Cannabis Digest      Sixteenth Edition, Winter 2008 

Stop Bill C-26, by Ted Smith

Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants everyone growing cannabis for sale to go to jail for no less than six months. The Federal Conservative government has introduced legislation into the House of Commons that would see mandatory minimum sentences for a variety of cannabis offenses.

On Monday Dec 17, rallies will be held at noon at MP offices across Canada to protest Bill C-26. The International Hempology 101 Society will be organizing protests at the offices of Conservative MP Gary Lunn in Sidney and NDP MP Denise Savoie in Victoria. Liberal MP Dr. Keith Martin will join NDP MP Denise Savoie at the Victoria rally, to be held at the downtown library beside her constituency office. The NDP has opposed Bill C-26, and Denise will explain her position on the proposed laws and how the NDP supports drug policy reform and drug abuse prevention programs over mandatory minimum sentences. We can expect her to make statements similar to those made by her colleague, MP Libby Davies, who writes, “The only problem is, as history and reality shows us, this heavy handed reliance on law enforcement is not only a failure; it is a colossal failure, economically, socially, and culturally. Law enforcement regarding drugs typically targets low level dealers and users, and ironically re-enforces the monopoly of organized crime and the drug kingpins, who either escape enforcement or are in the best position to negotiate deals. In 1994, 28% of Canadians reported they had used illicit drugs.

By 2004 the percentage had risen to 45. Clearly enforcement has had little or no impact; quite the contrary, in fact, as drug use has increased.” On of the main reasons MP Dr. Keith Martin left the Conservatives to join the Liberals was their zeal for the drug war. “The groups that benefit the most from the status quo, from marijuana being illegal, and it is just a weed with its value elevated well beyond what it ought to be because it is illegal, are the organized crime gangs. They are making billions of dollars off the status quo, and those billions are used to do any number of things including: trafficking of weapons and people, prostitution, embezzlement, fraud and murder.” On April 20, 2007, Dr. Martin introduced private member’s Bill-431 in an attempt to decriminalize the possession of cannabis. The federal government currently spends $5.4 billion a year enforcing drug laws in Canada, 36 times the $147 million spent on prevention and treatment programs. In a 2006 Macleans Magazine poll 63% of Canadians wanted cannabis prohibition to end, with 93% supporting the use of the herb for medical purposes. Tax dollars would be better spent on health care with new revenues from licensed cannabis cultivators.

The effects of Bill C-26 will be felt far beyond the cannabis community. Courts and jails, which are already full, will become further clogged. Mandatory minimum sentences deter defendants from making plea bargains; so more trials and appeals will consume valuable court time. While small operators quit growing due to the increased risk, organized criminal groups will take advantage of higher prices.

Conviction in trafficking cannabis or cannabis resin in amount greater than 3 kg will receive a mandatory minimum 1 year sentence if it is done as part of a organized group (5 or more people), if there are threats, violence or any weapons present, or if the person has been convicted or a similar offence in the past ten years. That mandatory minimum grows to 2 years if the location the person was arrested in is frequented by youth under the age of 18 or if the offense occurred in a prison. Conviction of importing or exporting cannabis or resin for the purposes of trafficking will result in 1 year mandatory jail sentence. Anyone found guilty of production of cannabis resin for the purpose of trafficking will receive a minimum 1 year jail sentence, which goes up to 18 months if either a) rental property was used; b) the offence occurred in a residential area; c) youth under the age of 18 were in location; or d) if a trap was set-up in the location. The mandatory minimum sentence for growing less than 200 plants, even a single one, with the purpose of trafficking will be six months. That goes up to 9 months if any of the above conditions- a) to d)- are also proven in court. Growing between 200 and 500 plants will result in at least 1 year behind bars, unless conditions- a) to d)- are proven, in which case the mandatory minimum increases to 18 months. Anyone convicted of growing over 500 plants will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years in jail, unless conditions –a) to d)- are proven in court, in which case the minimum becomes 3 years in jail. The maximum sentence for cultivation of cannabis has been doubled from 7 to 14 years.

Other mandatory minimums have been proposed for other drug offences. There is only one way out of some these mandatory minimum sentences is if the crown consents that drug treatment might me a more appropriate response than jail. Drug treatment will not be available for anyone convicted of being part of a criminal organization, who used violence, threats or weapons in any way, if youth under the age of 18 were involved or frequented the area the offence occurred or if the incident happened in a prison. To compare with other mandatory minimums, someone convicted of importing/exporting prohibited weapons gets a minimum 1 year in jail, as does anyone caught selling weapons illegally or using a weapon during an offence.

