Music festival Secret Garden Party allowed people carrying illegal narcotics to test the quality and strength of the drugs over the weekend. The pioneering scheme had the support of local police, and was run by the drugs charity The Loop. Thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, the project appears to have been a success. Festival-goers were able to have their stash tested without handing over the rest. It was reported that over 200 people had their drugs tested. Finding over 80 suspect substances, over a quarter was disposed of after testing. The Transform Drugs Policy Foundation, who assisted in the scheme, claimed that it was an attempt to "undo the damage the War on Drugs had done." [continues 302 words]
Health officials say 104 people from the Pemberton Music Festival were treated at a medical clinic or hospital, including at least two who overdosed. Those numbers, however, are significantly different from the tally provided by Rockdoc, the contracted medical team at last weekend's festival, which said Wednesday that eight people were taken to hospital. "We are pleased to report again this year, the vast majority of festival participants were safely cared for on the event site, assuring that the regional emergency services were preserved to support the local communities," Kaitlyn Burke, general manager of Rockdoc Consulting, said. [continues 288 words]
In states that have legalized the sale of medical and recreational cannabis, the industry is flourishing. State and local laws have done great work in creating policies and laws that give such businesses a sense of stability that allow them to make business decisions with some confidence. But federal laws still regard cannabis as a Schedule 1 narcotic and have not only closed access to reliable banking, the U.S. Postal Service, and fair tax laws, but there is also the constant threat of law enforcement raids, lengthy and expensive court battles, and prison sentences. [continues 731 words]
Dear Editor: Forty-three fentanyl overdoses were recorded in a 48-hour period in the city of Surrey. This is not acceptable. Drug dealers who deal in fentanyl should be treated a lot more harshly than dealers who don't. I know someone personally on the Coast who lost a son who thought he was taking ecstasy, but it was laced with fentanyl. Some kids found him the next day dead in a public washroom. His family is completely devastated. I implore Crown counsel to consider attempted murder charges for anyone selling fentanyl. These idiots know full well that it is deadly - even in small doses - so they are knowingly risking the lives of their "clientele." Toss 'em in jail and throw away the key. Please. Mark Billesberger Penticton [end]
Hallucinogenic African Bark Could Be the Answer to Heroin Addiction, and Addiction in General Richard Dilley had tried everything by the time he traveled to Mexico and agreed to ingest a drug derived from a hallucinogenic African shrub bark that, he was told, would alter his brain. All for the bargain price of $10,000. While terrifying in a way, the drug known as ibogaine (or Tabernanthe iboga in its natural state) was, at this point, less of a horror than the drug Dilley had been addicted to since his teen years. [continues 3617 words]
Health workers highlight fentanyl, W-18 Party people are heading in droves to Pemberton Music Festival this weekend, and it's a truth acknowledged that some will be on a chemically fuelled trip, Hunter S. Thompson style. But given B.C.'s fentanyl crisis, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall is warning festival enthusiasts that mixing drugs could be fatal. He said health officials still don't know how much fentanyl - or worse, W-18 - is added to some recreational party drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and speed. [continues 406 words]
BANGKOK - Somsak Sreesomsong was 18 when he was jailed for selling illegal drugs. Now, turning 30, he is not yet half way through his 33-year sentence at Bangkok's high-security Klong Prem prison. Somsak was "just a kid, not a big-time dealer," his older brother Panit told Reuters after a visit to the jail. "We're also serving time, waiting for him to get out so he can help the family." More than a decade after Thailand declared a "war on drugs," the country is admitting defeat. As the prison population soars, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told Reuters he was looking at changes to the country's draconian drug laws. [continues 636 words]
"I will execute you," Dirty Rody warned suspected drug trafficker Peter Lim last Friday in Davao City. "I will finish you off." As of yesterday, Lim - one of some 400 Peter Lims in Cebu where he lives and of about 4,000 in the Philippines, according to Bureau of Immigration files - had not yet been "finished off." His face - with "drug lord" smeared all over it - is now known all over the Philippines. But he got an audience with the President of the Republic, and even managed to express support for The Punisher's take-no-prisoners anti-narcotics campaign. [continues 942 words]
Dear Stoner: I'll be visiting Colorado this summer, and everyone is telling me I can only buy a quarter-ounce. Is that true? If so, is that for every shop, or can I buy more at another? Dear Based: It used to be that way, but not any longer! In June, Governor John Hickenlooper signed a law bumping up the out-of-stater limit to an ounce, so you don't have to limit yourself to a quarter-ounce at each shop you visit. Not that I've met many people who go through a quarter in a day - but they're out there. [continues 363 words]
Measures set to reduce pot-impaired driving Canadians suspected of driving while high could be required to submit to a roadside saliva test that identifies the use of marijuana, cocaine and opioids. An oral fluid test is one of the suggestions from a discussion paper released on June 30 by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. "We'll scream blue bloody murder if it's not in place before legalization," MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie said. While the task force is looking at the oral fluid test - a roadside saliva swab - for the detection of marijuana use, the test can also reveal the presence of other drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, opioids and amphetamine. [continues 339 words]
