Pleasanton: Councilman Studies Issue As Others Seek Ban on Medical Dispensaries Pleasanton Councilman Matt Sullivan would like to make a medical marijuana dispensary work in the Tri-Valley. Sullivan convinced the City Council at its April 3 meeting to postpone a decision on whether to enact a ban on dispensaries. Since then, he has been doing research into how they affect the communities that have them. "The last time we looked at this, the staff presented all the horror stories and the bad experiences," he said. "But I felt like there was maybe another side of the story, where it has been successful." [continues 483 words]
Russell Barth, in a recent letter to the Campbell River Mirror (Ignorance, not bliss) makes an astute observation about our country's approach to certain drugs. We will not have the safety for our children and communities that we desire until we get our politicians and police off of the drug war gravy train. We spend in excess of several billion dollars annually in an unaccountable and unachievable exercise to rid the country of the cannabis plant. We jail people, take their children, cease their homes, threaten to extradite them to foreign countries. We make the sick and dying suffer a bit more because we feel it is our right to control what goes into a person's mouth or body. We act like bullies and thugs to enforce a moral position that it is clear most Canadians don't hold. [continues 98 words]
Columnist Anne Hart writes April 20, the unofficial holiday among pot smokers, is a time to talk to your kids about drugs. But how do you answer the question, "Mommy, did you ever smoke grass?" Friday is a big day for bong hits. April 20 - "4/20" in stoner code - has long been considered an unofficial holiday among marijuana users. It's a day to gather and chant "Free the weed" and write representatives calling for the decriminalization of pot. The phrase "420 friendly" is slang for marijuana use. [continues 619 words]
Prohibition Has Failed,Veterans Of Ongoing War Against Dope Use Claim Some former law enforcement officials in Canada and the United States who have spent years fighting the ongoing war on drugs say it's a losing battle. Their views about how prohibition has failed to make a dent in the drug supply while millions of dollars continue to be wasted on criminalizing recreational drug users are told in the National Film Board documentary, Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey. It premiers in Victoria tomorrow, followed by a showing in Vancouver on Sunday, before airing on Global TV on April 28. [continues 284 words]
A Vancouver firefighter was arrested Thursday for operating a marijuana grow-op at his North Delta home, the Optimist has learned. Considered a mid-sized operation, Delta police seized 380 plants with a street value of $140,000. Const. Sharlene Brooks neither confirmed nor denied what the 44-year-old man did for a living, but the Optimist was able to confirm through reliable sources and nearby residents that the man arrested Thursday morning is a Vancouver firefighter. Brooks said police are unable to identify the individual because charges have not yet been laid. That is expected to happen sometime next week, at which time police will be able to release the suspect's name. [continues 597 words]
A decade ago, downtown security patrols were unheard of in the Okanagan. Police provided enough of a presence to give people a sense of safety and security, but times have changed. Okanagan communities were smaller then, but today, private security is a fact of life in a growing city. That growth incubates crime and a perception that the streets are not as safe as they once were. To deter crime and give people a greater sense of security, two Okanagan cities have turned to safety patrols that roam the streets, helping when needed and keeping an eye on known hot spots. [continues 1104 words]
If your car gets broken into, chances are the person who smashed your window and ripped you off has done it before. Chances are they've done it many, many times before. According to the provincial government's working group on street crime, the addict who smashed up your car could easily have done the same to 19 other cars that same day. And your thief will keep on breaking into cars every single day until he gets caught. When he's caught, he'll get hauled into court. He'll probably be released with a promise to appear another day. The judge will attach conditions. He might be required to get drug treatment or see someone about his mental illness. [continues 379 words]
Matsqui Institution, a medium security jail for men in Abbotsford, has been locked down since Monday. "We are anticipating a return to routine operations [today]," said assistant warden Randie Scott. Scott said the lock down at Matsqui was initiated to allow a wide-scale of the premises after staff uncovered stashes of home-made weapons, drugs and debt sheets. We also came across inmates displaying intimidating behaviour to other inmates, Scott said. He said the search and lock down were not measures the institution undertook lightly, and were only instigated if circumstances merit it. [continues 94 words]
HEALTH / GaMMa Partners Launch New Programs Tackling the problem of crystal methamphetamine use among gay men in Vancouver has taken a step forward with the recent introduction of several programs to help users, ex-users and those close to them cope with the effects of the drug on their lives. The programs, including peer discussion groups, an intensive treatment program and a support group for Aboriginal two-spirit people, were among the topics of discussion at a Mar 30 community forum for the Gay Men's Methamphetamine (GaMMa) working group held at the False Creek Community Centre. [continues 693 words]
