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Ted Smiths Letter to the Editor
By Hempology | January 18, 2005
Re: Jan 16 Article, Times Colonist
It is an honour to have the Times Colonist print a story featuring me as a heavy lifter in the cannabis movement. To be more accurate, though, a few additions should be made for public record.
The small farm town I am from is Monkton, Ont., pop. approx. 250. Cambridge, an industrial city, had about 70,000 citizens when I moved there in 79 at the age of 9.
When I moved to Victoria in Sept 95 it was to start hosting Hempology 101 meetings to educate the public about hemp, cannabis and prohibition. It was working with that group that I was inspired to start the Cannabis Buyers Club while living in my van. The clubs mandate since Jan 96 has required members to prove that a doctor has diagnosed them with a permanent, physical disability or disease.
Our club opened a store in March 2001, and while we have never had the extra money to buy high-class furniture, we certainly do not feel it is dark or seedy. Police have testified, in fact, that is was run like a pharmacy.
The guilty verdict on trafficking cannabis resin on Jan 7 was related to the CBC, but the other charges I am waiting for a decision on relates to an arrest at a weekly 420 meeting of the UVSS Hempology 101 Club on Nov 8, 2000. Undercover officers pretended to be students to get a roach from me and arrested me after in the parking lot, charging me with trafficking and possession for the purpose. In court we have argued that the sweeping powers granted to police are grossly disproportionate and arbitrary, causing disrespect for the law, especially in cases where political activists are treated totally different from the general public. The verdict will be read Jan 20 at 2pm.
Hempology 101 educates students about the effects of prohibition, like the grow-op by-law soon to be introduced in Saanich. Though this by-law intends upon being a deterrent to pot growers, the real impact could be felt by every landlord and tenant in the region. If landlords start being required to pay constant home visits, then every tenant will start paying more rent to cover the costs of searching residential space. This is an intrusion upon privacy and adds to the costs of maintaining prohibition. If cannabis were legal, commercial operations would not be in homes, solving both housing and unemployment problems.
Much of my focus is the International Hempology 101 Society, which is why I felt it was important to mention. While my more outspoken attitude has gotten me in more trouble than people like Philippe Lucas, I certainly do not apologize for taking a strong stand against the government in this civil war.
As for my opinion about Mr. Lucas, you never really asked.
Ted Smith
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