Neo Lib Hijinks": Ontario Premier Wynne's proposed provincial legislation takes a further huge police jackboot to the province's popular vapor lounges and craft cannabis dispensaries. Also, the creation of a very limited and strictly controlled stand alone CCBO [Cannabis Control Board of Ontario] corporate monopoly over the sale and distribution of legal weed. More! See below ...
Prohibition 2.0: The Canna Clinic raids continue across Canada, as TPS [Toronto Police Services] and the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] play Whack-a-Mole to little avail, with our countries craft cannabiz industry prior to legalization next year. See below ....
CC5 [Cannabis Culture 5]: get a bit of a respite. Bail Conditions for Marc and Jodie Emery, Chris and Erin Goodwin and Britney Guerra, have been softened somewhat, as the slimy case slowly snakes it's way through our court system. See below ....
Back in the USA: The US GOP House and Senate is split over AG Sessions plans to squash state legalization rights, but he could still win by default. See below ...
OH CANADA
Write Your Federal MP: Canadians for Fair Access To Medical Cannabis [CFAMM] wants the Trudeau government to eliminate the unjust and abhorrant HST and Excise tax on medical cannabis prescriptions! A sample online letter is provided along with a lot of other useful email tips. Please share! @ #DontTaxMedicine!
Legalization Date: We still don't know exactly when legal weed will go on sale in Canada next year. Here are some government hurdles that Bill C-45 still has to pass through before it becomes law @ CBC
Bill C-45 Review: The House of Common's Health Committee has completed it's study of Canada's new legalization bill. Mostly minor changes, for example to the height of legal homegrown plants and to the Non Smokers Health Act are recommended. The committee seems oblivious to a lotta other awfully, more huge elephants in the room. Too bad! The bill's oppressive and unrealistic Prohibition 2.0 thrust continues to serve Canada's greedy, corporate neo lib masters and feed hungry police budgets, rather than serve us. See below and @ CTV
M-edibles: A further amendment will allow for cannabis edibles and concentrates to be produced and sold, but only one full year after legalization, to allow for further study [he writes as he brushes the crumbs from his keyboard ... ] @ Lift
Cop Data DNE [Does Not Exist]: Canada's police forces are using reefer madness scare tactics to oppose legalization next spring. The shocking claims that they're constantly slipping into the public discourse are quite frankly unsubstantiated. Turns out, the data to back up the fear mongering about everything from stoned drivers to weed crimes, just simply DNE @ CTL
Flying High: Canadian airport security is relaxed for medical cannabis users, allowing up to 150 grams to be carried on board flights. Sounds like a party, eh?!? But howzabout medibles?!? At least we can eat those in fight for those ... er ... long trips!!! Jeez @ Star
Cheap Weed: Trudeau's all wet! Get this -he's proposing a $1 [Cdn] excise tax per gram for legalized government LP [licensed produced] weed. Plus an additional 10% tax on any strain costing more. Meanwhile, in Toronto at least, our city streets are all ready awash with a tsunami of cheap, top quality, underground, craft grass, sometimes as low as $150 an ounce [Tom Cruise, Kosher Cush, Alien OG etc.] which the LP's can't match in price and potency, let alone availability. For example, of the new low water mark, a vast range of top notch strains [Rock Star, God Bud, etc. etc. etc.] were selling for as low as $5 a gram, prerolled joints for $2-3 at the September Toronto Karma Cup .... Keep up the good work Justin! Stick to your water guns! Let's watch for a pricing race to the bottom that could prove a financial lifesaver for we poor lowly cannabis medical patient and recreational consumers alike, as government legalization goes awash under Prohibition 2.0 @ Global
Reality Check: Guess what?!? Now a huge legal cannabis shortage is widely expected as Canada's LP's struggle to meet the increased market demand next spring. Most medical cannabis tokers were all ready painfully aware of the licensed producers inability to keep their heads above choppy waters in just producing and delivering the goods in meeting our relatively much smaller prescription needs []. As for the flood of new commercial buyers looking to buy some legalized LP Trudeau-juana weed? Tch! Tch! Diver down! See above and @ Global and @ Global and @ Macleans
Reefer Monopoly Madness: CC5's Jodie Emery explains that since the Canadian government doesn't really want to legalize pot, so much as they just want to profit from it, civil disobedience once again becomes our only option against Canada's unjust pot laws. Nice one Jodie! Screw Trudeau's pricing and taxation pipe dreams and the mad, keystone cop, crackdown attack on our huge, existing and flourishing underground cannabis market @ OCitizen
Med Pot Access: Alas, medical cannabis patients take note -there's no specific promise guaranteeing our access to the greatly reduced legal supply for meeting our prescription needs once recreational weed is legalized! So far, Trudeau's still greedily taxing our medical cannabis prescriptions too!!! More @ OCitizen
Ontario Prohibition 2.0: New legislation from the Wynne Liberal government to regulate and distribute cannabis are super strict, punitive, and not very well thought out. No public consumption? No craft dispensaries? A legal age of 19? Duh @ Vice
Puff on This: A frank overview of everything that's wrong with Wynne's Weed Plan 101 @ Vice
Vapor Woes: Ontario's health conscious tokers, our vaping lounges, med pot dispensaries, and even the government licensed producers come under attack by the ill considered anti vaping thrust of Wynne Lib's Prohibition 2.0 plan's for legal weed @ Vice
Leaky Gov't Boat: Leaked Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services documents suggest Wynne's ill conceived plans are all wet, a sinking proposition! But are the Lib's listening to reason? Will they even still be in charge of the provincial ship of state after next spring's election, when the new laws take effect? @ Vice
Legal Pot? Wynne Loses!
