SUBMISSION OF THE BEYOND PROHIBITION FOUNDATION IN RESPONSE TO PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS TO HEALTH CANADA’S MARIHUANA MEDICAL ACCESS PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
The Beyond Prohibition Foundation was established in 2010 to advocate for the repeal of cannabis prohibition and its replacement with a system of regulated production and distribution. It operates the website www.whyprohibition.ca, Canada's largest dedicated drug policy reform website and host to more than 30,000 members. The Foundation's mission includes advocacy on behalf of safe access to medicinal cannabis and cannabis byproducts for those obtaining therapeutic and medicinal benefit.
This submission responds to Health Canada's consultation document titled "Proposed Improvements to Health Canada's Marihuana Medical Access Program" (the "Consultation Document"). In the Consultation Document, Health Canada foreshadows significant changes to Canada's medical cannabis policies. The Foundation welcomes Health Canada's tacit acknowledgement that the current Marihuana Medical Access Regulation (MMAR) system is deeply flawed and in need of significant reform. That reform is necessary in two primary areas: (1) the need to improve access to the legal protections afforded by the legislative and regulatory scheme; and (2) the need to provide consumers with safe access to an effective supply of medicinal cannabis and cannabis byproducts. This submission lays out the Foundation's view of the proposed changes and offers suggestions for making necessary improvements to the federal program.
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People in the south of the Netherlands who wish to continue buying soft drugs in their local cannabis café have to request official council papers to prove they officially live in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reported on Sunday.
Local councils are gearing themselves up to cope with thousands of requests for proof of residency ahead of the May 1 deadline for the introduction of special passes in Maastricht, Eindhoven and the rest of the south.
In Eindhoven, for example, the city’s 15 cannabis cafes or coffee shops expect to cater to 40,000 clients. Breda expects some 8,000 requests for print-outs from the city council official residents' register. Read more »
Back when he was running for president in 2008, Barack Obama insisted that medical marijuana was an issue best left to state and local governments. "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue," he vowed, promising an end to the Bush administration's high-profile raids on providers of medical pot, which is legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Read more »
The federal crackdown against medical marijuana in California is a saber-rattling, War on Drugs attack on many fronts. U.S. attorneys are raiding legitimate dispensaries and licensed growers.
The prosecutors have threatened to seize the property of landlords who permit legal dispensaries to operate. The government is threatening newspapers and other media that dare to advertise medical marijuana. The 15 other states with medical marijuana laws are watching and worrying. Read more »
Federal prosecutors target legal marijuana trade despite Obama's liberal stance on medical use of cannabis
Steve DeAngelo doesn't have the luxury of worrying about a threatened US government crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries like the one he runs in Oakland, California. For him, the crackdown is already in full swing. Read more »
WASHINGTON -- GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson drew headlines earlier this month when he said he would issue a full presidential pardon for anyone serving a prison sentence for marijuana. He elaborated on that promise Tuesday, adding that it's only a matter of time before marijuana is legalized. Read more »
Federal lawyer argues that Chris Bennett has failed to make case weed is in fact sacred to him
By Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun
A Vancouver man will appear in Federal Court on Tuesday arguing for an exemption to the drug laws because they infringe on his constitutional freedom of religion to smoke his sacred weed - marijuana.
Canadian short track speedskater Maxime Fortin has received a two-month ban after testing positive for cannabis, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced Thursday.
Fortin, a 21-year-old from Rivière-du-Loup, Que., failed an in-competition urine test on March 19, during the Canadian championships.
CCES said Fortin acknowledged the anti-doping violation and accepted its proposal of a two-month ban that ends on May 25. Read more »
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People in the south of the Netherlands who wish to continue buying soft drugs in their local cannabis café have to request official council papers to prove they officially live in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reported on Sunday.
Back when he was running for president in 2008, Barack Obama insisted that medical marijuana was an issue best left to state and local governments. "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue," he vowed, promising an end to the Bush administration's high-profile raids on providers of medical pot, which is legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia. 
The federal crackdown against medical marijuana in California is a saber-rattling, War on Drugs attack on many fronts. U.S. attorneys are raiding legitimate dispensaries and licensed growers.
By 
WASHINGTON -- GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson drew headlines earlier this month when he said he would issue a full presidential pardon for anyone serving a prison sentence for marijuana. He elaborated on that promise Tuesday, adding that it's only a matter of time before marijuana is legalized. 
Federal lawyer argues that Chris Bennett has failed to make case weed is in fact sacred to him
By Jesse Campigotto
