Letter of Demand to Cannabis Culture

 

22 November 2025

Cannabis Culture
Legal / Editorial Department
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Defamatory Publications Concerning Wahid Azal – Demand for Immediate Removal, Retraction, and Preservation of Evidence

To Whom It May Concern,

I write again to place Cannabis Culture on formal notice of serious, aggravated defamation arising from your publication of the articles [by Chris Bennett]:

1.     16 November 2025 —
Questions about the 2014 Iranian Psychedelic Fatwa and Wahid Azal 

(URL not produced here)

2.     20 November 2025 —
The Strange Case of Wahid Azal: Bayan Messiah or Blaspheming Madman? 

(URL not produced here)

Both articles contain multiple false, harmful, and defamatory imputations identifying me and causing reputational harm upon access in Queensland, Australia, and internationally. These publications constitute actionable defamation under the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld), the common law of Canada, and established transnational jurisprudence concerning internet-based injury to reputation.

The articles impute mental illness, criminality, violent intent, religious extremism, fraud, danger to the public, improper conduct, and other grave allegations. None of these statements is true. None is supported by evidence. Their republication constitutes a reckless disregard for factual accuracy, satisfying the legal test for malice.

Further, the material draws upon historically discredited online sources, hostile sectarian propagandistic material, and anonymous forum commentary. These sources are neither reliable nor verifiable. Cannabis Culture elected to publish them as fact without seeking verification or response.

This conduct satisfies the criteria for aggravated damages in Australian and Canadian law by reason of:
(a) republication of inherently unreliable defamatory material;
(b) sensational framing;
(c) failure to verify;
(d) malicious tone and presentation;
(e) extensive international dissemination; and
(f) foreseeable harm including professional, scholarly, and personal injury.

DEMANDS
You are hereby required to:

1.     Remove both articles from all platforms, archives, and mirrors;

2.     Ensure immediate de-indexing from search engines;

3.     Issue a formal retraction and apology;

4.     Preserve all internal documents, drafts, communications, and editorial deliberations relating to these publications pursuant to a litigation hold;

5.     Provide written confirmation of compliance within 7 days.

Failure to comply will result in legal proceedings without further notice. I have also already notified Canadian law enforcement since these publications on your site explicitly violate Canadian criminal law. To wit,

Criminal Code Provisions Violated

Section 298 — Definition of Defamatory Libel

The articles expose me to “hatred, contempt or ridicule” and are “designed to insult.”

Section 299 — Publishing Defamatory Libel

The content was knowingly published to an audience.

Section 300 — Defamatory Libel Known to Be False

This is an indictable offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
The publications contain demonstrably false statements made with reckless disregard for truth.

Section 301 — Publication of Defamatory Libel

I will also be publicizing this specific version of the letter of demand to you.

All rights are reserved.

Wahid Azal
Queensland, Australia