SUPREME COURT VINDICATES KRIEGER

In a 7-0 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed with medical cannabis activist Grant Krieger that members of the jury have the power to refuse to apply the law when their consciences permit no other course. The Supreme Court ordered a new trial that should be held in 4 or 5 months. At the original trial in Calgary, Judge Chrumka told the jury to convict and that they were bound by his direction.

Using an argument called jury nullification, similar to Henry Morgentaler in the famous 1980's abortion trials, John Hooker, Krieger s lawyer told the admitted to the jury that Grant broke the law but argued he should not be convicted due to reasons of conscience. Two members of the jury tried to be excused telling the court that their conscience and religion could not allow them to proceed with a conviction but the judge rejected those requests.

Last month, Mr. Krieger was found guilty of trafficking after sending packages to people in Manitoba for medicinal uses. Provincial court Judge William Pepler found him guilty of two counts of trafficking in marijuana on December 3rd, 2003, and January 8th. 2004. Sentencing for those offences is next year.

HEALTH CANADA USING BAD DRUGS, Ted Smith

The latest letter we received from Health Canada (see page 2) revels the level of ignorance and arrogance the staff in the office exhibit when dealing with compassion clubs and individuals. We will respond with a letter in the next issue and push even harder for the changes in law regarding resin that we are requesting, but it seems futile when the federal government seems intent upon denying this medicine to the sick. Ironically, this letter was sent to us 3 days after the research programs on medical cannabis were cut from the budget, proving the power players in Ottawa have no real intention to complete research which may lead to mass distribution of the herb. Health Canada plans to stop issuing Licenses to Produce Cannabis in 2007 and force people to consume the questionable product from the mine in Manitoba. Prairie Plant Systems was given a 1 vear extension to their contract in October.

International Hempology 101 Society presents our Annual Silent Art Auction

International Medical Marijuana Day
Wednesday November 15, 2006

Silent Auction Ends At 6:30 PM 826 Johnson St, Victoria

Proceeds to the Cannabis Buyers Clubs of Canada, Providing cannabis products to people with permanent physical disabilities and diseases since 1996.

For more information and photos of art visit our website at hempology.ca or call us at 381-4220.

Artwork generously donated by the following artists, Allan Cowie, Steve Pittner, Kevin Lawrence, William R. McTaggart, Greg Henderson, Ben Chipps, Beth Core, Jason Balaam, Paula Hill, Mishelle Monsour Butch Dick, Terrence Finnie and Adam Lloyd Cook.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA DAY

The events begin at 12 noon at the Ministry of Health on Blanschard with a rally. At 3:30 the lecture on the 'Medical uses of Cannabis' will be held in Room #061 of the Elliot Buildings. It is free and open to the public. The class is followed by the weekly 420 meeting of the UVSS Hempology 101 Club. Next is the silent art auction, which ends at 6:30 pm at the CBC. Finally we will play the gameshow Reach For The Pot at 7pm at the Ministry of Health. The City of Victoria is expected to officially proclaim Nov 15 as International Medical Marijuana Day for the fifth straight vear in a row. Thanx Mavor Lowe.

Reply from Health Canada for August 2006 Letter

Dear Mr. Smith:
Your letter of August 1. 2006. addressed to the Honourable Tony Clement. Minister of Health, has been forwarded to the Marihuana Medical Access Division for direct reply. I apologize for the delay in responding.

1 would like to clarify a few points that I hope will address your questions regarding food products, resin, hashish, etc. Health Canada's mandate is to provide individuals with access to a licit supply of dried marihuana, what an individual does with the dried marihuana is a personal decision. The application package requires applicants to state whether they will be consuming marihuana orally or by an inhaled means. We do acknowledge that some people find marihuana preparations, such as tea or baking, to be the best option for them.

That being said, the intention of the regulations was never to allow individuals to make resins or hash oil, because this is a process that would take place prior to the plants being dried. As long as the plant is dried first, any preparations made after that are acceptable. Hash and hash oil are listed on Schedule II of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and consequently, their possession is illegal. Other information was provided to you on this matter in previous letters from Ms. Susan Fletcher, ADM of the Health Environment and Consumer Safety Branch.