RCMP Doubts: Canada's venerable mounties argue that federal legalization plans won't succeed in killing the black market @ NatPost
No Canna Do: Another of Canada's resilient Canna Clinic dispensaries has been raided, this time in Toronto's bustling Kensington Market. TPS [Toronto Police Services] arrest 15 employees, seize 169 kilos of cannabis, 14.5 kilos of oil, 4.9 kgs of shatter, and $14,400 in cash! @ Global and @ CP24
Fighting Provincial Weed Monopolies: CC is prepared to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to advocate for the right to move weed between provincial borders without import or export tariffs or taxes. Ironically, the test case involves booze @ CC
Busted: Ming's Cannabis Culture Ottawa dispensary, in the Bank Street shadow of Parliament Hill, is raided once again. She and her Good Bud's remain undaunted @ OCitizen More from Ming @ Twitter
Ming Saad: Ottawa CC Rocks!
Project Claudia: Mayor John Tory's Toronto City Hall looks to the province to pick up the law enforcement bill for it's unsuccessful million dollar whack-a-mole police crackdown on Toronto's indie dispensaries @ Globe
More Med Pot Access: In challenging the Project Claudia busts, King Canuck Cannabis lawyer Alan Young argues that Toronto police dispensary raids are an unconstitutional infringement on our patient rights @ Star
Senior Med Pot Relief: Cannabis supplier "WeedMD" has inked an agreement with the Ontario "People's Care" nursing home chain. However, it seems another monopoly is in the making with this "exclusive deal" @ CBC
Project Lincoln: The TPS and RCMP have teamed up again, as with the CC [Cannabis Culture] "Project Gator" raids, this time to target Canna Clinic's craft cannabis dispensaries across Canada in Vancouver and Toronto. They have been very busy @ Global
CC5: The Emery's, Goodwin's and Britney Guerra have managed to get their bail conditions modified. They now allow for more travel, work and media, just not in relation to the dispensary arm of the Cannabis Culture's business interests. Remember, CC also runs Pot TV, Cannabis Culture magazine. Then there's their cannabis advocacy efforts. More @ GStraight
Prohibition 2.0: When the legalization of recreational weed arrives next year, that equals about one government CCBO store for every 250,000 Ontarians. Cannabis will also be available online similar to the federal governments sale of mail order medical cannabis through it's LP's [Licensed Producers]. It's hard to figure how Wynne thinks this super strict regime will be able to compete with the thriving black market craft cannabiz industry all ready in place. The governments plan? Bust and close and close them all down! Phfffffft! Think Project Claudia/ Gator .... Good luck! Not! @ Vice
Cannabis Culture's Jodie Emery slams the provinces "insane" monopoly game with legal weed, urging them to "Stop criminalizing the existing industry." @ CTV and @ Citizen
Missed Opportunity: The Ontario government could probably make much more $$$ by partnering up with our local dispensaries, rather than by trying to bust them all and creating it's own monopoly .... Where's the dollar and sense Conservative Party voice in all this?!? Duh @ Vice
PC/ NDP MIA: Sadly, neither of Ontario's provincial 2 main opposition parties will stick their neck out to say how they'd distribute cannabis, with the next election 8 months away. According to the Trudeau timeline, recreational cannabis will become legal less than a month afterwards, at the latest @ Star
Dr. Doom: More on the governments plans to raid and close the existing dispensaries, and replace them with their own monopoly @ Vice
Return of Dr. Doom: Trying to create a public sector monopoly on selling weed by trying to shut down the free enterprise sector will only fuel the very illicit trade the government claims it wants to stamp out @ Huff
Prohibition 2.0: Ontario proposed minimum age for buying recreational weed will be set at age 19, not 18 as recommended by the feds @ CBC
But would you bring him home to meet mom y dad?!?
