VANCOUVER; VICTORIA -- The RCMP raided two ministerial offices in the B.C. Legislature as a result of information gathered during a 20-month investigation into massive drug deals involving an exchange of B.C. marijuana for U.S. cocaine, police say. The Mounties and Victoria police arrested nine people earlier this month who were alleged to be part of an organized-crime ring dealing in drugs, RCMP Sergeant John Ward said yesterday. Three were from Toronto and the rest were from Vancouver and Victoria. [continues 469 words]
Calgary Cops Seized More Than $45-Million in Weed This was the Year of the Ram to some but to police in the Calgary area, 2003 was the year of the marijuana grow operation. The Calgary Police Service seized more than $45 million in weed this year -- nearly 40,000 plants -- in 110 raids. Like their peers in communities across Canada, cops here have noticed a marked increase in the number of indoor grow operations. In 2001, Calgary cops seized $9 million worth of marijuana from pot farmers and that amount doubled in 2002. [continues 306 words]
Re: last week's Supreme Court decision on cannabis (Gazette, Dec. 24, "Puffers' high hopes go up in smoke"). What we are talking about here is the moral code of the Canadian people. Civilizations of the past perished because they did not adjust their moral codes and legal systems to the requirements of a market economy. Patents, prescription rights and drug prohibition are political interventions in the drug market. The social order is doomed as long as politicians, for whatever reason, want to pretend drugs are anything other than a mixture of chemicals found on the periodic table. [continues 163 words]
B.C. Legislature Raid Came After Evidence Turned Up in Drug Probe: Police VANCOUVER (CP) -- One of the men connected to a weekend police raid on the legislature offices of two B.C. cabinet ministers said Monday he's done nothing wrong and expects to be exonerated David Basi, ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins, said in a statement released by his lawyer that he was told by the RCMP that he "was not being arrested or charged at this time." "He has co-operated fully with the police search," the statement said [continues 459 words]
Ed's a handsome, articulate, forceful guy in his mid-40s, with neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair and a moustache and deep hazel eyes. And from the outside, Ed's life looked like the quintessential Alberta success story. Only the discreet "CA" pin on the label of his leather coat hints that his story has an unexpected twist. A bright kid from a small town north of Edmonton, Ed disliked school and school work. So he dropped out of high school and went to work on drilling rigs in the Beaufort Sea. [continues 1168 words]
Early in the movie Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's very dark 1994 comedy, John Travolta, playing the slow-witted hit-man Vincent Vega, offers a wonderfully ambiguous interpretation of Dutch soft-drug law that Paul Martin should commit to memory. Asked about smoking dope in Amsterdam's famous hash cafes, Vega tells his fellow thug, "It's legal, but it ain't 100 per cent legal." Fast-forward to the threshold of 2004 and Travolta could just as easily be talking about the ambiguity, if not the detail, of Canada's enlightened, but not 100 per cent enlightened, approach to the recreational use of the devil's weed. [continues 702 words]
When Police Investigations Lead to Seat of Government We Should Worry The authorities have been warning for years about the pervasive nature of organized crime in this province. If the official suspicions that lie behind the eye-blinking police raids on the B.C. legislature turn out to be well-founded, then maybe they are right. Maybe this province is going rotten. Maybe the drug trade has corrupted us from the bottom almost to the top. Authorities were still being circumspect Monday after 20 officers marched in and scooped documents and hard drives from the offices of two cabinet ministers' aides. The raid apparently stems from a drug investigation that started here about 20 months ago, grew into an organized crime investigation that reaches at least as far as Toronto, and then somehow morphed into a commercial crime probe. [continues 763 words]
We Are Developing Unique Set Of Values Scott Brison is not Canada's newsmaker of the year. But in ways he never intended, the young, bright and gay Nova Scotia MP provides the perfect bookends for a remarkable period in federal politics. In the first month of 2003, Brison announced he would contest the Progressive Conservative leadership, a contest eventually won in the heat of controversy by the also young Peter MacKay. In the year's last month, the country's oldest political party died, a victim of ennui as well as a merger that feels like a takeover, and Brison is now a Liberal as well as the parliamentary secretary responsible for U.S. relations in Paul Martin's government. [continues 1492 words]
Supreme Court Ruled Ottawa Can Criminalize Marijuana, Now It's Up To The Prime Minister To Choose Canada's Path Thanks to the Supreme Court of Canada's recent decision, the legal uncertainty surrounding Canada's marijuana laws has been resolved. Now it's up to Prime Minister Paul Martin and his government to similarly resolve the political uncertainty around the laws. In a 6-3 decision, the court said "there is no free-standing constitutional right to smoke 'pot' for recreational purposes," in response to the arguments advanced by the appellants, Vancouver "pot activist" David Malmo-Levine, Victoria web-page designer Christopher Clay, and Langley's Victor Caine. The court also unanimously upheld the law prohibiting marijuana trafficking. [continues 623 words]
