HTTP/1.0 200 OK
Content-Type: text/html
Moses Pushes MuchMarijuana
Pubdate: Mon, 29 Nov 2004
Source: Frank Magazine (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004, Frankland Capital Corporation
Contact: (416) 214-9565
Website: http://www.frankmagazine.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3130
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
MOSES PUSHES MUCHMARIJUANA
Cultural vampire Moses Znaimer has found fresh blood in the medicinal
marijuana business, and he stands to drain more there than from all the
Canadian pop stars he's sucked on so far.
Moses -- founder of MuchMusic, CityTV, and various other cultural black
holes -- has waded into the promised land of medicinal marijuana but
potheads are proving more resistant than music fans to his
establishment-masquerading-as-edgy touch. He's the main backer of Cannasat,
a company looking to get it's own brand of pot into pharmacies in Canada
and thus become part of the multi-kajillion-dollar pharmaceuticals industry.
The move is being made in conjunction with new regulations Health Canada is
ramming through to force medicinal users to get their pot from the
drugstore rather than a licensed but independent dealer, as they can now.
No braindead pot-user himself, Znaimer had the brains to bring someone with
real credibility on board -- namely Alan Young, a high-profile lawyer who's
made a name for himself defending pot users in the courtroom, and joining
them in a drag or two outside.
Cannasat leaches credibility though, by its lack of transparency. It has
repeatedly put off a press conference or any kind of public statement
officially declaring what it's about. Its web site is a one-page affair
that says only that "Cannasat Pharmaceuticals is a company that aims to
develop, produce and market a variety of prescription medicines derived
from the plant Cannabis sativa." Not surprisingly, marijuana activists are
concerned about this company beyond the regular pothead paranoia.
Also not surprisingly, Young and various other pot activists who have
supposedly invested in Cannasat (supposedly because Cannasat's not talking)
are being accused of "selling out," the same accusation levied at all the
CanPop stars Znaimer nurtured to short-term success.
Maybe Cannasat will enlist Avril Lavigne as a spokeswoman; that is, if
she's still around by the time they hold that press conference.
- ---