CANNABIS BAKER’S CHARGES DISAPPEARING

Jan 15, 2010

Victoria, B.C.: The Cannabis Buyers’ Club of Canada had its baking location raided Dec 3, 2009 after complaints from neighbours brought police to the apartment.

One person, Owen Smith, was arrested, though now it seems there will never be a trial. While the crown could still decide to proceed with charges, nothing was filed in court yesterday when Owen was required to report.

The Cannabis Buyers’ Clubs of Canada has been supplying medical cannabis to people with permanent physical disabilities or diseases for 14 years.

The club offers 29 different edible and topical preparations to about 3,000 sick people.

Today we are teaching people how to make these medicines by our new online cookbook. We are also releasing a new version of our research survey comparing cannabis products to prescription drugs.

Contact Person:
Ted Smith
(250) 381-4220

hempo101@gmail.com
www.hempology.ca

Although there are two clubs in Victoria, each have different
mandates, membership requirements, products, procedures and goals. In fact, operating in Victoria and selling cannabis to sick people may be about all the two clubs have in common.

Hours of operation for the CBC are Mon- Sat 11am to 6pm, Sundays 12:00pm to 6:00pm, open 365 days a year. Hours of operation for VICS are Mon-Fri 12pm to 5:30pm and Saturdays 12:00pm to 4:00pm, closed on all holidays

There are several differences in purchase policies between the two clubs. The VICS has a minimum purchase of 1 gram and a minimum purchase of $6 for 3 cookies. The members of VICS do not get any discounts with larger purchases. The CBC let their members purchase as little as $2.00 for herb and $1.00 for cookies. The members will have a choice between different price ranges and get price breaks with the larger purchases. The CBC has a small room to test medicine and find quick relief, while the VICS has no safe smoking space.

The two clubs also have different requirements for their memberships. The VICS has an application form that requires their members to list Physicians name, address and phone number, but also asks members if there are taking medications and list their daily drug regiment. The VICS asks you how long
you have been taking cannabis and how much you use. The VICS requires that you get a doctors recommendation, and consent to allow the group to ask your physician about other private medical information. There is also a $15 membership fee.

The CBC requires that their members bring in proof of being diagnosed with a permanent, physical disability or disease, and picture I.D. There are no membership fees or any release of information forms. If a person walks in with the proper documents they immediately join, with a 20 minute explanation of the rules.

One of the main differences between the two clubs is their philosophy concerning the fight for the right for healthy people to use cannabis. VICS stance is that only medical users should be legalized, while the CBC feels that all cannabis should be legal. The CBC has formed with the International
Hempology 101 Society leading the way educating the general public while the club has provided medicine to the sick. The founder of both the CBC and the International Hempology 101 Society, Leon �Ted� Smith, has been arrested while aggressively challenging the state�s authority to prohibit sharing cannabis in public and awaits several constitutional challenges this fall.

The two clubs are financed quite differently. VICS has had funding from the University of California, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and the University of British Columbia. Also the VICS was growing all of the cannabis that was sold through their store in one location in Metchosin until it was busted by police on May 27, 2004 with over 900 plants and tens of thousands of dollars in equipment seized. This lab was used to produce totally organic marijuana and experiment with certain strains and products. They claimed to have the best source of organic cannabis in Canada. Other research being done focuses upon pregnant women.

Another difference between the two clubs are the products available to their members. The VICS has cookies, and brownies, a vapour spray and a tincture. The CBC has many products (see pg1), which are basically sold at cost.

The CBC has had no private funding or indoor grow operations directly funded by the group, nor do they claim to have the only source of organic medicine in Victoria. The CBC has suffered 5 raids that have left them with a large debt load, basically being forced to borrow over $30,000 to continue operating.

Both clubs have limited charity available to poor members. The CBC was forced to stop providing any credit after the second police raid, losing about $5,000 which was never repaid, while VICS can afford a modest credit to members.

