Weedsels

Julian Fantino

For our first victim...err...person of interest, is a relative newcomer to the cannabis scene. He, together with a former deputy-commissioner of the RCMP have recently teamed up in a business venture named Aleafia.

Julian Fantino is a familiar name to many, having served as police chief in four Ontario police forces, including the OPP and Toronto, before being elected to the Harper government.

Mr. Fantino is perhaps best known for his combative and hostile interactions with Canadian vets and their families while sitting as Veteran's Affairs minister. He had the arrogance to ignore, turn his back and walk away from the wife of a veterans who simply wanted to be acknowledged. Just a peach of a man. He was fired from cabinet and voted out at election, but we sent him off with a juicy, taxpayer funded pension.

While you might be thinking “why would anyone support this person's business, given his history of arresting cannabis users and being generally nasty?”,

That ain't the half of it. Mr. Fantino has been a very vocal opponent of cannabis and during an interview in 2004, famously compared legalizing 'marihuana' to legalizing murder.

One can't help but be fascinated by the abrupt and total transformation from staunch, vocal cannabis opponent while a police officer and Conservative cabinet minister, to a kind, caring individual that wants to help Canadians with their medical marijuana treatment a mere two years after leaving office. Is he confused? Or is his deep-seated dislike of cannabis and cannabis users not as powerful as the lure of easy money.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trust this guy to pump my septic tank, so I sure wouldn't take his advice on my health care.

Julian Fantino : Weedsel

A weedsel is a spineless anti-cannabis creature with the ability to turn completely inside out at the mere mention of money.



Disclaimer: This work is an expression of my personal thoughts and readers are encouraged to do their own research and form their own opinions.

Larry Campbell
(A weedsel is a spineless anti-cannabis creature with the ability

to turn completely inside out at the mere mention of money.)



Each week we will feature a person currently profiting from legal cannabis who at one time was involved in it's prohibition. We'll look at who they are, where they came from and how and why they made the decision to change teams. From jailers to dealers. From prohibitionists to profiteers.



Senator Larry Campbell is this weeks' Weedsel

Mr Campbell is a former RCMP officer ( what is it with cops and cannabis? They had no problem putting people in prison for growing and selling, but it seems they have no issues with doing exactly the same thing.) as well as a former mayor of Vancouver. During his 12 years with the RCMP, he was in charge of the drug squad in Vancouver. To his credit, he has long been in favour of legalization, but he was content to make a living out of upholding prohibition. He claims to have never laid a charge for marijuana in his career. As the head of a drug squad, he had plenty of officers on the street doing that, it does not make him any less culpable in enforcing bad law. He now sits as a (Liberal ) independent Senator.

Senator Campbell is one of the older members of the Weedsel family, having been discovered as early as 2014. He was hired to the advisory board of Vodis Innovative Pharmaceuticals Inc. who were engaged in negotiations with Ottawa to obtain a license to produce and sell medical cannabis under the brand new MMPR. Vodis leveraged their options and chances should there not be a change in government in 2015 by also hiring a CONSERVATIVE MP for the same position. They needed some inside influence – so they paid for preferential treatment from Ottawa.

Mr Campbell faced almost immediate backlash and was accused of conflict of interest.



The fact that the company hand-picked one of B.C.’s best-known and most influential Conservatives, as well as Liberal appointee in Campbell, suggests the company is trying to cover its bases in case there’s a change of government in 2015, they said.

“This would appear to be the purchasing of access,” said Richard Leblanc, associate professor of law, governance and ethics at York University in Toronto. “It’s an enormous conflict of interest.”




Said Mr. Campbell back in 2014:

“If they think that, it’s perfectly their right to believe that. That’s fine. But I don’t have to agree,” he said. “If anyone has followed me over the years, they would certainly know how ridiculous that is. I’ve been advocating this position (to end marijuana prohibition) for well over 20 years. It’s common knowledge. And it’s common knowledge how I would vote.” Me thinks he will vote for the best interests of Vodis and his own financial gain.

But he said if he’s still with Vodis when and if legislation is introduced to decriminalize or legalize pot, he’d consider recusing himself. And we'll be watching.

here here