The suspected drug deaths of eight people in Greater Victoria last December brought to our doorstep an alarming new trend. It's believed at least one of these fatalities was caused by street cocktails that included the painkiller fentanyl. The past few years have seen a growing trade in prescription narcotics such as oxycontin and fentanyl. And experts in the field believed, until recently, that the most prominent source of these drugs was either overprescribing by physicians or black-market imports from China. [continues 548 words]
This week, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick unveiled a plan to tackle the city's heroin epidemic. It's a plan modeled after strategies employed in certain parts of the world, but yet to be implemented in the United States: Give heroin users a safe place to shoot up that's monitored by medical professionals. According to what the mayor has said in various media reports, these centers have seen their fair share of overdoses, but have yet to result in a death. [continues 800 words]
Geography of State May Prove Challenging for Marijuana Industry HONOLULU - With less than five months to go before medical marijuana dispensaries can open in Hawaii, business owners could be facing unique obstacles in a state of islands separated by federal waters. Dispensaries can open as soon as July 15, but industry experts say they could be confronted with challenges unlike those in other states, such as navigating rules that ban inter-island transport and limit the number of growers - all of which could cause marijuana shortages. A lack of labs to test the crop presents another challenge for state lawmakers. [continues 562 words]
TOWANDA - While Bradford County is experiencing a heroin epidemic, there aren't any treatment facilities for addicts in the county and the ones elsewhere in the region are full, officials said. Speaking at the Bradford County commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Bradford County Coroner Thomas Carman said the region's drug rehab facilities, which are located outside the county, "are full," so getting a local addict into a rehab facility "is a challenge." "There are so many people who need treatment, but we don't have enough facilities for them," the coroner said. [continues 747 words]
WILKES-BARRE - It's not a soft spot in their heart that has city officials pushing to decriminalize a minor drug offense, but rather a soft spot in their wallet. Mayor Tony George and his administration aim to reduce possession of drug paraphernalia from a misdemeanor criminal offense to a summary offense so the city could boost its coffers with the money collected through city-issued citations. City council at its regular meeting Thursday unanimously approved the first of two readings of the motion to amend Wilkes-Barre's ordinance. The maximum penalty for a summary conviction is a $300 fine. Defaulting on the payment could land an offender in Luzerne County Correctional Facility for up to 90 days. [continues 591 words]
35 Licensed Nonprofits Will Be Made Public The names of New Mexico nonprofits licensed to grow and sell medical marijuana will be identified publicly on the state Department of Health's website today for the first time since lawmakers approved the cannabis program in 2007. The names of all 35 licensed nonprofit producers will be posted at nmhealth.org, together with addresses of those with active dispensaries, agency spokesman Kenny Vigil said. The agency will also honor requests from the public to view records submitted by producers, including applications and other records, Vigil said. [continues 239 words]
Andrew Follett Introduces 'Cannagenix' Line of Hemp Foods With Plans to Grow His Own Andrew Follett is like many entrepreneurs in the area: young, energetic, with a burning desire to talk about his newest venture. But unlike those who have created the latest app or video game, Follett has a public relations hurdle to clear before his startup can become a success. That's because Follett Health Solutions LLC sells the "highest quality hemp foods and ingredients, to retail, food service, bulk customer, as well as end consumer product manufactures." [continues 342 words]
A leading Canberra doctor behind a plan to roll out a private pill testing trial at music festivals believes it could persuade up to 60 per cent of people who use the service not to take potentially dangerous drugs. Fairfax Media revealed on Sunday that Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president Dr Alex Wodak and Canberra physician Dr David Caldicott planned to run the trial at Sydney music festivals without police or state government approval, potentially breaking the law. The controversial service, which would allow festival-goers to submit their drugs for testing at music venues would "save people's lives", Dr Caldicott told The Canberra Times. [continues 426 words]
With Pot Legal in Colorado, High Times Might Give Pause to Visiting Families From page 38 Chicago-based travel agent and mother of four Lynn Farrell represents a kind of worst-case scenario for Colorado's ski towns and resorts. JACK AFFLECK, VAIL RESORTS "Who really wants to ski where everybody is stoned?" asks Farrell, president of Windy City Travel. "It is a concern." It's the second full ski season since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana sales, and the cannabis culture - or at the very least, concerns about the cannabis culture - remains very much top of mind for many out-of-state visitors. Talk to East Coasters, particularly, and you hear worries about pot smokers lighting up in the lift lines or filling gondola cars with pungent smoke, an image at odds with Colorado's carefully crafted and otherwise well-deserved image as a clean-living destination for families. [continues 786 words]
