The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club’s years-long fight for survival, featuring Ted Smith

The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club’s years-long fight for survival, featuring Ted Smith

May 14, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

Ted Smith discusses the ongoing challenges faced by the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club amidst government enforcement and the history of cannabis legalization in Canada.

In 1996, Ted Smith founded the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club, Canada’s oldest compassion club. He is also the author of Hempology 101: The History and Uses of Cannabis Sativa (2012), developed from a free, non-credit lecture series he taught at the University of Victoria. From 2009 to 2016, he published the Cannabis Digest newspaper nationwide. Between 2002 and 2003, the VCBC was raided four times and successfully beat every charge. In 2009, the club’s bakery was raided, leading to a unanimous Supreme Court of Canada decision that legalized cannabis extracts and edibles for patients. Despite cannabis legalization in 2018, the club has been raided four more times and continues to face ongoing enforcement. Vivian and Ted discuss the fight to keep the club alive amid sustained government pressure. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Hempresent podcast page.