Thank you all for the warm reception to our first edition, it truly was “about time”. As we promised, we will not shy away from the controversial. In this edition we have printed an article submitted by two young people on the topic of “home-made smoking devices” (page 12) - a first test for us at CH: are we willing to open up the lines of communications with the youth in our communities and talk about what is truly dangerous? I was struck once more by the similarity of this cannabis educational challenge and my childhood memories of sex education classes with anxious nuns or embarrassed school teachers speaking in riddles, because they were never given permission or allowed to use the common language. The results of the November U.S. elections have many in the cannabis community re-grouping and re-evaluating. Legalization forces were defeated in Nevada, but never count the U.S. out - San Francisco may be going into the growing business and the City Council of Sebastopol became the latest to approve a resolution supporting California’s medical marijuana law and asking that the municipal police force avoid working with the DEA. I predict an emerging North American realization that the medicinal marijuana movement will provide the most reasonable path to ending prohibition and the introduction of saner drug laws. I hope the new year will bring a closer working relationship between U.S. and Canadian cannabis organizations. I am sorry to report a growing dissatisfaction, even hostility, towards Health Canada and the whole medical access program. 

Anger by patients that are struggling to retain their exemption and unable to find any support in the medical community, anger too at delays and the arbitrary nature of the application process.This magazine placed three questions in front of Health Canada’s medical access program 6 months ago. Not only have they not responded to the questions, after promises to at least respond, they have resorted to the lowest, but most effective bureaucratic tactic known - they just ignore you. Also, buying U.S. cannabis for experiments in Canada and hiring a U.S.-biased marijuana expert, appear to many to be undermining their own program. Cannabis reform and access to a safe supply are not exclusively Western issues, but when John Walters, the U.S. drug czar, threatens to make Canadians pay a price at the borders for softening our laws on marijuana, I want a Prime Minister that stands up and loudly proclaims, “Enough, John, you moron, enough!” Unfortunately the federal governments non response is increasing my personal feelings of Western alienation.

Approaching our print deadline we have yet to hear from the Canadian Commons committee on the non-medical use of drugs. As the Commons report reaches the final edit stages, the usual leaks and pre-announcements are preparing Canadians for decriminalization with a ticketing or fine system. This decision will likely be taken in the spring and it doesn’t take a clairvoyant to see that Canada’s safe first step will quickly be challenged in the court of public opinion and in the courts of the land.Watch for John Conroy and three constitutional challenges being heard in Canadian Supreme Court beginning December 13, and we are anxiously waiting for a ruling on Alan Young’s case concluded in October, challenging the federal governments on behalf of a group of 8 medical patients, for the governments failure to provide a safe supply of medicine.

I received your magazine today from a man in Tim Hortons in Castlegar. I read it fully and must say how very impressed I am. Five years ago I lost my best friend to cancer, throughout his two years of fighting it he was taking THC pills, which helped him more than any morphine ever could. Since then I have used marijuana in my everyday life from in my home to smoking marijuana to help me with lupus. My boyfriend and I think that your magazine is a thousand times better than High Times! We feel very proud to be Canadian! We are definitely going to subscribe. I am very interested in anything that I could do (advertise, flyers, etc.) to help the magazine and/or medical marijuana in the Kootenay area.
Congratulations on an amazing and knowledgeable magazine!
Sincerely, Kym Baart

Give me the dope!

 Thanks for sending us a number of copies of your magazine. It has been a big hit. We are interested in stocking and selling your magazine. Would you please give me the dope on how we go about it?
Danny (420 Hempshop) Sechelt, B.C.

*Dear "give me the dope"
As a medical marihuana friendly store you are already on our mailing list, receiving 5 free copies of our magazine per issue.

If people would like to ensure that they get every issue mailed to them directly, they can subscribe.

John Walters                             Mark Emery November 20: Walters the US drug zealot visits Vancouver John Walters speech at a Vancouver Board of Trade event, was cut short today, when a group of well-known cannabis activists began to heckle. David Malmo-Levine, Chris Bennett, Mark Emery (who organized to have them all attend), Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek, Rielle Capler, Dana Larsen and Chad Ellis took a front table. About 10 min. into Walters’ rather rambling speech, the group starting to heckle Walters with shouts of "lies!" and "forced treatment!". Walters stopped his speech and addressed the table on a few separate occasions, then cut his own question period short, and left obviously rattled at the encounter with the boldness of B.C.’s opposition to his message.

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