The rallies on Dec 17 will only be the beginning of a national campaign to stop Bill C-26. By focusing energy upon MPs across Canada, we can convince the NDP, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois to stop the Conservatives plan to pass mandatory minimum sentences for cannabis growers. We need people to write letters and make phone calls to the offices of their MP, the leaders of the parties and the Justice Department demanding that Bill C-26 not become law. The rallies of Dec 17 are only the beginning of a campaign that will not end until Bill C-26 is defeated, passed in law or an election is called. We are preparing a list of phone numbers and emails in Victoria to plan quick protests in 2008 whenever a Conservative politician appears in town. Since we will have short notice for these protests, we will rely upon these simple means to spread the word. We need to constantly remind the moral minority that we disagree with these laws by showing how peaceful, intelligent, persistent and organized the cannabis community is in Victoria. There is a good chance that Bill C-26 will not pass 3rd reading in the House of Commons before the next election is called. When the next election is called, the cannabis culture needs to be vocal and represented at every opportunity.

Catherine Bell, NDP, Vancouver Island North
940 Island Highway (Main Office)
Campbell River, B.C., V9W 2C3
Telephone: (250) 287-4902
Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan
126 Ingram Street, Suite 101 (Main Office)
Duncan, B.C., V9L 1P1
Telephone: (250) 746-4896
Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands
9843 Second Street,
Sidney, B.C., V8L 3C7
Telephone: (250) 656-2320
Dr. Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca
666 Granderson Road
Victoria, B.C., V9B 2R8
Telephone: (250) 474-6505
Denise Savioe, NDP, Victoria
970 Blanshard Street
Victoria, B.C., V8V 2H3
Telephone: (250) 363-3600
Stephen Harper, Conservative, Calgary Southwest
1600 - 90th Avenue SW, Suite A-203
Calgary, AB, T2V 5A8
Telephone: (403) 253-7990
Jack Layton, NDP, Toronto—Danforth
221 Broadview Avenue, Suite 100
Toronto, ONT, M4M 2G3
Telephone: (416) 405-8914
Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
750 Marcel-Laurin Blvd, Suite 440
Saint-Laurent , QUE, H4M 2M4
Telephone: (514) 335-6655
JUSTICE MINISTER
Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Niagara Falls
2895 St. Paul Avenue, Unit 11
Niagara Falls, ONT, L2J 2L3
Telephone: (905) 353-9590
JUSTICE COMMITTEE
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ONT, K1A 0H8

9th Annual Cannabis Covention, February 10th, by Ted Smith

The International Hempology 101 Society will be hosting our 9th Annual Cannabis Convention at the University of Victoria on Sun Feb 10 from 1 to 4 pm. This year’s event will feature many veterans from the anti-prohibition community.

It will start with author Chris Bennett, the world’s top cannabis historian, who will teach everyone about the use of hemp, hashish and cannabis in the 1800’s. Chris has written two books on this subject, GREEN GOLD, THE TREE OF LIFE: MARIJUANA IN MAGIC AND RELIGION, and SEX, DRUGS, VIOLENCE AND THE BIBLE, and has been the opening speaker at almost all of the conventions.

The second speaker will discuss various modern devices used to consume cannabis, i.e. vaporizers, and how to make hashish using different techniques.

She will be followed by Joanna McKee from the Green Cross in Washington State. Joanna will talk about her past battles with the law over the use of cannabis as medicine as well as give us an update on the ongoing campaigns in the US against the federal government.

Dr. Paul Hornby will then make one of the first public presentations ever for the Green Cross Society of B.C. That group formed just over one year ago, only the second compassion club to open in Vancouver. Dr. Hornby tests the clubs cannabis and they display the cannabinoid profiles so members know the amount of THC, CBD and CBN in their products. More information about the Green Cross Society of B.C. can be found at http://greencrossofbc.org/.

The next speaker will be Michelle Rainey, who is facing extradition to the US with Marc Emery and Greg Williams. Michelle, who suffers from Crones disease, has a license to possess and grow cannabis from Health Canada. She will be informing the audience about the legal process that the trio are going through, as well as how others can help their cause. Her web page is http://www.michellerainey.com/.

