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B.C. Municipal Leaders Vote to work toward Decriminalizing Marijuana
September 27th, 2012 – British Columbia’s municipal politicians, sensing shifting emotional attitudes towards marijuana and a possible major new revenue source, voted Wednesday to lobby Ottawa to decriminalize pot and study the benefits of taxing and regulating cannabis. The mayors and councillors from across the province clapped and cheered after voting to support marijuana decriminalization…
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Scientists discover key to drug-free hemp
July 17, 2012 – Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have made a discovery about how marijuana plants create tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the active ingredient in pot that gets smokers high. It turns out the chemical pathway to THC production involve two enzymes that are used in a way that hasn’t been seen before in…
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Canada: Legalize Marijuana, former B.C. Attorneys-General say
February 15th, 2012 – Four former B.C. attorneys-general — Colin Gabelmann, Ujjal Dosanjh, Graeme Bowbrick and Geoff Plant — are calling for the legalization of cannabis. “No, I’m not smoking anything,” Dosanjh cracked when contacted. “It’s just time – 77 per cent of Canadians are telling us it’s time to change the law.” The former…
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Canada: Liberal Convention 2012: Federal Grits Vote To Legalize Marijuana
January 15, 2012 – The Liberal Party of Canada has voted to legalize pot. Seventy-seven per cent of delegates at the Liberals’ biennial convention told their party’s leadership Sunday morning that they want a future Liberal government to legalize marijuana. Their interim leader Bob Rae acknowledged the war on drugs hasn’t worked, but told reporters…
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Canada: Toronto Man taking ‘Catch 22’ of Growing Medical Marijuana to Court
November 29, 2011 – A Toronto man vowed to challenge a city bylaw that he said stops people from growing medical marijuana at home, on the same day a charge against him was dropped for creating a fire hazard by growing pot in his apartment. Although William Palmer was charged under the Fire Protection and…
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Canada: Government Investing in Opportunities for Hemp Farmers
November 3, 2011 – SASKATCHEWAN – Members of Parliament have pledged funding for the Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) to study hemp fibers with the goal of making composites that perform better than fiberglass and plastic. “Finding new and innovative uses for our flax and hemp will greatly benefit farmers and the economy in Western Canada,”…
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Canada: Doctors Refuse to Authorize Marijuana use for Pain Relief
November 1, 2011 – A decade after Canada legalized the medical use of marijuana, most doctors are still refusing to sign the declarations patients need to get legal access to pot — meaning patients in pain risk being jailed if they use a drug that helps them function. It’s a predicament that threatens to become…
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Farmers Explore Hemp Option
August 11, 2011 – VEGREVILLE, Alta. — When hemp scientist Jan Slaski asked people on a crop tour who was familiar with hemp, he got a few chuckles. The running joke linking industrial hemp with its recreational cousin, marijuana, has caused more than a few problems for the crop’s development. Hemp is one of Canada’s…
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A Hemp Revival on the Horizon as B.C. Community Builds Local Economy
July 18, 2011 – In British Columbia — the word is now out, thanks to Bill Finley of Hemp & Company, in Victoria, where I got this magnificent bead on the story. Sanctioned by all three levels of government, the successful results from BC’s Caribou Region ‘pilot’ plantation sites has allowed for 3 impressive scientific…
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The ‘Snicker Factor’ aside, Hemp is Serious Business
July 11, 2011 – Hemp is fast becoming a staple of daytime TV as Oprah, Dr. Oz and others extol the health virtues of hemp oil, protein powders and pasta. At the same time, industrial interests tout it as a potential base for products ranging from textiles to car parts. As a result, demand is…