VICTORIA - The B.C. Liberals insist their ability to govern will not be compromised by the weekend police raid that reached into the upper echelon of their administration. "There has been nothing to date that has been brought to my attention that suggests there is anything that has compromised any decision by government," declared Premier Gordon Campbell, even as he authorized the firing of an important political appointee. "It has nothing to do with anything that would relate to my role," chorused Finance Minister Gary Collins, even as his key aide was forced to walk the plank. [continues 628 words]
VANCOUVER -- One of the men connected to a weekend police raid on the legislature offices of two B.C. cabinet ministers said yesterday he's done nothing wrong and expects to be exonerated. David Basi, ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins, said in a statement released by his lawyer he was told by RCMP he "was not being arrested or charged at this time." "He has co-operated fully with the police search," the statement said. Basi, who was fired yesterday, made the statement a day after police raided the offices of Collins and Transportation Minister Judith Reid, seizing boxes of files. [continues 421 words]
VICTORIA -- Cocaine and marijuana are behind the dramatic weekend raid of two ministerial offices in the legislature, Victoria police Chief Paul Battershill said yesterday. He confirmed the detail without elaboration a day after police raided the offices of Finance Minister Gary Collins and Transportation Minister Judith Reid and carted away 30 boxes of documents and other material. Police have said the ministers are not the targets of the probe into organized and commercial crime. It is focused on staff in their offices -- Collins' assistant David Basi and Reid's assistant Bob Virk. [continues 419 words]
Cabinet Ministers' Aides Targeted VANCOUVER -- Police raided the offices of two cabinet ministers after an organized-crime investigation turned up information of potential wrongdoing, RCMP said yesterday. Sgt. John Ward told a news conference police raided the legislature offices of B.C. Finance Minister Gary Collins and Transportation Minister Judith Reid on Sunday. Ward said the raid was based on information related to an organized-crime drug case, as well as unrelated information discovered as a byproduct of the 20-month drug probe that resulted in the arrests last week of nine people. [continues 220 words]
Subjects In B.C. Probe Touted For Posts In New PM's Government, Sources Say OTTAWA; VANCOUVER -- The central figures in Sunday's RCMP raid on the offices of two senior B.C. cabinet ministers were being touted for top Ottawa jobs in Paul Martin's new government, sources say. David Basi and Bob Virk, the two ministerial assistants who are of interest to the RCMP, were organizers in British Columbia's Indo-Canadian community for Mr. Martin's successful leadership bid. [continues 817 words]
Police investigating organized crime connections in the sale of B.C. marijuana say they came across a trail of other crimes Chad Skelton, Lori Culbert Jim Beatty and Kim Bolan Vancouver Sun What began 20 months ago as a joint RCMP-Victoria police investigation into the sale of B.C. marijuana in the U.S. has ballooned into a massive police probe that reaches into the highest ranks of the provincial Liberal party. While police remained tight-lipped Monday about what led to their dramatic search Sunday of two offices at the B.C. legislature, details are slowly beginning to emerge about an investigation that has already involved some of the biggest names in provincial and federal politics, including the husband of Deputy Premier Christy Clark, two top political lobbyists, and the aides of two of B.C.'s most powerful cabinet ministers. [continues 1470 words]
Michael Quick says he fell in love with the highly addictive drug methamphetamine the first time he smoked it. "I felt like I was on top of the world. I didn't have a care," said the Red Deer man in an interview from the Grande Cache minimum-security prison. The nine-month affair took over his life. Quick spent days and nights devising criminal schemes to pay for his next high. Methamphetamine, a stimulant also known as speed and crystal meth, kept him awake for days on end and decreased his appetite. [continues 593 words]
A powerful street drug is turning Central Albertans into thieves and contributing to a higher crime rate, say experts. Methamphetamine, also known as meth, crystal and speed, put its grip on an increasing number of Red Deer and area residents in the past year. AADAC counsellor Tom Smith said people battling addictions to the drug now make up about one-quarter of his caseload at the Red Deer AADAC office. The number seen by Smith has surpassed crack cocaine users to become the second most common after alcoholics. [continues 724 words]
Provincial legislature: Organized-crime investigation led to searches at offices of ministerial assistants VANCOUVER - A police raid of the offices of two ministerial assistants at the B.C. legislature on Sunday came after a drug trade investigation turned up evidence of other possible crimes, RCMP said yesterday. RCMP spokesman Sergeant John Ward said the 20-month drug probe was set up to investigate how organized crime was involved in selling B.C.-grown marijuana in the United States in exchange for cocaine, which was then sold on Canadian streets. [continues 534 words]
