Cannabis Law on Earth Russell Bennett, Cannabis Lawyer, cannabislaw.ca

Dr. "Barb" Barbara J. Mainville, MD has been working with medical cannabis for more than 8 years following 30 years of practice in Emergency Medicine, and 30 years as a Coroner for the Province of Ontario (conducting both investigations and inquests.

Barb is a member of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids, the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, the Western Trauma Association, and the Special Operations Medical Association, as well as serving as the Medical Director for DBI Tactical. 

Barb has a particular interest in the potential applications of medical cannabis in physical and psychological trauma, both long term and acutely. She is a featured guest on another podcast, Let's Talk Cannabis.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.



Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca

Chris Nyberg’s law practice focuses on transactional and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and complex commercial transactions for start-up and mid-market companies in technology, food, beverage and agribusiness, healthcare and other regulated industries. He has broad experience with a range of private equity, venture capital and other institutional investments as well as complex acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, minority investments, and cross-border transactions. In addition to transactional work, Chris’s experience includes advising clients on all aspects of their corporate and commercial arrangements, including reorganizations and other corporate restructurings, as well as assisting with their corporate governance. Chris also regularly advises applicants, licensees, retailers, brands, service providers, First Nations communities and businesses and members of adjacent industries on all manner of cannabis-related mandates. He was seconded to one of North America’s leading licensed producers and has taught cannabis law and regulation at two major Canadian universities.

Chris co-authored a recent article:
Saving Cannabis Inventory From Going Up in Smoke - Tantalus case
A recent decision established that Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) should not withhold the renewal of an excise licence issued under the Excise Act, 2001 (“Excise Act”) where an excise licence is necessary for the debtor to deal with their assets within an insolvency proceeding.

Chris is
* Recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada, Cannabis Law (2022)
* Recognized in Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Cannabis Law (2020 – 2022)
* Recognized in The Legal 500 Canada, Cannabis Law (2020 – 2022)

Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca

Crista Eggers is the Statewide Campaign Manager for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, a ballot committee leading the effort to put a pair of initiatives on the 2024 ballot that would legalize medical cannabis access in Nebraska. 

Crista has been active in lobbying for legislative efforts and with two prior ballot attempts in 2020 and 2022.

Crista's passion for cannabis advocacy began when her youngest son Colton, was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy when he was two. Colton continues to experience daily uncontrolled seizures, and Crista believes as do many other parents of children with epilepsy, that cannabis has an ability to prevent seizures. The Nebraskan authorities do not agree.

Crista is a graduate of Wayne State College, and holds degrees in Public Relations and Organizational Leadership. Crista’s husband and their two sons live in Gretna, Nebraska. 

Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca

Ross Rebagliati, 52
Born 1971 North Vancouver BC
Diving team 1978
Swim team High school 1985
Ski raced 5yrs (10-15) 1980-86
Started snowboarding 1987-88
Coached snowboard halfpipe camps for Craig Kelly 1988-91
BC amateur series 1988 - 1991 — Won everything haha — they tried to kick me off the tour by the end.. lol
USA and Canadian amateur champion Snowboarding 1990
Lord Byng high school Grad 1990
Moved to Whistler 1990 - 2018
Cover of TransWold Snowboarding magazine 1991
World Cup debut Austria 1992
1st pro win Mt.Baker Banked Slalom 1992
European Champion 1994
US Open Champion 1994
Whistler World cup 1996
Multiple other world cup wins and podiums
Gold medal Nagano winter Olympics Feb 8, 1998.
Tested positive for THC
Disqualified and reinstated within 3 days (First time any athlete was reinstated by the IOC)
Was temporarily in a Japanese jail
Jay Leno 2 days later
Conan O'brian etc etc
Became a public figure
Roots sponsorship 1999- 2002
Retired from pro snowboarding 1999
Became a cannabis advocate 2000 - 2023
No fly list 2001 (re: 911) 22 yrs and counting….
Worked construction renos, framer, heavy equipment, flipped real estate etc.
RossGold established 2012
RossGold glass 2012-2018
RossGold store 2015 - 2017 (prohibition)
Various jobs growing in the grey market 2000 - 2018
Closed the RossGold company during legalization 2017-2023
Worked in various BC craft/micro facilities 2019-2022
Feb 8, 2023 RossGold cannabis products in Canadian stores. (25yrs to the day! Not planned — coincidence!)
Currently living near Penticton, BC
Married with 3 kids: 14, 11, and 8. They all ski and snowboard, but also individually play football, dance and play hockey.
Founder/CEO RossGold Cannabis
Documentary “Nagano till now” premiering at the 2023 Whistler Film Festival.

Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca

Ted Smith is a big Boy Scout. He is constantly helping others in need, and Ted has successfully advocated human rights for decades.  Ted is the Founder of the the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club, Canada's oldest compassion club, which opened in 1996.  He has played a large role in the battle to legalize cannabis in Canada for the past three decades and continues his advocacy work today .  
Since moving to Victoria in 1995 to start the International Hempology 101 Society, Ted has been at the forefront of cannabis activism. He is the author of Hempology 101: The History and Uses of Cannabis Sativa, published in 2012, a history of cannabis text book full of rich references to our historic use of this important plant medicine. He was the publisher of the Cannabis Digest newspaper, Canada’s largest publication on the subject for almost 10 years. Ted was even featured in a cameo as himself in the movie Kid Cannabis.  Ted has organized cannabis conventions across the country, coordinating or participating in approximately 4,000 rallies, meetings, press conferences and other events.
Ted founded the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club in January of 1996 making it the oldest medical cannabis dispensary in Canada, now with over 8,500 members.  After his employee Owen Smith was arrested baking cookies in 2009, he helped manage the case all the way to a unanimous 7-0 victory at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2015.  The R. v. Smith case made cannabis edibles and concentrates legal for patients to consume, whereas before only smoked herb was considered legal medicine.  Over the years, the VCBC and its facilities have been raided 8 times but have beaten every criminal charge in court using constitutional arguments.
He took a few years away from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club to care for his life time partner Gayle Quin, who was also a patient and a passionate cannabis activist.   After she died of cancer in 2016, Ted created a tea company in her honour named Gayle’s Tea, which is only available for sale at the VCBC.
Currently Ted is focused on getting the VCBC a temporary exemption from the Cannabis Act to provide high-dosage edibles to patients, medicines the club has provided long before legalization.  After two raids by the Community Safety Unit, he and the club have been fined

Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca

Owen Smith is a director of the non profit Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club ("VCBC"), one of the oldest compassion clubs in Canada, with over 8000 active members, which helps members who have documented, serious medical conditions, by providing them with medicinal cannabis and cannabis based products.

Owen is a cannabis subject-matter expert, possessing a wide range of cannabis industry knowledge based on two decades of working with patients, advocates, dispensaries, non-profits, producers and processors as well as one of the worlds largest cannabis corporations.

In 2009, Owen was arrested for baking cannabis and making extracts, edibles and oils for members of the VCBC, and consequently raised a constitutional challenge that the Supreme Court of Canada decided 7-0 in his favour in 2015. R v Smith is the most successful cannabis case in Canadian history, which legalized the process of cannabis extraction so that people and companies could make extracts, edibles and oils for medicinal use.

Owen is also a storyteller, multi-media artist, videographer, writer, juggler and musician.

During our interview, Owen's audio became garbled due to a streaming issue, so we salvaged some of the recording and then moved to a different recording platform. It's around the 20-minute mark.

Thanks to Byron Wong for his help with correcting the audio problem! I think it actually made for a better interview. 

Have a listen and enjoy!

Thank you to Jeremy Benning, our co-producer and sound editor.

And thank you to Albert Wong, who created and performed our beautiful music.

For more insightful conversations related to cannabis law, listen to our other episodes at https://podcast.cannabislawonearth.com/

If you're looking for a good text book on Canada's federal cannabis law and regulations with helpful related case law, read Canada's Cannabis Act.

And if you need a cannabis lawyer, ask Russell for more information at https://cannabislaw.ca