(Re: New guideline recommends doctors avoid prescribing medical marijuana for most conditions, Feb. 15) The British have just issued the same guideline raising the question why there was not public education on the serious dangers to health before the Trudeau government fast-tracked legalizing marijuana. Besides causing serious damage to young developing brains, using pot can also lead to very aggressive behaviour is some people. The bottom line is very little is known about the long-term health effects of the 80 cannabinoids contained in marijuana. One thing we do know from the experiences in Colorado and Washington states, after legalization, is there will likely be more impaired drivers on our highways leading to more road deaths and young people will gain access to the drug with dire consequences. [continues 131 words]
Pallister government not budgeting for pot tax revenue this year If the Pallister government projects a reduced deficit in the 2018 provincial budget, it won't be because of a new pot tax. The Winnipeg Sun has learned that next month's budget will not include a revenue line from marijuana sales, even though legalized pot is expected to go on sale sometime later this year. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen confirmed government is not budgeting for any marijuana revenues in 2018-19 and is still examining the potential costs associated with legalized weed, including additional health care, road safety and justice costs. [continues 558 words]
I firmly believe that most Canadians don't want recreational marijuana legalized, and that there is still time to stop it. The basic threat to the Liberal party is anti-marijuana voters who will get their attention in the election coming up next year. I don't need to repeat the many solid reasons why legalization of pot is a bad decision by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It will turn into a disaster, causing major grief to thousands of families. It's sad that most Canadians don't speak up as loudly as the dopers do while breaking the law. What we need is a well-known "champion," like a Jim Pattison type, to start up a campaign against legalization. Bill Davis, New Westminster [end]
The mayor is wrong on allowing legal pot cafes, and here's why Mayor Jim Watson won't support the idea of legal lounges where people can smoke pot. That's not even remotely surprising: Watson's a cautious, conservative mayor when it comes to social policy. He doesn't want to make it easier for anyone to smoke anything in lounges. If his view wins the day, there won't really be anywhere in Ottawa to smoke pot, because politicians at Queen's Park have banned smoking marijuana in public places. [continues 590 words]
Psychologists point to 'compelling evidence' of cannabis' potential health impairments Apart from the #Metoo maelstrom and the housing crises in Toronto and Vancouver, few things stir up Canadians more than marijuana, which its promoters claim is the cure for everything from glaucoma to brain disease =2E Should private outlets sell recreational marijuana? Is it more enjoyable to smoke or swallow cannabis? Will I get rich on pot stocks? Is it possible to remove the criminal underground from Canada's $6 billion-a-year cannabis industry? [continues 975 words]
Are public health officials facing up to the fact that the overdose epidemic in Canada and the U.S. is mostly devastating boys and men? There are small signs some health officials are slowly, awkwardly, hesitatingly beginning to acknowledge the obvious: The overdose crisis is predominantly an issue of men's health. Public officials have much denial to make up for. It was just a year ago that former B.C. Liberal health minister Terry Lake pulled out the public relations stops to open a 38-bed Vancouver facility for women to overcome substance abuse. Months before an election, Lake also announced an overdose prevention site exclusively for females. [continues 730 words]
Dealing with the impact of marijuana legalization is expected to be one of the year's biggest challenges for the Cornwall Community Police Service, according to Chief-designate Danny Aikman. "Obviously there is a lot of attention being paid the legalization of marijuana and the impact that will have on municipalities as well as police forces," he said. The Cornwall police are concerned their costs could increase because of the change in the law, and Aikman said just because possession will be legal, doesn't mean enforcement efforts can be stopped. [continues 509 words]
A group of First Nations looks set to win big in the Manitoba cannabis market, thanks to partnerships with several cannabis companies chosen to run the province's private marijuana retail system. On Friday, Manitoba announced that it had "conditionally accepted" proposals from four groups - chosen from a pool of more than 100 applicants - to run dispensaries in the province. Canopy Growth Corp. in partnership with Winnipeg-based Delta 9 Cannabis Inc., took home one conditional letter; another went to upscale retail brand Tokyo Smoke, a subsidiary of Hiku Brands Ltd. [continues 746 words]
Calgarians are demonstrating strong common sense when it comes to offering advice on how marijuana should be regulated. The drug will be legalized by the federal government on July 1, but it's been left to cities to determine where pot smoking will be permitted. A survey prepared for the city by Environics Research finds that approximately 55 per cent of Calgarians believe marijuana consumption should be treated more like alcohol, rather than regarded as a product similar to tobacco. Such a conclusion is prudent and would mean that pot couldn't be smoked in public, just as imbibers can't drink beer and other alcohol in public. It's difficult to imagine people walking down the street with a glass of wine in their hand - it's equally troublesome to picture a group of Calgarians sharing a joint as they meander down the road. [continues 289 words]
A few groups feel they were overlooked in the competition to sell legal pot in Manitoba, including some small business owners. Rick Macl, owner of the Brandon shop Growers 'n Smokers, said he partnered with another business to submit a proposal. But he also said his eventual rejection letter was expected early on in that process, due to conditions set by the province. "I knew I had no chance having (less than) three stores going in alone. I was forced to join other companies," said Macl. "I was in desperation mode." [continues 360 words]
The Notley government rolled out more of its marijuana retail regulations on Friday and, we must say, they continue to stay ahead of other provinces. The only way this year's legalization of bud is going to work is if obtaining legit weed is reasonably close in convenience and price to buying the illegal stuff. The Alberta NDP government seems to be making a reasonable stab at doing just that. When you can walk into just about any bar in the province and in a few minutes pick up a couple of joints at a reasonable price, it won't automatically be easy for legal retailers to compete.n Users might have to drive further and pay more for the straight stuff. [continues 393 words]