1 would also like to remind you that Canada is one of the only countries in the world that provides a government regulated program through which individuals can access marihuana for their medical use. While all aspects of marihuana (such as foods, skin products, resins, etc.) may not be addressed in the program, we are providing compassionate access to dried marihuana to seriously ill Canadians.

There is currently no scientific evidence to support the efficacy and safety of dried marihuana as a medicine to the extent required for marketed drugs in Canada or anywhere else in the world. This holds true for any potential route of administration of the product (e.g. food, infusion, inhalation, etc.).
With regards to the study you mention in your letter, I have forwarded this information to the Office of Research and Surveillance for their consideration.
Sincerely, Susan Russell

EASE POT RESTRICTIONS: CANADIAN AIDS SOCIETY

Health / Research Study Outlines Problems And Solutions
A new study from the Canadian AIDS Society' ( CAS ) says Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses need better access to medical marijuana. The study report identifies barriers that prevent patients from getting a reliable and affordable supply of medical pot and proposes ways to make access easier.

According to the CAS, barriers include lack of awareness of the existence of Health Canada's cannabis access program misinformation about the program, general mistrust of government, and difficulty finding doctors who will support program applications.

Today, those needing medicinal weed can get it legally only from very limited sources: buying cannabis grown by a government contractor, buying seeds from the government and growing plants on their own, or designating a person to grow plants only for them.

But with 58,000 Canadians living with HIV/AIDS, only 1,399 people are authorized by Health Canada to possess cannabis. Only 26 percent of those who participated in the CAS study have valid authorization, and only 1.7 percent of those users get their marijuana from the government. The vast majority' of study participants indicated they get their weed from illegal sources. And the government has expressed its intention to phase out growers licences, which will further force users to either go without the benefits of medical marijuana or to break the law for the sake of their health and quality of life.

Physicians may be unwilling to support their patients' program applications on a wider scale, the report says, because research into the effects of long term use of weed- especially the effects of smoking it-has been hampered by the stigmatization of marijuana as a purely recreational drug. The Canadian Medical Protective Association-the insurer for the medical profession-advised doctors in 2001 not to complete the government program documents unless they have "detailed knowledge" about cannabis. But the CAS study indicates between 14 and 37 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS already use marijuana to help alleviate symptoms like appetite loss, wasting, nausea, pain, anxiety, depression and stress. It stands to reason, and research has shown, that those struggling with nausea may be more likely to swallow prescribed medications, and keep them down,0 if they use cannabis.

The CAS recommendations call for an overhaul of the federal medical cannabis program, the inclusion of medical marijuana users in ongoing policy formation dialogue, the protection of medical pot users from criminal prosecution, and active dissemination of information to combat stigma and to help those who need medical pot to access a safe, reliable, and affordable supply.

"We favour providing authorized persons with a variety of legal options and projects," reads the CAS report. "Offering only one legal source and one strain of cannabis for distribution to authorized Canadians may not be a constitutionally adequate alternative..." Brent Lewandoski, a member of the national steering committee for the CAS study and one of the four panellists at a Jun 14 press conference in Ottawa to launch the study report, said people have the right to choose the therapy best suited to them.

'it's very important that people be aware that people who use medicinal cannabis do so to improve their quality' of life and to help them [get] better and [become] productive people in society." he said. - -With files from Matt Mills www.cdnaids.ca

Updates, Warnings and Suggestions, Gayle Quin

Our 4th Annual Silent Art Auction is underway. A very grateful thank-you to all the artists who have donated. The walls are covered with everything from woodcarvings to acrylics, paper mache' to found object art, fine watercolours and pencil sketches. This year for the first time we are putting 2 pieces for auction on E-Bay. They are Item # 280042155356 for painting by William McTaggart, and Item # 280042179585, a Spalted Maple bowl turned by Greg Henderson. Please come and look around as the quality and variety of art is astounding, with 18 pieces on display so far. It is a silent auction so bidding sheets are up and bidding has started! The auction ends 6:30pm Nov 15. Nov. 15 is International Medical Marijuana Day, and we will be starting the day's festivities at the Ministry of Health Building at noon with a rally. Then at 3:30 we'll be at UVic for the 9th Lecture in our first free series, which will be on the 'Medical Uses of Cannabis'. We have been pleased to have guest speakers such as Dr. Susan Boyd- Professor at UVic, and Mathew Elrod of Drug Sense Web site join us, and look forward to others in the future. The weekly 4:20 at UVic has grown consistently to the point of 100 to 200 students joining us each week. At 6:30 the end of the 4th Annual Art Auction will conclude at the store. Make sure to be at the club so you don't get out bid on your favorite piece of Art.