The VICS claims to be the only non-profit compassion club in Victoria and this society controls the Vancouver Island Therapeutic Cannabis Research Institute which operated the 900 plant grow house that was recently busted. The founder of VICS, Phil Lucas, is the president, executive director, creditor (he loaned the group over $17,000 in the first year) and has been a controlling partner in the club�s grow operations since the beginning. The founder of the CBC, Leon �Ted� Smith, started the group while living in a van, gave up growing outdoors several years ago and has never had enough money to invest in a grow-op. The CBC works according to a mutually agreed-upon, fee-for-service contract where everyone who works at the club gets $10/hr. Between police raids, thieves, mistakes and low profit margins, the CBC is over $30,000 in debt.

The VICS does not give their address to the general public. VICS has had 4 locations in 4 years. The current location is not wheel chair accessible.

The CBC is a very open operation, maintaining the same, wheel-chair accessible storefront for over 3 years, after working from the same apartment building for 5 years.

With an active membership of about 1300, the CBC is possibly the second largest club in the country, well behind the BCCCS in Vancouver. VICS has a membership of about 400. The reason the CBC is about 3 times larger is primarily because of the VICS need to have a doctor recommend cannabis use in writing before becoming a member.

Respect must be given to both groups for risks that are taken everyday the doors are open for business. Some certainly believe that the cannabis movement has gathered such great momentum precisely because there are so many unique, strong-willed individuals trying different public experiments with the use of cannabis in pot-friendly cities and country-sides.

On March 14, the International Hempology 101 Society hosted its Fifth Annual Convention at Camosun College. We thank Chris Bennett for opening the day for us, and were very happy his family could attend.

Thanks as well to Brian Taylor for driving from Grand Forks to join us. He expressed his happiness at finally being able to attend after being invited before, and hopes to make the trip again next spring. Mathew Elrod from DRUGSENSE web-page network gave us more information than I could fit into this article. Michael Straumietis, part-owner of Advanced Nutrients gave us the most heart-felt speech I�ve heard all year, and is now graciously supplying the CBC with products free of charge. The club is distributing these products to members, with only hopes for good enough results that new growers might be able to return a small portion of a successful crop back to the club. The cost of holding the convention was covered by the raffle. All who attended had a great time and a sincere thank you to all who gave their time and help.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Conference, titled Beyond Prohibition; Legal Cannabis in Canada, was held in Vancouver on May 8. It was poorly attended considering the top-notch quality and quantity of speakers, including Vancouver mayor, Larry Campbell. Part of the speech former police officer Walter McKay has been reprinted here for you.
One of the club�s dearest members, Remy Campbell, age 28, appeared on the front page of the Vancouver Sun, May 12 ,2004 in a two-page article on her remarkable recovery from brain surgery to correct a condition called Dystonia. Remy is able to walk again after spending 10 years with a contorted body and in a wheel chair. Remy has been a Medical Marijuana Activist since she was 18.
On a positive note, charges against a couple with children who were trying to help the club provide high-grade medicine were thrown out this spring. The judge was unable to prosecute �without putting the administration of justice into disrepute.� Our thanks and congratulations to our lawyer / hero Robert Moore-Stewart, Crown did not appeal. A heartfelt thanks to these members of the club who have helped us in many ways.
After months of anxious waiting and many long hours in court, we now get to wait until September 7 for judge Chaperon to read her final decision for Ted and Colby�s court case for the raid on the CBC on Jan.3, 2002 The charges are expected to be stayed. As a result of this decision, Scott and Ryan�s case will hopefully be stayed also. The judge could see by the constant ebb and flow of people in the court room that Ted and the CBC of C had a great deal of support. Several times the room was full. Ted and Colby extend their deepest gratitude to all those who have come to court, bought T-shirts and worn them proudly, sent their well wishes and positive energy.
After the final reading, we will have to wait 30 days to see if the crown will appeal. Thereafter, the CBC of C will petition David Anderson�s office to supply the club with a blanket Exemption 56. The worse case scenario is that the club may require new members to discuss their use of cannabis with their doctors before joining. The mass submission of applications is going slowly because most doctors are still unwilling to fill in forms without the backup of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. We are hoping the upcoming research project will encourage doctors to sign the application forms for members to possess or grow application forms.
Scott and Ryan�s court case has been postponed to Oct.5.
Soon after the release of this Cannabis Digest, the Club is going to be initiating a research project. Cannabis is a superior healing herb and some members of the CBC of C are greatly reducing their dependency on pharmaceuticals. Most medications are being reduced, some are being discontinued, and for even more remarkable news, stay tuned to the next issue of the Cannabis Digest. Please look for upcoming Research Questionnaires and encourage members to fill it out.
It is every citizen�s right to accept or refuse the treatment or medications our physicians offer us for assistance, depending on what we feel is the correct course of treatment for ourselves. Members and potential members are encouraged to pick up a Research Questionnaire and show their interest in transforming the medical system to one of assisting people attain health. Careful documentation of our states of being is how our doctors decide what is best for us. So why should we not be able to do our own documentation of the medicine we choose, if it�s what works for us.

