To see how the NSLC's marijuana distribution will be a disaster take a tour of Halifax's "medical" marijuana dispensaries. There are a dozen, or more, at least. They all have lines, seven days a week, from open to close. Their inventory (marijuana) is sourced in the industrial black-market production infrastructure in BC which is vast, efficient and already produces a variety of products (in-demand strains of marijuana) and product formats (oils, vape cartridges, topicals, edibles, etc). Many people don't fully understand that these dispensaries are actually all illegal and will be shut down upon legalization. Currently, the only legal way to purchase medical marijuanais through the mail from a licensed producer. [continues 305 words]
When it comes time for your monthly uterine massacre, you bet Mary Jane has your back-and anywhere else that aches whilst surfing the crimson wave. Here are the cannabis products that my co-workers and partner can thank for not being murdered by me once every three weeks. 1 Arthritis balm from Cannalife Botanicals Ever heard of our bodies' endocannabinoid system? It regulates mood, memory, appetite, pain and inflammation, while co-piloting the immune, reproductive, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. The 100-plus chemical compounds cannabis is made up of (like psychoactive THC, and CBD which helps with pain) fit into different endocannabinoid system cell receptors like brokenhearted BFF lockets. [continues 517 words]
I don't really know where to go with this other than The Coast, since you appreciate input from us random faces in the crowds, and it shows. I recently stumbled across this article on the Metro chain's Halifax website: "Woman high on weed in wreck that killed grandkids." That is terrifying news as our country is striving to make marijuana legal, so I clicked and read briefly into the article-only to realize it was a poor copy-paste job from an Associated Press story that omitted half the information. [continues 131 words]
A smoking syllabus to becoming the most productive pothead on campus. Harvard studies suggest cannabis enhances cognitive function. German studies conclude micro-dosing weed is an effective ADHD treatment. And with Canada's impending marijuana legalization, the "lazy stoner" stereotype is washing away, making room for the high-functioning user to spark up. Carefully chosen MMJ strains, dosage and smoke methods just might be your path to becoming most productive pothead on campus. Pre-class anxiety? Live every week like it's shark week with Great White Shark: This stimulating sativa offers an energizing high that melts away the anxiety in a room full of tutorial strangers. Great White's plant parents obliterate depression, stress and pain, so you can stay relaxed yet inspired while scoring full participation marks. Ren, a second-year NSCAD student with a nervous tummy, attributes her stellar grades to this potent strain. [continues 479 words]
For years, cannabis has been a counter-cultural symbol-a plant that can be grown almost anywhere, giving it little marketing potential. That's about to change. At a show last summer, a musician friend said to me, "This is Pineapple Express-I bought it legally in Kensington Market." Legal. Weed. Kensington. Toronto. That stuck in the memory banks, and I followed up next time I was in Toronto, visiting several locations of one well-reputed dispensary, sampling as many marijuana strains and concentrates as my budget would afford. [continues 512 words]
The law is still against business owners like Shirley Martineau, even as Canada remains high on legalization. Even though it may seem like the illegality associated with weed today is akin to the criminal severity of something like jaywalking, the fact is that here in Nova Scotia, under many circumstances, having, selling or smoking the stuff could still get you thrown in jail. That's exactly what may happen to Shirley Martineau, owner of Auntie's Health and Wellness Centre, which was closed down earlier this month after Martineau decided on her own accord to begin providing access to medicinal marijuana to anyone over the age of 19-regardless of a prescription. [continues 565 words]
Mr. Harper has been very successful in keeping the anti-abortionists and anti-gay elements in his party under control. But his position on marijuana (the Reefer Madness agenda), and the Alice-in-Wonderland legislation against buy-sexualism, suggests the almost-theocratic agenda that lurks in the Conservative party is not far from the surface. This purblind "conservative" party knows nothing of the reduction-in-harm mode of thinking. Re-election of this government may even bring back the WCTU-the Women's Conservative Temperance Union. I feel like I'm living in a Margaret Atwood nightmare. JW Beveridge, Halifax [end]