Finally, at 7pm, Reach For the Pot at the Ministry of Health Building on Blanschard St. for a night of activism, fun, education and entertainment. Through continued research I'd like to bring you an update on the Chinese Wolf Berries contained in the lozenges. Modern science tells us now that these berries are a cancer preventative, treatment and inhibitor of tumor growth, will reduce toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation, repair and restore DNA, improve immune response, treatment of bone marrow deficiency by stimulating white or red blood cell production as needed as well as balancing blood sugar levels and rejuvenating blood, improves lymphocyte counts, activates antiinflammatory enzymes, inhibits lipid production, (a cause of heart disease),as well as a treatment for weakened digestive systems. Chinese Wolf Berries are also sold as goji juice in North America.

Ted Smith's appeal against his conviction for trafficking THE in the cookies from the giveaway on International Medical Marijuana Day on Nov 15, 2000 is still pending, but without another $800 for court transcripts it will likely be thrown out of court soon. This will be the conclusion of his legal battles. Thanx to everyone for their support over the years. The article about sentencing is important for many reasons. Mike was supplying the club with some of his crop and has helped the club in a number of ways. He will be teaching the UVSS Hempology 101 class on growing at the University of Victoria in the spring as well. Unfortunately, his story with the law is not yet finished because the Federal Department of Justice has appealed this decision. Thanx to Kevin for helping expand the research project.

If you have not filled out the research project, please do so, or ask Kevin to help you. He will be hanging out at the club more if you need any assistance. This is the only research of this kind going on now that we can find, and it's more than our government is doing after their recent announcement of funding cuts for medicinal cannabis research. The Green Cross in Vancouver is up and running. They will honour your CBC of C membership card if you have photo ID as well. They open Mon-Fri from 10am -8pm, Sat 11am7pm and Sun and holidays from noon till 4 pm. All of their medicine is laboratory tested for THE content, heavy metals and pesticides, just to name a few. They are developing a research team with Dr. Paul Hornby and Dr David Pate. The lecture series at the University has been top-class, with more excellent speakers lined up for the future. Check out the classes live on the net through www.hempology.ca.

HEMPOLOGY 101 AT UVIC

Sept 07
13 Cannabis B.C. (Before Christ)
20 History of Prohibition
27 Cannabis Around the World
Oct 07
4   Hemp Seeds + Other Products
11 Cannabis Research
18 Cannabis and Your Health
25 Families and the War On Drugs
Nov   07
1 Cannabis and the Media
8   Medical Uses of Cannabis
15 Medical Uses of Cannabis
22 Health Canada and the MMAR
29 History of the Cannabis Buyers Club

Jan 08
10 Hemp History
17 Marijuana Tax Act of 1937
24 Economics of Legalization
30 Growing Cannabis
Feb 08
7 Cannabis Chemistry
14 Medical Cannabis Products
21 -break-
28 Cannabis and the Law
Mar 08
7 Social Impact of Prohibition
14 Pot in Politics
22 Medical Cannabis in Canada
29 History of Hempology 101

ELLIOT BUILDING ROOM #061 Weds @ 3:30- 4:10 pm Public Welcome Free Admission
Watch Class Live at www.hempology.ca
FREE

