(Re: Pot laws creating concerns, April 19 edition) This excellent report by Jason Miller points out the growing concerns from municipal administrators as they try to come to grips with marijuana legalization on July 1, 2018. Councillor Mike Graham is correct that this is purely a political move by the Trudeau Liberals to fulfil an election promise and to rake in the billions expected from sales. Parents should also be concerned with studies from the U.K., USA and our own Canadian Medical Association all showing young people using this drug run greatly enhanced risk of suffering psychosis and other mental issues later in life. Yet, in his infinite wisdom, Trudeau is ignoring the CMA's recommendation that nobody under 21 be allowed to make a purchase setting the age at 18. There are more than 85 cannabinoids contained in marijuana with very little known about their long-term effects on the human body. [continues 215 words]
Marijuana will soon be legal in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among other things, it will no longer be against the law to grow up to four plants at a time in your house. Anyone with a green thumb could produce about six pounds a year. In today's market that's a value of almost $50,000! This unregulated marijuana will flood our streets. This alone negates any argument that "The marijuana we are buying from government dispensers is tightly regulated," because who is going to pay $30 to $40 a gram from our government dealers when they can buy unregulated marijuana from the thousands of want to be entrepreneurs who will sell it for less? [continues 578 words]
Re: Marijuana related ER visits among kids quadruple at Colorado hospital. With pot legalization to take place on July 1, 2018, this is a scary report for parents. There really is no surprise to anyone following reports from the U.K., U.S. Surgeon General and the Canadian Medical Association all stating unequivocally that the youngest smoking pot run a greatly enhanced risk of suffering psychosis and other mental issues. Yet Trudeau is ignoring these studies, setting 18 as the age to purchase pot. Legalization is all about his pleasing a certain voting block and of course raking in billions in sales. This is the most dangerous move by any Canadian government. Early on Colorado had warned Trudeau that legalization is the easy part, everything thereafter, including the entrance of organized crime, much more difficult. Larry Comeau (Parents have a role to play in this. Where government fails, parents are responsible for their children's safety.) [end]
A Western professor says it's easier to do heroin research than his marijuana work Steven Laviolette is trying to score some pot, but not just any marijuana will do. The Western University neuroscientist is sourcing pure tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis that gives users the euphoric high feeling. Unlike a gram of marijuana that can be bought for $10 on the street or at an illegal dispensary, the same amount of pure THC costs more than $2,000 and is nearly impossible to find in Canada, said Laviolette, who researches marijuana's effect on the brain. [continues 475 words]
As Canada joins Uruguay as the only two countries to legalize marijuana, our country is about to see wholesale changes, the most obvious being the degradation of our cities. Anyone who has visited Amsterdam or Seattle can attest to this fact. Colorado and Washington states found with legalization came 'black market sales' by organized crime, thus allowing young people to buy it. Legalization takes away the negative stigma and both states found more use by young people. Yet, the Trudeau government is falsely claiming legalization of this drug is the best way to keep organized crime out of the black market and its sales to our kids. Funny enough, organized crime has likely been supplying some medical marijuana on the black market in Canada. [continues 185 words]
The era of legal weed will require broad investments in public health, according to the Saskatchewan Medical Association. Legislation alone is inadequate, president Dr. Intheran Pillay said. "I think expanding the access to support services such as mental health and substance use services would be important. I think it would be important to expand access to training programs in addiction medicine and I think it's important to make extensive educational resources on the risks of harm to youth and others available, as well." [continues 213 words]
The Record speaks to a wide range of people who shun normal painkillers KITCHENER - William Campbell and his wife were on their way to a friend's 25th wedding anniversary one night in 2008 when a drunk driver pulled out in front of them. They didn't have time to stop. Campbell, 53, was hospitalized after the head-on collision, and everything in his life would change. Earlier that day, he'd aced an exam to become a lab technician, after getting laid off from a furniture factory where he'd worked for 22 years. [continues 2148 words]
This time next year will be the last 4/20 - the unofficial cannabis holiday known by its numeric calendar date - when possessing weed for personal use will be a crime. Legalization is coming to Canada in the summer of 2018. So far, reactions to legalized cannabis have ranged from healthy concern to outright fearmongering. Some people have claimed it will lead the youth astray, make our roads less safe and harm our overall health. Legalizing cannabis is not without risk. But legalization can also address how risky our current approach, the so-called War On Drugs, has been. [continues 461 words]
OTTAWA - Legalizing marijuana shows a "disregard" for public health and safety, Canada's Catholic bishops charge. The bishops' statement came one day before the Liberal government announced the introduction April 13 in the House of Commons of the Cannabis Act, which will eventually "legalize, regulate and restrict access" to marijuana. "From the standpoint of public health, not only does this course of action appear to be unwise, it is potentially dangerous," said the statement signed by the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton. "The very significant health risks associated with the use of cannabis are widely recognized, particularly in young people." [continues 596 words]
Limit potency and amount for ages 21-25 Maple Ridge psychiatrist Dr. Biju Mathew is joining others in his profession in calling for the federal government to make legal age for smoking marijuana 21. "Marijuana shouldn't be used on kids below 25," Mathew said. The Cannabis Act, introduced by the federal government last week, calls for the minimum age forusing recreational marijuana to be 18, although provinces have the option to raise that. "They have [proposed to] legalized pot, and they've also come up with stricter regulations, but they have lowered the age to 18, which is very disturbing," Mathew, president of the B.C. Psychiatric Association, said of the federal government. [continues 622 words]