There are several reasons why we expected Justice Chaperon to stay the charges against myself, and Colby Budda, when she reads her decision on Sept 7 regarding the police seizure from the Johnson St. storefront on Jan 3, 2002.
First, the medical need of cannabis for people had been established with many other court cases.

The CBC�s mandate fits perfectly with the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR), except they require a doctor�s recommendation.
Second, at the time of the raid no legal supply of cannabis was available to people with legal licenses to possess and grow the herb. Medical cannabis clubs provided the only available alternative to people faced with pain every day.
Third, there is direct evidence that the club restricted membership to sick people only and that the club�s motivation was not profit. Someone who had been cut-off from the CLUB, because he had been caught purchasing for someone else, brought the officer whom began the investigation to the club. This proved to the judge that we do not sell to just anyone, because everyone would come directly into the store to purchase, and that sales were secondary to the club�s mandate. Normal drug dealers do not stop selling to people who buy too much.

While the crown has challenged the fact that the CBC does not require a recommendation from a doctor for a person to join, and that because I am for the most part a healthy person, the medical need for cannabis is not a constitutional issue available to me. The crown admitted several times that if a doctor�s recommendation was required to join the club, then prosecution would probably not be occurring. The judge, however, has stated that while the mandate of the CBC is not as strict as Health Canada or the crown would like, it is acceptable to the courts, especially considering the evidence that the club cuts off members who resell.
This decision is anticipated by many members of the cannabis community, including, ironically, Phil Lucas from the VICS. Mr. Lucas has consistently put me down for not requiring doctor�s recommendations and generally for so openly challenging the laws against cannabis. If the crown wins, Mr. Lucas will proclaim that he was right all along and we were never a legitimate medical club. If we win the case, Mr. Lucas will enjoy the ground-breaking decision we have earned and try to pretend that he supported us all along.
All of the police raids at the club occurred during the time period when Health Canada handed out licenses but absolutely no Flin Flon pot was available. It is expected that all charges related to these raids will be thrown out after this decision is read on Sept 7.

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Contact CANNABIS DIGEST at: (250) 381-4220 or hemp101@shaw.ca

Cannabis Digest is a quarterly publication of the International Hempology 101 Society, which provides current legal, medical, and political updates concerning the medicinal use, growth and supply of cannabis. The Cannabis Buyers’ Clubs of Canada helps people with permanent physical disabilities and diseases. The Cannabis Digest is available online and in newsprint.

Thanks to all our contributors: Ted Smith,
Steve Kindred, Gayle Quin, Christiaan Bell,
Steve Pittner, Stefan Chojnacki.

Marijuana is one of the most benign drugs known, with active ingredients that even resemble substances found in mother’s milk, provincial court heard Thursday.

“There is no doubt in my mind there are very few health risks,” said James Geiwitz, an experimental psychologist whose expertise lies in risk analysis and the assessment of research design.

“It’s one of the most benevolent drugs we have discovered in nature,” Geiwitz told Judgen Loretta Chaperon.

He was testifing for the defense in the trial of longtime marijuana activist, Ted Smith, 34, and Colby Budda, 30. Both are charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

The charges arise from an operation, known commonly as “compassion club,” where marijuana is distributed to people with long-term chronic illnesses. Smith and Budda were working out of a Johnson Street storefront formerly known as Ted’s Books, raided on Jan. 3, 2002.

Geiwitz said marijuana’s benefits as a pain reliever, anti-nausea agent and appetite stimulant are well known. Its appetite-stimulating component even resembles something found in mother’s milk, he told the court. Studies with monkeys and rats have indicated their babies die when that marijuana-like substance is removed from the mother’s milk, he said.

Geiwitz testified he has reviewed studies-anywhere from 150 to 200 of them-as well as read panel reviews of studies into the risks and benefits of marijuana.

He gave testimony indicating that marijuana used as pain-relief medicine is in a class by itself. Its effects resemble opiates like morphine, but its long-term effects are more benign than Aspirin or ibuprofen, he said.

“Marijuana is the only chemical pain reliever you can take chronically, for long periods of time, without significant health risks,” he testified.

Geiwitz said as far as he can tell the best studies indicate the only risks associated with marijuana are minor lung damage. But he also said he could find no case of lung cancer or emphysema reported even among long-term, heavy users.

“There is no evidence of any kind that I could find of health risks associated with the long-term use of marijuana,” he said

“The benefits are great. The risks are very small,” said Geiwitz.

The court also heard Thursday fro Ted Smith under cross-examination.

Smith said he never bothered to apply to the federal government for a distributor’s permit for marijuana. Government restrictions would make it impossible to help more than a few people at a time, he said. In earlier testimony he said the club has a membership of about 800 people.

Elsewhere, Health Canada, spurred on by other court rulings, has made medical marijuana available to patients via courier. The marijuana is grown in a mine shaft in Flin Flon, Man., and users have been critical of its quality

Registered users may also grow their own marijuana or have someone grow it for them. But regulations allow people to grow pot for no more than two patients at a time. The trial continues.

For years Ted Smith has solo medical marijuana to sick people with the full knowledge- and even advice- of Victoria police, provincial court heard Wednesday. “The police department had been aware of our operation for years,” Smith testified. “We’ve had police officers actually refer people to our club.”
Smith, 34, and Colby Budda, 30. are on trial for possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The charges stem from a Jan. 3, 2002, police search of a downtown storefront operation, then known as Ted’s Books. on Johnson Street.
It was where Smith operated what he testified is commonly- known as a “compassion club,” selling marijuana to sick people with chronic illnesses.”
Testifying in his own defense, Smith told provincial court Judge Loletta Chaperon he began in ] 995 to personally distribute marijuana for use as medicine 10 people suffering from illnesses such as AI.DS and cancer. Smith said he sees distribution of the controlled substance to sick people as a civic duty. “I grew up with the idea that we have, as a society and as individuals, a requirement lo protect the most vulnerable people in our society.” He has always been a vocal and public advocate for medical marijuana, speaking at City; Hall, holding press conferences. But in 2001, Smith said a police officer told him that police were aware of his operation and advised him to operate it more openly, from a storefront. The store opened on March 20,2001.
Smith testified that for people to buy marijuana from the club they must show photo ID and some proof of chronic illness. The club has a membership list of more than 800 people. Smith said the marijuana is always sold according to what it costs the club. The club has barely covered its costs and has been a money-losing operation recently. Smith said police left the operation alone except for a few occasions, like September 2001 when officers told him to bum more incense to hide the smell.
But on Jan. 3, 2002, a beat patrol officer entered the store and spied someone rolling a marijuana cigerette. Cost. Ryan CNeil testified he had been working for six months as a beat officer and hadn’t heard of the club’s existence. But on the day of the search, a man approached him and told him what was going on in the store, O’Neil said the man was angry and wanted to come along and watch police take it down.
When (Weil entered the store, one of the people inside was rolling the cigarette.
(Weil said he asked Smith if he would consent to a search and Smith agreed. Items found included 646 grams of marijuana and about a kilogram of cookies which laboratory analysis revealed contained marijuana. CNeil said Smith was entirely co-operative and even helped show him around.

