Monthly Archives: June 2018

Canada Legalizes Weed In 2018

 

 

In a vote which ended 52-29 within the Canadian Senate, a law passed nationally legalising recreational marijuana on 1 July, 2018. However, the Canadian government says it will take some time after that to organize sales.

 

The Cannabis Act focuses on regulation and control of how the Class B drug can be grown, distributed and sold.

 

As of September (possibly), citizens of Canada will be able to legally purchase and consume cannabis.

 

The government are expected to choose an official date this week for the law coming into force, once the bill has received Royal Assent.

 

This marks a historic moment for the Cannabis industry as Canada is only the second country in the world to legalise the drug’s recreational use, behind Uruguay.

 

Of course, many US states have already legalised recreational marijuana, including California, but nations are more reluctant to push it quickly.

 

Despite the bill passing, there were some objections to the new law with certain politicians and groups voicing social and economic concerns on the potential impact of legal marijuana. However, with Canadians spending £3.4bn in 2015 on cannabis, it’s become an issue which Justin Trudeau needed to address.

 

How will it work?

 

The Canadian government have stressed just how important it is to make sure that, with this bill passing, the marijuana industry within the nation needs to be controlled and regulated to not allow abuse of the system and cause harm to society.

 

Canadians will be able to buy marijuana and their oils, as long as it’s grown by licensed producers, both online and on the high street. They’ll also be able to grow up to four plants at home.

 

The bill states that citizens over the age of 18 (some provinces choosing the age 19) will be able to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public at once. It also states that edibles won’t be available straight away, but can expect them to be sold within the first year.

 

Smoking cannabis in Canada won’t be as free as expected. Provinces will have control over how it’s sold, where it’s smoked, how it’s consumed within their jurisdiction. The federal government also have set some rules for producers to use little branding and include strict health warnings (similar to cigarettes). Marketing of the legal marijuana will also be very restrictive and producers will need to be careful to avoid prosecution or fines.

 

What will the Canadian Government not allow?

 

As massive as it is that Canada are legalising recreational marijuana, they’re still imposing rules on the public for the industry. It will be illegal to possess over 30 grams of cannabis, purchase from producers and dealers that are unlicensed, and grow more than four plants per household.

 

If you are caught breaking these rules, you can expect lengthy prison sentences, in some cases up to 14 years. They’re considered harsh, but the Canadian government realise how sensitive the industry is and they want to ensure it’s regulated properly.

 

Who objected against the bill?

 

 

Senator Leo Housakos, based in Quebec, believes that the law will be ‘catastrophic for Canadian generations to come’.

 

There are beliefs that the bill has been rushed because of Trudeau’s agenda and it has failed to consult indigenous groups and politicians on certain issues.

 

These issues involve people thinking that the minimum age should be 25 as opposed to 18, the public health impact of legalisation, and the failure to address protection of minors and their access to marijuana.

 

Why legalise now?

 

In 2015, the now Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a campaign promise to legalise recreational marijuana. He believes that Canada’s traditional approach to marijuana and how it’s criminalised have been ineffective.

 

Public polls have always indicated that the majority of Canadians are in agreement with the move.

 

For the cannabis industry, this is a major step forwards, as the global shift away from cannabis criminalisation continues.

 

Going to Canada soon? Now’s the best time to hit some Canadian Weed and Wine Tours in Vancouver, they’re an experience you can’t miss out on.

 

Home Office Finally Return’s Billy Caldwell’s Cannabis Oil

 

Young Billy Caldwell and His Mother Charlotte

 

You may remember Billy Caldwell. After the cannabis oils he tried in the US made a miraculous difference in the number of seizures he suffered every day, he became the first person in the UK to be approved for treatment with medical marijuana.

 

That was in 2017. Just last month, in May of 2018, the NHS told Billy’s doctor he could no longer prescribe cannabis oils for Billy’s treatment.

 

Billy’s mother didn’t let that stop her. She traveled to Canada to buy a 6-month supply of what she views as life-saving medicine. In her own words:

 

“I take the view that I’d rather have my son illegally alive than legally dead.”

On her return trip, she declared the medication to customs at Heathrow Airport after which it was confiscated. Billy was hospitalized soon afterward.