Member Profile: KEVIN'S STORY, by Kevin 'Edgar" Lawrence

Ninety percent of the time, I'd just go downtown, and grab a few grams to get me through. It's quite simply, a pain in the ass. Having smoked pot for 35 years now, I know the streets. In late July, I had the pleasure of having a knife pulled on me in the parkade, beside Centennial Square. So finally, after an unsuccessful search downtown one day, I found the location of the CBC through a friend. I must admit, I too, had this ill- conceived notion about what I would find inside. It was quite a revelation, the level of organization and professionalism exhibited by the staff, they displayed a well co-ordinated business structure that did indeed parallel a pharmaceutical outlet. Guidelines and regulations were shown and explained to me, as with each and every new member that chooses to join the club. It does not cost anything to join, and you have access to quality cannabis that has actually made a difference in my own ability to cope. Before, it was whatever I could scrounge off the street. Now I can appreciate the difference in using quality' cannabis, as a primary pain reliever. I immediately saw a connection when I met Ted Smith and the dedicated, very knowledgeable staff at CBC of C who have made it their mission to provide medical-grade cannabis products. This is a significant benefit to those of us who choose not to run the gauntlet of ingesting far to many prescription drugs and suffering a multitude of side effects on a daily basis, and we all know the score there. I've been on full disability since 2003.1, and all those like me, are the other half of the equation and the reason why the CBC fights their fight.

See, most people will experience injuries, or other various maladies in their lifetime, but most will not be forced to endure the day to day challenge of coping with a severe disability. To simply get through the day can be enough some times. I'll explain a little about me, so you will know of which I speak. It is never about sympathy. In 1991,1 herniated a disc in my lower back while lifting an anchor at a fish farm. It healed, and six months later I went back to work. Then in 1999, while helping a friend clear some trees on his small farm, a rather large piece of cedar tree fell and broke my neck. Two disks were herniated and one was bulging, which after time put increasing pressure on my spinal cord. I could hardly walk and had lost most of the use of my left arm. In 2005, a neurosurgeon grafted a marshmallow-sized piece of bone from my right hip, went in through the front of my neck, down to my spinal cord and replaced the damaged disk with the grafted bone. In the last year, the damage that I incurred in my lower back has now come back to haunt me. Again two disks are herniated in my lower back, and one is now bulging and pushing on my lower spine. I'm inoperable. What it means in basic terms is that my life is now and forever altered to focusing on a single day, from conscious thought, until I can actually get to sleep. Pain has stolen away major parts of my life. Because of the neck injury I have constant random nerve dysfunctions all over my body. A 30% power loss in my left arm, random muscle spasms, fouled up nerve signals that make my arms and legs stop working at any time. Entire muscle groups go to sleep. With the re-occurrence of the lower back injury in the past year, the L-5 (Lumbar) disk in my lower back has protruded

even further against my lower spinal cord now, causing intense pain from the mid-hip down, including buttocks, legs, feet, and all parts in between, and I mean, in between. 1 am ever so slowly becoming a burden on the one I love most in life, and I can't stop it. It is simply reality. Is it fun? No. Do I complain? Sometimes. Do I cope? Most of the time, but not always. Does this bloody disability affect others? Absolutely. Yes. Does it alienate me? Yes. Is cannabis a solid tool to get me through the day? Need 1 answer this one? 1 am told that there is a huge difference in me when I use pot over prescription drugs. If you are like me, morphine is far too available, t-3s, Emtech, etc. They are indeed the true enemy, not cannabis. I am resolved to still enjoy life and live the way I am. It is not a matter of choice. As an added feature, the government, my former employer, having deemed me no longer useful is allowing me a whopping $856.00 to survive on for each month. Out of that money goes money to buy proper cannabis, solely supplied now by CBC. I can readily get all the morphine and the other harmful crap, for free, from the government, but not the cannabis that actually works for me.

Where do I get quality cannabis in a safe environment? At the same place the government has raided, I hear, four times so far, and which is, a totally a grassroots club and is the only place I choose to get the relief I need. My mental and physical well-being is at stake here and nobody but me gets a vote on that. Cannabis is my choice and Constitutional right. I recently offered to write a regular feature for Cannabis Digest about the members of the club. I have also discussed the CBC of C's ongoing research project. Within each response a unique individual story of struggle and coping is revealed. The survey itself is to find out just how much money the government saves when prescription drugs are replaced with cannabis, not to mention the tests, the equipment, doctors visits, treatments, home care, etc. In pouring over the study, a quick number crunch proves that literally millions of dollars worth of prescriptions have already been saved by the government, simply because people are using cannabis from this single outlet! The plain and ludicrous fact is that they are saving money hand over fist cause we are simply smoking and eating cannabis. My goal now is to take the humanity I found in the people who have found relief with cannabis and document their stories, their triumphs and failures. It is also my goal to publish these stories in the CD for all to read and understand. So now I extend my hand and ask you to let me write your story. I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me at the club at 381-4220.

