Marijuana smoke drifted lazily from a crowd of students gathered on a University of Victoria lawn Wednesday afternoon. However, the president of the Hempology 101 Club, resisted the temptation to light up. "No, not me. I am needing to be far more careful so I don't get arrested again," said Ted Smith, Victoria's high-profile and outspoken champion of marijuana, who was fined $500 earlier in the day for trafficking in marijuana. It was the first time in four years that Smith had been allowed to return to UVic, where the club meets every week, and he was greeted with cheers and applause. [continues 487 words]
VICTORIA - A medical-marijuana activist was fined $500 Wednesday for lighting up five joints at a pro-pot rally. Leon Edward (Ted) Smith, 35, was found guilty of marijuana trafficking after he lit up five marijuana joints at the rally at the University of Victoria in November 2000. A provincial court judge rejected Smith's arguments that he had a constitutional right to smoke marijuana. "His behaviour could only be described as poking his finger in the eye of the law," said Judge Judith Kay. "What Mr. Smith was doing was illegal. What Mr. Smith was doing is trafficking." [continues 123 words]
A medical-marijuana activist was fined $500 yesterday for lighting five joints at a pro-pot rally at the University of Victoria in November 2000. Leon Edward "Ted" Smith, 35, who runs a marijuana buyers club out of a downtown Victoria bookstore, was found guilty of marijuana trafficking. The judge rejected Smith's arguments that he had a constitutional right to smoke dope. [end]
Marijuana activist Ted Smith won't be smoking cannabis in public anytime soon. He made his pronouncement Wednesday after Provincial Court Judge Judith Kay imposed a $500 fine and left him with a trafficking conviction stemming from a rally at UVic five years ago where Smith passed out joints to a small crowd. "The fine isn't the deterrent. The deterrent is knowing that I and others can be charged for smoking marijuana in public," Smith told a small crowd outside Victoria's court house. [continues 548 words]
The government's shameful persecution of cannabis activists continues unabated. The trafficking conviction of Ted Smith, a recognized political activist, for merely passing out joints at a rally follows closely on the heels of Marc Emery's three-month jail stint, also for passing a joint. When did sharing cannabis with friends and political supporters become "trafficking?" Though the law technically allows convictions even where no money is exchanged, there is a terrible injustice being done when political activists are targeted and treated more harshly because of their outspokenness. [continues 89 words]
Marijuana activist Ted Smith hopes to challenge Canada's drug laws in the nation's highest court. But he may be filing his appeal from a prison cell after a Provincial Court judge sentences him next week for trafficking -- a conviction that carries a maximum five-year jail term. "People don't know you can be charged with trafficking for sharing a joint," he told the Victoria News Monday. "In order to raise awareness, even enrage people, I've had to challenge these laws." [continues 438 words]
Concern for the welfare of area youth has prompted a Bracebridge Rotarian to organize a meeting where community members will discuss ideas that could help inhibit teen drug abuse. "There has been an alarming rise in the use of increasingly more serious drugs by many young people in Bracebridge," Mary Robertson, the Bracebridge Rotary Club's youth focus committee chair, wrote in a letter to community representatives. Robertson cited marijuana, cocaine and crack as examples of drugs she hears are being used by young area teens. [continues 273 words]
Ted Smith's marijuana conviction hasn't slowed the flow at the Cannabis Buyers' Club. The Johnson Street storefront is still open to the 1,400 or so people who say they need marijuana for medical purposes. A sign on the wall advertises a potluck (pun probably not intended) to mark this month's ninth anniversary of the club, the oldest such organization in Canada. At the reception desk sits a stack of flyers urging attendance at a rally to "protest Health Canada's rules which make cannabis legal for medical purposes but consider food and skin products to be illegal." That's a reference to club founder Smith's Jan. 7 conviction for selling ointments containing cannabis resin. He got a nine-month suspended sentence. [continues 517 words]
VICTORIA - A medical marijuana activist who lit up several joints at a pro-marijuana rally at the University of Victoria in November 2000 was found guilty of trafficking Thursday and now faces a maximum of five years in jail. Leon Edward (Ted) Smith, 35, who runs a medical-marijuana buyers' club out of a downtown Victoria bookstore, argued in Victoria provincial court that he is the victim of discrimination because he is a pot smoker and a political activist. He told the court police and the Crown violated his rights to equality guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [continues 59 words]
