Eighteen-year-old Adam Greenblatt was lying in bed one morning when his mother burst into his room and demanded to know if he had any drugs. Greenblatt, who had been busted for possession while smoking up with some friends outside his high school in suburban Toronto, thought his mom was hassling him about pot again. But this time was different. Adam's father wanted to give marijuana a try, his mother said. Get out your dope, she told him. Michael Greenblatt, a dentist, had suffered from multiple sclerosis since his late 30s. The neurological condition left him with a twisted arm and unable to practise dentistry. [continues 940 words]
A Survivor of Incest and Abuse, Francois Found Relief in Marijuana. His Doctor and Psychiatrist Agree He Needs It. but He's Caught in A Grey Area and Can't Get It Legally It was a Thursday afternoon, June 3, 2010, and Francois was about to knock on the door of the Montreal marijuana compassion club when he saw a sign that made his heart race. Closed. By police. So he ran straight to the mountain to his old scoring grounds in search of a pot dealer. As he got closer, he heard someone whistle - a warning. [continues 1497 words]
Health Canada data shows just 120 Saskatchewan people applied to use marijuana medicinally in the six years after the agency allowed the exemption. After a protracted battle, the agency granted a Postmedia access to information request for records of Canadians who have applied to use the drug medicinally, including their age, gender, and approximately where they live, what condition they use the drug for, the specialty of the prescribing doctor, how much marijuana they are allowed to possess, and more. Postmedia is currently trying to gain access to the remainder of the database, which includes applications received between 2007 and 2011. [continues 1054 words]
Applicants Claiming Chronic Pain The federal government has seen a staggering increase in the number of requests for medical marijuana authorizations from applicants claiming they have severe arthritis to legally obtain the drug. Applications to Health Canada based on severe arthritis claims jumped 2,400 per cent between 2008 and 2010, far outstripping the number of claims for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases, an Ottawa Citizen analysis has found. The spike in arthritis claims was part of an overall rise in applications over the past three years, as more private clinics specializing in marijuana began referring patients to pot-friendly doctors willing to sign their forms. [continues 528 words]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper stumbled when he defended his government's policies on the legalization of marijuana. And his biggest fault may be in putting American concerns ahead of Canadian ones. Legalizing marijuana in Canada would "cause us a great deal of trouble at the border with the United States," he said in an interview with the Filipino Post. "I don't want to say they would seal the border. But I think it would inhibit our trade generally because they're certainly not going to make that move (legalizing marijuana) in the United States," he said. "I think as a cross-border phenomenon, this would cause Canada a lot of difficulty." [continues 464 words]
Numbers Reveal Sharp Disparities In Accessibility And Use Of Drug He is 47 years old and, chances are, he lives somewhere on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. Under Health Canada's medical marijuana program, he is approved to legally consume up to five grams a day of the pot he grows himself at home. Most likely, his general practitioner signed the forms he needed to get the drug. And on average, he is a "he" - men in the program outnumber women by about three to one. [continues 1302 words]
Ten Years After Canada First Introduced Regulations Governing The Use Of Medical Marijuana, The Conservative Government Is Bringing In Major Changes To The Program. But As Glen Mcgregor Writes, Health Canada's Proposals, As Well As The Tories' New Crime Legislation, Have Cast A Shadow Over The Future Of The Program - And The Patients Who Say The Drug Has Changed Their Lives Eighteen-year-old Adam Greenblatt was lying in bed one morning when his mother burst into his room and demanded to know if he had any drugs. [continues 2166 words]
Patients with other ailments may resort to citing severe arthritis on applications in effort to get medical marijuana more easily The federal government has seen a staggering increase in requests for medical marijuana authorizations from applicants claiming they have severe arthritis to legally obtain the drug. Applications to Health Canada based on severe arthritis jumped 2,400 per cent between 2008 and 2010, far outstripping the number of claims for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases, a Citizen analysis has found. [continues 1153 words]
Gina Rossi Released Her Memoir About Her Time Institutionalized in the '50s, '60s At 16, Gina Rossi's life would become a living nightmare, one that seems unthinkable today. At 69, the longtime Richmond resident has finally released her memoirs in a book titled, Disposable Minds, Expendable People. Rossi, a slight woman with short brown hair and beautifully expressive brown eyes, spoke to the News to share her amazing story of survival and triumph. Her manuscript tells the horrifying true story about how a teenage girl became a ward of the state and was subjected to years of experimental drugs, one sanctioned by our own government. That she is alive today to tell her story is a miracle, according to her husband Ralph Rossi. [continues 1338 words]
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]
'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]
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]
Sutter, Dietz Educated In Vancouver Darren Dietz and Lukas Sutter had a message for a group of students at Howard Coad Public School on Wednesday and it had nothing to do with hockey. The two Saskatoon Blades players made a presentation to about 45 students in grades 6, 7 and 8 about the impacts of drug abuse. The talk stemmed from a visit to Dietz and Sutter "" along with Brent Benson and Jake Trask "" made to Vancouver's East Hastings Street last month where they learned from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and interviewed recovering addicts, current addicts and prostitutes. [continues 732 words]