Can we please stop with the "more" research on marijuana? The only research that is needed is to determine how much good it can do medically. Everyone knows why it was banned decades ago - so they could sell more pills. There is not one recorded death due to overdose, no one has ever gotten stoned and gone on a killing spree, no one has ever smoked pot and driven 150 km/h on the highway. Just recently we are finding out about CBD's helping people with Parkinsons, arthritis, and seizures. [continues 53 words]
Panel warned of supply problems, tight margins A Vancouver cannabis retailer whose company plans to open 10 Alberta stores this year says anyone rushing into the field shouldn't expect to find a pot of gold. "People definitely see it as a potentially very profitable business, or cash cow. It's not," Andrew Gordon, director of operations for Aura Cannabis, said Friday following a panel discussion sponsored by the Leduc Regional Chamber of Commerce. "The margins are very similar to other retailers There's (also) a potential of real shortages facing our business right out the gate in the first 18 months. We have seen that in jurisdictions down south." [continues 359 words]
Alberta could be the site of 250 cannabis stores in the first year of legalization, with retailers able to offer discount prices on bud and marijuana oil, provincial officials said Friday. No one business or person will be able to own more than 15 per cent of the locations, or a maximum of 37 stores, the government said, and the outlets must be located no closer than 100 metres from schools and health-care facilities. "This is a brand new market and we want to ensure everyone can participate, from the very small to the very large entities," said Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley, adding there's no shortage of prospective retailers. [continues 613 words]
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones remains "disappointed" in Duron Carter. Carter faces charges for marijuana possession in Winnipeg and Saskatoon. "I was really disappointed because I had just come off the heels of going down to Florida and spending good quality time with him and his mom,'' Jones said Wednesday from his home in South Pittsburg, Tenn. "It's like when a family member or a close friend gets into a situation like that. I'm really disappointed because I thought we were a bit beyond that thing. It's something that we'll wait and see what the legal process goes through and what the authorities say. Then we'll have more of a comment on exactly what happens with Duron.'' [continues 332 words]
You save by buying bulk - and this law of shopping logic holds for illegal as well as legal products. Which means someone in Cambridge is either a very sharp negotiator, or a pot-smoking liar As part of the institutional preparation for the legalization of marijuana, Statistics Canada is currently collecting reams of data on the pot economy. This is necessary to ensure the reliability of national accounts when legal weed becomes a reality, as sales will otherwise show up as a huge, immediate spike in consumer purchases. [continues 826 words]
Company is gearing up to include medicinal cannabis under extended health-care benefit plans, helping offset costs for users Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada will become the first major insurance company to add medical marijuana to its group benefits plans for Canadian companies, a pivotal move in the insurance industry that will help ease the financial burden for medical marijuana users, and a sign of the growing acceptance of cannabis in the Canadian workplace. As of March 1, Sun Life will include medical cannabis as optional coverage under an extended health-care benefit plan. Sun Life, which administers group benefits plans for more than 22,000 Canadian companies, oversees health and dental coverage for more than five million Canadians - including dependents. [continues 841 words]
A new medical guideline suggests family doctors should think twice before prescribing medical marijuana to their patients. The Simplified Guideline for Prescribing Medical Cannabinoids in Primary Care, published Thursday in the medical journal Canadian Family Physician, says there is limited evidence to support the reported benefits of medical marijuana for many conditions. It adds that any benefit could be balanced, or even outweighed, by the potential harm. "While enthusiasm for medical marijuana is very strong among some people, good, quality research has not caught up," project leader Mike Allan, director of evidence-based medicine at the University of Alberta, said in a news release. [continues 377 words]
Survey suggests renters more likely to smoke marijuana An advocacy group for renters say a city survey is needlessly pitting homeowners and landlords against a vulnerable community. This week, the City of Calgary put out their citizen cannabis survey, which included data about how Calgarians feel about impending legalization along with some pointed policy questions to help the city as they draft new rules for weed. The survey found that renters are more likely to currently smoke marijuana at 32 per cent when compared to 12 per cent homeowners reporting they currently puff. When it comes to home growing, the city found that of those who were likely to grow marijuana plants inside their home 68 per cent of those were living in rented town homes or apartments. In Calgary particularly, the term renter has become a dirty word - especially when it comes to the politics of putting in secondary suites. The divisive term is often in the middle of council discussions. [continues 264 words]
New medical cannabis guidelines for family doctors stress that they should authorize marijuana for only a small fraction of patients because many of its reported benefits have not been proved by rigorous clinical trials. The guidelines, published Thursday in the Canadian Family Physician journal, warn that the number of randomized studies backing up the use of cannabis to fight various ailments is "extremely limited or entirely absent." The scientific evidence dictates that doctors should recommend the drug only when treating a handful of very specific medical conditions such as: chronic nerve pain, palliative cancer pain, muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries and the nausea and vomiting brought on by chemotherapy, according to Mike Allan, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta and project lead for the guidelines. [continues 476 words]