MONTEL WILLIAMS USES MARIJUANA FOR MS, By Veronica Horn

"I want you to meet someone who 's not a drug dealer, not a dope addict, just somebody who's trying to get up every morning and go to work," Montel Williams.

Daytime talk show host Montel Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. It felt like a death sentence to the 44-year-old popular television star. He was faced with excruciating pain day and night. He has tried a variety of drugs, everything from morphine to Vicodin, to try and ease the constant pain he feels in his lower extremities. But the side effects were not only physically intolerable, they began to take a toll on his spirit, propelling him into the depression that further devastates many people with intractable, incurable chronic pain.

With the help of family, Montel found the courage to carry on his search for better ways to treat his debilitating disease. "Finally, someone suggested that I try smoking a little marijuana before going to bed, saying that it might help me fall asleep. Sceptical but desperate, I tried it." As he puts it, "The last alternative left."
"Three puffs and within minutes the excruciating pain in my legs subsided. I had my first restful sleep in months. The effect was miraculous... In fact, marijuana has helped my symptoms so much that I have become an advocate for the legalization of medical marijuana for qualified patients like me - those suffering from debilitating and/or devastatingly painful diseases."

Montel has recommendations to use marijuana from doctors in several states�including California. Williams has been active in trying to persuade lawmakers to pass bills pertaining to medicinal marijuana, such as the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act. which allows patients who have recommendations from their doctors in California and nine other states where the medical form of the drug is legal, to grow marijuana without fear of arrest. Medical and public health organizations agree that medical marijuana can be beneficial. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, released a study commissioned by the White House that had found marijuana effective in combating pain, nausea and other symptoms afflicting patients with MS, cancer and other illnesses.

On November 3, 2003 Montel Williams was briefly detained at Detroit Metro Airport, where baggage screeners found a glass pipe and residue of marijuana in his bags. That's when the TV host was revealed as a user of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

His latest book, Climbing Higher, has a chapter on his medical marijuana use called "In the Eyes of the Law, I'm a Criminal," in which he calls for change in the federal prohibition and real research initiatives. In May of 2004, Montel took his story to the New York legislature, which has been considering passing a medical marijuana law. He was so persuasive that after his visit, the leader of the state senate publicly reversed his position on the issue, coming out in support of the bill.

"Because I do not condone breaking any law, I would like to see all 50 states and the federal government decriminalize medical marijuana. I would also like to see more research into its effects on MS - for the treatment of pain and spasticity," he said. "I know we can build a future of hope and health, and together we're going to win."

Inconsistent sentences for pot-growing offences unfair

Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun, Weds, August 23,2006
Some B.C. judges impose jail terms, while others hand down fines

B.C. judges are in a quandary about what to do about the marijuana laws and are debating each other in rulings by imposing jail terms on some offenders while handing others only a stiff fine.

In the most recent decision, Provincial Court Judge Brian Saunderson in Courtenay decided jail in such cases is a dumb idea.

He fined local resident Michael Jude Curtis Van Santvoord $20,000 for a sophisticated commercial dope-growing operation.

This stands in stark contrast to B.C. Supreme Court Judge Ian Pitfield's ruling a few weeks ago sentencing two men from the same community to jail for two years less a day for identical crimes.

Pitfield labels marijuana growers "a danger to the public," while Saunderson says pot-growing is a victimless crime committed by ordinary people in a financial squeeze.

While one says penitentiary terms may be needed to reduce illegal production, the other quotes a handful of other judges who believe the law is an ass and should be changed. Regardless of where you stand, the result Saunderson noted is that B.C. has reputedly the highest per capita use of illegal drugs in Canada and the lowest penalties for breach of the drug laws.

No wonder the public is confused.

The 41-year-old Santvoord was caught growing marijuana in December 1994 at two locations in Courtenay and nearby Buckley Bay.

