--- title: "WATCH: Should Cannabis Compassion Clubs Exist in Canada?" description: In The State of Craft ep. 44, some Canadian cannabis legends discuss the role of compassion clubs and other medical models in today's legal industry. image: https://certicraft.com/hubfs/Screenshot%20from%202025-05-08%2016-28-39.png --- # WATCH: Should Cannabis Compassion Clubs Exist in Canada? Published
 May 08 2025 Author
 Sami Majadla ![WATCH: Should Cannabis Compassion Clubs Exist in Canada?](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%20from%202025-05-08%2016-28-39.png?height=477&name=Screenshot%20from%202025-05-08%2016-28-39.png) ##### Speak with us today! [Get in touch](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) Share - - - Should compassion clubs exist in Canadian cannabis? If so, how should they be regulated? Should pharmacies carry cannabis? What kind of barriers are there for medical cannabis patients in Canada today? What about marginalized communities? These are some of the questions explored in episode 44 of [The State of Craft](https://certicraft.com/learn/tag/state-of-craft-podcast), which was loosely based on the "Medical Cannabis Patients Have Been Forgotten" chapter of our white paper, *[The Dire State of Craft Cannabis in Canada](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/the-dire-state-of-craft-cannabis-in-canada-white-paper)*. This discussion featured some true legends of Canadian cannabis. Two of our guests have shaped cannabis history for decades; without the work of **[Hilary Black](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-black-exec/) **of the BC Compassion Club Society and **[Ted Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-smith-3b6b1a87/) **of the [Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club](https://www.victoriacannabisbuyers.club/), cannabis would arguably still be illegal today. Our conversation is rounded out with pharmacist **[Trevor Shewfelt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-shewfelt-ab9a501a/) **(of [Reefer MEDness podcast](https://reefermed.ca/) fame)—a critical perspective for any conversation considering how to license compassion clubs. The conversation today was enlightening and, at times, deeply personal. Here are some of the topics discussed: - Cannabis stigma is the root cause of the challenges that medical patients are facing today - How easy it is for pharmacists to prescribe powerful drugs like fentanyl to patients, compared to how impossible it is to prescribe cannabis. - Compassion clubs and pharmacies providing medical cannabis in two different models side-by-side. - Compassion clubs collaborating with pharmacists for patients who need more support. - Large scale studies in marginalized communities (over 10,000 participants) that show that cannabis use reduces the chance of legal overdoses by 50% - An update on the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club's legal battles with the province of BC - So much more! ### Ready to discover how much time, money, and stress CertiCraft can save you and your team? [ Book a Demo ](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) ## Related articles Here are some other posts with the State of Craft Podcast tag. ![Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png?width=470&height=260&name=government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png) ###### Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers Why are cannabis taxes in Canada so burdensome for businesses? Here's how cannabis excise tax and other fees are drowning the industry. It’s time to rethink cannabis tax. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/canadas-cannabis-taxation-crisis-how-over-taxation-is-hurting-cannabis-businesses) ![WATCH: Cannabis Stigma in Canadian Healthcare](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%20from%202025-04-28%2022-48-14-1.png?width=470&height=260&name=Screenshot%20from%202025-04-28%2022-48-14-1.png) ###### WATCH: Cannabis Stigma in Canadian Healthcare Watch The State of Craft's ep. 43 discussing the role that cannabis stigma plays in Canadian healthcare. The discussion was truly eye-opening! [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/state-of-craft-podcast/watch-episode-43-cannabis-stigma-in-canadian-healthcare) ![Register: Compassion Clubs with Hilary Black, Ted Smith, & Trevor Shewfelt](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SoC%20LiveStorm(3)-1.png?width=470&height=260&name=SoC%20LiveStorm(3)-1.png) ###### Register: Compassion Clubs with Hilary Black, Ted Smith, & Trevor Shewfelt Register to join The State of Craft ep. 44, where some legends of cannabis discuss whether or not compassion clubs have a role in today's legal industry. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/state-of-craft-podcast/register-compassion-clubs-hilary-black-ted-smith-reefer-medness) [ View all posts ](https://certicraft.com/learn) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sami Majadla", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/author/sami-majadla" }, "dateModified" : "2025-05-08T23:32:15.735Z", "datePublished" : "2025-05-08T23:32:15.000Z", "headline" : "WATCH: Should Cannabis Compassion Clubs Exist in Canada?", "image" : [ "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/Screenshot%20from%202025-05-08%2016-28-39.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/state-of-craft-podcast/should-cannabis-compassion-clubs-exist-hilary-black-ted-smith-reefer-medness", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/CertiCraft_Logo_Main.png" }, "name" : "CertiCraft" } } ```