Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club
E130 - Healing Communities the Fourth - Compassion in Action
Kirk catches up with Ted Smith from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club and his organization’s ill-defined existence within a country of legalized cannabis. We hear how Ted’s dreams, for this timeworn cannabis compassion club, are close to fruition yet there lingers potential for a new set of fines and a visit from the Public Health Authority impeding the full potential of this caring organization. In this episode we learn how the clouds preventing Ted from flying high are not simply from his new smoking lounge but rather the various levels of bureaucracy he must manage when putting compassion into action
E98 – The Godfather of Cannabis Two Point Oh! - Owen Smith - Part 2
Kirk and Owen continued discussion moves into a more personal realm as they share their views of the current state of Medical Cannabis industry. Kirk sees a disconnect with federal verses provincial government system management whereas Owen wants more services for individuals needing cannabis as medicine. As he continues his advocacy of medical cannabis, Owen also speaks to current projects to help society be a better place to live. Tune into the second part of a conversion with Canada’s Godfather of Cannabis Two point Oh!
E97 – The Godfather of Cannabis Two Point Oh! - Owen Smith - Part 1
In this episode, Kirk learns how the law was on the side of righteousness when Owen Smith found himself in front of the Supreme Court of Canada defending a desire to help others. In the first part of a longer discussion, listeners gain insights to his six-year legal journey which ends with him becoming a medical cannabis industry advocate and influencer. His cannabis story started with family, but it was a faulty exhaust fan and loud music which moved the Victoria Police Department to deliver, “rock star treatment” during his arrest for creating cannabis edibles. He explains how a legal technicality brought him to the Supreme Court, while the Canadian court system actually supported his efforts creating cookies for medical cannabis patients.
E86 - Healing Communities Part 3 - The Cost of Compassion
The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club (VCBC) is no stranger to defending the services that a compassion club can deliver. For decades, the VCBC has supported individuals with chronic and or life-threatening diseases by providing aid not available from government health systems. Kirk once again visits this west coast healing community. He examines how this celebrated organization is now fighting a $6.4 million fine levied against them as an unlicensed dispensary. Founder Ted Smith, a tenacious defender of human rights, explains this current challenge, the club’s relationships with growers, and the help his staff provides the medical cannabis community.
S3E4 - Healing Communities - Part 1
Travel with Kirk and Trevor beyond simple harm reduction strategies. Kirk brings us stories from Vancouver Island to Gimli, showing us how the Cannabis Culture helps people be well. In Part 1, we meet Kevin Donnelly from Newleaf Outreach. This new autonomous peer driven harm reduction group in Nanaimo, British Columbia promotes that drug peoples’ rights are human rights. They also believe cannabis plays a role for people with substance use disorders. Then Kirk goes south to see Julia Veintrop from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club. The VCBC is an important historic advocacy agency. They've taken cannabis cases to the Supreme Court, but more importantly they have 23 years of experience assisting people with accessing affordable cannabis as their medicine. From new to established, Vancouver Island shows us the strength of peers helping peers. We have a My Cannabis Story from Char about a not so positive experience at a Guns N Roses concert. Come back for Part 2! Gimli has more to offer than Crown Royal and the Icelandic Festival.