Police seized 860 marijuana clones, 549 marijuana plants, 14.5 kilograms of fresh buds drying in trays, and 3.4 kilograms of dried product separately bagged in half-pound quantities.

The Crown sought to establish the perniciousness of this activity by entering as evidence a police report entitled Marihuana (the archaic legal spelling) Production Impact Statement, Comox Valley, 2006.

The flavour of the Reefer Madness-style paper emerges from its captions � Organized Crime and Marihuana Grow Operations; use of weapons and booby traps; danger to police, firefighters, children and members of the public. Saunderson was more than skeptical. He criticized the cops
for characterizing cannabis as a "moral issue." "it is a legal issue, not a moral one," he said in a ruling I think even'judge should consider. "Morality' is concerned
with the goodness or badness of human character or behaviour or with the distinction between right and wrong." The criminal prohibition against cannabis has nothing to do with that, Saunderson said, and he went on to enter into the court record his own research on the views of U.S. and Canadian judges.

He suggested his bench colleagues read a book by Judge James P. Gray of the Superior Court in Orange County, Calif, entitled Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About it: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs.

Saunderson approvingly quoted several passages: "Over the past several decades our government has attempted to combat the critical problem of drug use and abuse with a program of massive prisons, demonization of drug users, and prohibition of debate about our options... But decades of failed attempts to make this policy work have shown that we cannot effectively take a medical problem and treat it as a character issue."

He also quoted from an open letter written by a group of U.S. judges, appellate justices and lawyers: "As Congress and state legislatures enact more punitive and costly drug control measures, we conclude with alarm that the war on drugs now causes more harm than the drug abuse itself. Accordingly, we join with our colleagues in calling on our profession, elected officials, media and the public to initiate a truly open and honest evaluation of the efficacy and consequences of our drug control laws."

Saunderson then went on to cite B.C. judges who obviously feel the same way, including B.C. Appeal Court Justice Mary Southin, who wrote a few years ago in an oft-quoted decision: "While at one time I accepted the received wisdom that marihuana offences were serious crimes, I now am of a different opinion, having been persuaded to the contrary."I have not yet abandoned my conviction that Parliament has a constitutional right to be hoodwinked, as it was in the 1920s and 1930s by the propaganda against marihuana, and to remain hoodwinked. In my years on the bench 1 have sat on over 40 cases which had something to do with this substance, which appears to be of no greater danger to society than alcohol."

Saunderson concluded by adopting the perspective of retired provincial court judge Jerry Paradis, a staunch proponent for drug policy reform.

Paradis reasoned that judges should deal with the conundrum posed by the cannabis prohibition by imposing financial penalties rather than imprisonment in growing operation cases because they were economic crimes. "Just as in the case of prohibition against alcohol, the criminal law against marijuana is overwhelmed by the law of supply and demand and the capitalist quest for profit," he wrote three years ago.

"There seems to be a lack of logic in the existing equation: these crimes are committed for purely economic reasons, in the hope of reaping substantial profits; law enforcement agencies spend substantial sums in persistent efforts to detect them: equally substantial sums are spent on the prosecution of those who are caught: and the offenders are then either sent to a prison, or supervised in the community, which again requires significant taxpayer expense.

'"Far better, in my opinion, that they should be required to pay into government coffers money that may defray the costs of their own apprehension and prosecution, as well as perhaps contribute to the expense of the detection and prosecution of others in the future.

"That payment, if substantial enough, serves to promote respect for the law by denouncing illegal conduct." With those thoughts in mind, Saunderson dismissed the prosecution request for a 12-month jail sentence and substituted the fine.

But I think the bottom line is this situation must be changed. Criminal laws should not be capriciously enforced, nor should the penalties for breaking such laws be so varied that one person is given a stiff prison term and another from the same community handed a fine for a similar-fact offence. That is not only unfair, but also erodes confidence in the judiciary and the rule of law.

OFFICIALS TEMPORARILY SUSPEND MACCAN BRANCHES CHARTER

Friday October 6, 2006
By CATHY VON KINTZEL
Support for pot oil closes legion
Truro Bureau, Halifax Chronicle Herald MACCAN � Provincial Royal Canadian Legion officials have shut down their Maccan branch for supporting use of a homemade marijuana oil that some local members claim saves lives and relieves suffering.

