They were designed to empower citizens to take action against neighbourhood drug dens and bawdy houses. But laws passed in several provinces that allow officials to shutter homes and businesses suspected of regularly being used for illegal activity could come under fresh scrutiny. A Nova Scotia couple who were ordered out of their home after a judge found they were likely selling and using drugs on the property have appealed their eviction to that province's highest court, arguing the standard used to evict them was too low. [continues 301 words]
Re: "'Allen makes mockery of system by refusing seat' ( Daily News, Dec. 13) Donna Allen is "taking political action that is so desperately needed to invigorate our democracy" in the words of an NDN columnist by resigning her seat on the school board. Her action has had the effect of opening up the dialogue of how our culture will designate the use of marijuana for either recreational, and/or medicinal use and also for what age group marijuana use should be particularly discouraged, for health reasons, and also because of the danger of addiction. [continues 169 words]
Vycki Fleming is careful with her words when she talks about marijuana. She uses the term "medicating" when she refers to eating or smoking marijuana. She doesn't have a grow op at her house, she has a medicinal garden. It's deliberate and Fleming not only acknowledges it, but brings the subject up. It's one of the first steps she's taken to separate herself from potheads, criminals and owners of illegal marijuana growing operations. Taking steps away from all that starts with the language that you use, she explained. [continues 1068 words]
Provincial health officials are throwing their support behind a group of academics and justice experts advocating the legalization of marijuana. The Health Officers' Council of BC endorsed a report Thursday from the Stop the Violence BC coalition - an organization that includes doctors and four former Vancouver mayors. The report recommends dumping pot prohibition following the failure of anti-drug laws to curb the supply and use of marijuana while wasting millions in taxpayers' dollars. "Most people would agree the present regime hasn't been very successful at controlling use," said Dr. John Carsley, HOCBC spokesman. "What we're recommending is to look at cannabis and see what sort of regulations will reduce the negative health effects to the minimum." [continues 187 words]
Experts Say Enforcement Isn't Working, Violence Is Rising A group of B.C. health officials are throwing its weight behind the cause of marijuana legalization, arguing that the government's costly enforcement activities are making little difference. The Health Officers Council of B.C., which represents B.C.'s medical officers and other physicians, researchers and consultants, is endorsing a report being released today that suggests a direct link between the province's $7-billion illegal cannabis industry and the increase in gang-related homicides in B.C. from 1997 to 2009. [continues 608 words]
In B.C., several prominent political figures have called for the legalization of marijuana, arguing that criminalization has not reduced crime, violence or substance abuse. Last month, four former Vancouver mayors, Larry Campbell, Michael Harcourt, Sam Sullivan and Philip Owen, endorsed the Stop the Violence B.C. coalition and voiced their strong support for legalization and regulation. In an open letter to the provincial and municipal government, they stated that prohibition has only led to more gang-related violence and has increased costs for governments. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tweeted his support soon after, saying, "Good to see 4 Vancouver ex-mayors calling for end of cannabis prohibition. I agree, we need to be smart and tax/regulate." [continues 130 words]
Re: 'More study needed on effects of marijuana' (Daily News, Dec. 14) Madeline Bruce may be interested in one statistic regarding the God-given plant cannabis (marijuana). In over 5,000 years of documented medical use there hasn't been one single death directly related to cannabis use. That's safety on a Biblical scale. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Mission RCMP is warning both legal and criminal pot growers of an increasing number of violent robberies they believe are linked to an organized crime group. Cpl. Sharon Siluch said the number of "grow rips" is on the rise in Mission, with the robberies becoming increasingly violent. So far in 2011, 32 properties have been targeted, with violence being used in almost one third of the attacks. "We believe there is an organized criminal group targeting all types of marijuana grow ops in Mission. We're concerned because we've observed a growing level of violence during grow rips," Siluch said. [continues 292 words]
A call by a group of B.C. health officials to support the cause of marijuana legalization drew generally favourable reviews from Province readers, who say the so-called war on drugs has failed. With legalization, revenues to the government would increase, as opposed to the enforcement to eliminate it, which costs more money. The U.S. would probably be able to reduce their debt by billions, and Canada would also have new revenue coming in. Pot users would be happier, the government would be richer, with less debt. Legalize pot now. [continues 320 words]
A crowd of about 100 people turned out in Kelowna Wednesday night to voice their opposition to the federal government's omnibus crime bill. But it was not just the Conservative's plan to get tough on crime that came in for criticism. Kelowna-Lake Country Tory MP Ron Cannan -- a conspicuous no-show -- was also targeted by the clearly anti-crime bill crowd. Several audience members expressed anger that Cannan refused to show up to defend the government's plan, a bill that combines nine previously unsuccessful separate crime-related bills into one. The Tories could not get them passed through the House of Commons because it did not have a majority. [continues 507 words]
