Off the Hill: Big Biz Marijuana – who wins, who loses?

From rabble’s November 2022 ‘Off the Hill: Big Biz Marijuana – who wins, who loses?’ panel. Join guests Jodie Giesz-Ramsay, Chuka Ejeckam and MP Don Davies. With co-hosts Robin Browne and Libby Davies.

The struggle to end the so-called “war on drugs” in Canada has been epic and arduous over many decades.When marijuana was legalized in 2018, it drastically reduced the number of cannabis-related drug convictions, while also creating a multibillion-dollar industry. But what does the cannabis industry look like today? Who wins and who loses? And what’s next? Our dynamic panel will give us an inside look into what’s really going on with Canada’s drug reform policy on marijuana and much more.

Off the Hill is a fast-paced live panel on current issues of national significance. It features guests and a discussion you won’t find anywhere else, centred on the impact politics and policy have on people, and on ways to mobilize to bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off the hill.

Meet our guests

Robin Browne is Off the Hill’s co-host. Robin is a communications professional and the co-lead of the 613-819 Black Hub, living in Ottawa. His blog is The “True” North.

Libby Daviesis Off the Hill’s co-host and author of Outside In: a Political Memoir. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader.

Don Davies is the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway. He was first elected in 2008, and has been re-elected four times since. Davies is the NDP Critic for Health and Deputy Critic for Foreign Affairs and International Development. Don has introduced more legislation in the House of Commons than any MP in the country. These include detailed plans for a national school nutrition program, a pan-Canadian perinatal mental health strategy, and free post-secondary tuition for students with special needs.

Chuka Ejeckam is a writer and policy researcher. His work focuses on inequity and inequality, drug policy, structural racism, and labour.

Jodie Giesz-Ramsay (formerly Emery) is a high-profile longterm advocate for cannabis and civil liberties. Since 2004 she has engaged in many forms of activism including election campaigns, presentations to government bodies, and frequent appearances in the media and at events. Jodie owns and operates Cannabis Culture Magazine, Pot TV, Cannabis Culture stores and lounges, and a hemp-themed coffeeshop model called Jodie’s Joint. She has been arrested and convicted for her peaceful civil disobedience, and remains passionate about human rights and drug policy reform.