SHOULD YOU DO DRUGS? Not all use is intrinsically bad Some experimentation considered 'developmentally normal' Two things were certain for anyone who grew up in the Eighties: 1) If you experimented with sex, you'd end up with AIDS, and 2) if you experimented with drugs, you'd end up covered in scabs in an east end-crack house, soliciting $5 tricks for junk cut with rat poison. As part of my elementary school anti-drug conditioning, I also learned that the current strains of marijuana were "X times more potent" than what our parents may have smoked. [continues 1072 words]
Corruption Probe In 'Final Phase' Charges are imminent against an unspecified number of former Toronto Police drug squad officers accused of criminal conduct, court documents reveal. In an affidavit filed last week in an Ontario Court of Appeal case that freed alleged drug dealer Kai Sum (Simon) Yeung 30 months ago, RCMP Chief Supt. John Neily asked that court records in the Yeung case be sealed for another month or "upon the laying of criminal charges." Neily, who heads a 25-member Toronto Police internal affairs task force probing allegations of corruption in the now-disbanded drug squad, said his probe has reached its "final phase." [continues 233 words]
As a young person growing up today, I would like to talk about the issue of legalizing marijuana. I think that it should be legalized, because alcohol and tobacco products are legal. Alcohol can kill you so much faster and can cause more problems with friends and family than marijuana can. I, as a student, think that marijuana should be legalized because it is not as bad as alcohol and tobacco products, and it can be used for medical purposes. Ashley Hiltz, Tatamagouche [end]
Re: Highest court backs pot law I cannot fathom the thought processes of the person in government who thought taking up the time of an MP, his or her staff, a committee and Parliament's time with debates and votes and court challenges on whether marijuana, should be legalized, in some incoherent way, was worth spending the taxpayers' dollars on. Did this mindless person think that it would not cost the taxpayer any money and that it would look like the government was doing something of real value ? The controversy over this drug, whether it is addictive or not, will go on for many more years. Until science can determine these factors, unequivocally, government should not waste any more taxpayer dollars on the subject. Geraldine Scully, Whitby [end]
With last week's Supreme Court of Canada ruling, the marijuana debate is once again in full flower. In a 6-3 decision, the high court upheld current federal pot laws, concluding Ottawa has a right to declare marijuana possession is a crime. And if the government, in its wisdom, decides in future to declare possessing small amounts of marijuana is not a crime? That's fine, too. "Equally, it is open to Parliament to decriminalize or otherwise modify any aspect of the marijuana laws that it no longer considers to be good public policy," says the judgment. [continues 192 words]
MLA LeRoy Johnson has been named chairman of the Alberta Research Council (ARC) and vice-chairman of the Alberta Science and Research Authority (ASRA) after chairing the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) for almost five years. But what did he do? Johnson said he's happy with the progress AADAC has made during his tenure, such as program delivery and his tobacco reduction strategy. Whoopee. In 1989 the provincial government recognized Wetaskiwin was in need of an actual treatment centre, but all City officials could do at the time was, at best, dream of an AADAC office. But nothing came. [continues 194 words]
Londoner Lynn Harichy, whose efforts helped to legalize medicinal marijuana use in Canada, died Christmas Day after a lengthy battle with multiple sclerosis. She was 42. As part of a national network of lobbyists, Harichy was a longtime crusader for the legalization of pot for medicinal uses. She once lit up a joint on the steps of London police station, an act that led to her arrest. Two years ago, following the efforts of pot crusaders like Harichy across Canada, the federal government eased the law on pot use for those suffering from serious illnesses. [continues 207 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada's decision Monday to uphold federal law prohibiting possession of marijuana was almost expected. The law is straightforward. If it is to be changed, then it is up to Parliament to do it. That is basically what the judges ruled. Three marijuana activists had argued that pot penalties violate constitutional guarantees of fundamental justice. The majority on the bench ruled that the ban on possession of even a small amount of weed does not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [continues 381 words]
RE "DOPE dream smoked - Court upholds pot possession law" (Dec. 24): Further to this "reefer madness," I wonder how Holland, another civilized country, is able to survive with its pot houses and other sinful pursuits without degenerating into total anarchy. Maybe the Dutch know something about maturity and understanding (as does a good portion of Europe), which seems to be lacking in Canada and the U.S. G. Christiansen Guelph (Maybe they do) [end]
