Happy hempin’: In the April 6, 1998 issue of Nexus, we reported on the decriminalization of industrialized hemp production. Hemp production for commercial purposes was prohibited in Canada in 1938 under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act, but environmentalists and farmers were pressuring the federal government to lift the act because hemp production was more efficient and more environmentally friendly than cotton or flax—hemp was able to produce more product on the same amount of land. The federal government finally conceded and in march 1998, farmers could apply to grow hemp. 25 years later it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump to your nearest weed retailer.
Laptop leasin’: In 1998, Camosun had a different approach to course prerequisites: Nexus writer Jenni Agnew reported that students were shying away from certain Business classes because owning a laptop was a requirement. Dean of information technology resources Andrew Macauley was conducting student assessments to better understand their financial needs. The college didn’t have the money to start a laptop leasing program; now you can rent a laptop for the entire semester on a first-come-first-serve basis from the campus libraries.
Politics sleazin’: Nexus writer Ryan Guenther expressed his opinion in this issue regarding the politics taking place at the Camosun College Student Society elections. He lamented that only a small handful of students running for the board would actually be interested in representing student voices. Most, he assumed, were “self-serving egotists and weaklings seeking validation” (try saying that 10 times fast). Guenther then announced his candidacy a month before he moved off the island. His platform? Saving the environment by not printing off thousands of election posters. I know he was kidding, but it’s actually kind of a strong platform.