ABOUT THE MOVEMENT

Hi! My name is Jesse.

I’m shining a light on a ban that denies Manitobans the right to grow cannabis for personal use. The Federal Government legalized recreational cannabis on October 17, 2018, including the right to grow up to 4 recreational cannabis plants in your own home. Manitoba and Quebec decided to not follow in the rest of Canada’s footsteps and prohibited their residents from growing personal recreational cannabis plants.

Manitoba took it one step further with a $2,542 fine for those caught growing. On September 3, 2019, Quebec Superior Court Justice Manon Lavoie ruled Quebec’s ban of home-grown cannabis for personal use was unconstitutional. This left Manitoba as the only Province unchallenged on this front, until now. After months of research and diligence, I aligned myself

with one of Manitoba’s top law firms. We’ve spent a lot of time building this strong case and we are ready for the long game. I have just filed a Constitutional Challenge against the Manitoba Government’s ban on home-grown recreational cannabis this week. This ban has restricted my ability, and that of all Manitobans, to potentially save money by growing, responsibly storing, and consuming personal home-grown cannabis.

One cannabis plant takes approximately 3-4 months to grow and can yield upwards of 100 grams. It is Federally legal to grow up to four plants. That means Manitobans could be harvesting over 400 grams every 3-4 months when grown properly and responsibly. As stated on the Government of Manitoba’s website, “There is no limit in a federal or provincial Act as to the amount of dried (or equivalent in non-dried) non-medical cannabis that can be in a person’s possession within the home. However, growing non-medical cannabis at home is prohibited in Manitoba.”

This means that you can legally store an unlimited amount of legally sourced cannabis in your home. Currently, the only legal source of cannabis in Manitoba is in retail stores where you can pay upwards of $10.00 per gram after taxes. If this challenge is successful, it will give Manitobans the option to attempt to reduce their cannabis consumption costs. Manitobans could utilize the warm months to grow outside and/or grow all year round inside. They could then store all of their harvested cannabis responsibly and pull from this stash for their personal use. Cannabis will remain fresh and usable for 6-12 months if stored properly.

I am prepared to take this case to the Supreme Court if needed, but I need your help. Please Support me through my GoFundMe page. All proceeds will go towards legal fees required for the constitutional challenge. Any excess funds will be donated equally to the following Manitoba Charities:

Thank you so much for your support! Let’s grow Manitoba!!

[email protected]

WHO IS JESSE?

My name is Jesse Lavoie, I am a 28-year-old Manitoban and I work in the Cannabis industry.

I grew up in St. Andrews, Manitoba, while attending St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to become a Police Officer. Following high school graduation, I studied criminal justice at the University of Manitoba and joined the Canadian Army Reserves as an Armoured Reconnaissance Officer. I was eager to gain more police-related work experience, so I applied to become a Correctional Officer within the Manitoba Government. I was accepted by the Winnipeg Remand Center and received training in multiple specialized departments.

On my last shift as a Correctional Officer, I was involved in a life-altering violent incident, which left my mind and body temporarily injured. While recovering and going through the normal investigative procedure, I decided that I needed a new direction in life. I found the cannabis industry quite fascinating and started researching publicly traded cannabis companies. One of the companies I came across was Namaste Technologies. They were an eCommerce company selling vaporizers, water pipes, and cannabis accessories in 26 countries at the time. I had a few ideas for their company and decided to cold-call its founders in 2017.

Kory Zelickson and Sean Dollinger founded Namaste Technologies, and I pitched them multiple ideas. I became very close with both of them and was eventually signed on as a consultant for Namaste Technologies, running their global wholesale department for vaporizers and accessories.

After demonstrating my dedication to the company and desire to take on new tasks, I was hired on as a full-time employee and was promoted to International Business Development Manager.

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I assisted with cannabis supply agreements, capital raising, marketing, international expansion, investor relations. I also took on the role of NamasteMD Operations Manager, when we launched our virtual clinic/app. This additional role had me overseeing and directing a large number of Nurse Practitioners and Patient Coordinators across Canada. We utilized a telemedicine app to virtually prescribe patients medical cannabis and then assisted them with the ordering process. I truly enjoyed my time at Namaste Technologies!

In April 2019 I departed Namaste Technologies after being offered a job at another cannabis company. I knew this new job would lead to further growth for myself in the cannabis industry. I love my current job and I’m very grateful for the responsibility I have been given within the company.

My current employer is not involved in this Constitutional Challenge in any way.

This Constitutional Challenge is completely personal, as I (and all Manitobans) have been denied the Federally Legal right to grow cannabis at home for personal use. Growing at home would drastically lower spending on personal cannabis consumption and would introduce a rewarding hobby into many Manitoban’s lives. I am ready for the long game.

Let’s Grow Manitoba!