The International Hempology 101 Society and Cannabis Buyers Clubs of Canada are working together to form at research foundation to study the medical benefits of cannabis compared to prescription drugs. This project will be officially kicked off on Nov 15, International Medical Marijuana Day, the final acceptance date for applications to get the job of creating the research foundation.

We have been forming the basis of a research project at the CBC of C since 2004. We realized through our court cases that we could not rely upon drug companies or the government to conduct research that would prove that medicine made from the whole plant can provide consistent relief from symptoms associated with many medical problems. In fact, drug companies do not conduct clinical trials for plants and are only interested in creating synthetic variations of naturally occurring substances or creating new chemicals in the laboratory. On the other hand, Health Canada was only actively involved in less than five medical cannabis research projects before funding for the program was axed by the Conservative government almost 2 years ago.

The courts, doctors, patients, Health Canada and the public continue to suggest that more research on the medical effects of cannabis need to be completed, but very little is actually being done in this country. The Medical Marijuana Access Division (MMAD) is not even supplying a simple survey to people who get licenses to grow and/or possess cannabis to record basic statistics regarding their uses of the herb and possible negative side-effects. As you can read in the letter sent to us from the current head of MMAD that is printed in this issue, the government is prepared to let the private sector have control over what cannabis products are tested and prepared for market. Therefore, we have decided to form a research foundation and a pharmaceutical company to conduct the type of research that we feel is necessary to maximize the potential medical benefits of the cannabis plant.

To begin creating these institutions we will be hiring the first employee of the International Hempology 101 Society after Nov 15, the last day resumes will be accepted for the position. The initial funds for this person’s wages will come from fundraisers, donations and the CBC of C. There will be several areas that this person will be required to focus their time upon. We will renew our attempts to encourage our members and others to complete our current research questionnaire. There will be an effort to build relationships with others in the research community. An advisory committee will be formed within one year to help guide the project and build a team of experienced professionals from various fields to ensure that everything proceeds properly. Finally, the groundwork will be laid by this person to incorporate both a research foundation and a pharmaceutical company that will legally create and distribute the various skin and edible products of the CBC of C.

There will be no attempt to conduct studies intended to make a specific strain of cannabis an approved drug for a variety of reasons. The idea that certain strains are the best for specific conditions or symptoms is valid, but patients are best served when they can use a variety of strains. People develop a slight tolerance to individual strains of cannabis, especially those who have constant pain. As well, using several varieties together often helps achieve relief of symptoms better than a single strain. There are certainly a number of other problems with putting cannabis strains through the drug approval process. Instead we will put our attention towards the legal creation of the skin and edible products while continuing to prove that the combination of smoking, eating and topically applying cannabis is better than using most prescription drugs.

Given the complexity of the situation, it is difficult to plan exactly how this research foundation and pharmaceutical company will grow, though we hope that within 5 years both institutions will be formed. It is likely that the research foundation will be the first to legally incorporate because the scope of that organization will reach beyond the use of the food and skin products. The pharmaceutical company will focus strictly upon developing the edible and topical products that the CBC of C has been using for years.

In order to raise funds for this project we intend upon being as transparent as possible by not withholding any information or procedures about the creation of these products from the public. It is our intention to share the standard operating procedures we use to make these products, as we have been doing so far, in the hope that the medical utility of this plant is maximized. We believe that anyone with a few skills and basic equipment could make high quality cannabis medicines. The person hired to create this project will require many skills to juggle these directives, but we hope to generate enough money through fundraisers, donations and sponsors to form a team of researchers. Wages for the position will be the same as the CBC of C staff, $12/hr, Mon-Fri, 10am to 6pm. To be transparent, we will be using a local book-keeper to help pay these wages directly from the bank accounts of the International Hempology 101 Society.

Today’s topic is: Are humans herbivore or carnivore and what are the implications regarding health, life expectancy, and environmental impact? Some things to consider, (anatomical and physiological) regarding the difference between humans and known carnivores: carnivores have long, sharp pointedc teeth for tearing flesh, mouths that open wide to capture and hold prey. Jaws that move up and down, gastric PH around 1 to 2 ( highly acidic) and relatively short intestines, approximately 3 times the animals length. Carnivores stomachs represent 60-70% of the total capacity of the digestive system- they eat less often and typically gorge themselves, resting while the large volume digests.

Humans have molars for crushing and grinding; jaws that move side to side for eating vegetation. Human mouths have a relatively small opening, intestinal tracts 10 to 12 times the length of our trunks, a PH of approximately 5-6 (more more alkaline) and urine that is much more alkaline than carnivores. In herbivorous animals the large intestine functions on a highly specialized organ and when functioning properly (with proper flora , in sufficient amounts) is involved in water and electrolyte absorbtion vitamen production (esp. B’s) and absorption and some fermentation of fiberous plant materials. The stomach volume of the herbivore represents approximately 21-27% of total volume of the gastrointestinal tract (G.I. tract).

