A Vancouver provincial court judge ruled Wednesday that applying the Harper government's mandatory minimum sentence law of one year in prison to a small-time drug dealer constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment" and declared it to be "of no force and effect" in B.C. Judge Joseph Galati made the ruling in sentencing long time offender Joseph Ryan Lloyd, 25, who was convicted on three counts of possession of small amounts of crack cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin for the purpose of trafficking. [continues 681 words]
The Political And Economic Depravity Of The War On Drugs Every war effort is sustained by propaganda. The war on drugs is no exception. The propaganda that motivates the war on drugs, especially in the U.S., rests on the idea that illegal drugs are unhealthy, and that therefore people must be prevented from using them. The influence of this conception of health in relation to drugs manifests in their prohibition, state attempts to deter people from violating the prohibition, and punishments given to those who violate the prohibition. Yet despite the idea's popularity, it has led to a disastrous war on drugs that targets the wrong enemy with faulty weapons. [continues 887 words]
Abbotsford is on track to repeal its controversial bylaw against harm reduction measures, after approving the third reading of an amendment removing the prohibition on services such as needle exchanges. The unanimous decision came following a public hearing on Monday, where views on the issue were mixed. Gen Rottluff, who lives in Abbotsford's downtown, was concerned about the effect a needle exchange could have on her neighbourhood, and where hazardous needle waste could end up. She advocated for other methods of helping drug users, not giving addicts the "tools of the trade." [continues 321 words]
Re: Lifelong addict, criminal needs more than another stay in prison, Column, Jan. 10 It is virtually impossible to find an addict of heroin, crack cocaine or crystal meth who is not a criminal. Addicts can easily have a $ 100- to $ 200- daily habit. To support this requires multiple daily thefts from stores, cars, homes and people, totalling about $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 every day. Added public costs include police and hospital services. The cost to have criminal addicts in prison is a lot less expensive than the cost of their freedom in the public domain. [continues 98 words]
Nearly every study including government studies, in North America, indicate D.A.R.E. (D.A.R.E. Program Needs Funds, Jan. 2, 2014) is not only a failure but increases drug usage. One example is because D.A.R.E. historically teaches lies, half-truths and propaganda about cannabis. How can the same people who label cannabis a Schedule I substance alongside heroin (while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II substances), teach children the truth? How many people become addicted to hard drugs because they thought they were no worse than cannabis? The money should be re-directed toward programs proven effective at helping youth resist drugs. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Columnists Laila Yuile and Brent Stafford battle over the issues of the day. The winner of the last duel on pipelines was Laila with 52%. This week's topic: Should civil liberties be suspended for violent and mentally ill chronic drug users? While Brent makes a couple of good points in his column this week, I'm sure glad he isn't in charge of public safety in our province. To make an assumption that the perpetrator behind the tragic death of Julie Paskall was an agitated, mentally ill hard drug user, and to use that assumption to bolster the debate, is tragic in itself. Yes, enough is enough, but let the investigation play out without putting something out there that we don't know is fact or fiction. [continues 350 words]
Columnists Laila Yuile and Brent Stafford battle over the issues of the day. The winner of the last duel on pipelines was Laila with 52%. This week's topic: Should civil liberties be suspended for violent and mentally ill chronic drug users? The horrific murder of Julie Paskall over the holidays has hit home for many. The randomness and barbarity of the unprovoked attack against the 53-year-old hockey mom - who was waiting for her son outside a Surrey hockey rink - has called into question the basic right to safety in public places. While we don't have all the details, it's possible the perpetrator is an agitated, mentally ill user of hard drugs. The rampant use of hard drugs - and the mental illness, violence and homelessness associated with it - have many, myself included, saying enough is enough. [continues 339 words]
Editor: John Weston's latest propaganda rag appearing in my mailbox (at our expense!) wants to know what I think, but the space allotted for comments is woefully inadequate - barely room for 30 words, much less 300. Hopefully he'll find out what I think by reading this newspaper. His latest flagship, National Prescription Drop-Off Day, insults the intelligence of Canadians by suggesting that so many adults are incapable of taking proper care of their drugs that their ineptitude requires government intervention. And a National Homeopathic Medicine Day might, perhaps, offer a more sensible solution to whatever problems actually exist in this regard. [continues 209 words]
