'There's A Big Stigma' WINDSOR, Ont. -- Hugh calls it the "Cheech and Chong hurdle:" even though the marijuana plants in his basement are legal, he's stuck sneaking around like a teenager with a joint. "Anybody that has their card, they don't want that to be public knowledge. Would you? There's a big stigma," said Hugh, who asked to be identified only by his middle name out of fear of a break in. "I hold my cards close to my chest. I don't tell anybody." [continues 1230 words]
Harsh federal sentencing policies are propelling the country back to a time of massive prison overcrowding and riots, according to a senior Department of Justice adviser who recently retired, David Daubney. With a government omnibus crime bill on the verge of becoming law, Mr. Daubney said he felt compelled to issue a warning that federal priorities threaten to undo decades of correctional research and reform. "Overcrowding is already severe at both the federal and provincial levels," Mr. Daubney said in an interview. "It's going to get tougher, and prisons will be more violent places. We may go back to the era of riots in prisons. I'm afraid it is going to get worse before it gets any better." [continues 586 words]
Canada's corrections watchdog is giving up on his push for needle-exchange sites in prisons, saying the government isn't interested in the evidence supporting the program and is focused on its own zero-tolerance strategy. Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers said several Canadian studies have suggested the program would help reduce the spread of infectious diseases in prisons. But he said he's now looking for alternative ways to improve prisoners' health. "The government has made it clear that they will not be introducing any prison-based needle exchanges in Canadian penitentiaries," Mr. Sapers said Tuesday, following a parliamentary committee meeting about drugs in prisons. "At some point, you move on." [continues 305 words]
I once spoke to an RCMP officer who works with teenagers, and she rolled her eyes and described the stupid arguments that she hears about pot. "Hey dude," they say, with that classic glassy stoner gaze, "it's a herb, it grows in the ground, how can it be bad for you?" I laughed in sympathy. It is without a doubt the stupidest argument ever given by giggling pro-pot advocates. If anything that grows in the ground is good for you, why aren't stoners also scarfing down deadly nightshade or fistfuls of poisonous mushrooms? For that matter, why not swallow horse chestnuts? [continues 507 words]
Re: "City stance on prisons is illogical," Opinion, Dec. 3. Good for Mayor Stephen Mandel for standing up to the Harper government's parliamentary dictatorship and refusing to build more prison cells in Edmonton. This may be seen as a NIMBY approach, but it is, more importantly, a statement against Harper's relentless drive to incarcerate a higher number of Canadians, even at a time when the crime rate has been steadily declining. It's not enough for men such as Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to proclaim "we don't govern based on statistics," nor for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to return gun lobby favours by treating Sturm, Ruger rifles like they were duck-hunting guns. Tough on crime, soft on guns makes no more sense than a new war on soft drugs. Toronto, Ont. [end]
Dear Editor, In reality, the argument [Argument Weak, Dec. 1 Letters, TIMES] to continue caging responsible adults for using the relatively safe plant cannabis [marijuana] is what's weak. The list of reasons to legalize and regulate cannabis is growing faster than the plant itself. Does [letter writer] Richard Whalen even realize he's admitting a desire to cage humans for using what God says is good on the very first page of the Bible? Stan White, Dillon, Colo. [end]
In my relatively brief time as a Member of Parliament I have observed that when there is a lack of information that void is filled very quickly with misinformation. Case in point is Bill C-10, otherwise known as the omnibus crime bill. Some would have you believe that the intent of this bill is solely about incarcerating anyone and everyone convicted of committing a crime, regardless of the severity, and essentially throwing away the key. I believe it is important to talk about the types of serious crime that are actually being targeted in Bill C-10. [continues 535 words]
Should a Regina man be forced to forfeit a $7,500 truck if it was used in a $60 drug deal? The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal is wrestling with that issue as it mulls over the first legal challenge to the Saskatchewan Seizure of Criminal Property Act. The law, which took effect July 1, 2009, was created with the goal of seizing property and cash from illegal activities and using the proceeds to fund victims programs and policing operations. Since then, the province has collected about $502,000 in cash and property. Most people just hand over the goods without a fight, but David Wayne Mihalyko was the first to actually legally fend off the application. [continues 594 words]
Two intriguing stories surfaced recently, at first blush, seemingly unrelated, but on reflection maybe offering some semblance of connection. The first dealt with a news release from former Vancouver mayors, Philip Owen, Larry Campbell, Mike Harcourt and Sam Sullivan who called for the legalization of marijuana. Philip Owen expanded on the proposal saying, "It's time politicians listened to their constituents and woke up to the possible benefits of a new legalization, regulation and taxation regime." Sam Sullivan said, "It is unconscionable, unacceptable and unreasonable that the criminal element in B.C. is allowed to grow and thrive due to the inaction on the part of the politicians." [continues 652 words]