Canadians suspected of driving while high could be required to submit to a roadside saliva test that identifies the use of marijuana, cocaine and opioids. An oral fluid test is one of the suggestions from a discussion paper released on June 30 by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. "We'll scream blue bloody murder if it's not in place before legalization," MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie said. "Because we already have a problem," he added. "It's well acknowledged we have a problem with young people, so we really need this to be in place before legalization." [continues 547 words]
Groups work to reduce drug overdoses, sex assaults during summer festivals With the summer festival season in full blast, there's a dark side to the fun in the sun. One local service agency is helping festival-goers who use drugs avoid the deadly mistakes that have killed people in Ottawa and across Canada by offering low-tech checking kits. Another is training Ottawa festival volunteers - more than 4,500 of them last year alone at events like Escapade, RBC Bluesfest and CityFolk - to intervene when they see sexual violence, which spikes at mass gatherings. [continues 542 words]
Canadians suspected of driving while high could be required to submit to a roadside saliva test that identifies the use of marijuana, cocaine and opioids. An oral fluid test is one of the suggestions from a discussion paper released on June 30 by the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. "We'll scream blue bloody murder if it's not in place before legalization," MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie said. "Because we already have a problem," he added. "It's well acknowledged we have a problem with young people, so we really need this to be in place before legalization." [continues 548 words]
To have an enjoyable time, we want to build people's safety ... and a community where people are willing to step in. With the summer festival season in full blast, there's a dark side to the fun in the sun.. One local service agency is helping festivalgoers who use drugs avoid the deadly mistakes that have killed people in Ottawa and across Canada by offering low-tech checking kits. Another is training Ottawa festival volunteers - more than 4,500 of them last year alone at events like Escapade, RBC Bluesfest and CityFolk - to intervene when they see sexual violence, which spikes at mass gatherings. [continues 771 words]
Hold Your Horses, Rescheduling Weed Isn't Happening Just Yet HEY, YOU GUYS, did you hear? The federal government is about to make weed legal. No, for reals, I saw it on Facebook, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is going to totally make it so doctors have to give it to you, for free! Thanks Obama! I'm gonna make my doctor give me an ounce next week! Before you start demanding that your podiatrist procure you some shatter, maybe we should do what Americans sort of suck at-taking a pause and examining what's really up. [continues 634 words]
There's An Antidote for Heroin Overdose, and a Former Addict Is Among Those Working to Spread It Far and Wide Joshua Livernois woke up hazy, sick and splashed with Dr. Pepper in a hospital bed in Salinas, California. He couldn't piece together the events of the previous day or so, and he's still not even sure which year it was, probably 2005 or '06. He'd been using heroin off and on for about 10 years and almost daily for five. [continues 2388 words]
EASTON - U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Rmd.-1st, is part of a group of bipartisan congressmen who want to loosen the federal barriers to medical marijuana research. Harris, a physician who has also conducted National Institute of Health-sponsored research, and several other federal lawmakers plan to introduce bills in both houses of Congress. According to Harris' office, the House version of the bill would address two major barriers faced by those who want to conduct legitimate medical marijuana research. It allows for the private manufacturing and distribution of marijuana solely for research purposes, in order for the researchers to get the pot they need for their studies. It also aims to reduce approval wait times for studies. [continues 544 words]
One out of every five Colorado teens admits having used marijuana in the past month, but that rate has not increased since pot was legalized in the state and is in line with the national average, according to a new report from the state Health Department. Among the other findings of the 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, released Monday: The large majority of Colorado middle and high school students - 62 percent - say they have never used marijuana. Alcohol is the drug of choice among Colorado teens, with 30 percent of kids surveyed saying they drank within the previous month. [continues 593 words]
This is in response to the June 9 opinion piece in The Union by Jonathan Collier, spokesman for the California (Marijuana) Grower Association. Mr. Collier first comments on the sheriff's "inability to eradicate growing related challenges." He later says that marijuana has been here for decades and you just can't get rid of it. He acknowledges "a rising criminal element" and says that the county has had a "laissez-faire attitude toward land use." I take that to mean that the county has not tried to eradicate illegal marijuana growing, which isn't true. [continues 514 words]
Decriminalising Drugs Is Straightforward; People Are Empowered With Choice ONE of the key traits of humanity is the ability to implement laws and change them as new evidence, facts and data become available, thus creating greater awareness. Such is the evolution of society, to build and refine knowledge due to new findings and information. In 1971, the Misuse of Drugs Act was implemented in the UK, causing a wave of punitive legislation throughout the world. Suddenly, the recreational drug culture of the 1960s had come to an end, bringing with it a darker era of obscured drug use run by crime syndicates holding a monopoly over the masses. [continues 688 words]