When young Justin Trudeau announced during has election campaign that a Liberal government would legalize the personal possession of marijuana for recreational purposes, the overall political impact could best be described as a collective response somewhere between indifference to "it's about time." For most, the issue of marijuana legalization was pretty low on totem pole of concerns, given more pressing issues. At most, the proposal helped solidify young Justin's reputation as a hip, modern alternative to the depressing crankiness of his predecessor. [continues 978 words]
Anyone who has visited Amsterdam or Seattle has a good idea of what marijuana legalization will do the degradation of inner city, with stoned young people all over the place. Sadly, Trudeau's theory that legalization of marijuana is the best way to keep it away from young people, by keeping organized crime out of black-market sales, is right out of fantasyland. Everywhere it has been legalized organized criminal groups have quickly gotten involved to take part in huge profits and little risk of serious jail time. In Ontario, OC already have networks in place to distribute cigarettes and other commodities, meaning selling pot will be an easy transition. Recent arrests of Hell Angels involved in blackmarket sales of medical marihuana show how out of touch Trudeau's views are with reality. [continues 155 words]
As Justin Trudeau's Liberal government tables its long-awaited marijuana legislation, Canada's doctors have a message about pot: Just because it will eventually be legal doesn't mean it's safe. The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychiatric Association, the Canadian Paediatric Society and other organizations representing front-line health-care providers have been busy broadcasting their concerns about the ill effects of cannabis, especially for chronic smokers under the age of 25. "We're saying: 'Please keep the public-health focus front of mind as this legislation is unrolled,' " said Gail Beck, the clinical director of youth psychiatry at the Royal, a psychiatric hospital in Ottawa. "Lots of people think this is harmless." [continues 672 words]
Logistics are complicated, but province fears the social costs The province will table its own legislation in response to Ottawa's plans to legalize recreational marijuana and is forming a common front with Ontario to draft an action plan to deal with the expected sweeping negative social consequences. Emerging from a meeting of cabinet where the federal government's plan was analyzed at length, Public Health and Youth Protection Minister Lucie Charlebois said Quebec is moving rapidly to respond to deepening concerns - inside government and out - about the increased availability of pot. [continues 1031 words]
Tomorrow, the Liberal Government of Justin Trudeau is expected to fulfill one of its most well-publicised campaign promises and present its much anticipated legislation to legalize the possession and use of cannabis for recreational purposes. Why they couldn't wait another week until April 20 (420) is a question worth pondering, but then again, that might have required a sense of humour. The history of drug prohibition in Canada goes back to the early 20th Century when authorities became concerned about the use of certain substances among Asian immigrant communities. Marijuana was added to the ever-increasing list of banned substances in the 1920s and once again, race was an integral component. Drug use became associated with decadence, jazz, racial mixing, and sexual license - all things designed to send shivers through middle-class society and its concept of propriety. [continues 951 words]
The government messaging regarding the legalization of recreational cannabis requires a delicate touch. A celebratory approach will give the impression of promoting use The federal government has committed to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and is expected to table legislation this week, before Parliament rises for its spring break. Are we ready for this? Does the government have a clear and consistent message for young people and their families? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been clear on his rationale for legalization: to minimize underage access to marijuana and to reduce criminal activity surrounding illegal marijuana trade. "Our focus is on protecting kids and protecting our streets," Trudeau said at The Economist magazine's Canada Summit in Toronto last June. [continues 507 words]
As Ottawa readies legislation, researchers say there are gaps in understanding its effect on brain After punching a string of numbers into a bolted-down, fireproof, alarm-protected safe - the location of which can't be divulged for security reasons - Steven Laviolette pulls out a tiny vial. Inside that vial is an even tinier dab of dark tar. The tar is purified THC, the mind-altering compound in marijuana. The street price for a gram of weed is about $10. A gram of this stuff costs about $2,000, not counting the cost of the researcher's time acquiring it. Laviolette, a professor in the departments of anatomy and cell biology and psychiatry at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, studies the effects of marijuana on the brain. His lab is investigating the troubling brain changes associated with THC, and also - a rapidly growing avenue of research - the very different and perhaps protective brain changes associated with cannabidiol, or CBD, another compound found in the plant. [continues 2308 words]
Medical marijuana shops in the Sea to Sky are gearing up for a future of legalized weed. When you walk into Grass Roots Medicinal in Squamish you only get access to the waiting room. There, a small counter offers bongs and other glassware for sale. All the good stuff - the grass the store gets its name from - is locked up behind a second door, out of reach. To get there, you have to sign up to become a member, which means providing some proof of an ailment that cannabis might help you with. [continues 3513 words]
A large number of Canadians let out a cough of relief this week as the Trudeau government announced that it will finally reveal its intentions with regard to legalization of the recreational use of marijuana within the next few weeks that will come into effect on July 1, 2018 (Cannabis Day?). Although final details of the plan have yet to be released, informed sources are saying that the Bill will reflect the recommendations of a Parliamentary committee headed by former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and will allow (force?) provincial governments to set up the kind of regimes they want in order to comply with the law. [continues 929 words]
New law will require strategy to deal with use of pot and its effects on student life, learning There is reason to be concerned about legalizing marijuana when it comes to youth, a McMaster University health forum heard. Psychologist and cannabis-use researcher Franco Vaccarino told Tuesday's Cannabis on Campus forum that young people need special attention because their brains don't fully develop until age of 25. Vaccarino, a principal editor of "The Effects of Cannabis Use during Adolescence" report in 2015, said brains undergo dramatic changes during adolescence and youth are vulnerable to drug use. [continues 401 words]
