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Re: 3rd Annual Cannabis Convention (victoria bc)
By Hempology | March 20, 2002
By FlashGordon
March 19th, 2002
The convention hall was packed and the balcony full in the historic Young building on Camosun
college campus in Victoria BC for the third annual Cannabis Convention held on St Phattys day March 17, 2002. The event was sponsored by Victorias Hempology 101 Society, the Camosun College
Hempology 101 Club and the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada . The society is dedicated to educating the public about hemp, marijuana, and prohibition and the buyers’ clubs with locations in Coombs, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick help people coast to coast.
Ted Smith, the main organizer of the event introduced each guest speaker and in between explained the details of his constitutional challenge to charges stemming last three times he was
busted. This last time it was for 7 pounds before that it was for 420 cookies. Marc Emery had stepped in provided $2000.00 for lawyer and $1000.00 for the clubs rent and helped round up some inventory so club could be back reopened in one hour and a half. Ted made it clear in his introduction of Marc Emery that the club was looking upon it as a loan and planing to pay back every penny as he presented Marc with a $100.00 payment .The club members wished to remain non-partisan and wanted no political strings attached to Marcs BC Marijuana Party, Ted having publically objected to some of its policies during the election.
Marc seemed to take all this is good stride and joked that he would only give the money away to
someone else. The publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine, owner of Pot-TV and president of the
BC Marijuana party then went on to explain the stupid reasons he thought that Cannabis is still
illegal: sex and racism.
Chris Bennet manager of Pot-tv and author of Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible whom Ted
Smith said had inspired him was only speaker allowed to speak twice, first giving a history of
cannabis and then giving the history of prohibition.
Eric Hughes of Zima Foods Inc. and Brian Johnson, president of Transglobal Hemp Products, both
spoke of expanded markets and possibilities for hemp and obstacles set up by DEA enforcement.
Mark Russell director of the Coombs outlet of the Cannabis Buyers Clubs of Canada was next to
provide insight followed by the enlightening Dr.James Geiwitz, former researcher for Health
Canada, who exposed “junk science” studies for what they were and found cannabis to be
harmless with minimal damage to lungs.
Phillippe Lucas director of the VICS explained how he
was busted, but not fully why he plead Guilty (whereas Randy Caine, who had been caught with
a roach, David Malmo Levine, who was busted for his harm reduction club, and Ted Smith,
who is being nailed for 7 pounds, all plead not guilty and made their cases constitutional
challenges). Phillippe urged the attendees to attend his sentencing.
In an unscheduled appearance David Malmo Levine took a moment to promote his pot shots
magazines and informative pamphlets.
Matt Elrod, the computer whiz who works out of his log cabin home and has through mapinc.org
and other sites nearly won the battle against prohibitionists on the Internet was last to speak
before Emerys introduction.
On the stairs out front of the Young Building hempsters amassed with local media and smoked
phattys for the cameras. Pipes and books were available for sale in the hallways.
Mik Mann, federal exemptee, rolled a joint on his exemption papers, which he figured was about
all they were good for. Dana Larsen, Cannabis Culture editor, shared and joint or two with Momakind, director of the sunshine coast compassion club, and this reporter.
After the conference, Marc invited three of the growers from the different clubs to a casual
dinner at Victorias understated Caf Mexico in the company of the beautiful Coral Clay.
Medicine doesn’t have to “taste bad to work”.
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