Dana Larsen is a legend in Canada for his activist and non-profit work. He has started multiple non-profit organizations dedicated to the rights and access medical cannabis for patients, and has been a pioneer for cannabis activism since we were young. Dana served ten years with the world renown Cannabis Culture magazine as an editor and is the former vice president of the Canadian Association of Cannabis Dispensaries.

On top of being an author of several amazing books, he has also inspired many people to speak up about the injustices cannabis users have faced throughout the years and has demonstrated time and time again his dedication to the cause.

We’ve been aware of Dana for nearly a decade as he’s traveled across Canada, working with cannabis clubs, groups, organizations and businesses to lobby for rights. The one common theme. He doesn’t hide behind an online moniker, or alias, and that’s something that we think deserves attention. Dana has been on the front lines of cannabis activism putting his personal freedom at risk time and time again for access to quality cannabis at reasonable rates. He educates on safe access to cannabis and promotes responsible consumption, even when that means ethics don’t align with regulation.

Now that the Cannabis Act has settled in across Canada, we wanted to sit down with Dana to talk about some of the issues at hand, and what we can do to change them.

Welcome to a sit down with cannabis activist, entrepreneur and connoisseur Dana Larsen.

Dana, we want to start by saying we are huge fans and we’ve followed you for nearly a decade. You’ve done a massive amount for the legal cannabis movement in the past.

Do you feel the system we have in place now does all of the work that you and other activists have put in justice, or is our version of legalization what we should be aiming for?

Thanks for giving me this opportunity.

The legalization we’ve got so far in Canada is a real mixed bag. The good part is that there will be around 60,000 fewer arrests each year for cannabis possession. That makes a real difference in people’s lives. In terms of numbers, the vast majority of cannabis enforcement was directed at personal possession, so this is significant.

There’s also good news in that Canadians can grow four plants per household. Yes, four plants are an arbitrarily low limit, and sadly two provinces have banned home growing, while others like BC have made it very difficult to grow at home. But this is still a big step forward and something we can be proud of.

The problems are mainly around cultivation and sale. The rules and penalties are such that it is very difficult to become a legal grower or producer, and the bureaucracy and taxes are such that it’s difficult to provide a quality product at a good price. There has been the appearance of favoritism and scaminess when it comes to how licenses have been given out, and who has been getting them. It seems like political insiders and retired police officers have been cutting to the front of the line.