Beyond High: Talking Cannabis Effects in Canada ‘High’ is the effect term most closely associated with cannabis consumption. But the post-legalization campaign in Canada interprets this term in a harsh light. You’ll have seen the Canadian ads: young folks cruising in a car, blissful and oblivious, joints making the rounds. There follows a screech […]
Judith Stamps
Judith Stamps holds a doctorate in political theory from the University of Toronto, and has taught political science at the University of Victoria. She is author of Unthinking Modernity: Innis, McLuhan and the Frankfurt School, as well as numerous journal articles and letters to the editor. From 2013-2018, she served as editor of Cannabis Digest, and wrote weekly blogs for Cannabis Digest Blogs. Her current writing focuses on cannabis history, science, and culture, and the concept of prohibition. She is a guest writer for The Daily Hive: Grow; Post Media's TheGrowthOp; and BotaniQ Magazine.
On cannabis and fear mongering.
TEN PRAGMATIC THOUGHTS FOR CANNABIS, AND FOR DRUGS IN GENERAL Anything that people do for enjoyment, that does not harm others, can be done moderately, and usually is. Infants experience bliss in breastfeeding, and stop when they’ve had enough. Kids, teens, and adults, are competent moderates. No substance or activity that affects mood […]
On Judging Cannabis Buds
On Judging Cannabis, Then and Now Health Canada has no established grading standards for dried cannabis, leaving the standard-setting responsibility to LPs AUTHOR: Judith Stamps Evaluating excellence in cannabis flowers was once the province of either unlicensed growers or dispensary owners. In the new legal market, this task is being shifted largely to […]
The Sensible BC Campaign to Force Referendum on Decriminalizing Cannabis
Sensible BC: A Sentimental Journey © Judith Stamps In September 2013, cannabis fans in BC petitioned to create a future for themselves other than the one imagined for them by their federal government. While the attempt failed numerically, it succeeded in broadening the network of like-minded marijuana activists in BC. If their work […]
On Cannabis Dispensaries
Shifting Landscapes for Canadian Dispensaries In August 2017, the City of Vancouver filed injunctions against 53 cannabis dispensaries, non-compliant with its rule that they be 300 metres or more away from schools, and day care centres. Adherence to this rule would have resulted in a shut down of 90% of Vancouver’s dispensaries; and City […]
Advertising Popular Medicines and the Popular Press
Advertising Marijuana Part I: Medicine Heals The Ailing Press Wherever medical marijuana has taken root, officially speaking, ads for the plant have been bringing new life to newspapers.1 The Colorado Springs Independent (CSI) has recently put out a 48-page medical marijuana ad supplement, featuring retailers like “Mile High Mikes,” “Happy Buddha,” and “Healthy […]
The Canadian Medical Association on Cannabis
Cannabis and the Doctors, or, Should We Maintain Canada’s Medical Cannabis Program? Assisted by interviews with Dr. David Hepburn, cannabis educator; David Hutchinson, cannabis patient consultant; and Alan Cassels, Researcher with UBC Pharmaco-epidemiological Studies. On April 5 2018, a meeting of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids (CCIC) was shaken by […]
Dispensaries and the New legalization.
Dispensaries and the New Legalization in Canada Interviews: Alex Robb, Robert Laurie, Kirk Tousaw, and Dana Larsen. (And parenthetically, my last blog for Cannabis Digest.) Victoria BC currently has 28 dispensaries. Of these, 8 are licensed, and 5 more are in process. Vancouver BC has 15 licensed dispensaries; and over 100 in total. […]
On Cannabis Normalization
After Legalization, Do We Get To Be Normal? Under prohibition, any non-medical use of cannabis is drug abuse, and thus abnormal. Is it possible upon the stroke of midnight on a given day, say, October 17 2018, for the abnormal to become normal? No, it isn’t. This fact can be seen clearly from our […]
The Meaning of Craft Cannabis
What is Craft Cannabis? Canada’s Cannabis Act, legalizing the plant for recreational use, received royal assent on June 21, 2018. Within hours, news media brimmed with concerns over the fate of BC’s longstanding craft cannabis growers. Would the corporate Licensed Producers (LPs) wedge them out of industry? Would the new shops carrying LP products […]