I once spoke to an RCMP officer who works with teenagers, and she rolled her eyes and described the stupid arguments that she hears about pot. "Hey dude," they say, with that classic glassy stoner gaze, "it's an herb, it grows in the ground, how can it be bad for you?" I laughed in sympathy. It is without a doubt the stupidest argument ever given by giggling pro-pot advocates. If anything that grows in the ground is good for you, why aren't stoners also scarfing down deadly nightshade or fistfuls of poisonous mushrooms? For that matter, why not swallow horse chestnuts? [continues 493 words]
Dear Editor: Re: Corrigan for legal marijuana, Burnaby NOW, Dec. 2. Another reason to legalize and regulate the relatively safe plant cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned is because it is biblically correct since God indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1: 11-12 and 29-30). The only biblical restriction placed on cannabis is to accept it with thankfulness (1 Timothy 4: 1-5). God knows cannabis should never have been prohibited from the beginning. Stan White, Colorado [end]
Re: Push For Legalized Pot Just Dopey, Brian Hutchinson; Skiing In Nova Scotia? You'll Need A Helmet, both Dec. 7. Brian Hutchinson refers to marijuana as if it had never existed outside a criminalized context and offers no other solution than maintaining the status quo. According to some major global studies, cannabis does not contribute to social problems and in moderation, it has medicinal benefits for the individual. The push for legalized cannabis isn't so dopey. Ross Reynolds, Toronto. [end]
Re: Push For Legalized Pot Just Dopey, Brian Hutchinson; Skiing In Nova Scotia? You'll Need A Helmet, both Dec. 7. The juxtaposition of these stories was appropriate, as Brian Hutchinson and the province of Nova Scotia demonstrate the same fundamental view of the proper role of government. They both see governments as parents, who have a responsibility to protect their children from the consequences of their own actions. If instead one believes that government ought to concern itself only with the establishment, preservation and protection of an environment that allows each citizen to live his life according to his own values and judgments, then banning marijuana and forcing grown men and women to wear helmets on the ski slopes are equally absurd and wrong. Mark Wickens, Toronto [end]
The Harper government will protect marijuana trafficking. Such was the effect of the prime minister's response to leading public officials in British Columbia who declared support for decriminalization, regulation and even taxation of the marijuana industry. The Conservative Party government will not only protect marijuana traffickers whose profits derive from the risk of criminal sanctions, it will bolster trade in illegal weapons used to protect or else "'take out' marijuana industry competitors. Continued criminal sanctions are presently being beefed up to increase the criminal justice industry with its complement of police, courts, lawyers and, of course, jails. This burgeoning industry is funded with our taxes. [continues 131 words]
Re: "Proof is out there about harm from marijuana," (Alberni Valley Times, Dec. 5) Ms. Bruce is quick to cite studies, but I wonder if she read them. If she did then there's a lot that she missed, or chose to miss. In the Caspi et. al. study that she quoted, the study is quick and vehement when it states that marijuana is "not a major cause of schizophrenia" and adds that "a historical use in cannabis use would not necessarily produce an observable increase in the prevalence of psychosis." [continues 72 words]
We should decriminalize all drug usage, not just marijuana, by doing this we would over a period of time win the so-called war on drugs. It may take some time but it would work. You would have to do two things: educate our children from an early age, such as when they start playschool or even before that; the other would be that all drug users register so they can be treated by our health care system. It would be cheaper to do this than what we are doing now. The down side of doing this is the unemployment it would cause doctors, nurses, police, social workers, not necessarily a bad thing. And think about all the tax and medical benefits we would get if we were to do this. Frank O'Neill, Nanaimo [end]
Re: 'Proof is out there about harm from marijuana' (Daily News, Dec. 3) I accept the writer's contention that marijuana is harmful, but prohibiting it causes a lot more harm - criminal record for users, involvement of organized crime, huge taxpayer-funded costs, etc., etc. - than if the users and their suppliers were left in peace. Alan Randell, Victoria [end]
Re: 'Allen's no-show will cost $100K' (Daily News, Dec. 7) I say it's worth $100,000 for Donna Allen to make a stand against incoming school trustee Bill Bard since he did not disclose his criminal record for growing marijuana and receiving a one-year conditional sentence. Obviously, he thought this was negligible. I don't. This is not the kind of role model I want to see making decisions for school children. Despite the recent popular hankerings to see marijuana legalized, history has multiple examples to show that drug panaceas always have a negative side. Opium and cocaine were both legal up until about 100 years ago until it was found that the fun and happiness quotient also had the devastating downside of destroying lives. [continues 98 words]
Re: Push For Legalized Pot Just Dopey, Brian Hutchinson; Skiing In Nova Scotia? You'll Need A Helmet, both Dec. 7. If adults can control alcohol consumption there is no difference with marijuana, except that alcohol is more dangerous as it can kill you. Millions of Canadians prefer pot to alcohol, as it allows for harmless personal relaxation that releases enjoyment endorphins, like laughter. Relax; it's only pot. Jay Neilson, Petawawa, Ont. [end]
Inside Canada
