Forces try out 'marijuana simulation kits' The Canadian Forces is buying kits that will let its leaders experience what it's like to be stoned on marijuana. The "marijuana simulation kits" will include "marijuana impairment goggles," among other i tems. The Canadian Forces wants to acquire 26 of the kits by April 30 or sooner if possible. "The purpose of the Marijuana Simulation Kits is to raise awareness of marijuana impairment, reduce risk of marijuana impairment, and promote healthy lifestyles within the Canadian Armed Forces," companies who want to bid on the contract were told. "The marijuana impairment goggles, which is one of the several items included in the Marijuana Simulation Kit, allows users to experience first-hand, the deficits marijuana creates on the body." [continues 291 words]
In an interview with The Citizen last April during the 2017 provincial election, NDP leader John Horgan admitted that government and politicians are behind public sentiment when it comes to marijuana. Knowing it and saying it is one thing but Horgan, now the premier, still seems reluctant to act on it, based on the additional details on a provincial pot policy the NDP government announced Monday that will take effect once marijuana is legalized later this year. "Some may think that this work will end in July when non-medical cannabis is legalized by the federal government," Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said. "But the truth is our government will be dealing with this significant change in policy for years to come." [continues 640 words]
The federal government is threatening to force a vote in the Senate to speed up the adoption of the marijuana-legalization bill, stating industry and governments need a clear timeline to a legal-cannabis market. This government has never imposed time allocation in the Senate, but it says it will have no choice if Conservative senators use procedural tricks to delay the legislation. In a speech on Tuesday, the government's representative in the Senate, Peter Harder, said he wants a vote to send Bill C-45 to committee before the start of a two week break on March 1. He said that if he does not obtain all-party support for his proposal, he will move a motion to force a vote. [continues 517 words]
OTTAWA - The federal government is moving to ensure the Senate doesn't hold up its plans to legalize recreational marijuana in July. The government's representative in the upper house, Sen. Peter Harder, served notice Tuesday that he wants second reading debate on Bill C-45 wrapped up by March 1, after which it would go to committee for detailed examination before returning to the chamber for a final debate and vote. If the various Senate factions won't agree to that timetable, Harder warned he will move a motion to impose time allocation to cut off debate - the first time he's threatened to resort to that tactic since taking on the role of government representative two years ago. [continues 305 words]
Vancouver won't grant pot-shop licences to people with ties to illegal drugs, but critics urge reconsideration Rocco Dipopolo is an entrepreneur juggling three businesses - a tattoo parlour, a gym and a boxing clinic - in East Vancouver, an area of hipster coffee shops and chic duplexes that the 46-year-old remembers as gritty during his delinquent adolescence. Until recently, he also owned an illegal cannabis dispensary in the city's trendy Commercial Drive neighbourhood. He had to step away from that venture in order for it to secure a coveted business licence from the City of Vancouver. [continues 1336 words]
Coming soon to a storefront near you: a cannabis shop. The provincial government has brought down the latest of many new regulations as the date for legalization approaches. After much debate and much reading of tea leaves, the government says that legalized recreational marijuana will be sold at stand-alone stores, some run by private operators and others by the Liquor Distribution Branch. The distribution branch will be the wholesaler, and all will be overseen by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch. [continues 548 words]
AKWESASNE - If the community gives the go-ahead, Akwesasne could be the only place with a dispensary for recreational marijuana near Cornwall when it becomes legal this year. At its monthly meeting in January, a video of which is posted on YouTube, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) ran the idea past its members looking for feedback. It was made very clear during the presentation the MCA would not pursue the idea if the community is not in favour of it, but Grand Chief Abram Benedict argued the impending legalization of marijuana presents the First Nation with an incredible business opportunity. [continues 641 words]
With the legalization of recreational cannabis, local merchants look to capitalize on the sale of marijuana merchandise Everything from bongs to pipes and vaporizers will likely become commonplace in local smoke shops as recreational cannabis sales will become legal this summer. The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp., which will operate marijuana dispensaries from nine liquor outlets in the province, has said it will leave the sale of cannabis accessories and related products to the private sector. That news was received well by smoke and e-cigarette shops that are hoping to expand their line of products to include accessories used by marijuana users. [continues 547 words]
Comment: Feds should pump the brakes and rethink its token gesture on safety We're only seven weeks into the new year and already there are three major hurdles on the trucking industry's plate. The legalization of marijuana, the electronic logging devices (ELD) and either the total cancellation or just a fine-tuning of the North American Free Trade Agreement. That's more than enough for the trucking industry to swallow, so let me try to shed a little light on each of the three. [continues 647 words]
Come as city officials prepare to discuss future of storefronts Police are cracking down on illegal storefront pot shops across Hamilton even as dispensary advocates prepare for "roundtable" discussions with city officials about their future. Operators of five MMJ and Pacifico medical marijuana dispensaries - spread across the lower city and on the Mountain - told The Spectator they were raided by police late last week. Britney Guerra, a vocal dispensary advocate and former owner, said she has heard from four other raided shops - one as recently as Monday - but none of those operators were willing to speak to The Spectator. [continues 377 words]