Marijuana advocate Ted Smith was found guilty Thursday of trafficking when he passed out joints at a pro-marijuana rally at the University of Victoria. Provincial Court Judge Judith Kay handed down the verdict after systematically rejecting every single point or argument in Smith's case. Kay, meanwhile, stayed a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Smith was arrested on Nov. 8, 2000 after a rally at the University of Victoria. Smith spoke to a crowd of between 30 and 50 on the benefits of marijuana and the unfairness of laws prohibiting it. [continues 559 words]
On the face of it, Phillippe Lucas, and Ted Smith, share common cause. They are both passionate in their belief in medical marijuana, to the extent that both have faced criminal prosecution in pursuit of their convictions. Why, then, do they barely talk to each other? Times Colonist staff writer Richard Watts examined the lives and styles of both men and found the two crusaders separated by a yawning philosophical gulf. Ted Smith stopped cutting his hair when he was 15, while Philippe Lucas looks like he just came from the barber. [continues 1718 words]
VICTORIA - Marijuana champion Ted Smith is the victim of discrimination because he is a pot smoker and a political activist, a provincial court judge heard Tuesday. Defence counsel Robert Moore-Stewart argued police and the Crown violated Smith's rights to equality guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "He is being discriminated against as a cannabis user and a political activist," said Moore-Stewart. Smith, 35, is facing a charge of trafficking in marijuana. His trial wrapped up Tuesday. A verdict is scheduled to be handed down Jan. 20. [continues 120 words]
Ted Smith, Victoria's self-appointed champion of marijuana, was singled out by police for arrest because of his political views, a provincial court judge heard Monday. Dorothy Annette Bushby testified she and Smith drove to a pro-marijuana rally at the University of Victoria on Nov. 8, 2000. Smith spoke and then lit up joints and passed them around, as did others. But Bushby, who testified she also lit up and passed around joints, said after the rally plain-clothes police officers moved in and arrested Smith. [continues 178 words]
Marijuana champion Ted Smith is the victim of discrimination because he is a pot smoker and a political activist, a provincial court judge heard Tuesday. Defence counsel Robert Moore-Stewart argued police and the Crown are violating Smith's rights to equality guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "He is being discriminated against as a cannabis user and a political activist," said Moore-Stewart. Smith, 35, is facing a charge of trafficking in marijuana. His trial wrapped up Tuesday. A verdict is scheduled to be handed down Jan. 20. [continues 266 words]
Ted Smith, Victoria's self-appointed champion of medical marijuana, was convicted Friday of drug trafficking. Provincial court Judge L. Jeanne Harvey convicted Smith, 35, on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in cannabis resin, following two days of evidence. He was handed a nine-month conditional discharge. Smith is the founder of Victoria's Cannabis Buyer's Club. It's an operation generally called a compassion club. These clubs exist to supply members with a supply of marijuana to use as medicine for various conditions or diseases like arthritis or epilepsy. [continues 497 words]
Cookies -- peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin -- were entered as evidence this week in the trial of a Victoria medical marijuana activist. The cookies, 44 in total, were in plastic Tupperware-style containers and, according to Health Canada, contained cannabis resin and in one case -- the oatmeal raisin -- tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active chemical in cannabis. Bottles of massage oil, jars of salve and capsules were also entered as evidence. The products were seized during a March 21, 2002, search of the Cannabis Buyer's Club in Victoria. The club supplies marijuana to people suffering from medical conditions or disabilities. "The cookies are quite large. They have good ingredients. They are quite nutritious," said club founder Ted Smith. Mr. Smith is on trial, charged with possession of cannabis resin for the purpose of trafficking. [end]
VICTORIA - Ted Smith, Victoria's own self-appointed champion of medical marijuana, was convicted of drug trafficking Friday. Provincial Court Judge L. Jeanne Harvey convicted Smith, 35, on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in cannabis resin following two days of evidence. He was handed a nine-month conditional discharge. Smith is the founder of Victoria's Cannabis Buyer's Club, one of a number that exist to supply members with a supply of marijuana to use as medicine for various conditions or diseases such as arthritis or epilepsy. [continues 97 words]
