Marijuana: Pot Prophet Needs to Lay Off the Kids Now that the smoke has cleared, it's safe to say that Marc Emery is officially the poster boy for reefer madness. No disrespect intended. Wait. The disrespect is intended. Because as much as Vancouver pot proselytizer Marc Emery, crowned our very own messiah of marijuana after serving five years in a U.S. jail for selling mail-order cannabis seeds, has every right to preach the virtues of legalizing weed, he needs to get off his high horse when it comes to selling his bill of goods to teenagers. [continues 704 words]
Some cannabis enthusiasts took the opportunity to urge people to vote in the upcoming federal election An annual demonstration on Monday brought a haze of smoke and marijuana merchandise including pot-laced chocolates and marijuana mango slushies to downtown Vancouver, where police monitored an event that has grown steadily since its debut in 1995. Political messages were also on the menu. Marijuana advocacy group Sensible B.C. was on site to promote its "grow the vote" campaign, an initiative to mobilize voters for October's federal election. The group, which failed in a 2013 attempt to force a referendum to end arrests for marijuana prohibition in British Columbia, has since turned its focus to the federal scene. [continues 505 words]
PEACEFUL GATHERING: Event at Vancouver Art Gallery attracts young and old as plume of smoke fills the sky It was 4:20 p.m. on April 20 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky over Vancouver, save for the massive plume of sweet-smelling smoke hovering above the art gallery. The 20th annual 4/20 protest and celebration of marijuana in Vancouver saw more than 15,000 people surround the Vancouver Art Gallery Monday with bongs, pipes and joints in hand. [continues 366 words]
Justin Trudeau's face featured prominently at Vancouver event Thousands of activists and enthusiasts gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery for the annual 420 rally to protest prohibition against pot and celebrate their love for marijuana. Over 300 registered vendors were at the event selling everything from B.C. Bud to marijuana-infused ice cream - that number doesn't include the vendors walking around the rally peddling their goods. "We're now seeing double the amount of attention in vender booths," said event co-ordinator Jeremiah Vandermeer. This year's theme was "Let's Grow the Vote" to encourage those attending the rally to vote in October's federal elections. [continues 162 words]
Weed advocate set to make return to 4/20 smoke-up The "Prince of Pot" says Vancouver still leads the charge toward marijuana tolerance as he gets ready to celebrate his first 4/20 since being released from a U.S. prison. More than 25,000 people are expected to attend the annual smoke-up outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, first started 21 years ago by activist Marc Emery and his Cannabis Culture enterprise. Emery, released Aug. 12, 2014 after serving a five-year sentence for selling marijuana seeds to American clients, told Metro that he's returned to a Vancouver that remains one of the most pot-tolerant cities in North America, despite the fact several U.S. states and districts have moved toward legalization and regulation during his incarceration. [continues 90 words]
VANCOUVER - The federal government is telling the City of Vancouver it does not have the authority to legitimize pot with its proposal to regulate "illegal" medical marijuana dispensaries. Health Minister Rona Ambrose sent a letter to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson on Thursday saying she was "deeply concerned" by the city's plans to discuss regulation at an upcoming council meeting. "Marijuana is not an approved drug or medicine, and Health Canada does not endorse its use," reads the letter obtained by The Canadian Press. [continues 379 words]
Dispensaries and others welcome regulation, but proposed costs deemed unfair Travis Williams works in the Cannabis Culture lounge on Davie Street, which does not sell weed but charges a $5 fee for people to bring in and smoke their own. A separate marijuana dispensary, run by Eden Medicinal Society, is located in the same building with a door that opens into the hazy lounge. The businesses appear to violate two of the city's proposed new regulations: that two marijuana-related business cannot operate within 300 metres of each other and that they cannot be located within 300 metres of a school. [continues 806 words]
20th Anniversary: Mass toke-up called "beautiful" celebration, but others say normalization a 'real threat' In the small back courtyard of his marijuana dispensary on East Hastings Street, Dana Larsen, a well-known pot activist, talks candidly about a subject he knows well: B.C. bud. It's four days out from one of the premier local events for marijuana enthusiasts and Larsen, the author of several pot-themed books whose past political involvement includes a run for the B.C. NDP leadership, sketches out some of the preparations for the annual massive toke up known as 4/20. [continues 875 words]
Marc and Jodie's online magazine claims pregnant women smoking pot helps with nausea and emotions - but studies say otherwise Marc Emery's online magazine, Cannabis Culture, encourages marijuana use during pregnancy for relief of nausea, loss of appetite and to help get emotions under control. "Most studies say cannabis is perfectly safe during pregnancy, but it's controversial, of course!" said Jodie Emery, Marc's wife and well-known marijuana activist. In one online article, Dr. Kathy Galbraith, known as "Dr. Kate," writes, "Pot can be safely used during pregnancy, and can help with several of the discomforts/problems associated therewith." [continues 343 words]