It's sad to see The Coast contributing to this. There is a bullshit cultural milieu surrounding the use of cannabis. The general perception seems to be that marijuana is not only a completely harmless substance, but actually a panacea capable of alleviating/curing a vast array of medical conditions. However, its use is hindered by mean, moralistic politicians who are kept in the back pockets of nefarious pharmaceutical interests. This perception would be fine if cannabis was a completely harmless substance with a wide array of medicinal uses, as has been intimated in The Coast's recent story about the PEACE EAST festival (August 13), but it is not. It is sad to see an article pandering to these poorly formed ideas rather than engaging in substantive journalism. [continues 396 words]
The sixth annual PEACE EAST festival wants to clear the air on medical marijuana. Six years in, PEACE EAST keeps growing. The three-day outdoor festival in Middle Musquodoboit is Atlantic Canada's annual epicenter for cannabis consumers, advocates and caregivers to celebrate the tireless fight against the war on drugs. There's music, lectures, workshops and plenty of chances to get inspired. And, no, it's not just some hippie fest in the woods. "Well, you know what, it's a little bit of a hippie fest," counters Sherri Reeve-Enns. "There are hippies. I mean, they kind of popularized weed. You can't really avoid that." [continues 1663 words]
Something to toke about - Part 3 This is the column I don't want my grandma to read. That's right, folks-this week we're talking about weed lube. This winter, when storms were slamming Halifax and we were all hibernating, two people I know decided to get creative. My friend and his girlfriend (let's call them Jack and Diane) whipped up some cannabis-infused lubricant. As Jack explained, "The original point was to get pussy-high." He found a recipe online for a cannabis lube made with coconut oil and cocoa butter. Considerate gentleman that he is, Jack thought his partner might enjoy the experience. She was totally game. [continues 677 words]
Selling marijuana just got more difficult. Haligonians who buy their pot legally probably noticed changes to their dealers' websites last month. On January 12, it became more difficult for medical marijuana users to figure out what they're inhaling, extracting or otherwise consuming. Over the last year or so, Health Canada has cracked the whip on these private companies' advertisements, telling them to comply with federal guidelines by January 12 or risk losing their licenses. Health Canada takes issue with any information on a medical pot website that crosses the line into promotional material, or asserts health claims without evidence. [continues 936 words]
The THC Club Lives in a Grey Area for Medicinal Marijuana Users The THC Club is growing. The medicinal marijuana club that police raided last summer in Porters Lake has opened Halifax's only vapour lounge on Gottingen Street---but whether it's legal remains to be seen. Lounge owners Chris Enns and Sherri Reeve, who both face drug charges as a result of last year's raid, say they're operating in a legal grey area. During an interview at the new bong shop and vapour lounge, the owners---who are licensed under Health Canada's medical marijuana program---smoked a vapourizer while their dog Tripper, who takes cannabis oil for a mound of tumours near his tail, wanders around the shop. [continues 415 words]
With Health Canada rolling out more restrictive rules and Stephen Harper fighting pro-weed legal judgements, local MMJ users fear the system is going up in smoke. In an early-'90s Civic we drive eastward, away from the Halifax-Dartmouth sprawl, toward the tiny hamlets and villages that tuck themselves into the myriad bays and coves of the eastern shore. In the car the conversation flits quickly from topic to topic, like some conspiratorially minded hummingbird, and runs the gamut of water-cooler fringe-news talk. A speech on the dangers of fluoride in the water leads to a dissertation on chem trails, which effortlessly flows into an account of the real story behind 9/11. The only way through it is to allow each topic to run its course, and then gently, calmly, try to ease the derailed interview back onto track. I want to know about cannabis: medical-grade, Health Canada-approved marijuana, to be precise. Jes James, co-founder of The Halifax Compassionate Club, with whom I am now delivering an indeterminate quantity of medical marijuana to as many patients as we can schedule in the day, is my tour guide. [continues 3154 words]