The Starphoenix recently reported that the war on drugs has claimed an astonishing 45,000-plus Mexican lives in recent years, rivalling conventional warfare deaths in countries such as Afghanistan. Undoubtedly most have been killed with U.s.-made guns, which are widespread in Mexico because illicit American arms are often traded for illegal drugs. The war on drugs has been a complete failure, failing to stop the proliferation of illicit substances globally and empowering international criminal and terrorist organizations. The vast majority of the world's heroin supply originates in Afghanistan, which is a recipe for disaster and cause for western intervention as long as an illicit market remains for the drug. Although Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has called for an end to the war on drugs, virtually no politicians or political parties in Canada or the United States share his position. Ottawa will spend billions on new prisons and law enforcement initiatives as a result of the new omnibus crime legislation. Yet all the money being spent on enforcement and prisons flies in the face of studies done by such diverse academic organizations such as the Cato Institute in the U.S., and public groups such as the Senate special committee on illegal drugs, which in 2002 called for a rethinking of Canada's drug policy. More public figures should be advocating for regulation and taxation of drugs. It's a far better alternative to policies that have made the illegal drug trade one of the world's most profitable and vicious industries. Nathan Holowaty Saskatoon [end]
To the Editor, Re: Trustee resigns to battle for record checks, Dec. 3. 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. 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. [continues 62 words]
Despite four former mayors of Vancouver and the current one, all calling for the decriminalization of marijuana, Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney isn't impressed. Sam Sullivan, Larry Campbell, Mike Harcourt and Philip Owen all called for the legalization of marijuana in a joint statement recently, citing growing gang violence related to the drug's prohibition. They were later joined in the call by current mayor Gregor Robertson. In their letter, the quartet of former mayors said marijuana prohibition "is creating violent, gang-related crime in our communities and fear among our citizens, and adding financial costs for all levels of government at a time when we can least afford them," the letter said. "Politicians cannot ignore the status quo any longer, and must develop and deliver alternative marijuana policies that avoid the social and criminal harms that stem directly from cannabis prohibition." [continues 71 words]
Re: Canadians want crime crackdown, by Rob Nicholson, Dec. 2. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson's letter is nothing more than another example of the Harper Conservatives pandering to base human instincts. The Safe Streets and Communities Act is an ideologically based omnibus bill that flies in the face of current statistics. The minister's letter is disingenuous at best. The bill before the house and passed because of the Conservative majority does not differentiate between the accused who is mentally challenged and those who are not. The proposed legislation has the potential to create hardened criminals out of young people who make the common mistake of experimenting with marijuana. [continues 153 words]
When parents and educators preach to teens about the perils of drug abuse it often fosters curiosity. Armed with this information, seven Vancouver Police Department officers developed a program 14 years ago that exposes teens to the raw side of drug addiction by immersing them on the streets of the Downtown Eastside for an afternoon. The intent is that students will then report their experience to classmates and peers. VPD Const. David Steverding is a member of the volunteer-run Odd Squad Productions Society that runs the program. His niece attends Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in North Vancouver. This fall, Steverding approached the school's administration to gauge their interest in participating in a pilot project for North Shore schools. They bit. [continues 567 words]
Re: 'Proof is out there about harm from marijuana' (Daily News, Dec. 3) Ms. Bruce's letter is somewhat disingenuous. I wonder whether she actually read the research papers she cites and whether she understands the implications of them. In their study, Caspi et al specifically state cannabis is "not a major cause of schizophrenia" and that "a historical rise in cannabis use would not necessarily produce an observable increase in the prevalence of psychosis." The study does say that cannabis "might be associated with earlier onset of psychotic disorders" and thus "policy should discourage adolescents' access to cannabis." Ferguson and Boden similarly extrapolate that limiting youth access plays a role in overall societal success later in life. [continues 163 words]
The writer of the letter about being convinced about legalizing marijuana really does not understand what is really necessary to grow good bud. Marijuana can be cultivated very well without using large amounts of electricity or producing mould in the house. It is only those that are producing large amounts of marijuana for illegal sale that have those problems. If the marijuana was legalized, us seniors could grow a few plants for our own use and sell the excess to make a little extra cash on the side to subsidize our shrinking pensions. By legalizing marijuana, people would be able to grow their own without fear of the law and those resources, now used to chase and prosecute the law breakers, could be used for better protection of the citizens of the country. Kamloops [end]
33-year-old Hodson was threatened before A former Vancouver police officer convicted of dealing marijuana was stabbed in the neck at an Abbotsford prison on Monday night. Peter Hodson, 33, who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and three counts of breach of trust, was sentenced to three years in federal prison in September. Hodson's lawyer Vince Michaels said another inmate stabbed his client in the neck with a piece of glass. Michaels said Hodson is in stable condition in a penitentiary hospital following surgery at Royal Columbian Hospital. [continues 317 words]