To the Editor, Re: Trustee's past not something to laugh off, Letters, Dec. 15. Madeline Bruce continues her recent pattern of using shoddy science and misunderstood claims to justify her beliefs. She cites Carol Falkowski, who claims 100,000 people a year seek treatment for cannabis addiction in the U.S. Leaving aside the fact that this assertion is not backed up by hard data and that Falkowski is a heavily biased source, what Bruce fails to recognize is that in the U.S., the vast majority of all those seeking rehabilitation for "'marijuana addiction' are doing so for the sole reason that they have been brought to trial for possession of a small amount of the drug, wherein they are given the choice to go to jail and have a criminal record, or to declare they are "'addicted' and seek treatment. [continues 147 words]
A Supreme Court judge has said that Abbotsford Police exceeded their powers when they gathered evidence at the scene of a medical marijuana grow-op without a search warrant in February 2009. Justice Brian Joyce ruled at the end of a voir dire (trial within a trial) in Chilliwack Supreme Court on Monday that the evidence should be thrown out against Pencho Batanov of Abbotsford. He was due to go on trial Nov. 21 on charges of unlawful production of marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking, but the case was delayed by the voir dire. [continues 343 words]
To the Editor, Re: Marijuana prohibition a bizarre, expensive approach, Guest Comment, Dec. 17. Christopher Foulds is right, the crime bill treats casual marijuana users with more force than it treats perverts. Meanwhile, Health Canada's proposed changes in conjunction with Bill C-10 clause, its amended clause 41 and its mandatory minimum penalties (the Safe Streets and Communities Act) will result in sick and dying Canadians who refuse to relinquish their Personal Production Licence and Designated Growers being targeted and jailed. [continues 60 words]
The majority of British Columbians believe alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, a new Angus Reid poll suggests. In an online survey among 800 British Columbian adults, 59 per cent of respondents disagreed that regular marijuana use is more harmful than regular alcohol use. The poll also found that 54 per cent of B.C. residents do not agree that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug, and 51 per cent say they don't believe that marijuana is a "gateway" drug that can lead to the use of other dangerous drugs such as heroin. [continues 214 words]
Increased funding for anti-marijuana law enforcement in both Canada and the United States has failed to decrease marijuana supply, potency and use, a new report suggests. The report entitled How Not to Protect Community Health and Safety: What the Government's Own Data Say About the Effects of Cannabis Prohibition, released by Stop the Violence BC, uses 20 years of data collected by the Canadian and U.S. governments. "It's an audit of the governments' own data and what it shows ... is that cannabis prohibition has been a spectacular failure, despite pretty astronomical increases in funding for anti-marijuana law enforcement," said Dr. Evan Wood, a physician and founder of Stop the Violence BC, a coalition of prominent police officers, health professionals, legal experts and academics. [continues 299 words]
Five local harm reduction centres have begun distributing crack pipes as part of a Vancouver Coastal Health pilot program announced in August. About 3,000 kits, consisting of a pipe, filter screens, alcohol swabs, mouth pieces and push sticks, are being assembled each month by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. The packages are then distributed to partner agencies. The kits are part of a harm-reduction strategy sponsored by VCH aimed at reducing the spread of disease among inhalation drug users. [continues 253 words]
Some B.C. medical health officials are advocating for the legalization of marijuana, arguing that the government's costly enforcement activities are making little difference. The Health Officers' Council of B.C., which represents B.C.'s medical health officers and other physicians, researchers and consultants, is endorsing a report being released today that suggests a direct link between the province's $7-billion illegal cannabis industry and the increase in gang-related homicides in B.C. from 1997 to 2009. [continues 323 words]
B.C. police engaged in a "serious misuse of their powers" when they extended an investigation of a suspected medical marijuana theft to search the home for signs of criminal activity, a B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled. Justice Brian Joyce said the Abbotsford police were justified in searching the home after suspecting a violent home invasion had occurred on Feb. 10, 2009. But they exceeded their limits, Joyce ruled, in obtaining a search warrant after a "rough count" of the medical marijuana plants inside indicated the grower was in violation of his licence. [continues 182 words]
Nanaimo's new medical health officer is supportive of a push to regulate marijuana distribution like tobacco, to reduce gang violence and to make the drug less accessible to young people. Stop the Violence Coalition B.C, says taxing pot would be better than the billions of dollars spent on enforcement. SVCBC created headlines in the fall when four former Vancouver mayors signed a letter favouring its position. The organization released a report today showing pot is cheaper, stronger and more widely available since prohibition, based on government's own statistics and an Angus-Reid public opinion poll showing wide support for decriminalization. [continues 192 words]
Inside Canada