Cookies --peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin -- were entered as evidence Thursday in the trial of Victoria medical marijuana activist Ted Smith. Victoria Const. Leslie Whittaker brought in the cookies, 44 in total, in plastic Tupperware-style containers. Whittaker also came in with reports from Health Canada showing the cookies tested positive for cannabis resin and in one case (the oatmeal raisin) for something called tetrahydracannabinol. Along with cookies she also produced bottles of massage oil, jars of salve and capsules of Ryanol. There were also more documents showing all three substances tested positive for cannabis resin. [continues 455 words]
Ted Smith, Victoria's self-appointed champion for people who use marijuana as medicine, was back in court Wednesday. Smith, 35, went on trial, this time on a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking cannabis resin. The charge arises from a March 21, 2002, Victoria police search of a small storefront operation on Johnson Street now called the Cannabis Buyers' Club. The operation is what is commonly called a compassion club. These clubs offer a source of marijuana for use as medicine to people suffering certain conditions, for example, AIDS or arthritis. [continues 331 words]
Never mind the name. Marijuana will be the order of the day for area residents Nov. 15. International Medical Marijuana Day, being celebrated for a seventh year in the City of Victoria, is a creation of Cannabis Buyer's Club co-founder Ted Smith of Victoria. He is an oft-criminally charged advocate for better access to marijuana within Canada for chronically ill patients, as well as the legalization of pot in general. In previous court decisions, including one of Smith's, judges threw cases out because it could not be proven Health Canada was adhering to its own pledge to supply marijuana to people who qualified for it. Since the government's grower in Flin Flon, Man. has started sending out its supply, the rules have changed, said Smith. [continues 115 words]
VICTORIA - Every Wednesday at 4:20 p.m., dozens of University of Victoria students gather near the campus fountain to show support for sick people who struggle to treat their conditions with medicinal marijuana. While nearly all the students are healthy, the university's Hempology 101 club attracts attention by supporting the use of illegal drugs. During meetings, members of the Cannabis Buyers' Club provide updates on current events involving medicinal marijuana while dozens of students pass joints around a circle. [continues 740 words]
Every Wednesday at 4:20 p.m., dozens of UVic students gather near the fountain to show support for sick people who struggle to treat their conditions with medical marijuana. While nearly all the students are healthy, UVic's Hempology 101 club attracts attention by supporting the use of illegal drugs. During meetings, members of the Cannabis Buyer's Club provide updates on current events involving medicinal marijuana while dozens of students pass joints around a circle. The activist responsible for Hempology 101, one of the largest student clubs at UVic, is Leon 'Ted' Smith, but Smith has not set foot on the campus since Nov. 8, 2000. Smith was charged with possession and trafficking, with evidence supplied by an undercover officer who had pocketed one of the joints passed out during a Hempology 101 meeting. Since then, Smith has been banned from campus. "They took my microphone and speaker," he said. [continues 691 words]
VANCOUVER - Impatient pot-heads, high enough to think they can force the legalization of marijuana, are ruining a relaxed relationship with police by brazenly buying and selling weed in a downtown cafe, says one legalization activist. ''The heat is perceived to be on us even more because of their activities,'' said Ted Smith, founder of a 1,300-member compassion club that sells marijuana to sick people. The Da Kine Smokeshop in the bohemian Commercial Drive neighbourhood is just in it for the money while pretending to be a righteous provider of relief to the ill who say marijuana alleviates pain and suffering, he said. [continues 438 words]
The pot cafe is closed, but the debate rages on. With Carol Gwilt's re-arrest for possessing more than a kilo of marijuana, the experiment she, Donald Briere, and others engaged in by opening the street-front Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop has probably come to an end. All that is left now is the Vancouver city-council hearing Oct. 6 to lift Da Kine's business licence, and the raid Vancouver police are expected to conduct on the Commercial Drive store next week in search of more evidence for the hearing and their criminal investigation. [continues 1664 words]