A consistent 9 in 10 Canadians polled over the last two years, by a wide variety of polling firms, object to the current prohibition on cannabis. It's amazing that six out of nine Supreme Court justices are so out of touch with the Canadian public as to rule as they did recently. They were ruling on the constitutionality of smoking pot; whether it is the individual's right to consume this recreational drug. What the ruling says, in layman's terms, is that the government owns your body. That you do not have the right to make educated choices as to what you want to do with your own body. It seems that, according to these appointed judges, the notion of sovereignty does not extend to the individual. [continues 65 words]
Did I ever tell you about the time I impersonated a cop? Relax, sergeant - it was several years ago, in another provincial jurisdiction. I lived in the sticks at the time, the hour hand had long passed midnight and some Party-Hearties in a house down the road were making noise. I took it for an hour and a half and then I called the cops. A bored dispatcher informed me that, as it was the weekend and due to cutbacks, no police were actually on duty, but an officer could be summoned from a nearby jurisdiction 'in an extreme emergency'. [continues 598 words]
RE "DRUG MULES," (Dec. 17): For far too long now, prison in Canada has been like a country club. I for one am glad to hear life for these men is going like it is. I feel for their families, but to the mules I say suffer. The drugs they bring into Canada go to our kids and to the street punks that are too lazy to get a real job because they are so strung out. Maybe if Canada adopted some of the policies of the South Africa prisons, jail wouldn't be so appealing to the criminals here. I hope that one day the mules can return to Canada and get back the life they once had, but for now do the time, dumb ass. No pun intended .. S. Coombs (It's not exactly a winning career choice) [end]
Following a provincewide trend, Simcoe County has seen a huge spike in the number of indoor marijuana grow operations, says the unit commander of the Ontario Provincial Police's Huronia combined drug squad. This year, police busted 28 grow houses in the county, at least three of which were within Orillia city limits. "A few years ago indoor marijuana grow operations were uncommon," said Det. Sgt. Jamie Ciotka. "Before, you'd only find one or two a year." But the number of grow operations across Ontario has jumped by 250 per cent between 2000 and 2002, producing upward of $12.5 billion worth of plants during that time, says a new report by the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario. [continues 298 words]
Did I ever tell you about the time I impersonated a cop? Relax, sergeant - it was several years ago, in another provincial jurisdiction. I lived in the sticks at the time, the hour hand had long passed midnight and some Party-Hearties in a house down the road were making noise. Way too much noise. I took it for an hour and a half and then I called the cops. A bored dispatcher informed me that, as it was the weekend and due to budgetary cutbacks, no police were actually on duty, but an officer could be summoned from a nearby jurisdiction 'in an extreme emergency'. [continues 733 words]
Injection Facility Tries To Serve 5,000 Addicts. Treatment Programs At Risk, One Worker Says VANCOUVER--A woman comes flying down the street and pounds the doorbell at the city's safe injection site, her hands wringing and covered in scabs. The door doesn't open; the site is busy and she has to wait, but she can't. She moans and cries at a dealer for a flap of heroin and races back to the doorway of the shooting gallery, whips up her pant leg and jams the needle into her skin. [continues 974 words]
As marijuana activists vow to keep fighting to make the country a more friendly place to smoke, yesterday's Supreme COurt decision may be just the impetus the federal government needs to quietly drop the political hot potato. The country's highest court ruled 6-3 yesterday that it is constitutional to criminally charge and jail people for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Defence lawyers for three men charged with posession argued criminal penalties for minor drug offences are disproportionate and violate the guarantee of fundamental justice in [The] Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [continues 383 words]
Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect of the Supreme Court of Canada's 6-3 decision this week to uphold the laws prohibiting possession of marijuana is the reaction of John Walters, the United States' drug czar. Walters was positively abuzz with excitement upon learning that Canada's top court had decided against ruling that the possession law was unconstitutional. This is, of course, not new. When the federal Liberals had drafted a bill to decriminalize simple possession of pot, Martin Cauchon, then the justice minister, actually flew to Washington last spring to essentially obtain permission from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to liberalize marijuana laws here. [continues 350 words]
A Supreme Court of Canada decision upholding a federal law prohibiting possession of small amounts of marijuana doesn't faze Victor (Randy) Caine, the former South Surrey resident whose arrest 10 years ago in White Rock went all the way to the highest court in the land. "I'm not surprised by it, or disturbed by it," Caine said of the 6-3 ruling Dec. 23 that the federal law does not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada's top judges ruled it's up to Parliament to change that law. [continues 321 words]
