The Harper government is quickly becoming its own satire of the mouldy propaganda that portrayed marijuana as the road to mental illness, crime and unemployment.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose, for example, said last week she was shocked and "outraged" after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled medical-marijuana users can consume the product in a variety of ways, not just through smoking.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose stands in the House of Commons during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

A new report finds that 'disproportionally harsh laws and policies' surrounding drug offences are preventing families from living together

Drugs offences that are either decades old or so minor they have incurred little to no prison time are responsible for tearing thousands of US families apart through detention and deportation, according to a report released today.

The report, from the international non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Watch, found that “disproportionally harsh laws and policies” surrounding drug offences can result in deportation for unauthorized immigrants as well as lawful and permanent US residents.

Two Calgary city councillors are calling for land use rules for medical marijuana businesses before the new shops begin opening in the city.

Diane Colley-Urquhart and Gian-Carlo Carra want the city to address issues such as 'clustering' or 'proliferation' of the businesses and also to ensure there is separation from schools, as there is for liquor stores.

Vancouver City Council began their public hearings this past Wednesday, June 10th to get public input on their proposed guidelines to regulate ‘marijuana related businesses’.

With over 200 people registered to speak, Council met Wednesday and Thursday night from 6-10pm, and 10-4 Saturday, making their way through over one hundred speakers. Not all those registered to speak opted to in the end. Council has announced they intend to reconvene Monday, June 22 at 6pm.

Government-licensed medical marijuana producers should avoid making “inappropriate” payments to individuals or groups, Health Canada has warned just days after allegations surfaced that some doctors are getting kickbacks from the companies.

As producers battle amongst themselves over who holds the moral high ground in the fledgling cannabis industry, the government is insisting that all the companies act with integrity.

“Health Canada expects licensed producers … to be honest and ethical in how they conduct their business and act professionally and in good faith,” the department declares in a bulletin issued earlier this week.

This week saw the start of a public hearing in Vancouver on the proposal to regulate marijuana dispensaries. It has sparked much debate with 150 people set to speak on the topic.

There are currently 94 dispensaries in the city, a number which has grown quickly over the last three years.

As a branding expert, I've noticed there is a gaping disconnect between the purpose of these dispensaries and their branding.

The odds have been plainly against marijuana legalization for decades, but the tide appears to be turning to the point where the marijuana movement may soon be able to get over its previous barriers.

At a crossroads
Two decades ago public opinion was very much against the idea of legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. A survey from Gallup in the mid-1990s pegged the public's favorable opinion on the drug at just 25%.

With the latest decision on medical marijuana released by the Supreme Court of Canada Thursday, that makes about, oh, a million losses for the Conservative government, give or take, and approximately two wins. I’ll concede, I may be overstating slightly, but I’m just trying to match the hyperbole espoused by Health Minister Rona Ambrose, who said she was “outraged” by the court’s unanimous decision that patients can now consume medical marijuana in all forms.

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says medical marijuana can include products other than dried pot, such as cannabis-infused cookies brownies, oils and tea.

A Vancouver, B.C., company has bought a business center at 2010 Grandview Road for $1.2 million and plans to lease space to licensed marijuana growers and processors.

Chlormet Technologies bought the 9.7-acre parcel in Ferndale through its Washington state subsidiary PacCan Industries, according to a company news release.

The seller was Excelsior Mortgage Equity Fund of Lake Oswego, Ore.

The property is zoned general business.