Addiction detox services in the HRM are closed for the month of July, leaving hundreds of addicts with no place to turn for help. Local addiction detox programs are closed for the entire month of July, leaving hundreds of addicts with no immediate place to turn. "The choice wasn't ours," says Tom Payette, director for district addiction and treatment services for Capital Health, which operates the only detox programs in HRM, at Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth. "Capital Health made the decision that this building needed decommissioning, so we had to shut down our operations." [continues 612 words]
Backed by 1,600 hours of research, the city's crime report does a pretty good job making sense of a pretty bad situation. Donald Clairmont was visibly enjoying himself as hepresented his massive report on crime, violence and public safety to city council last Friday. The gregarious 69-year-old retired sociology professor said he spent about 1,600 hours over the last year-and-a-half on research and writing. "I could have been drinking beer and watching Captain Kangaroo," he joked, "but I loved talking to people, I like the idea of multiple realities." To come up with his 64 recommendations, Clairmont interviewed scores of experts, politicians and activists. [continues 633 words]
To the editor, Regarding Bruce Wark's thoughtful column "High security" (March 1): According to the US Centres for Disease Control, the number of unintentional prescription drug overdose deaths in the US increased from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004. By 2004, overdose was second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a cause of death. The rise in prescription overdose deaths is paralleled by an increase in student drug testing. This is no coincidence. Random drug testing encourages high-risk behaviour. Organic marijuana, which has never been shown to cause an overdose death, is the only drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. More dangerous pharmaceuticals exit the body quickly. If you think students don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. Canada should think twice before following the American lead and imposing drug tests on students. Far too many children have already been sacrificed at the altar of the US war on marijuana. Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
To the editor, Like some other "inconvienient truths" out there, the "war on drugs" has been a dismal failure. As Bruce Wark's editorial stated, increased spending and tougher sentences have not reduced drug use. In fact, it is increasing. The results of this "war" include increasingly vicious criminal gang activity, broken families and communities and wasting of justice resources. Drug abuse, like alcoholism and prescription drug abuse, is better dealt with as a health care issue. New approaches, including addiction services, decriminalization and/or legalization are called for if we are sincere about dealing with the problems of drug addiction. Prohibition simply does not work. Hopefully politicians in the next federal election will overwhelmingly reject Bush and Harper's disastrous approach. Michael Oddy Halifax [end]
One of the most dangerous men in America zipped across the Canadian border last week to deliver a speech in Ottawa. John Walters, chief propagandist for the disastrous US war on drugs, praised Stephen Harper's plan to put more drug offenders in jail. He also lauded George Bush for pushing random drug testing in American schools. As Walters spoke, US police continued to round up drug users. In the land of the free, someone is arrested on drug charges every 20 seconds. [continues 537 words]
After she was diagnosed with HIV, lifelong drug abuser Pam Leedham figured killing herself would be the easy thing to do. She decided to take the hard route instead, fighting both addiction and disease, one affirmation at a time. "I am a recovering drug a There's this pamphlet. It's called HIV and Mental Health. And there are two happy white people on the inside back cover riding a red tandem bicycle. They're coasting along a sunny downtown street. And they are smiling; they are glowing, like they're in an ad for milk or toothpaste. The woman, on the back of the two-person bike, has her legs out straight in front of her and she's smiling right at the camera. It's like her whole body--her whole being--is saying Wheeeeeeee! [continues 3455 words]
Pot Talk. Sex Talk. Readers Respond. I loved your advice to PROP. I am a 25-year-old woman with a healthy sex life, thanks to pot. I have a hard time relaxing and being comfortable with my naked body (although I'm attractive), but smoking weed alleviates my anxiety so I can get down. I don't smoke every time I have sex, but it's usually better when I do (for example, I come every time when I smoke, and usually do not come when I don't). If someone thinks this could cause me harm, I'd like him or her to consider the harm that living life without sexual gratification can do. [continues 1447 words]