Lack of government supply of medical marijuana at the time led a provincial court judge to shelve 2-1/2-year-old pot trafficking charges against a Victoria marijuana advocate. But the stay of proceedings issued by Judge L.F. Chaperon in the trial of Cannabis Buyer's Club founder Leon "Ted" Smith and Colby Budda on Sept. 7 doesn't change the laws on selling pot in general, says Victoria police Insp. Grant Smith. "My fear here is others will use this ruling with the false belief that they will be able to open storefronts to sell marijuana in a similar fashion," Smith said Thursday. "I can say in all honesty if they do so they will be receiving attention from the police." [continues 654 words]
VANCOUVER -- Impatient pot-heads, high enough to think they can force the legalization of marijuana, are ruining a relaxed relationship with police by brazenly buying and selling weed in a downtown cafe, says one legalization activist. "The heat is perceived to be on us even more because of their activities," said Ted Smith, founder of a 1,300 member compassion club that sells marijuana to sick people. The Da Kine Smokeshop in the bohemian Commercial Drive neighbourhood is just in it for the money, while pretending to be a righteous provider of relief to the ill who say it alleviates pain and suffering, he said. [continues 64 words]
Lack of government supply of medical marijuana at the time led a provincial court judge to shelve a two-and-a-half-year-old pot trafficking charge against a Victoria marijuana advocate. But the stay of proceedings issued by Judge L.F. Chaperon in the trial of Cannabis Buyer's Club founder Leon "Ted" Smith and Colby Budda on Sept. 7 doesn't change the laws on selling pot in general, said Victoria police Insp. Grant Smith. "My fear here is others will use this ruling with the false belief that they will be able to open storefronts to sell marijuana in a similar fashion," Insp. Smith said Thursday. "I can say in all honesty if they do so they will be receiving attention from the police." [continues 654 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Impatient pot-heads, high enough to think they can force the legalization of marijuana, are ruining a relaxed relationship with police by brazenly buying and selling weed in a downtown cafe, says one legalization activist. "The heat is perceived to be on us even more because of their activities," said Ted Smith, founder of a 1,300 member compassion club that sells marijuana to sick people. The Da Kine Smokeshop in the bohemian Commercial Drive neighbourhood is just in it for the money while pretending to be a righteous provider of relief to the ill who say it alleviates pain and suffering, he said. [continues 595 words]
VICTORIA - Longtime marijuana activist Ted Smith and co-accused Colby Budda have had drug charges against them stayed. Both men were charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, stemming from a January 2002 raid on Smith's store, known as Ted's Bookstore. Smith has consistently maintained the store is run as a "compassion club," distributing marijuana to people with chronic illness who find relief using the drug. Staying a charge still allows it to be reactivated within a year, but they rarely are. [continues 70 words]
Longtime marijuana activist Ted Smith and co-accused Colby Budda have had drug charges against them stayed in a ruling by provincial court Judge Loretta Chaperon. Both men were charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, stemming from a January 2002 raid on Smith's storefront Johnson Street business, known as Ted's Bookstore. Smith has consistently maintained the store is run as a "compassion club," meaning it distributes marijuana to people with chronic illness who find relief from using the drug. Staying a charge still allows it to be reactivated within a year, but they rarely are. [continues 363 words]
Compassion And Altruism Motivated Smith To Supply Medical Marijuana, Lawyer Says Richard Watts CanWest News Service VICTORIA - Like Mother Teresa helping lepers in India, Ted Smith was compelled by compassion to sell marijuana to the sick of Victoria, a provincial court judge heard this week. Defence lawyer Robert Moore-Stewart said compassion and altruism, which at their most extreme compelled Mother Teresa to help lepers, moved Smith to supply medical marijuana. Smith's "circumstances put him in touch with these individuals in need of medical marijuana," said Moore-Stewart at Smith's trial Wednesday. "He was compelled by altruism." [continues 332 words]
Client 'compelled By Altruism,' Lawyer Tells Court VICTORIA - Like Mother Teresa helping lepers in India, Ted Smith was compelled by compassion to sell marijuana to the sick of Victoria, a provincial court judge was told this week. Defence lawyer Robert Moore-Stewart said compassion and altruism, which at their most extreme compelled Mother Teresa to help lepers, moved Smith to supply medical marijuana. Smith's "circumstances put him in touch with these individuals in need of medical marijuana," said Moore-Stewart at Smith's trial Wednesday. "He was compelled by altruism." [continues 288 words]
