Dana Larsen

Dana Larsen

2011 publicity photo
Born (1971-04-14) April 14, 1971
Political party Marijuana Party of Canada (2000–2003)
British Columbia Marijuana Party (2000–2003)
New Democratic Party (2003–present)

Dana Albert Larsen (born April 14, 1971) is a Canadian author, politician and cannabis legalization activist.

Larsen was the editor of Cannabis Culture magazine from its creation in 1994 until 2005, producing 54 issues with publisher Marc Emery, who now also serves as editor.[1]

Larsen was a founding member of both the Marijuana Party of Canada and the BC Marijuana Party.[2] In the 2000 Canadian federal election, Larsen ran as the Marijuana Party candidate for the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast,[3] receiving 3% of the vote.[4] In the 2001 British Columbia provincial election, Larsen ran as a BC Marijuana Party candidate in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding, receiving 3.5% of the vote.[5]

After the 2001 election, Larsen became the Leader of the BC Marijuana Party.[6] In 2003, Larsen resigned from both Marijuana parties and joined the New Democratic Party.[7][8]

In 2005, Larsen founded a group called "End Prohibition, NDP Against the Drug War."[6][9] Larsen has since claimed that End Prohibition has been instrumental in passing drug-policy resolutions through the provincial NDP in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.[10][11][12]

In 2006, Larsen co-founded the Vancouver Seed Bank,[13][14] a business which sells many seed varieties from their storefront and also across Canada by mail-order, including those for banned and controversial psychoactive plants such as marijuana, poppies, peyote and coca.[15]

In 2007, Larsen released a book called Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone, a pot-laden Harry Potter parody published and distributed across North America by Cannabis Culture Magazine.[16] [17] He is also the author of the Pot Puzzle Fun Book, released in 2000,[18] the editor of Grow Like a Pro, a marijuana growing guide released in 2004,[19] and the creator of The Tokers Bowl Board Game.[20]

In 2008, he was the federal New Democratic Party candidate for the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for the 2008 election, however, he resigned on September 17, after videos he had filmed for Pot-TV in 1999 were released to the media, which showed him taking LSD and smoking marijuana.[21][22]

In November 2008, Larsen announced the opening of the Vancouver Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary, located almost next door to the Vancouver Seed Bank. The cannabis dispensary is operated by a non-profit society of which Larsen is a Director.[23][24] In July 2010, the cannabis dispensary opened a second location, located in Vancouver's West End.[25]

Larsen also serves as a Director of The Always Growing Green Society, which in May 2010 opened the TAGGS medicinal cannabis dispensary in Maple Ridge, BC.[26][27][28]

On December 29, 2010, Larsen announced his candidacy for the leadership of the British Columbia NDP.[29][30][31] He came in fourth with 2.7% of the vote.[32]

In September 2012, Larsen launched the Sensible BC campaign to decriminalize cannabis possession in BC through a referendum.[33][34] The campaign had 4000 volunteers gather 202,085 signatures in 90 days, from September 9 to December 9, 2013.[35] Although not enough to qualify for a referendum, it was the second-highest total ever gathered for a BC referendum effort.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "The Constant of Change". Cannabis Culture Magazine. April 13, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  2. ↑ "Pot Party Turns On To BC Election". The Coast Independent. Jan 20, 2001. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  3. ↑ "Marijuana Vote Lights Up". North Shore News. November 13, 2000. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  4. ↑ West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country
  5. ↑ Powell River-Sunshine Coast
  6. 1 2 "Pot activists gear up for BC election". Cannabis Culture Magazine. February 4, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Marijuana Party Leader Goes To NDP". The Chief. December 12, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  8. ↑ "Ex-Marijuana Party Leader To Run For NDP In Federal Election". Whistler Question. December 11, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  9. ↑ "End Prohibition, NDP Against the Drug War". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  10. ↑ "BC NDP passes legalization resolution". 2006-02-20. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  11. ↑ "Sask NDP backs legal marijuana". 2006-11-24. Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  12. ↑ "ON NDP passes decrim resolution". 2007-02-04. Archived from the original on 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  13. ↑ "Pot Activist Sells Seeds To Advance Cause" (– Scholar search). The Vancouver Sun. September 15, 2006. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  14. ↑ "New marijuana seed business sets up shop". CBC.ca. September 14, 2006. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  15. ↑ "Welcome to the Vancouver Seed Bank". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  16. ↑ "Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone in the media". Archived from the original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  17. ↑ "B.C. bud inspires hemp-tinged parody of Harry Potter series" (– Scholar search). The Vancouver Sun. September 21, 2007. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  18. ↑ "Pot Puzzle Book Gets Good Reviews". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  19. ↑ "Grow Like a Pro". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  20. ↑ "Tokers Bowl Board Game". Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  21. ↑ "Pot Activist Is NDP Candidate In Next Federal Election". Pique Newsmagazine. May 17, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  22. ↑ "B.C. New Democrat's candidacy up in smoke". CBC News. 2008-09-18.
  23. ↑ "About the Vancouver Dispensary Society". Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  24. ↑ "New Venture". 24 Hours Vancouver. November 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  25. ↑ http://www.theprovince.com/life/Medical+marijuana+dispensary+opens+Vancouver+West/3066062/story.html
  26. ↑ http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/mapleridgenews/news/98371229.html
  27. ↑ http://whyprohibition.ca/blogs/jacob-hunter/maple-ridge-dispensary-marks-7th-medical-marijuana-outlet-british-columbia
  28. ↑ http://www.taggsdispensary.ca/about.html
  29. ↑ http://www.vancouversun.com/news/activist+Dana+Larsen+announce+leadership+plans/4034351/story.html#ixzz19VoJdrHx.
  30. ↑ "Pot activist kicks off B.C. NDP leadership race", CBC News, December 29, 2010
  31. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB_oHSF1-CI
  32. ↑ British Columbia New Democratic Party leadership election, 2011#Dana Larsen
  33. ↑ CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/09/20/bc-pot-petition-larsen.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ↑ http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Marijuana+activist+Dana+Larsen+launches+petition/7274669/story.html
  35. ↑ "How did we do?"
  36. ↑ "Summary of Initiative Petitions"
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