Back 2 Basics: Guelph Ontario's Jeffrey Shaver has captured public attention to the cause like never before . It's all a part of the good fight for access to medical cannabis! Jeff's smoking pot outside the Provincial Offenses Court in his underwear to protest the police seizure of his weed and bong @ CBC
Stop Arresting Patients: Ouch! Canuck Medical Cannabis Activist Chris Enns is busted big time with weed during a police traffic stop. Is he deterred? Nope, feeling confident, he's going to make this a constitutional challenge! Video @ Global
Med Pot Access?!? Rights?!?
Jagmeet Singh: The federal NDP Leadership hopeful promises to call for the decriminalization of all drugs for personal use. He does not consider it a "criminal justice problem" @ Huff
Prince Edward Island: Business leaders and owners are now being consulted on the provinces cannabis legalization plans. The public is also being consulted via an online survey. Will government retail stores be the way to go? @ CBC
British Columbia: Seems BC's NDP government might not follow Wynne's lead. Interesting; BC cannabis activism and the dispensary movement on the whole are a lot more vocal, and organized too. But in Ontario?!? Story @ Global
IN THE NEWS
Blowing In The Wind: An extended Trump-Democrat US hurricane relief/ debt ceiling, federal spending agreement now protects state medical cannabis programs from a feared crackdown by the Donald and Jeff Sessions until December 8, 2017 @ Leafly
Reefer Madness Session: US Attorney General [AG] Jeff Sessions gets totally smoked on his ridiculous um ...."theories" .... about weed as the House of Judiciary Committee [HJC] meets to grill him on the Russia Story! Put that in your pipe y smoke it Jeffrey! @ Mash
Med Pot Access: 12 year old epileptic Alexis Bortell is suing US AG Jeff Sessions over her access to medical cannabis! Go grrrrrrl go! @ Slate
Med Pot: Alexis Vs The Session Man!
Progress [Of Sorts]: Nowadaze, badly divided US Republicans are fighting among themselves at most every level of government. With weed, it's over federal interference in the spreading state legalization drive. Beware! Quite possibly, the GOP controlled federal House and Senate won't be able to agree on a position. By default that gives a green light to head honcho, reefer madman AG Jeff Sessions! Yup! The complete and utter dick will actually enjoy a freehand to further thwart state rights. Meanwhile, a befuckled President Donald Trump seems totally non plussed that more voters support legalization than voted for him in the real non alt fact world of US politics. Getting angry? Let's hope the spreading grass fire grows to help chase the whole gang who can't straight shoot from office in the 2018 mid term Congressionals @ Civilized
Fighting Reality: A once befuddled American public is now slowly coming to grips with the idea that cannabis should be legalized @ CNN
Following The Smoke Fumes: Unlike in Canada, US legalization can basically occur, or even be blocked, at more than one level of government; state or federal. Here's an updated state medical and recreational cannabis law map for 2017 @ Gov
US Legalization Playbook: Here's what legalization measures are in currently in play, state by state across the US @ Leafly
Meanwhile in Westminster ....
UK Legalization Bill: Check out the parliamentary debates, as the Bill moves towards becoming law @ UK
Not 4 Hire?!? As in Canada, the budding, legal, US cannabis industry will be handicapped by laws preventing the hiring of experienced, battle worn, heritage cannabiz employees with previous pot convictions. Remember: These were earned from fighting, and seemingly winning the good fight against prohibition! No justice, no peace @ Forbes.
Still Not Much Fun With Weed in Much Of Europe!
Europe Tripping 1: My recent road trip to Rome, Prague and Dresdon was rather disappointing weed wise. Perhaps we Canadians are spoiled by the pending changes to Canada's cannabis laws. Alas! Quite frankly, I'm not keen on buy dope from strangers in back alleys ways etc. etc. etc., like we had to do way back in the bad ol' daze. Still, each country is making some progress, it seems. Learn more about smoking weed in the Czech Republic @ Leafly Italy @ WBH and Germany @ HN
No Drones Allowed: Alas! California won't be allowing weed delivery by drone to your home any time soon. Booooooooo @ Verge
Kim Jung Rolls Un: Here's the scoop on ..... are you ready for this?! ~North Korean Pot @ HT
GREEN MARKETING
Karma Cup 2017: Complete news links, and my own judge's review is now posted under separate cover @ Blog
Karma Cup 2017 Winners: Buds Shatter? Extracts? Edibles? Glass? Here are the results! Happy shopping! More @ KC
NORML Canada Conference 2017: Here are the videos from this year's different speakers and workshops, once again held in conjunction with the Karma Cup in Toronto. There's lots from an enlightened perspective, about green marketing, legalization, and the politics of pot! Watch @ Dopechef
Looks good but .....