Like Mother Teresa helping lepers in India, Ted Smith was compelled by compassion to sell marijuana to the sick of Victoria, a provincial court judge heard. Defence lawyer Robert Moore-Stewart said compassion and altruism, which at their most extreme compelled Mother Teresa to help lepers, moved Smith to supply medical marijuana. Smith's "circumstances put him in touch with these individuals in need of medical marijuana," said Moore-Stewart at Smith's trial Wednesday. "He was compelled by altruism." Smith, 35, a long-time marijuana activist and Colby Budda, 30, are charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. The charges stem from a Jan. 3, 2002 police raid on a Johnson Street storefront known then as Ted's Books. [continues 361 words]
B.C.'s marijuana trade is so lucrative, it only makes sense to legalize pot, says a new report from the Fraser Institute. The report argues that pot should also be taxed, pointing out that the pot-growing business in B.C. is worth $7 billion annually. "It's taking place, it seems to be ubiquitous. The question is who's really going to get the revenue from this activity," said Sean Easton, a senior fellow at the institute who authored the report. [continues 336 words]
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 Judge Loretta Chaperon. He was testifying for the defence 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. [continues 406 words]
'Benevolent' drug has ingredient resembling substances found in mother's milk, he says VICTORIA -- Marijuana is one of the most benign drugs known, an experimental psychologist testified at the trial of two men accused of operating a so-called compassion club that distributed pot to people with chronic illnesses. The drug has active ingredients that even resemble substances found in mother's milk, James Geiwitz, whose expertise lies in risk analysis and the assessment of research design, said in provincial court. [continues 268 words]
Victoria Times Colonist VICTORIA - For years Ted Smith has sold 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 trial continues at a later date. [end]
For years Ted Smith has sold 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. [continues 401 words]
Medicinal marijuana might someday be coming to a drugstore near you. Health Canada is planning to start a pilot project where marijuana for medicinal use will be sold in select pharmacies. But not everyone is fond of the idea of drugstores getting into the medical marijuana business. Ted Smith, founder of the Victoria-based Cannabis Buyers' Club of Canada, says he doesn't anticipate Health Canada's pilot project will be a success. "Their program isn't going to work," he insists. [continues 856 words]
Cannabis convention draws businessmen, politicians and the odd hippy Canabonds, hemp theme parks and government-issue Maui Wowie-these are not just the products of pothead daydreams anymore. Victoria's fifth annual Cannabis Convention brought hemp and marijuana advocates together for more serious things than a 4:20 toke. The legal battle for the bud, industrial hemp franchisement and expansion of medicinal marijuana rights topped the agenda for the one-day convention at Camosun College last Sunday. At first glance, the 100-person gathering had all the qualities one would expect at a marijuana-themed convention. Pony-tailed beatniks, marijuana leaf cutouts, patchouli-scented air and a hippy covering Peter Tosh's "Legalize It" set the tone while self-conscious college students and the odd business-type speckled the crowd. [continues 696 words]
VICTORIA - New statistics showing that Greater Victoria has the third highest number of illicit drug arrests by police in the country raises questions about just how much drug use there is in the region. The Capital Region's No. 3 ranking in Canadian drug crimes is based on a Stats Canada study that indicates there were 459 offences per 100,000 people in 2002. Thunder Bay, Ont. came in first place with 571 offences while the Lower Mainland ranked second with 468. The study also indicated that B.C. led all provinces for drug crimes, with almost double the national rate. [continues 740 words]
Marijuana crusaders filled a Victoria courtroom Thursday as local pot activist Ted Smith tried to advance a constitutional challenge to his arrest and charges. Smith, a longtime campaigner for the medical use of marijuana, was busted three years ago after a meeting at the University of Victoria. He is facing possession and trafficking charges. His lawyer, Robert Moore-Stewart, said the constitutional issue contends, in part, that police singled out and targeted Smith for arrest because of his longtime political activism. [continues 51 words]
