Russell Bennett, B.Sc., LL.B., became a lawyer in 1997, prior to establishing a career in film, theatre and documentary production.
In 1998, Bennett produced and directed the documentary STONED: Hemp Nation on Trial, which followed the test case and trial of Christopher Clay, owner of Hemp Nation, Canada’s first Hemp Store. STONED premiered on CBC and was nominated for Best Political Documentary at Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival.
In 2004, after practising bankruptcy law for a couple of years, Bennett created the award-winning multi-character solo play, The Reefer Man, about a bankruptcy lawyer who was also a secret award-winning underground cannabis grower. Bennett toured the underdog superhero play to Fringe Festivals and professional theatres across Canada, winning awards and selling out houses. In addition to Stoned, the play was Bennett's effort to shine the light of hypocrisy on Canada's cannabis prohibition.
When he became a dad, Bennett went back to practising law in 2013, first in insolvency law and then in fraud recovery law.
On 420/2018, Bennett founded Cannabis Law, Barristers & Solicitors, to give entrepreneurs and small businesses the tools to grow and to protect themselves in the cannabis industry. Bennett tackles many different cannabis issues, including litigation, regulatory matters, licence applications, employer/employee, intellectual property, landlord/tenant, land use planning, asset protection and partner/shareholder issues. Cannabis Law also challenges questionable cannabis laws under Canada’s Constitution.
Bennett wrote the book Canada’s Cannabis Act: Annotation & Commentary so he could help people understand how Canada’s version of legalization works and doesn’t work.
Bennett also blogs, and is the host of the podcast Cannabis Law in Canada found here at cannabislaw.ca, and on Apple Podcasts.
Contact info:
(416) 835-6105