Thread by @AllWrightByMe

On this day of Edibles Legalization I want to acknowledge and remind us all of one of the critical legal battles that was fought to get us here.

On December 3, 2009 police arrested & charged Mr. Owen Smith of the Victoria Cannabis Buyer's Club with posession and trafficking /1

Mr. Smith was producing edibles for distribution to those medical cannabis patients that could prove they had a bona fide conditition for which cannabis could provide relief. /2

Over the next 6 years, a series of dedicated legal challenges led to the now-legendary June 11th, 2015 R. v Smith Supreme Court ruling, which put simply said "You can't force medical cannabis patients to smoke it, and access to alternative forms is constitutionally protected" /3

With the support of the Supreme Court decision, an unregulated industry for medical edibles began developing in response. At this point the very first dried flower products were starting to come available through government-regulated channels. /4

This duality of federally-regulated smokeable flower vs. unregulated alternative products (that medical patients had a legal right to access) continued to put pressure on gov. as federal cannabis regulation developed further and legalization of rec. flower use approached. /5

In December 2018, Health Canada kicked of a public consultation around edibles and alternative forms, a process that ended with amendments to the Cannabis Act being passed on June 25, 2019, and finally coming into force today. /6

Now, 9yrs + 10 months since that series of events began, the rules have finally changed.

We all stand humbly in the shadows of those giants who come before us and fought for what we have now.

Thank you to those who carried the torch for so long.

#Edibles

@rainbowensmyth