The Province Estimates That Roughly 130,000 People in British Columbia Suffer From a Severe Addiction And/or Mental Health Illness. VANCOUVER - Imagine this: Every day, you can feel people looking at you warily. They want to hurt you. Even the police are out to get you. You try to rid your mind of all the ill-intentioned people, but you can't ignore the other thing that is gnawing at you. Those bugs on your arm won't leave you alone, no matter how often you gouge at them. [continues 740 words]
Imagine this: Every day, you can feel people looking at you warily. They want to hurt you. Even the police are out to get you. You try to rid your mind of all the ill intentioned people, but you can't ignore the other thing that is gnawing at you. Those bugs on your arm won't leave you alone, no matter how often you gouge at them. Such are the hallucinations and paranoia felt by those with a stimulant drug addiction. Sometimes the substance abuse is so severe it causes neurological damage and psychosis becomes a chronic condition. [continues 648 words]
Students fascinated by final RCMP Youth Squad presentation Some of them stared intently at the officer, while some were feverishly taking notes as he spoke. And the rest? They had worried looks on their faces as Chris Piper, an undercover officer from the Richmond Drug Target Team, revealed the reach illegal substances has across the city. It was an eye-opener for many in the 45-strong RCMP Youth Squad program - an eight-week program for invited Grade 10-12 students who've shown a special interest in the emergency services. [continues 513 words]
Re: Legalizing pot, endorsing stupidity, Aug. 7 Rosie DiManno's column made me wonder if she had over-indulged. Her statement, "I don't accept that dipping into any drug for an experimental adventure - not crack, not methamphetamines, not LSD - will automatically predispose an individual toward addiction and a life of ruin," is a bit reckless for a "family" newspaper. In middle age, is Rosie trying to prove how cool and open-minded she is compared to Justin Trudeau? Unlike Rosie, many people lack good judgment and will-power. They might have health problems (physical or mental) or personal difficulties that pre-dispose them to addiction. For many of us, it really is better not to give into temptation, because we might not be able to handle it. [continues 118 words]
I've travelled down the cannabis-consumption rocky road and learned about its effect on (my) health the extremely difficult way. However, I must admit that research findings regarding pot's effect on health that "reveal" a benign or, contrarily, insidious nature of cannabis consumption make me instinctually wonder: Who commissioned the research? As cynical as it may sound, I'm one who believes that knowing the interests of the entity who has commissioned the research quite often reveal much about the research 'findings' to come. The commissioner, through the news media, will typically propagate terms like "independently commissioned," but such doesn't necessarily translate into 100 per cent accuracy; questions asked and/or research methodology can be quite manipulative. Frank G. Sterle, Jr., White Rock, B.C. [end]
ESKASONI - An Eskasoni man spent four days raking through sand on Castle Bay Beach searching for used hypodermic needles to ensure the safety of children using the beach. Daniel Morris said he was on Facebook one day when he saw a post by another community member indicating two people had discarded their needles at the beach. In recent months, there had been three incidents where children in the community were accidentally stuck by discarded sharps. "When I saw that, I thought, 'People are going to be headed there real soon,'" he said. [continues 436 words]
KITCHENER - They tried to help and only made matters worse. That much was clear Tuesday as a dying man and his wife took stock of the fallout since they got sucked into a world of drugs and guns. Robert and Nancy Wilson are parents. Their son, Ryan, is a drug addict. When he stole stuff from their Kitchener home to pay for his habit, they went to the pawnshop and bought it back. When he told them he owed money to dealers, they bailed him out and got payday loans to cover their rent. [continues 592 words]
The City of New Westminster and the New West police department have chosen to shut down New Westminster's medical cannabis dispensary, N.I.C.E. (New Innovations in Cannabis Education) which was operating on 12th Street for a few months. I urge the mayor, councillors and police to educate themselves on the medical benefits of cannabis and encourage a public forum to discuss this. Cannabis has many medical uses, including treatment for nausea for those going through chemotherapy for cancer treatment. I am only able to speak to the use of cannabis for chronic pain. It is very effective and has no risk for toxicity or overdose. The same cannot be said for the narcotic pharmaceutical prescriptions which are prescribed for chronic pain. Having access to medical cannabis gives a better quality of life to many. Medical cannabis dispensaries also offer alternative delivery methods such as edibles. People want an alternative to years of harmful pharmaceutical use. [continues 57 words]
I am one of the probably vast majority of people who do not resent smart meters. To me they represent another method of measuring our use of the luxury of electricity. I trust the integrity of B.C. Hydro. People who have grow-ops are breaking the law of the land. To me the law breakers are not being loyal to their country. The vast majority of people - innocent people, those who abide by the law - must pay large taxes to cover the costs of police, lawyers, judges and prison costs. It is much easier to be good than to be bad. Ralph Forshaw Nanaimo [end]
