Cannabis has been used as a medicine for thousands of years.
It was used medicinally in Canada through the 19th century and into the 20th. Until out of the blue it was “added to the schedule” of prohibited drugs.
There was no science involved. But there was racism.
Even so, cannabis wasn’t even a social problem when it became illegal in 1923. Most Canadians hadn’t even heard of it. But the laws against it got harsher and harsher just the same.
At the beginning of the 21st century, cannabis activists were finally heard by the Supreme Court of Canada, which ruled denying Canadians access to medical marijuana violated their human rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So the Canadian Government was obligated to change this, and it did.
But badly.
Because powerful people like ex-Toronto Police Chief (also ex-York Region and ex-London Police Chief) turned Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino passionately opposed any sort of legalization.
“I guess we can legalize murder too and then we won’t have a murder case. We can’t go that way.”
—Julian Fantino, Ottawa Sun April 20th, 2004
Cannabis activists ran “grey market” dispensaries that made better quality cannabis available to medical marijuana patients at a lower cost than the government.