Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jul 2014
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Keith Leslie
Page: A6

CRACKDOWN ON CRACKPIPES URGED

Safety League calls on Wynne to end sale of drug paraphernalia

The Ontario Safety League urged the Liberal government Thursday to
crack down on corner stores that sell crackpipes, bongs, grinders and
other drug paraphernalia by taking away their right to sell lottery
tickets.

"If the convenience stores are forced to choose between the lucrative
sale of lottery tickets and selling drug paraphernalia contrary to the
Criminal Code, I believe they'll chose lottery tickets," league
president Brian Patterson said.

However, Finance Minister Charles Sousa insisted the government was
powerless to order Ontario Lottery and Gaming to remove a store from
its approved list of retailers unless there has been a criminal
conviction, even though the province is the only shareholder in the
agency.

"We don't have a mechanism within the system with which to remove
lottery terminals unless they've broken the law," he said.

"That's the only way we can do this."

The 101-year-old safety organization recently sent teenage volunteers
into 16 convenience stores in southern Ontario, and each was able to
buy drug paraphernalia associated with illegal drug use or abuse of
prescription drugs.

"The results were astounding," Patterson said. "Each and every store
that sold bongs sold them to a 17-year-old, no questions asked."

The situation hasn't improved since the league made similar visits to
a larger number of retailers last summer, added Patterson, who said
only 15 per cent of corner stores sell the illegal drug-related
products, and it's never the big name chain stores.

Some have started selling small, digital weigh scales favoured by drug
dealers.

"I don't think they've got them for measuring postage," he
said.

Some bongs can sell for up to $70 - always for cash - and are a
high-profit item for stores because they often get the products on
consignment, Patterson said.

"Somebody who wants to have drug paraphernalia in the community is
offering them up for free and then they're splitting the (profits)
when they sell," he said.

The Partnership for a Drug Free Canada says items that help young
people get high said should not be sold alongside bread and milk at
corner stores.

"We strongly believe that selling drug paraphernalia in convenience
stores that are often close to schools, and where kids go to spend
some time and some money, should not happen," spokesman Mark Paris
said.

"We support this initiative and we hope that it will (go) beyond
Ontario and across Canada."

The Ontario Convenience Store Association said it supports the Safety
League's goal of getting the drug-related items out of corner stores,
but believes enforcing the existing federal law is the way to go, not
introducing new provincial legislation. "Canadian law already
prohibits the sale of these products," said association CEO Dave Bryans.

The New Democrats said the government should consider the idea of
taking lottery terminals out of stores that sell drug paraphernalia,
and dismissed Sousa's claims that he couldn't take action without a
criminal conviction.

"Simply saying there's nothing to be done is not proactive enough, and
I would urge the government to look at these suggestions in a serious
way," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt