The B.C. government says revenue from legalized marijuana isn't going to create the financial windfall many expected once the province's thriving but illicit industry moves out of the shadows and is taxed like tobacco. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Carole James cautioned against expectations. "There will be revenue coming in after the first couple of years, but I don't see it as a big money-maker for British Columbia," James said at an editorial board meeting with The Vancouver Sun and The Province. [continues 444 words]
Canadians never forget the old joke about a pachydermy conference where French scientists discuss elephants' love lives, the British praise and the Soviets denounce "Elephants and Empire," Americans imagine breeding bigger better elephants, and Canadians empty the room with "Elephants: federal or provincial responsibility." Then there's the one about why elephants are big, grey and wrinkly. A: Because if they were small green and crumbly they'd be marijuana, and ending futile patronizing prohibition would cause finance ministers to swoop in and squabble over "Gouging the user: federal or provincial responsibility." [continues 742 words]
Re: Legalization of marijuana As the countdown continues to July, 2018 and the legalization of marijuana in Canada my concern for the future is not being addressed. A popular method of raising money today appears to be suing current governments for perceived past wrongs committed by previous governments. The door this opens, for the countless numbers that have been prosecuted for pot infractions over the years, to sue federal and provincial governments could bankrupt this nation. Would it be possible or practical to include some form of "notwithstanding" clause in the laws currently being written for enactment that would preclude this scenario? [continues 80 words]
To the editor, Re: "Youth psychiatrist disappointed in Nova Scotia's marijuana age decision," Dec. 9. Do "health officials" and "provincial and national health organizations" ever think about the social consequences and harms of cannabis prohibition? They are so narrow-minded and seem to only think about the safety of a product. If it isn't 100 per cent safe in their minds, they think it should be illegal. If they had a chance, they would probably make everything illegal that humans do, except for using pharmaceutical drugs, of course. Do they not understand that criminal records and jail sentences for young-adult cannabis users and growers are unhealthy? Herb Couch Nelson, B.C. [end]
It's funny how quickly a criminal enterprise can turn into a legitimate business opportunity. As a federal Conservative politician, even as late as 2015, Julian Fantino was opposed to the legalization of marijuana. In 2004, he even compared weed to murder in an interview with the Toronto Sun, saying, "I guess we can legalize murder too and then we won't have a murder case. We can't go that way." Now, he's partnered with former RCMP deputy commissioner Raf Souccar to open a medical marijuana business, Aleafia Total Health Network. [continues 407 words]
To the editor: Re: "Youth psychiatrist disappointed in Nova Scotia's marijuana age decision" (Dec. 9/17.) Do "health officials" and "provincial and national health organizations" ever think about the social consequences and harms of cannabis prohibition? They are so narrow-minded and seem to only think about the safety of a product. If it isn't 100 per cent safe in their minds, they think it should be illegal? If they had a chance, they would probably make everything illegal that humans do, except for using pharmaceutical drugs, of course. Do they not understand that criminal records and jail sentences for young-adult cannabis users and growers are unhealthy? Herb Couch, Nelson, B.C. [end]
Ottawa must withdraw its plan to charge tax on medicinal marijuana or risk having an adverse effect on patients, a group of more than 50 doctors warned Monday as the federal government hashed out a pot-tax revenue-sharing agreement with the provinces and territories. The doctors, who describe themselves as a group of physicians who routinely prescribe marijuana to their patients, say applying a sales or excise tax to medicinal pot would impose a financial barrier for those who use the drug to manage their symptoms, compared to patients who take other medication. [continues 199 words]
More than 1,208 people have died from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. this year, the coroners service reported Monday. Victoria and Vancouver Island continue to be in the top townships and health areas for overdose deaths. The latest death toll in the overdose crisis includes statistics to the end of October 2017. November and December numbers will not be released until the new year. "These numbers show that this is still something on the rise," said Andy Watson of the B.C. Coroners Service. "We're cautiously optimistic [now] that we've seen two months with under 100 deaths, but November and December were the peaks of last year." [continues 431 words]
OTTAWA - Manitoba will push the federal government to transfer all of the sin taxes collected from recreational marijuana into provincial coffers, the Free Press has learned. "This is a federal policy, with a federal timeline, with provincial obligations and responsibilities," provincial Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said. On Sunday evening, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau hosted his colleagues from the provinces and territories for a working dinner before a lengthy meeting today examining everything from pension reform to equalization payments. It's the looming July 2018 deadline [continues 574 words]
Fighting back tears, Olympia Lynn Trypis stood in the rotunda of city hall and begged for better services for drug users, to save her life and the lives of her friends. "In the last two years I've lost three of my really close friends and I am tired of having to go to funerals and not celebrating more birthdays. These people were beautiful souls," said Trypis, 22, speaking to a crowd who had marched to city hall in memory of people lost to drug overdoses, or contaminated drugs. [continues 325 words]
It'll be months before London finds out if it gets the go-ahead and funding for supervised drug injection sites, but it appears key players already are walking in unison to support the sites, but restrict where they can locate. The area's medical officer of health, a key city planner and an advocate for the downtrodden all express some confidence there will be suitable sites sufficiently far from schools and other places frequented by children. "I completely understand why the city and stakeholders would want to limit where it goes," said Chris Mackie, the head of public health in London and Middlesex County. "I definitely think it will be possible to find one or two locations that will work." [continues 602 words]
Consumer advocacy group concerned marijuana treated differently than booze A consumer choice advocacy group has condemned the Manitoba government's plan to ban homegrown marijuana when it becomes legal in the country next year. David Clement, the North American affairs manager for the Consumer Choice Centre, an independent entity that aims to promote more choice and freedom for consumers, says the decision to ban the growing of pot in homes is "silly" questions why the ability Clement said the reason the CCC has spoken out is two-fold. [continues 366 words]
In October, marijuana industry heavy hitter Aurora Cannabis Inc. spent $3.85-million to acquire BC Northern Lights Enterprises Ltd., a Vancouver-based company that manufactures refrigerator-sized "grow boxes." The miniature nurseries, loaded up with high-powered lights, ventilation systems and hydroponics equipment, are designed to hold four to 18 marijuana plants and made specifically for the home-growing market. BCNL, which has been around for nearly two decades, has been selling boxes to medical-marijuana users since limited home growing became legal in 2001 for patients with government-approved growing licences. With the federal government legalizing recreational cannabis use this coming summer, BCNL's chief executive officer, Tarren Wolfe, is expecting an avalanche of new customers. "I believe [the number of home growers] is at least going to double when the doors open," he said. That could mean tens of thousands of new hobby horticulturalists looking for an easy way to cultivate. [continues 717 words]
You may think that you will be able to buy marijuana legally as of July 1. You should think again. Conservative senators are threatening to hold up passage of the two bills that would legalize cannabis consumption and toughen rules against abuse. Unless these senators yield, the bills are unlikely to become law in time for the Canada Day deadline. "I think we have to do our job properly, and that means months," Conservative Senator Claude Carignan, the lead opposition critic on the legislation, said when asked in an interview how long he thought it would take the Senate to pass the bills. How many months? [continues 603 words]
WORCESTER - Thousands of people gathered at a convention hall Saturday for the first-ever Harvest Cup, a friendly if spirited competition among home-growers of marijuana that doubled as a convention for the burgeoning cannabis industry and its consumers. The event, taking place this weekend at the DCU Center, came the same week that marijuana regulators began drafting rules for the scheduled July start of recreational sales in Massachusetts. Many participants Saturday were overheard debating various policies and what they will mean for the small-scale cultivators at the heart of the Harvest Cup once millions of dollars of investment funds pour into the state. [continues 683 words]
Ontario adolescents are drinking, smoking and using cannabis and other recreational drugs at the lowest rates since the late 1970s, suggests a biennial survey of Grade 7 to 12 students by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). But the 2017 survey released Thursday turned up a disturbing finding: almost one per cent of respondents in Grades 9 to 12 reported having taken illicit fentanyl in the previous year, raising a red flag given the opioid's involvement in hundreds of overdose deaths across the country. [continues 366 words]
"You've come a long way, baby." This is the famous slogan of the Virginia Slims brand - a long, slim cigarette marketed to women as a sign of the progress of feminism and freedom for their gender. Society has also come a long way in its thinking around the marketing of products like tobacco, and campaigns that make it seem glamorous. We have learned that slick marketing images that ran through previous decades did not just influence adults. The Marlboro Man and images like it captured the imagination of kids, romanticizing smoking for another generation. [continues 351 words]
Marijuana is a social evil. Legalizing it will encourage naive people to use it. That, in turn, increases the number of potheads and the long list of problems they create. The government should hold a referendum on marijuana so people of sense can confirm the need for penalties. It isn't harmless. Regardless what the government does, don't be a dope. Don't use dope. John Cleghorn, Sechelt [end]
The latest Corporate Research Associates (CRA) survey this week probably sent chills down the spines of finance ministers and premiers across Atlantic Canada. After returning home from Ottawa earlier in the week with a lucrative tax-sharing deal on the sale of legalized marijuana, visions of windfall revenues were quickly brought back to reality. The CRA survey suggests that approximately 20 per cent of Atlantic Canadians plan to purchase pot once marijuana becomes legal July 1. That is about the same percentage that uses pot today - illegally. [continues 415 words]
Re: PM says sorry for decades of LGBTQ2 bigotry - Nov. 29 I'm convinced that there is now sufficient precedence set by the apologies and compensations to the LGBTQ2 communities and the First Nations communities that will allow a heartfelt apology and due compensation to the marijuana dealers and users community. Indeed, the dealers of marijuana deserve a greater consideration by the Canadian government in view of the fact that it intends to take over the control and distribution of marijuana throughout the Dominion thus depriving the said dealers of their livelihood. On a note of self-interest, I must state that I, as a good and true capitalist, have profited as a dealer in marijuana on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Joseph Murphy Kitchener [end]
Colin Perkel writes the upcoming legalization of marijuana is unlikely to kill Canada's black market - right away, at least TORONTO - From texting a local dealer to dropping into a neighbourhood dispensary or ordering online, Canada's black market for recreational marijuana has seen significant changes in recent years and, no doubt, will see more as the country hurtles toward a new world of legalization next summer. What does seem clear, however, is that the illegal market is unlikely to disappear in a puff of smoke come legalization day. [continues 783 words]
TORONTO-Communities across Ontario cannot opt out of hosting a government-run pot shop if they are selected for a site, the provincial government said Friday after at least one town expressed resistance to having a cannabis retail location. If a community is selected to host one of the marijuana shops, it could delay hosting the store but cannot completely opt out of having it, said Ontario's Ministry of Finance. "As we roll out the next phase of stores, we will continue to engage with municipalities on an ongoing basis including with those municipalities who may not be ready for a store opening in July 2018," said Jessica Martin, spokesperson for Finance Minister Charles Sousa. [continues 347 words]
Health officials are disappointed that the province has set the legal age for marijuana consumption at 19 years. The consensus among provincial and national health organizations is that the minimum age should be 21, and some believe it should be even older, said Dr. Phil Tibbo, director of the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program and a psychiatry professor at Dalhousie University. "Regular cannabis use can actually have a significant impact on brain development up until about your mid-20s," he said in an interview Thursday. [continues 265 words]
LCBO advises city that Peterborough will have one of the first 40 marijuana stores to open in Ontario Peterborough will have a marijuana store by next summer, says the city CAO. Allan Seabrooke said the store will sell marijuana for recreational use. He said it will be open by July - the same month weed is going to be legalized in Canada. In an email to The Examiner, Seabrooke wrote that the store will be operated by a subsidiary of the LCBO and will sell only cannabis - not alcohol. [continues 309 words]
Unprecedented support shown for drug accused In an unprecedented show of support for an accused, some 80 people crowded into two Sydney courtrooms Friday to attend a bail hearing for a man charged with drug trafficking. The crowd left the Sydney Justice Centre cheering and clapping and drove away beeping their horns in showing their extreme pleasure with the decision to grant bail. Provincial court Judge Peter Ross allowed the release of Donald James Campbell, 38, who is charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, involving marijuana and hashish. He faces an additional drug charge of growing marijuana. [continues 528 words]
B.C.'s NDP government is right to get ahead of the curve and establish a framework for distributing and regulating recreational cannabis in advance of the federal government legalizing it next July. But the plan still has some shortcomings that should be addressed before we legally light up our sativa and enjoy what one vendor described as its spicy, earthy flavours. B.C. intends to make marijuana available at public and private retail outlets, supplied exclusively by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch. The government has determined that people age 19 and over will be allowed to buy it. [continues 341 words]
The P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission is a good choice for managing Prince Edward Island's new marijuana stores. The LCC is well equipped for developing policy and providing oversight. It is also good that the provincial government has decided its pot sales will be conducted from different storefronts than its liquor sales. It just gets the right message out there: If it is not good for the PEILCC to sell liquor and pot from the same premises, it's not good for a consumer to mix liquor and pot. [continues 148 words]
Smoke-free means smoke-free at Sault Area Hospital - whether that applies to tobacco fixes or toking up. Sault Area Hospital currently has a no-cigarette policy that encompasses its entire property, which will apply once recreational pot becomes legal in Canada next summer. "We have a no-smoking policy, so that would apply to smoking marijuana on our property," SAH president and CEO Ron Gagnon told The Sault Star. SAH's policy includes all buildings, parking lots, the Hub Trail running along the eastern edge of the hospital grounds, roads encircling the hospital leading to and from both Great Northern Road and Third Line and wooded and grass areas to the south and west of the emergency department and helipad. [continues 361 words]
As we stumble down the cobblestones on the uneven and relatively unchartered path to marijuana legalization, we're bound to trip once or twice. But so far, we have to give props to the provincial government for appearing to get it right. So far we have agreed with the legal age of 18, we accept the private/public sales model and, for the most part, agree with rules on where you can and can't smoke up. This week's successful negotiation with the federal government on tax revenue is another case in point. [continues 375 words]
Province backtracks on stand that municipalities cannot opt out of cannabis stores The Ontario government appeared to backtrack late Friday on an earlier statement that municipalities would be unable to opt out of hosting marijuana stores, raising more questions about the province's readiness for the expected pot legalization next summer. The issue came up earlier this week after a city of Richmond Hill committee unanimously endorsed a statement saying it was not willing to host one of the retail stores. [continues 486 words]
Ahead of recreational cannabis use becoming lawful, some observers see parallels with the end of prohibition The third in a series on the impending legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada. A notorious 1922 police shooting in southwestern Alberta, and the sensational trial that followed, caused many people to wonder whether enforcing alcohol prohibition was worth the trouble. Alberta's move to outlaw drinking in 1916 was wildly unpopular in the Crowsnest Pass, a cluster of coal mining towns nestled in the Rocky Mountains, near the B.C. boundary. [continues 699 words]
Back in the day, before society was enlightened and educated, homosexuality was a crime and people who broke the law were punished. Now those people have received one of (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau's famous, weekly, tearful apologies, along with some cash and all is forgiven. I don't agree with the way the LGBTQ people were treated but it was a different world back then and we learn from our mistakes. Unfortunately, now the precedent has been set. Cannabis is about to become mainstream after decades of being illegal, so I suppose anyone who has been charged, convicted or incarcerated relating to a pot offence will also receive a heartfelt, tearful apology and erasure of their criminal record, along with a cheque to go with it? Along with everyone else in Canada, I'm suffering pretty severe trauma watching our massive joke of a prime minister as he continually embarrasses Canadians and wastes our hard-earned money. So in a few years, I'm fully expecting a tearful, heartfelt apology from whomever replaces Trudeau to all Canadians along with a few million bucks to go with it. Oh, wait, who pays the bill for that? Chris Rose (There's no end to the number of people who have been badly treated over the years. It's called history.) [end]
Just how horrific Ontario's opioid crisis has become came into sharp focus this past week with the release of timely new data from Ontario's chief coroner, Dirk Huyer. Sadly, from May to July of this year, there were 336 opioid-related deaths in the province, up from 201 in that same period last year. That represents a staggering 68-per-cent increase. Health Minister Eric Hoskins put a human face on the startling statistics when he reminded Ontarians that "each and every one of these numbers is a person: someone who was loved by their family, someone who won't be coming home this holiday season." [continues 589 words]
Part One in a series of profiles about the escalating opioid crisis in Quebec. Martin Pare's fascination with syringes started as a child at a racetrack. He saw a veterinarian stick a needle in a horse's neck. What's he doing? the boy asked his father. It's to make the horse run faster, his father replied. After the horse won his race, the boy furtively took the needle and empty vial from the garbage. At home, he filled his syringe with water and began injecting his toy stuffed animals. [continues 1658 words]
Community Drug Strategy steps up efforts to combat opioid crisis Some 52 people were admitted to hospitals in the Sudbury area in the past six months due to drug overdose, official say. Members of Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy also said Friday they have had preliminary discussions about the need for an overdose prevention site in the city. They made the comments in response to the Ontario government's decision Thursday to expand the provincial opioid response, which they called good news. [continues 756 words]
Currently, some of the city's drug users have set up supervised sites in their own homes Contamination of the street drug supply with substances such as fentanyl has forced some of the city's drug users to set up their own supervised consumption sites in their homes. The agency that works most closely with drug users says the home sites indicate that Kingston needs a formal, government-sanctioned consumption site. "We definitely know there is a need because we are aware of people using their homes right now as safer places to use," said Dr. Meredith MacKenzie, a physician for Kingston Community Health Centres' Street Health Centre who described a home site as a "not perfectly safe, but safer, environment to use in." [continues 444 words]
A funeral home in Aldergrove decided they needed to do something after seeing so many heartbroken families lose loved ones to a drug overdose. The funeral directors have put together an awareness and prevention campaign that does aim to shock people about how deadly drugs are. In an unusual move, the BC Coroner's Office has come out against Alternative Funeral and Cremation Service's awareness campaign, saying scare tactics don't work, they only further stigmatize drug users. While it's true the D.A.R.E. program and Just Say No hasn't been successful in deterring youth from trying hard drugs, it likely did impact a few kids here and there. And at this point in this fentanyl epidemic - reaching anyone is better than doing nothing. It isn't costing taxpayers anything. [continues 180 words]
Coming soon marijuana, a magical weed that feeds and gives the brain a high, Say goodbye, to yesterday's fix in the coffee shop, a journey awaits that can put you over the top. Grow your own weed a thing called pot. Roll a joint, you'll like it a lot. Let's light up the world and create more smoke, then pray that Mother Nature doesn't choke. Booze and guns were given a shot but failed to get it done, where smoke from pot may block light from a blazing sun. [continues 72 words]
Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said more information should come in the spring Though the Province of B.C. has unveiled part of their distribution model for legal cannabis, Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said more information is needed before city hall can start generating ideas about how to deal with the changes. "In spring, we will start going out to get information to better gauge, with the community and stakeholders, to help determine how many do we want, how many is enough and what should we be putting in our own regulations to deal with the zoning and placement of dispensaries when they become legalized later in the year," said Jakubeit. "We need to, in early spring, start addressing it and by that time the province should be unveiling more information to help us formulate a plan." [continues 201 words]
Legal doesn't mean light up whenever you want Ever since, and probably long before, the federal Liberals started the process to legalize marijuana, some people have been equating legalization with deregulation. That was never in the cards. Saying 'But it's legal now, mannnnnnn,' after blowing smoke in a cop's face isn't going to carry much weight as he confiscates your joint or outfits you with a pair of pretty silver bracelets. The announcement this week that B.C.'s Liquor Distribution branch will have responsibility for distribution of non-medical marijuana shouldn't have come as a surprise, though it seems it did for many. [continues 219 words]
Like all parents, Nadine Remington wants to know her nine-year-old son is safe while on school property. But, the increasing problem of drug use on school property after hours is heightening fears for her and other parents. Earlier this week, Remington was told by her son who is in Grade 4 at Queen's Park School that people were living in a shed on the school's property and that he had seen a needle and matches nearby. After a similar experience of the boy finding drug paraphernalia at KVR Middle School while at camp this summer, she took his claims seriously and headed out to the school to see it herself. Remington and her husband didn't find anyone in the shed, but there was evidence suggesting someone was living in it recently and a needle on the ground at the door. [continues 618 words]
Re: Manitoba's legal age for cannabis to be set at 19: source (Dec. 5) With legislation now tabled, it has now become obvious that the federal Liberals and provincial Progressive Conservatives still believe the lies their governments told about cannabis for the last 100 years. It is ridiculous to ask 18-year-olds to risk their lives for their country in military service but not permit them to smoke cannabis legally. The idea that government should protect children from anything is just as ridiculous. Parents are the proper authorities to protect their children from all of life's never-ending dangers. Crony capitalism seems to be the driving force in "legalization." Legalization policies will make enforcement even more expensive than Prohibition was. Chris Buors Selkirk [end]
Ever since, and probably long before, the federal Liberals started the process to legalize marijuana, some people have been equating legalization with deregulation. That was never in the cards. Saying 'But it's legal now, mannnnnnn,' after blowing smoke in a cop's face just isn't going to carry much weight with him as he confiscates your joint or outfits you with a pair of pretty silver bracelets. The announcement this week that B.C.'s Liquor Distribution branch will have responsibility for distribution of non-medical marijuana shouldn't have come as a surprise, though it seems it did for many. [continues 216 words]
The grass is looking greener for New Jersey marijuana users. The idea of legal pot was once a pipe dream for those who so indulged. Not anymore. Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has pledged to sign legislation legalizing pot within 100 days of his Jan. 16 inauguration, prompting speculation on what that hazy world would look like. Among the particulars that have been largely agreed upon: New Jerseyans would be permitted to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use, and previous convictions for such possession would be eligible for expungement. [continues 515 words]
Because the crime took place within 1,000 feet of a school, state law mandated a longer sentence, one that the council members noted "was more severe than the sentence he would have received for committing a violent crime such as rape or second-degree murder." Twelve Metro Council members have signed a letter urging a criminal court judge to give relief to a Nashville man serving a 17-year sentence on a nonviolent drug conviction. [continues 394 words]
Have they opened Pandora's box? Some Deerfield Beach city leaders worry that's what they might've done by allowing marijuana dispensaries in the city. They're now trying to stop medical dispensaries from clustering citywide by keeping them out of commercial areas that also have homes, as well as setting rules to stop them from opening next to one another. Mayor Bill Ganz said he doesn't want the city to become known as the place to buy pot, even if it's just the medical kind that doesn't get you high. [continues 705 words]
A union that represents 3,000 oilsands workers at Suncor Energy sites i n northeastern Alberta has won a court injunction against random drug testing. Unifor Local 707- A had argued that random testing would be a violation of workers' rights and privacy. Calgary-based Suncor has said random tests are needed to bolster safety and wanted to start the program this month. In his ruling, Queen's Bench Justice Paul Belzil said the privacy rights of employees are just as important as safety. "In my view the balance of convenience favours granting the injunction," Belzil said in a written judgment released Thursday. [continues 388 words]
Fed-up landlord cracks down Ontario's threat of huge fines or jail time for landlords who rent to illegal pot shops has spurred at least one in Ottawa to take quick action, in the latest chapter of Canada's move to legalize and regulate weed. Police arrived at the popular Cannabis Culture dispensary on Bank Street on Thursday morning with a bailiff, who changed the locks and posted a notice on the door saying the lease was being terminated. Five people working inside were released without charge, according to staff who gathered outside. [continues 1438 words]
Nenshi wants share of federal tax revenues The legalization of recreational marijuana will cost the city of Calgary more than $10 million annually in policing, bylaw and administration costs - a tab the mayor wants the federal government to ease by giving municipalities a one-third share of tax revenues from pot sales. Council's Intergovernmental Affairs Committee heard Thursday that administration's latest estimates peg the price of cannabis legalization on city coffers at between $9 million and $12 million every year - the equivalent of about a one per cent increase in property taxes annually. [continues 428 words]