 

AT FIRST, THE HOME OFFICE SAID NO

 

Billy’s mother appealed to the Home Office to release the cannabis oils so her son could resume treatment in what was argued to be a real life-and-death situation. Billy had been taking the oils for 19-months straight. A sudden, cold-turkey stop could do more than allow his seizures to increase to their former level – it could kill him.

 

Home Office Nick Hurd listened to all the arguments in favour of continuing treatment and still said no. This is what his spokeswoman had to say:

 

The Home Office is “sympathetic to the rare situation that Billy and his family are faced with. The policing minister met Ms Caldwell and advised her that despite these extremely difficult circumstances, it is unlawful to possess Schedule 1 drugs such as those seized at the border this morning without a licence. The minister urged the family to explore licensing options with the Department of Health Northern Ireland.”

AND THEN THEY SAID YES … FOR NOW

 

Home Office Secretary Javid relented five days later and had the cannabis oils sent to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where Billy Caldwell had been admitted. They made it clear that the treatment was under an exceptional license for a “short-term emergency” and would need to be reviewed.

 

The current conditions are:

  • The special license is only good for 20 days.
  • Billy must take the oils at the hospital, not at home.

It would seem that the Home Office has a heart after all … kind of.

 

WHAT ABOUT OTHER PATIENTS?

 

Charlotte Caldwell, Billy’s mother, said it all:

 

“No other family should have to go through this sort of ordeal, travelling half way round the world to get medication which should be freely available. “My experience leaves me in no doubt that the Home Office can no longer play a role in the administration of medication for sick children in our country. Children are dying in our country and it needs to stop now.”

At Gorilla Seeds, we agree whole-heartedly. While we maintain strict compliance with current laws and only sell collectible items including high-CBD cannabis seeds, we do advocate for sensible change and the end of government overreach. You may even see legal CBD oils and other products on our site soon. Check back often!

 

Two Paris Coffee Shops Now Sell Legal Cannabis – Are You Game?

 

From E-Klop’s Facebook Page – Is that weed???

 

Parisians are lining up at E-Klop and Cofyshop to try legal weed products. But, before you get too excited, this isn’t really cannabis by our standards. The dried herbs, oils, sweets, vape-liquid and other legal products can’t contain more than .2% THC (that’s 2/10 of a percent, not 2 percent). Instead, they’re high in CBD derrived from hemp.

 

WILL PARIS STREETS BE FILLED WITH DAZED & CONFUSED PATRONS?

Will it get you high? Probably not, unless you’re the lightest of the lightweights. But, it might make you feel a bit relaxed and you might … we repeat … might get some of the medical benefits that researchers have attributed to CBD. The laws are clear though – neither the makers or the sellers of these products can make any medical claims or recommendations.

 

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING? AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

 

Per gram, dried herb costs about €20-25 per gram at E-Klop and only €10-12 per gram at Cofyshop. Oils, sweets & e-liquids that need more work to process are priced accordingly.

 

Cofyshop’s owner Joaquim Lousquy had this to say:

“There’s no psychotropic effect. It is not a medicine or a relaxant. We are not doctors. I would not advise anyone to smoke cannabis. Here, we sell it like a common product, in the same way as a furniture shop might sell a table or a chair.”

Marc, a 21-year-old waiting to buy a newly legal cannabis product said:

“I want to find out if the stuff they’re selling gets you stoned. In theory, it has less than 0.2 percent THC, but I’ve heard it contains more CBD [cannabidiol, a legal cannabinoid] and that should have an effect, at least to make you feel relaxed.”

Dan Valea, a psychologist who specializes in addiction only had negative things to say about this new development:

“There are not enough studies [on this]…there is a risk that users [of CBD] may return to using cannabis containing THC, and that CBD will act as a ‘gateway’ product for new users.”

And finally, Marlene, a 72-year-old resident who lives above one of the coffeeshops, was not happy at all. She commented:

“It smells of hashish in the street and it wafts up into our flat.”

WHAT DOES BIG G HAVE TO SAY?

 

Amsterdam’s where Big G likes to play, but he says if you’re in Paris and you’re curious, why not? If you’d simply like to stay home & chill, he’s got plenty of low-THC, high-CBD products of his own like CBD Python as well as more traditional powerhouses like old-school Chronic and new sensation King Gelato with 26+% THC. Now, that’s something you won’t find in any French coffee shop!

 

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