WEED CULTURE STILL BUDDING

At an establishment called Coffeeshop, Johnny, a clerk, chatted us up,
lamenting on the demise of the cannabis cafe in the Netherlands. I
told the clerk to not be discouraged. I preached of a budding pot
culture out West in which the blossoming may take place in Oaksterdam,
California.

In that American state on Nov. 2, over seven million voters weighed in
on Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax
Cannabis Act, which would have allowed local governments to legalize
the sale of marijuana and control it like alcohol.

The narrow defeat (46 per cent in favour and 54 per cent opposed)
suggests the legalization movement is gaining momentum and ready for
serious debate in the mainstream.

Cannabis growers in B.C. may be relieved that their profits don't risk
dropping in the short-term, but most acknowledge that legalization in
North America would benefit the overall economy in the long-term.

And they have good reason. A California public agency charged with tax
administration and fee collection estimated that a $50 tax per ounce
would generate $1.4 billion annually for the cash-strapped state.
Canada, with its similarly sized population and consumption rates,
could use that money to improve social services such as health care.

On the day of the vote, noted stoner comedian Doug Benson tweeted,
"Don't feel bad for me if Prop 19 doesn't pass. Feel bad for people in
the states that don't even have medical marijuana."

So where does medicinal marijuana stand in Montreal? After a slew of
raids and postponed court dates, it is unclear what the fate of the
local compassion clubs will be. Until then, serious patients will find
a way to get their medicine and casual cannabis consumers will
continue their act of civil disobedience.