Although smoking marijuana is illegal, Campus Security and the Saanich Police turn a blind eye when the Hempology 101 Club meets at 4:20 p.m. every Wednesday and clouds of smoke rise over Petch Fountain. "It is not on our radar. We have much bigger problems to deal with: sexual assaults, violence and rapes," said Hunter McDonald, Director of Campus Security. "If you look at the problems we have, they don't involve kids smoking dope at the fountain." Chris Horsley, media relations officer for the Saanich Police, said, "The police department is still very concerned with drug use on campus." Nevertheless, marijuana use on and off campus is something Horsley believes has not had a lot of police attention in the last few years. "The police have to look at the bigger issues of public safety and public harm," said Horsley. [continues 588 words]
Camosun College shut down a student club's recent pro-cannabis concert on the Lansdowne campus, leading organizers to say the show was nipped because it was about bud. The August 24 concert, held outside Camosun's Fisher Building, was organized by the college's Hempology 101 club. Founder Ted Smith, a much-prosecuted local pro-pot activist, says, "We thought this would have been within the mandate of the club and wouldn't be a problem." But opening act Smoked Out Brainzzz had only played for about 20 minutes, he says, before a campus security guard pulled the plug on their sound equipment. The guards then cancelled the show. The rest of the lineup, Zolabud and The Sweathogs, never made it onto the stage to perform for the crowd of 40 to 50 people. [continues 343 words]
Why is Ottawa spending millions to grow dope at the bottom of a Manitoba mine shaft when it's paying Vancouver Island Mounties to rip up and burn tonnes of the same product? What happens to medical marijuana clubs now that Cheech and Chong have moved into the prime minister's office? And is our federal government the only organization that could lose money growing pot? Just some of the questions to arise now that Health Canada has, ever so reluctantly, come up with a court-ordered plan for distributing marijuana to sick people. [continues 674 words]
After months of anticipation and several disappointments, Ted Smith, of the International Hempology 101 Society, is still hoping a representative from Health Canada will visit Victoria to speak with citizens and members of the council about medical marijuana. It looked like Smith's pipe dreams might finally come true this week. But a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, at city hall had to be cancelled last week, after Health Canada representative Cindy Cripps-Prawak learned she was unable to fly to Victoria due to a medical condition. [continues 149 words]
"Tune in, turn on and drop out" was the drug-culture slogan of the 1960s, but today's marijuana advocates never talk about dropping out. In contrast, at the fourth annual convention Monday of Hempology 101, Victoria's most high-profile advocate group for marijuana legalization, speaker after speaker told of their battles working within the system. They are generating publicity in the media, passing along information on the Web and working in the court system. And it's all to make their point that marijuana should not be a criminally banned substance. [continues 434 words]
A seven-month reprieve from police raids ended last week for the Cannabis Buyers Club in Victoria. Acting on information obtained through an earlier arrest, Victoria police executed a search warrant Feb. 19 and seized a "large quantity" of marijuana from the 826 Johnson St. shop used as headquarters for the local medical marijuana compassion club and the Hempology 101 Society. It is the fifth time since January 2002 that police have seized products and/or made arrests at the location. [continues 649 words]
In an effort to raise $25,000 to cover the cost of marijuana-related legal battles, the Victoria-based International Hempology 101 Society is selling bonds that can be redeemed for marijuana once the substance is legalized. One thousand $25 Cannabonds have been printed using a unique payback scheme. Co-founder of the society and the Cannabis Buyers' Clubs of Canada, Ted Smith, explains that purchasers can redeem them for seven grams of cannabis three months after one of two things happens: either laws prohibiting the cultivation, trafficking and possession of pot are permanently struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada, or new laws are passed making those things legal. [continues 375 words]
About 100 people gathered at the Richard Blanshard Building Wednesday evening to hear marijuana activists condemn a police bust at Victoria's compassion club earlier in the day. Ted Smith, who ran for Victoria mayor on a legalize-marijuana platform, used an amplifier to condemn the arrests and told his listeners to show up at today's court appearance for the two men arrested. Smith said the men were arrested at the Cannabis Buyers' Club, 826 Johnson St. For the past seven years the club has supplied marijuana to people suffering from such conditions as HIV-AIDS or Parkinson's disease. [continues 109 words]