The needs of the CBC members are varied and complex, with symptoms generally ranging from chronic pain to nausea, sleep disturbances to muscle stiffness and spasms. The CBC offers a wide range of medicinal products as well as the raw herb. These include several varieties of dietary products, as well as topically applied ointments and oils.
The club offers five kinds of cookies (a sixth is in the works), Budda Balls, which is, in its own right, a meal replacement, and Ryanol, which is infused grape seed oil for those with severally compromised digestive systems. We also supply a salve, massage oil, and a lip balm, all containing the marvelous benefits of cannabis.
Because the CBC is dedicated to the health and well being of our members, our line of ingestible products will continue to expand. One of the reasons for this is that for some conditions – muscle spasms and intestinal disorders- eating cannabis is much more effective than smoking.
The medicinal cookies the club supplies are in great demand, keeping our baker busy 4 days a week. He makes ginger cookies (good for soothing the digestive system), chocolate chip, double chocolate, peanut butter (least amount of sugar and high in protein), oatmeal (with chunks of dehydrated apricots that are high in iron). The recently reintroduced old favourite, peanut butter and chocolate chip, has yet to last a whole day on the shelf.
Budda Balls are carefully designed to be easy on compromised digestive systems such as those with Crohn’s disease and diabetics, and are a complete meal replacement. They contain oats, hemp protein, soy protein, coconut, sunflower seeds, almond powder, honey, and cannabis infused olive oil. Another secret ingredient will be revealed in the upcoming issue of the Cannabis Digest.
Ryanol capsules are grape seed oil (good for dissolving bad cholesterol) infused with cannabis and put into Veggie capsules (not gelatin caps which are derived from animal hoofs and skins). A new trend in technology is putting great strains on the leaf supply, which is needed for baking and salves. This would be the introduction of bubble and water screen hash. Cannabis edibles are far superior medicinally, and so the club is in constant need for growers to (please) supply us with good quality leaf, instead of turning it all into combustible products. Besides edibles, leaves are also necessary for the production of salves and oils. The salve may be used anywhere you would use a first-aide ointment and then some. The base oil is olive oil, and is.solidified with bees wax, both of which have healing properties of their own. You can use it for cuts and scrapes, bums and new tattoos, fungus infections and dermatitis, to eczema and bruises too. Other properties include antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-toxicant. The massage oil is not only good for a fabulous body rub, but has taken pain and swelling away from arthritic joints, and is enabling surgeries to be postponed and some have even been cancelled. Cannabis can be used to replace many types of allopathic medicine; from diuretics to anti-depressants – ear oil to throat sprays, and salves to reduce tumours. We are only beginning to learn how to make cannabis-based medicines, Con’t

Cannabis extracts have been found to be effective on everything from bacteria and fungi, to herpes virus and staphylococcus that are resistant to penicillin and other antibiotics. You can virtually make medicine from every part of the noble cannabis plant, be it male or female; kola, root, or seed. That one of the planets most precious plants is still so oppressed must be one of our societies’ greatest travesties.
The idea that there are no studies done and that more studies need to be done is simply redundant. All we have to do is interact with the rest of the world and share knowledge. There are studies and recipes from Britain from the 1600’s, Egypt in the time of Pharaohs, 4th century Jerusalem, to modern day China and Russia. India has never experienced prohibition and does not bear witness to many health problems which plague Western cultures. There are many currently published books and substantia] research available, if required, to prove to any reasonable person that the benefits of cannabis far outway the risks, especially when eaten.