We are pleased to announce that we have another speaker from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition coming to this year’s convention. Jim Byron joined LEAP after retiring from over 30 years as a United States Customs Inspector. His first hand experience proved to him that the War on Drugs could never be won, and that the government would be better off legalizing dangerous drugs to take the profits away from organized crime. Mr. Byron is also a volunteer with the King County Bar Association Drug Policy Project (http://www.kcba.org/druglaw/index.html) in Seattle, Washington.

The final speaker will be lawyer Kirk Tousaw. Kirk is involved in many important cannabis cases, including the VICS trial with their 900 plant grow-op. He will be highlighting the constitutional flaws of the MMAR and share his thoughts on fighting Bill C-26. See more of his work at http://www.tousawlaw.ca/.

The UVSS Hempology 101 Club has grown into the largest student club on campus, with well over 420 members last year and even larger turnouts at this years events. We teach a free lecture series 6 months of the year at the University of Victoria, which are available live on-line through www.hempology.ca. The convention should also be available live on-line, and as much footage as possible will be posted later on youtube.

For any more information about the 9th Annual Cannabis Convention call 250-381-4220 or email hemp101@shaw.ca.

Letter to Health Canada from Hempology 101 Society

Dear Tony Clements
Minister for Health Canada
Dec 4, 2007

While we recognize that you and your staff are busy, there has been no response to our letter dated Jan 3, 2007 and we would appreciate an answer. To refresh your memory about the correspondence between us, we are sending you copies of our newsletter, Cannabis Digest, in which you will find the earlier letters and more information about the CBC of C. Please forgive us if you did not receive the last letter, but we have grown impatient waiting for a reply.

The irony of trying to convince Health Canada that it is healthier to eat cannabis or apply it on the skin, than it is to smoke the herb, strikes at the unfair and unreasonable manner in which the MMAR is being run. It is one more reason why the City of Victoria condemned the MMAR in a letter dated March 20, 2006. To our knowledge, Health Canada has not replied to the City of Victoria either, so we do not take the delay personally.

We are also still waiting to be contacted by the Office of Research and Surveillance in regards to the ongoing research project at the CBC of C comparing cannabis products to prescription drugs. In the last letter we received from Susan Russell, dated Sept 28, 2006, she said that our study was to be forwarded to that office. Given that Health Canada has stated that research is a priority for the government and that funding for any research has been cut by the federal Conservative Party, shouldn’t the Office of Research and Surveillance be interested in the research that is being done? The letters we have received from Health Canada have repeatedly stated that “there is no scientific evidence to support the efficacy and safety of dried marijuana as a medicine to the extent required for marketed drugs in Canada or anywhere else in the world,” and yet there seems to be no interest in obtaining that information from clubs such as ours who have been working in the field for over a decade.

There are now 2,200 members of the CBC of C, people with permanent, physical disabilities and diseases who depend upon us for quality medicinal products, which means we serve more patients than you help with the MMAR. It may seem easy to ignore the seven questions that we asked in the last letter and to continue to deny the CBC of C an Exemption #56 from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. However, if we are forced to engage in a letter writing campaign through our membership, it will not be so easy to ignore the hundreds of letters and phone calls regarding these issues that you will receive instead. Certainly we would prefer to at least receive responses to our letters, even if the answers are rarely satisfactory.

If you have any questions about the CBC of C, the research project or the proposed Exemption #56 system, please do not hesitate to call me at 250-381-4220. We look forward to your response. Thank you for your time.

Leon ‘Ted’ Smith
President, International Hempology 101 Society

For more information about these letters see Cannabis Digest #5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. If you are interested in writing your own letter, feel free to do so. Any letters to Health Canada or the media carry much more weight if you have received a license to possess or grow. Those forms are always available at the CBC of C, and we would we happy to provide assistance to anyone involved in the struggle to provide legal access to quality cannabis products in Canada. We will give everyone an update on Health Canada’s activities in the next issue.