Humans have evolved primarily as herbivores, the entire alimentary canal from mouth to anus clearly indictes the biological preference for herbs, nuts, seeds and fruit. Grains and legumes are a different topic. We ofter hear people talking about “getting enough protein”. Protein is composed of amino acids. Amino acids are said to be the building blocks of protein. We get amino acids from every food source. What humans require for good sound nutrition is a richly coloured, fresh, mostly raw or lightly cooked, varied diet. We may in times of weakness or debilitation take some organic, respectably killed meat in the form of soup, broth or condiment. Life is reciprocal. If we consume, mistreat or abuse plants, animals, air or water, we become that.

A few bits of information concerning environmental impacts of meat production for human consumption. This is based on the United Nations Food And Agriculture Organization (UNFAO). Estimated 18% of global greenhouse gases are due to livestock production. Not just methane and manure gases, but land uses, especially deforestation and destruction of peyote fields to expand production. Livestock now uses 30% of the earth’s entire land surface. In Latin America 70% of former forest in the Amozon have been converted to grazing. Almost every environmental castrophe confronting the planet is attributable to lifestock production/global forest destruction/spreading deserts/lose of fresh water/soil erosion etc.

Between 1950 and 1994 global meat production increased nearly fourfold, rising much faster than the human population. During this time production rates jumped from 18 to 35.4 kilograms per person. In Canada, farm animal outwieght people 4.3 to 1. In the USA farm animal outweight people 4 to 1, in Mexico 3.4 to 1, in China 1.1 to 1 and in India 0.65 to 1. The most noteworthy statistic is perhaps that a meat based diet requires 7 times more land than a plant based diet. Considering the displacement of indigous species of plant plants and animals the consequences are huge. W

e need biodiversity for health, we need respect for life, for health and we need to work together to enjoy ourselves, to share food, space, thoughts and develop a multi-generational, ethical, caring world. Its vastly different and intimately healthier than the fragmented, compartmentalized, competitive engineered social mechanisms we now employ. Respect animals, remember their lives are just as important to them as ours are to us. Be who your dog thinks you are.
Remember: Nature cures- side effects are future business.
Skip Lafluer, owner of Simple Remedies
(See all of Skip’s previous articles on hempology.ca)

A reminder that the Club has new hours! Mon-Sat: 10am-7pm, Sundays, Christmas Day and New Years Day: 11am-6pm. The International Hempology 101 Society will be celebrating its 13th Anniversary on Sept. 3. We meet at Centennial Square, 7pm, and march to the Legislative Buildings for a photo shoot. Come get your picture taken with our new mascot, Herb. Don’t forget this September 10th will be the start of the 3rd year of Hempology 101’s free lecture series at the University of Victoria. The room # will be posted in early September. Keep updated by checking out hempology.ca or asking at the club.

Ted has started a new tradition for his birthday this year – a picnic starting at 4:20 on Mt. Tolmie, June 22. Hope to see you there next year! We changed the location for the Cannabis Day 4:20 from Beacon Hill Park to the Victoria Courthouse. It was very well attended, and to everyone’s great surprise, Herb the Hempster, made a grand first guest appearance. Thanx to the Victoria police for not hassling us too much. Also, if you are interested in volunteering or helping stop Bill C26, please come to the board meetings. They are open to all members and are posted on the chalk board behind my desk. Next meeting is Aug 19. If you can’t make it out, please take the time to write letters.

Reach for the Pot has ended for another year with Peanut’s Crew taking the trophy bongs this year. Congratulations to captain Anthony and crew Tim, Sylvia and Ryan “High in BC” Bushby! We hope you had as much fun playing as we had watching! The CBC of C website keeps getting better. Check out the new forums at cbc-canada.ca, as we have changed from cbc-canada.com. Likewise hempology is now at hempology.ca, not hempology.com. Thanks for all your patience through the transition to the new web addresses, and a thanks to those who have been slaving to make them so great.

We have been designing new logos for both the CBC of C and Hempology 101. We will be making buttons and new t-shirts. Thanks to everyone who bought a CBC of C t-shirt! They are a one-time printing, with only a few left. I would like to put out the first call to artists interested in donating to the Club’s 6th Annual Silent Art Auction on Nov 15. This year we will be putting the proceeds to starting our research foundation and pharmaceutical company. For more information please read Ted’s article about the Cannabis Research Foundation.ot We are in for truly exciting times ahead! Thanks for everyone’s support in our efforts to renovate the law.

