Dana Larsen
Dana Albert Larsen (born 1971) is a Canadian author, businessman, philanthropist and activist for cannabis and drug policy reform. Larsen currently operates businesses and non-profit societies in Vancouver including The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary, The Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary, The Coca Leaf Cafe, Pothead Books, and the Get Your Drugs Tested centre. Businesses and non-profits In 2006, Larsen co-founded the Vancouver Seed Bank, a business which sold 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. In November 2008, Larsen announced the opening of The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary, located almost next door to the Vancouver Seed Bank, on East Hastings Street in Vancouver. The cannabis dispensary is operated by a non-profit society of which Larsen is a Director. In July 2010, the cannabis dispensary opened a second location, in Vancouver's West End. In June 2019, Larsen closed the Hastings location of the dispensary due to a court order after a long legal battle with the city. In October 2019, the West End dispensary location was raided by the BC "Community Safety Unit" who confiscated all the cannabis in the shop. The dispensary location re-opened