But an ousted executive member says he's not backing down. "They can take our charter off the wall but they can't run from the truth," Rick Dwyer of Maccan said in a telephone interview Thursday.

"We're a watchdog to make sure human rights, freedom of speech and democracy are protected. This medicine is so phenomenal."

Mr. Dwyer, 51, calls the marijuana oil a safe, natural, cancer- curing substance that is being withheld from the public by a corrupt government and powerful pharmaceutical companies. The Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of the Royal Canadian Legion temporarily suspended the Maccan legion's charter Wednesday, ousted its executive and intends to appoint a new management committee.

Provincial command chairman Steve Wessel is well aware of the strong support for the oil and its local producer, Rick Simpson, in the rural Cumberland County' area outside Amherst but he said the legion name, insignia and buildings cannot be involved.

At issue was the legion members' hosting and promoting of public meetings regarding the oil and its benefits, despite repeated warnings to cease. A meeting planned for the legion on Wednesdav was moved to a nearby ball field.

"The Royal Canadian Legion has a very good reputation in the general public and we don't want to soil that reputation by making it look like we're backing something that clearly is against the law at this point," Mr. Wessel said. Mr. Dwyer, who is past president of the Maccan legion branch, said the action trampled members' rights. "We are the real Canadian legion," he said. "Em so proud of the members for standing up and defending this. We will not stand by and watch the outright genocide of the Canadian people."

Mr. Dwyer has investigated Mr. Simpson's claims about the healing powers of his homemade oil, has read affidavits and research and has interviewed patients, many of whom he knows personally.

He said his 82-year-old father with lung cancer began consuming the oil in June after he was given 48 hours to live. He's still alive.

Mr. Dwyer and other legion members made no secret of their support for Mr. Simpson's oil and notified the provincial command and local politicians.
"When we see the government doing something wrong, it's our duty' to stand up and say so," he said. Mr. Simpson, who is fighting drug charges in court due to his marijuana-growing activities, makes the yellowish greaselike medicine by extracting essential oils from the leaves and buds of marijuana plants. He gives it away.

"It's a simple herbal remedy that's non-addictive" and cures cancer and other diseases, he said, adding patients don't get high if they take it in small regular doses. Maccan legion president George Theal wasn't surprised by the provincial command's move and hopes the facility can reopen by next week.

Mr. Theal was not as vocal as Mr. Dwyer and didn't want to wade into the politics of the issue. He reflected mainly on the legion's importance in the community. "It's used for bingo and for having fundraisers when people need assistance," he said, adding there are no other community halls in the area.

Thanks to our contributors: Ted Smith, Gayle Quin. Veronica Horn, Cathy von Kintzel, Edgar Lawrence. Matt Mills, Susan Russell, Ian Mulgrew (reprinted article)

Mandate

Cannabis Digest is a quarterly publication of the International Hempology 101 Society, which provides current legal, medical and political updates concerning the use, growth and supply of cannabis to those in need of medicinal cannabis. Cannabis Digest will focus on the members and supporters of the Cannabis Buyer's Clubs of Canada (CBC of C).
The CBC of C's mandate is to provide cannabis to people with incurable physical medical problems or as otherwise directed by their doctor. This includes individuals with rare, obscure medical conditions where either the symptoms or side effects of prescription drugs can be alleviated by using cannabis. Also, for people suffering from permanent physical pain or diseases, the ability of cannabis to induce relaxation, stimulate the appetite and help with sleeping is fundamental to maintaining a tolerable lifestyle.
The International Hempology 101 Society is an incorporated nonprofit society dedicated to educating the public about hemp, cannabis and prohibition. We educate about agricultural, environmental and industrial advantages of growing hemp and usir.g other ecc-friendiy products, as well as the medicinal and spiritual uses of cannabis and other plants and substances. We educate about the roots of prohibition, who or what we are up against and what we need to do individually and collectively- in order to change the laws and misconceptions, which are suppressing the remarkable cannabis sativa plant.

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