New Study: Fatal collisions involving young drivers increase by 38 per cent after pot-smoking celebrations The risk of a fatal accident among young drivers spikes by 38 per cent in the hours after 4/20 celebrations, according to new research from UBC and the University of Toronto. The finding suggests that mass marijuana celebrations may not be entirely without consequences. John Staples, a professor of medicine and researcher at UBC's Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, said people aged 20 and younger had a much higher risk of a fatal crash on April 20 from 4:20 p.m. until midnight compared to the same period one week before and one week after. [continues 377 words]
In regards to legalization of marijuana, I think that we should take a similar approach to Amsterdam in the sense that it is frowned upon to smoke in public but there are designated 'coffee shops' where smoking is allowed and encouraged I feel like many small businesses could profit from becoming a 'smoke bar,' similar to some of the hookah bars around town and that will keep people out of the busy streets and away from vulnerable people, children, disabled, etc. David Rhoads (Plenty of people are against anyone smoking up in public spaces.) [end]
An unusual aspect of Canada's soon-to-be-legal cannabis market is that the activists who led the legalization movement may find themselves excluded from the industry for which their efforts paved the way. Vancouver activists like Jodie and Marc Emery and dispensary pioneer Don Briere, for example, have criminal records for possessing and selling marijuana. Now those criminal records could be used against them in federal and provincial licensing systems that are under development to decide who gets to cultivate and sell recreational cannabis. [continues 769 words]
"I believe that nicotine is not addictive." This was the position the CEOs of the seven largest American tobacco companies staunchly stood by while testifying in front of an infamous 1994 Congressional hearing. The scientific evidence at the time rendered their ostensible belief a tragic joke - a term that accurately describes the idea that Canadians should blindly trust marijuana producers and distributors to design their own packaging. Ottawa would do well by having health experts take the lead in ensuring marijuana packaging is transparent. [continues 579 words]
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau: I was wondering why you bother traveling all over the planet to climate change conventions to save the world from pollution but remain willing to return home and pass a bill that will cause our whole country to become polluted everywhere with the stinking, cloying smell of marijuana? That is OK for all you people who can afford a single-family dwelling where you can retreat, close the door and ignore the stink of the irritating smoke. But those of us who live in apartments, condos or other connected housing units aren't able to do that, leaving us at the mercy of our neighbours. Now we can at least, if someone is polluting our apartment building, phone the police and get help to stop the culprits. [continues 316 words]
It's just another example of how complicated things are going to be as provinces roll out their marijuana rules. Several provinces have decided that marijuana smoking has to be done on private property. Ontario's rules are so tight that weed smoking has to take place in private residences. But what happens if your private residence is an apartment? Here's a part of a Canadian Press story out of Toronto. "(The province is) not going to allow marijuana to be smoked in public areas, so where the heck are people going to smoke marijuana? Well they're going to do it in their apartments," said John Dickie of the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations. "The problem is, just like when they smoke tobacco, the smell goes to neighbouring apartments. Buildings are not hermetically sealed." [continues 347 words]
An Ottawa judge who granted an absolute discharge to a 21-year-old woman working at a marijuana dispensary has made the right call. Yes, we believe in harsh penalties for criminals. Yes, people should be held accountable for their actions. But we also believe that the folks working the counter at illegal marijuana dispensaries aren't the real bad guys. It's the owners of these shops and the traffickers and street-level, gun-toting dealers we're more concerned about: The people who are too often escaping punishment. [continues 318 words]
Overwhelming 'delayed symptoms' once again a worry as 4/20 event nears Calls to the B.C. Drug and Poison Information Centre have surged on the annual 4/20 cannabis event in Vancouver in recent years, according to a report by provincial health officials. "The 4/20 cannabis calls represent a real spike, way over what we see on ordinary days," said Dr. Tom Kosatsky, medical director of environmental health services for the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. He acknowledged that the total number of calls remains small, but is nevertheless growing. His report is published in the current B.C. Medical Journal. [continues 614 words]
Declaring the government's war on marijuana was over, defence lawyer Nick Cake called for a $10 fine for his client's marijuana possession. Kalan Louis Pereira, 27, of Sarnia pleaded guilty Wednesday in Sarnia court to marijuana possession. "We no longer live in a society that denounces this stuff," said Cake, citing the federal government's move to legalize recreational marijuana use this coming July. The war on drugs as it relates to marijuana is over, and there is consideration of granting amnesty to those previously convicted of marijuana possession, Cake continued. [continues 85 words]
In an interview with The Citizen last April during the 2017 provincial election, NDP leader John Horgan admitted that government and politicians are behind public sentiment when it comes to marijuana. Knowing it and saying it is one thing but Horgan, now the premier, still seems reluctant to act on it, based on the additional details on a provincial pot policy the NDP government announced Monday that will take effect once marijuana is legalized later this year. "Some may think that this work will end in July when non-medical cannabis is legalized by the federal government," Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said. "But the truth is our government will be dealing with this significant change in policy for years to come." [continues 652 words]
