New Pot Rules A Bust For Ailing Users →
Quote:
Jim has a small disability pension; at the moment he gets his marijuana from a compassionate grower. He said, “My exemption ends this November. I’m terrified of what will happen next Christmas.”
He means that, if he has to start paying the government price, he will have to choose between pot and food. His grim choice: without pot he has no appetite; with pot, he’ll be hungry but he won’t have much to eat.
Your federal government, at its finest.
Stu - his grow-op has been raided by the police, in spite of the fact that his licences and permits are posted prominently on his door - said, “I understand I’ll be shut down in April of 2014, but there’s no compensation for what I’ve spent on equipment and approvals.”
Nor has he been compensated for the damage done by the drug squad.
Erin’s pain level hovers between eight or nine out of 10; but with pot, it drops to three or four. She uses 20 grams a day at a cost of roughly $200 a week; she estimates it will cost her $1,200 a week under the new regime.
She doesn’t have that kind of money.
Is a Provincial Ban on Medical Cannabis Prescriptions the Key to Ending Prohibition? →
This article was written by Paul McKeever is a lawyer, writer, filmmaker and leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario.
Perhaps because he is a lawyer he has a unique prospective on prohibition.
Quote:
“In Canada’s constitution, health care laws fall exclusively into provincial jurisdiction. Were provincial law to bar physicians and nurses from signing patients cannabis prohibition exemption documentation, the MMPR – and all such gate-keeper based federal regulations designed to facilitate prohibition – would be rendered ineffective. Consequently, there would be no way for patients to obtain the paperwork they need to distinguish themselves from recreational users, and to exempt themselves from cannabis prohibition laws. As a result, a court would conclude that Canada’s federal cannabis prohibition laws are unconstitutional.
The latter proposal should be attractive to all politicians precisely because it is so counter-intuitive. For example, all politicians could advocate banning the prescription of cannabis, for different and opposing reasons. The anti-prohibitionist politician could advocate the provincial ban on prescriptions as a means to end prohibition. The prohibitionist politician could advocate the provincial ban on prescriptions (at least purportedly) as a means to reduce use of cannabis.
If the proposal sounds perverse, I agree. But the perversion of such a proposal pales by comparison to the perversion of justice implicit in the never-ending dance between the federal regulators and our courts. The federal government, on this file, is not interested in justice. It is interested only in the prevalence of prohibition. Justice and freedom demand that we turn off the music and end the dance.”
Nationwide Protests of Health Canada's New Medical Marijuana Regulations →
Yes, I’ll be involved in this protest.
It is about time patients began organizing in Canada to make the changes we need for our health.
Cannabis Buyers' Club pot baker in clear, but more battles may loom →
I’ve been following Owen Smith’s case for the past year. This is welcome news. Note the legal wrangling they have done to make way for an appeal.
Quote:
On Friday, Tousaw said he had received a call from the Crown saying the jury trial is no longer necessary.
“The trial has been rescheduled for the morning of Jan. 10,” Tousaw said. “The Crown will not be calling evidence against Mr. Smith, and they will invite the judge to enter a not-guilty verdict.”
Paul Pearson, co-chairman of the Canadian Bar Association’s criminal section in Victoria, said the decision probably means the Crown is leaving the door open for an appeal.
“If the Crown withdrew the charges or stayed the charges themselves, then they can’t appeal it,” Pearson said.
Virginia Vidal - Major win for medical marijuana patients.
Hash defence stands… 30 days are up and the crown did not appeal!
If you are in Canada and need defence help, John Turmel is the man to enlist the aid of. Guerrilla lawyers group. Google him, he is making a real difference and lawyers are not eating up the money you need to feed your family.
This is a partial transcript as posted by John… and a few of his comments.
Health Canada's Information for Law Enforcement →
I can’t write anything about this without getting snarky… so here’s a quote, the italics are mine:
Health Canada works closely with law enforcement agencies across Canada to help them distinguish between people who are acting within the law, and those engaged in illegal activities related to marihuana. To assist law enforcement in this regard, Health Canada is authorized to provide limited information in response to a request only from a Canadian police force or a member of a Canadian police force engaged in an investigation under the CDSA, or the MMAR, as per section 68.1 of the Regulations.
End quote. You will note that throughout the MMAR website, all other stakeholders (police) are given more consideration then the patients that Health Canada should serve.
Canadian Medical Association (CMA) →
This letter explains why most Canadian doctors have boycotted the MMAR and made the medical marijuana defence in Canada illusionary.
It is one of many that the CMA has written to the government.
Mike Spottiswood →
Quote:
Mike Spottiswood, a Pauper Party candidate in London North Centre, can legally use pot to help treat his many medical problems. But before he was granted his medical exemption, he was charged with possessing and producing marijuana, and those charges have kept him in the court system for nine months with no end in sight. Spottiswood appeared in court Friday to try to quash the charges, but his case was delayed, again.
I want you to know there is much more to this case then this article tells you. You can paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89QUthmkAGg to learn how he got his auto back after it was impounded for two years.
However, I am writing about how you can help. Collectively we can take down the MMAR in Canada one ruling at a time. If you are in Canada and are willing to testify: Mike is building a list of people negatively impacted by the flaws in the MMAR.
The deadline: Mike has to have this list to present to the court before November 20, 2012
This list will be used by any of us who are unable to produce a MMAR because Canadian doctors, at the urging of the CMA have boycotted the program and the grower system is seriously flawed.
Organize people. Organizing changed the law in Colorado and in Washington. Organizing has lead to a new dialogue in Mexico. And organizing will correct the flaws in the MMAR.
Coe Hill doctor being held for hearing →
Quote from the comment section:
Russell Barth said this will scare a lot of doctors away from signing, which was the whole point; Yes this will intimidate other doctors for sure as it is intended to do like you say. And people believe there is legal access when this is not true.
One of the few Canadian Doctors willing to sign MMAR forms under attack? →
There is one question I am left with after reading this story.
How much was he charging for filling out the forms? I have heard of doctors charging up to $1200 to sign the paperwork.
I do know of a doctor who closed his practice after he became known as a “pot doc”. Shame too. His patients were very grateful to have him as their doctor.
Page 1 of 2