Europe Tripping 2: Cannabis infused chocolate anyone? Alas! Imagine my disappointment back at the Belvedere hotel, ready to party after I got my hands on a few bars at the local corner store, during our first night in Prague! Yup! Trez kool packaging! But the "weed" is strictly CBD's and/ or hemp seeds!!! There's little more info, except for the very fine print on the wrapper, which simply states that there's no THC!!! Tasty, but kinda sad .......
Canuck Stock Ticker: US pot laws have been creating a lot of headaches and uncertainly for weed on the Toronto Stock Exchange [TSX] @ Globe @ FP
The Dank Duchess!
Dank Duchess: Meet the Cali cultivator turned hash maker as she now turns her attention to curating new strains of killer weed, from rare seeds she found in Spain! Go Duchess go!!! @ CN
Snoop Dogg North: Rapper y cannabiz entrepreneur The Snoop has invested in the Canada based Trellis' companies "seed to sale management" software @ FT
HIGHER LEARNING
Weed Ed 101: The Trudeau government earmarks an additional $36.4M for a new health and safety education campaign about pot. Is it a case of too little to late? More @ Global Read the government media release @ GCA
Parents 4 Pot [P4P]: advocates for responsible, stigma free adult use. Also a parent's choice to choose medical cannabis to treat their child's illness. Learn more @ P4P
Med Pot 4 Kids: Here's a doctor's guide for parents @ CC
Know Your Weed History: Prohibition 101 began in the US 80 years ago, when President Roosevelt signed House Bill 6385: The Marijuana Tax Act into law @ Norml
Cannabis Terpenes Rock: Here's 11 you should learn more about @ MJ
Go Solventless: These concentrates or extracts are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to smoking bud @ MR
Misdiagnosed: Does your doctor know that Cannabis can be used to relieve the symptoms of gastro intestinal disorders such as IBS, Crohns, and Colitis? More @ Potent
How Sneak A Toke In Public: Of course, we protest and engage in civil disobedience. But Ontario tokers won't even be allowed to go to a vapor lounge under the provinces legalization plans, let alone toke anywhere in public. Enquiring minds need to know -what is 2B done @ IHL
Trip-ster Guide: The right and wrong ways to inhale weed? Now it can be told! Some tips @ AB
Ghost AG: Meet the weed with a 28% THC count! Compare it with today's other most popular strains @ Leafly
Fentanyl-Laced Weed?!? Here's the dirty lowdown on the mainstream media's big reefer madness myth @ Lift
Finding The Correct Dose? You can't overdose from cannabis. Still, the correct amount for a pleasant buzz varies between individuals. Here's the inside dope on figuring out how much flower, oils and extracts etc. are best for you @ Herb
Europe Tripping 3: Travelling abroad? Meet legal prescription cannabinoids -the traveler's friend! They can prove very handy and discreet! Love the pharmacy label! Plus most folks have absolutely noooooo idea what they are, lying alongside all the other meds in yer toiletry kit. So if you gotta trip, consider asking your medical cannabis friendly doctor for a prescription for "Nabilone" capsules, or "Sativex" spray .... @ CHealth
High Higher Highest: Canada's post secondary schools race to set up educational cannabis programs for students seeking work in the new legal cannabiz industry @ Lift
Some "Concentrated" Toking Tips: How to smoke shatter, budder, oil, wax and live rosin @ MR
Timely Reading: How to prepare your cannabis crop to survive a hurricane @ WR
HIGH TIMES
The 5 Best Reggae Albums When You Are High: Bob Marley, Damien Marley, Peter Tosh, Steel Pulse, Jimmy Cliff and Sevana. Hmmm. Kool, but lots and lots of others are missing @ Leafly
Marley Remembered: Here's Bob's 1976 High Times magazine interview in it's entirety @ HT
No More Reefer Madness: Higher Ground's TV "Marijuana vs Cannabis" ad week campaign parody emphasizes the advantages of legalization @ HG
Up In Smoke 2017: Cheech gets high. Finds out how it's different being a stoner today. Whoa @ Youtube
WE'ed Are The World: Cheech y Chong go rap @ Youtube
Still Smoking: Cheech y Chong reflect on legalization and the Trump Presidency! A "Mexican Mall" eh?!? More @ Youtube
Party Hardy: Howzabout a tasty, cannabis infused fruit punch to wet your autumn whistle?!? @ Leafly
Stoned: Here's an edited collection of High Times best all time druggie interviews, featuring Bob Marley, Hunter Thompson, Mick Jagger, Steven King, Dave Chapelle, Willie Nelson, and Oliver Stone @ HT
Rasta Chant: Jah Rastafar I shows us how it's done right! Hey! Maybe they can take in our Canuck protester from Guelph [see above] once winter comes ......?!? Bing-bong! Chillum' @ Youtube
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