The trial of Mathew Beren, lead cultivator of the Vancouver Island Compassion Club, should receive a favourable decision this fall when B.C. Supreme Court Justice Koenigsberg is expected to finally make a ruling. After being arrested in May 2004, Beren and the VICS have argued every possible point and every opportunity, resulting in a trial lasting over 50 days and costing the VICS over $200,000 in legal fees.

Even though VICS founder Phil Lucas has gone on record many times as being the only compassion club in Victoria, I have made an extra effort to watch these proceedings. In fact, I have actually been in court during the trial proper more than any lawyer or witness, the defendant, or even the judge, as the original judge passed away last fall in the middle of the trial. We have reported on this trial in Cannabis Digest #3, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17. In order to witness the last 4 witnesses I have traveled to Vancouver where the remainder of the trial is being held. These last 4 people the judge heard from may have presented the strongest evidence yet that that MMAR has been unconstitutional from the very beginning.

The last witness for the defense was Senator Pierre Claude-Nolin. He was chair on the 2002 Senate Committee that recommended legalizing cannabis after extensive research and consultation was completed with various interested parties, including myself. While he was able to generally discuss problems with the MMAR, because his report was completed almost 2 years before the VICS grow-op was raided it was difficult for him to comment of some areas. However, in many areas Senator Claude-Nolin provided some excellent arguments for an individuals right to use cannabis as medicine. He said it was unfair for Health Canada to create a system where doctors were the only possible legal authority to provide access to cannabis because they were lacking the science to ensure that it is safe and effective. The judge agreed that doctors should not be the “gatekeepers” of the MMAR because cannabis was not an approved drug and they had no idea how much of the herb an individual may need. She said that the MMAR should require doctors to confirm diagnosis of a serious medical problem and that the patient should determine dose. The irony is that we have been arguing this very point with the VICS and government for years but this issue is not a major part of the constitutional trial. The VICS requires individuals to have a doctor recommend the use of cannabis, as does Health Canada. By using this mandate, VICS protects the doctor as gatekeeper to access, a position physicians are uncomfortable with because cannabis is not an approved drug. Lawyer Kirk Tousaw has argued for the defense that Health Canada has interfered with people’s right to use large amounts of cannabis and that patients should be able to determine how much they use. However, the judge seems willing to grant people the right to use this medicine without their doctor’s approval based upon their right to treatment.

The crown’s first witness was Dr. Richard Viau, former head of Data Analytical Services at Health Canada. He was in charge of the contract to Prairie Plant Systems and informed the court a great deal about the drug regulatory process. Dr Viau defended Health Canada by explaining the difficulties they had trying to make a consistent cannabis product without breaking protocol. He said that after patient’s complaints that the cannabis was too dry, PPS increased the moisture content of their product from 10% to 14%. Others complained that the cannabis was ground-up too fine, causing it to spill out of the end of a joint, so PPS increased the particle grind size from 5mm to 10mm. While his testimony showed serious flaws in Health Canada’s approach to the medical cannabis issue, it was clear that those making the decisions about the direction of the programs were not those responsible for implementing the MMAR.

The next crown witness, former director of the Medical Marijuana Access Division, Valerie Lasher, provided the defense with some important information. She said that Health Canada had determined that there were only two possible options in regards to medical cannabis. The first option suggested that science might prove cannabis is not effective, safe or reliable and should not be included in the legal medicine cabinet. The second alternative had cannabis becoming an approved drug to be produced and distributed by pharmaceutical companies like other medicines.

The final witness in the trial provided the final nail in the defense’s argument. Dr. Harold Kalant has testified for the government in various drug cases for decades as one of Health Canada’s premier researchers. None of his lab experience is related to the medicinal uses of the herb, and it has been years since he has done any research himself on the effects of the plant. Dr. Kalant is very skeptical of the medical benefits of the herb, but he was willing to admit that it helped with nausea and pain with potential to help many other conditions pending more research. He was so sure of the medical benefits of cannabis that he clearly stated that Health Canada’s first option with the MMAR was not a possibility because there was undeniable scientific evidence that it is safe, effective and reliable, though he would obviously prefer it was not smoked. Dr. Kalant then went on to say that no plant has ever been approved as a drug and that it is impossible to imagine that a drug company will go through the expense to see that happen. Drug companies make money by extracting chemicals, synthetically recreating organic compounds or forming new chemicals altogether. The drug approval process is simply not made for plants and therefore Health Canada’s second option for the MMAR is not possible, either.

Final arguments in the trial will be made the week of Aug 5-8th, in Vancouver, with the decision expected in early September. The crown has already suggested it will appeal the decision, giving Health Canada time to make changes.