Education session planned for Friday at 7p.m. in downtown Parksville Local and high-profile supporters of a medical marijuana dispensary in Parksville call the police raid Thursday harassment and invite supporters to an event tomorrow. "I tried to do it legally, but it just didn't work out," said Donna Johnson. She said she tried to go through the licencing system, but the paperwork and finding a doctor to prescribe it "just became too complicated." Instead she turned to the Nanaimo-based Phoenix Pain Management Society, which opened a dispensary in downtown Parksville in January, to help treat her fibromyalgia and two forms of arthritis. [continues 712 words]
Reality of Marc Emery's Time in Prison Was Eased by Various Donations Marc Emery "the Prince of Pot" was in Lethbridge this past weekend to thank the community for its support. On Aug. 12, 2014, Emery was released from a United States federal prison after serving his five-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to selling marijuana seeds from Canada to American customers from 1995-2005. He was released after 54 months for good behaviour. "That was the result of a brilliant fundraising event I had to raise for the cannabis movement ... by selling seeds to Americans and people around the world, I was able to give away about five million dollars to activist groups all across North America," said Emery. [continues 402 words]
KIRKLAND LAKE - The protest against the law that allows police to confiscate merchandise that could be used for the consumption of illicit substances attracted about 30 people Monday evening. The protest was being held to support the Tripping Daisy and its owner Darren Delaney after The OPP Organized Crime Unit executed a search warrant on the business Feb. 5, 2015 and according to the owner confiscated about $25,000 worth of merchandise. The OPP have since laid a charge against Delaney. [continues 981 words]
North Island College criminology instructor/addictions consultant Geri Bemister squared off with pot activist Marc Emery, among others, in a panel discussion about Canadian marijuana laws, Wednesday at UVic. Emery was recently released from prison in the U.S., where he was incarcerated on drug charges. The panel also included Jim O'Rourke, executive director of VisionQuest Recovery Society which helps people heal from addiction through better lifestyle choices. A certified interventionist, Bemister is a proponent of educated decisions as opposed to simply legalizing pot. On one hand, she notes the harms of marijuana are underrated and under-reported. [continues 464 words]
VANCOUVER - This city has its own Prince of Pot, cannabis promoter Marc Emery. But he's minor royalty next to Don Briere. Or Donald Joseph Briere, as he's known inside the Canadian justice and penal systems. He was once this country's most prolificmarijuana producer and distributor, with 33 illegal growing operations hidden across B.C. In the late 1990s, before an informant ratted them out to police, Briere and his cohorts were growing and selling two tonnes of pot annually. "That's a lot of weed," he laughs. "We were outlaws. My share was $5-million a year." [continues 782 words]
Busted for Pushing, Briere Expands Business VANCOUVER - This city has its own Prince of Pot, cannabis promoter Marc Emery. But he's minor royalty next to Don Briere. Or Donald Joseph Briere, as he's known inside the Canadian justice and penal systems. He was once this country's most prolific marijuana producer and distributor, with 33 illegal growing operations hidden across B.C. In the late 1990s, before an informant ratted them out to police, Briere and his cohorts were growing and selling two tonnes of pot annually. "That's a lot of weed," he laughs. "We were outlaws. My share was $5-million a year." [continues 776 words]
63-Year-Old Marijuana 'King' Seeks Weeds Franchisees This city has its own Prince of Pot, cannabis promoter Marc Emery. But he's minor royalty next to Don Briere. Or Donald Joseph Briere, as he's known inside the Canadian justice and penal systems. He was once this country's most prolific marijuana producer and distributor, with 33 illegal growing operations hidden across B.C. In the late 1990s, before an informant ratted them out to police, Mr. Briere and his cohorts were growing and selling two tonnes of pot annually. "That's a lot of weed," he laughs. "We were outlaws. My share was $5 million a year." [continues 1076 words]
Briere Seeking to Grow Retail Opportunities This city has its own Prince of Pot, cannabis promoter Marc Emery. But he's minor royalty next to Don Briere. Or Donald Joseph Briere, as he's known inside the Canadian justice and penal systems. He was once this country's most prolific marijuana producer and distributor, with 33 illegal growing operations hidden across B. C. In the late 1990s, before an informant ratted them out to police, Briere and his cohorts were growing and selling two tonnes of pot annually. [continues 702 words]
The attitude towards marijuana in this province is in sharp contrast with the approach in other parts of Canada. Proof of that comes in details from a court document, filed as part of an application to seize a property near the Aldergrove border crossing which was the subject of a massive search last week. Although the large property just drew public attention last week, the documents suggest it has been used for marijuana production since 1993. That's a 22-year period. [continues 251 words]
The attitude towards marijuana in this province is in sharp contrast with the approach in other parts of Canada. Proof of that comes in details from a court document, filed as part of an application to seize a property near the Aldergrove border crossing which was the subject of a massive search last week. Although the large property just drew public attention last week, the documents suggest it has been used for marijuana production since 1993. That's a 22-year period. [continues 248 words]