Holdout School Trustee Skipped Swearing-In Jamie Brennan, the newly elected chairman of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district board of trustees, believes personal feelings concerning incoming trustee Bill Bard are behind a high-profile incumbent's refusal to be sworn in. Donna Allen received 7,405 votes to finish in the middle of the pack of trustees during the Nov. 19 civic election but she did not show up to be sworn in Monday at the district's administrative office on Wakesiah Avenue. [continues 407 words]
Apparently, the most important issue for school trustee-elect Donna Allen is ensuring that all school board candidates undergo criminal record checks. It's so important to her, in fact, that she's refusing to be sworn in as a trustee unless the province changes the rules on this. Allen's action seem to be a rather cynical stunt in an attempt to get her own way. And it's pricy one. A byelection to replace her will cost taxpayers about $100,000. [continues 556 words]
What is it about Vancouver and its determination to make pot smoking a regular activity, like drinking coffee? This is a city where construction workers are occasionally seen standing in circles, sharing a morning toke. Nothing like getting ripped before setting to work on a dangerous building site. Such as the one two blocks from the office tower where I work. But hey, it's just grass. Just ask the four former Vancouver mayors who waded into matters well beyond any local jurisdiction, penning an open letter last month that demanded the end of marijuana prohibition in Canada. [continues 548 words]
The new Canada-U.S. border agreement to be formally unveiled Wednesday will include, among other measures, enhanced tracking procedures for persons entering or leaving the country by air, land or sea. It is bound to be denounced in some quarters here =96 and already has been as reports of the negotiations emerged =96 as a sellout of Canadian sovereignty and an un-Canadian infringement on privacy rights for the sake of easing access to U.S. markets, even though in that respect it offers some commendable provisions. [continues 459 words]
Over 500 New Prison Spaces Slated for Manitoba As the federal government's bill C-10, aka the Safe Streets and Communities Act, is poised to make its way to the Senate, opposition of the omnibus crime bill shows no sign of slowing down. The bill is currently in its third and final reading in the House of Commons, before going to a final vote on Monday. On Nov. 25, Justin Pich=E9, an assistant professor of sociology at Memorial University, gave a lecture at the U of M via Skype titled =93Building Our Way Towards Safer Communities? Prison Capacity Expansion and the Need for an Alternative Approach.=94 [continues 802 words]
An Upper Hainesville man has lost his appeal of a marijuana-possession conviction after a Court of Queen's Bench judge rejected his argument he had a valid medical letter of support to have and use the drug. Todd Terrance LeClair was found guilty late last year of an Oct. 19, 2009, charge of possession of marijuana. The charge arose after police executed a search warrant at his home and found 215 grams of bud marijuana and 1,300 grams of low-quality pot, or "shake." [continues 326 words]
Re: the editorial Mr. Harper's marijuana pipe dream (Dec. 2). There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard- and soft-drug markets is critical. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. [continues 78 words]
There can be no illusion about the enormous costs of the Harper government's tough-on-crime agenda -- locking more people up for longer periods will add tens of millions of dollars more every year to the tab. Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, in fact, has estimated all the government's new measures combined, including the elimination of double credit for pre-sentence jail time, will cost billions more annually. Attorney General Andrew Swan's demand now for more cash from Ottawa to share the cost of legal aid that will rise when the federal omnibus crime bill is passed is a sign of poor strategy. Manitoba's NDP government has been leading the charge for many of the amendments that will get tougher on criminals. Negotiating costs ought to have been part of the lobby early. [continues 261 words]
I respond to John Noakes who wrote a thoughtful, inquiring letter (published Nov. 28), regarding harms from marijuana grow-ops in residential neighbourhoods. There are two types of grow-ops; mom and pop operations to supply the growers and perhaps to share with a few friends, and commercial grow-ops designed to extract maximum dollars from the black market. The house Mr. Noakes described which blighted the area was no doubt the latter type. Let us imagine how legalization might change this; the best simile is beer. There are huge commercial breweries which mass produce a fairly good product which satisfies most drinkers, some micro or cottage breweries which produce specialty beers, and there are home brewers who brew for their own consumption and to share with a few friends. [continues 342 words]
Nov. 28 I was greeted by a page of letters in the Vancouver Sun concerning marijuana prohibition plus a letter here by John Noakes questioning legalization as it pertains to grow ops degrading houses and neighbourhoods. This is a very real worry. Grow op houses tend to develop unhealthy mould that is difficult and sometimes impossible to eradicate. Being illegal, they attract unsavoury types, and overloaded electrical circuits increase fire hazards. However, with legalization, the growing of marijuana would swiftly move outdoors for the simple reason that it is much cheaper than burning megawatts of electricity and it produces better pot. Marijuana would simply become an agricultural crop. Westwold [end]
Re: "Drawn-out cocaine case ends with 10-year sentence," Nov. 26. Judge Paul Dohm imposed a sentence, in his words, "on the higher end of the range." According to the Criminal Code, the high end of the scale is "life in prison" for importing or trafficking in cocaine. A life sentence in Canada is 25 years, which to me appears to be only a half life, but it might be a deterrent to drug dealers if it was imposed. Ajitpal Singh Sekhon will be out in much less than 10 years. I will gladly pay more taxes to see him and his ilk locked up for life. Ted Cameron Colwood [end]
Inside Canada