Updates, Warnings and Suggestions, by Gayle Quin

PROTEST BILL C-26 ACROSS THE NATION! NOON, Monday December 17 at your local MPs office. Or join us at NDPs leader Denise Savoie’s office, 970 Blanchard St, or the Conservative MP Gary Lunn’s office at 9843 Second St. Sidney, B.C. A great big thank you to every one who contributed to this years Silent Art Auction on Nov 15, International Medical Marijuana Day! We raised $750 to contribute to our dept. Next year we are going to use the proceeds to hire someone to work on the Research Project full time. Take note that we open at noon on Christmas and New Years Days. Please remember that our Research Project is ongoing and a great way to both track your personal health record and show your physician what cannabis does for you. Through proving efficacy and demanding our right to choose medications suited to individual needs will we see cannabis legalized. Ask your physician to fill in MMAR forms, and if they won’t, ask them to put in writing the reason for refusing. This, you can then take to your local MPs office and help win this war. Hempology 101will be holding its annual Cannabis Caroling Evening on Dec 19. We meet at the Ministry of Health Bldg. (corner of Pandora and Blanchard) at 7:00 pm and then start singing our way around town! It’s a fun night you won’t ever forget!

On January 27, 2008, the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada will be celebrating its 12th Anniversary with a night full of fun, music and friends. It’s a Pot Luck Affair so bring what you want to enjoy for the evening, with some extra for everyone else as well. It starts at 7pm at the Fernwood Community Association, 1923 Fernwood .

The International Hempology 101 Society will host the 9th Annual Cannabis Convention on February 10, 2008. This year’s list of speakers is so exciting if I get started I won’t be able to stop, so please read all about it in this issues special article! The Lecture Series at UVIC takes a break until Jan 9/08, when it starts off with Hemp History. The lecture is free for all to attend, you can watch from home live from a link on hempology.ca, or you can watch later on You Tube. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget long winter nights are a great time to study up for next years REACH FOR THE POT tournament which will be held in Beacon Hill Park through May and June. Sign up starts on April 20. It’s a great way to stay informed and have fun while learning!

The University Hempology 101 Club recently was honoured to have Dr. Paul Hornby teach a special 1 hour lecture on the Chemistry of Cannabis. This has always been an area of special interest to me. Speaking as a maker of medicines one always hopes to make the most beneficial product possible. The cannabis plant is extremely interesting in that 2/3 of its chemical makeup is inactive until heated. This is why the main way of ingesting cannabis continues to be smoking. Heating cannabis increases its potency and is the reason that you don’t get high if you make a cannabis salad (unless you toast your buds first). You don’t want to expose it to too high or prolonged a temperature, or you start to destroy its active chemicals. The easiest way to convert THC-acid and CBD-acid into active THC and CBD is to spread your cannabis evenly on a cookie sheet and heat to 250o F for 30 minutes. Then cook the cannabis in butter or oil in a double boiler for 30 minutes to 1 hour to extract the cannabinoids from the plant material. One ounce of good leaf cooked into 1 cup of oil will make 25 cookies, and ¼ ounce of bud will make 150 cookies. Add into your favourite recipe, trying to keep the cooking temperature under 300oF and around an hour or less. Whatever you do, have fun and don’t forget the lecithin! Thanks Dr. Hornby for teaching us and the world how to make better cannabis products. Many members have noticed the difference since we changed the way we bake.

Thanks for reading and supporting Hempology 101!

We are pleased to announce that we have another speaker from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition coming to this year’s convention. Jim Byron joined LEAP after retiring from over 30 years as a United States Customs Inspector. His first hand experience proved to him that the War on Drugs could never be won, and that the government would be better off legalizing dangerous drugs to take the profits away from organized crime. Mr. Byron is also a volunteer with the King County Bar Association Drug Policy Project (http://www.kcba.org/druglaw/index.html) in Seattle, Washington. The final speaker will be lawyer Kirk Tousaw. Kirk is involved in many important cannabis cases, including the VICS trial with their 900 plant grow-op. He will be highlighting the constitutional flaws of the MMAR and share his thoughts on fighting Bill C-26. See more of his work at http://www.tousawlaw.ca/. The UVSS Hempology 101 Club has grown into the largest student club on campus, with well over 420 members last year and even larger turnouts at this years events. We teach a free lecture series 6 months of the year at the University of Victoria, which are available live on-line through hempology.ca. The convention should also be available live on-line, and as much footage as possible will be posted later on youtube. For any more information about the 9th Annual Cannabis Convention call 250-381-4220 or email hemp101@shaw.ca.

Scam Hits Hempology@gmail, by Ted Smith

DEA Terrorizes the Sick in Need of Medicinal Marijuana, by Veronica Horn