The Supreme Court decision on cannabis as George Orwell would have seen it: "And when the Supreme pigs got done rewriting the charter, there was something different about Rule 7. It now reads, 'Everyone has the right to life, some liberty...' " Chris Buors Libertarian Party of Manitoba (Martin's animal farm can chew on it now.) [end]
I'm curious. How many missing person's cases are there currently in your area? ("Joint force to combat pot grow ops," Dec. 16.) Or unsolved rape or murder cases? All while these "joint forces" are out hunting down the evil cannabis plant. Our countries better wake up soon and realize that cannabis isn't a threat to society. The waste and corruption of our law enforcement and judicial system is a huge threat to our society and it's self-evident. Why do we continue to allow this? Scott Russ (We don't believe the system is corrupt.) [end]
It's seems everyone is catching on to ways and measures available out there to protect the environment. More and more people are recycling and becoming self-conscious of things that litter and/or damage their milieu. The latest approach is a private company taking on a new initiative of providing garbage containers to residents in Labrador West. If enough people opt to buy into the new idea, no doubt it will add to the cleanliness of this area. The towns of Labrador City and Wabush are, without a doubt, close to pristine in appearance, which is indicative of the great efforts of both towns. People are cognizant these days and simply just don't tolerate trash. They don't like to see it and they don' t like to smell it. [continues 492 words]
RE "Cost of grow ops jolting" (Dec. 18): The figures used can only be educated guesses (I'm sure growers are not answering questionnaires), the actual numbers could be much higher or lower. This is also another example of why marijuana should be legalized and controlled by the government. Alcohol, one of the most addictive substances there is, can be made at home, but no one bothers. If the government was controlling the growing, distribution and possession of pot, it would not need to worry about stolen hydro. Not only would the cost of stolen hydro be almost eradicated, the hydro companies would be receiving payment for legally used electricity to legally grow a controlled plant as well as creating tax revenue for the government. Pot smokers are going to smoke, period. The simple fact that illegal use of power to grow the plant is a problem proves this. Demand creates supply and will continue to do so. If we put aside our personal prejudices for or against legalization of cannabis, financially it makes perfect sense. Stephane Bourbonnais (You could say the same thing about almost everything) [end]
Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect of the Supreme Court of Canada's 6-3 decision this week to uphold the laws prohibiting possession of marijuana is the reaction of John Walters, the United States' drug czar. Walters was positively abuzz with excitement upon learning that Canada's top court had decided against ruling that the possession law was unconstitutional. This is, of course, not new. When the federal Liberals had drafted a bill to decriminalize simple possession of pot, Martin Cauchon, then the justice minister, actually flew to Washington last spring to essentially obtain permission from U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to liberalize marijuana laws here. [continues 168 words]
The reason there is no shortage of people willing to become "drug mules" is because drug criminalization policies have made it easy to produce chemicals more valuable than gold. ("Drug Mules" Dec. 17.) Today's black market drugs are untaxed, unregulated and controlled by criminal gangs. Speaking of untaxed, both Canada and the U.S. are throwing away countless billions of potential tax dollars by keeping certain politically selected drugs as criminalized products. It's time to end this insanity so recreational drugs can be regulated, controlled and taxed. Kirk Muse (High time, eh, Kirk?) [end]
Did I ever tell you about the time I impersonated a cop? Relax, sergeant - it was several years ago, in another provincial jurisdiction. I lived in the sticks at the time, the hour hand had long passed midnight and some Party-Hearties in a house down the road were making noise. I took it for an hour and a half and then I called the cops. A bored dispatcher informed me that, as it was the weekend and due to cutbacks, no police were actually on duty, but an officer could be summoned from a nearby jurisdiction 'in an extreme emergency'. [continues 610 words]
Editor, The News: The Supreme Court of Canada has spoken, or as the federal prosecutor said, there is "no free-standing right to get stoned." I think his comments were captured on the way to the pub to celebrate his victory over the evil herb marijuana. While our legislators commonly get drunk and endanger lives, like our own Hawaiian Punched Premier Gordo or Alberta's Happy Hour Klein, whose idea of fighting poverty is to throw rocks at it, it is illegal to sit back and enjoy a non-violent, calming joint in the privacy of your own home. [continues 81 words]
OTTAWA (CP) - There is no free-standing right to get stoned, Canada's top court ruled Tuesday. Tokers hoping for relaxed marijuana laws instead got a lump of coal as the Supreme Court of Canada upheld 6-3 a federal law banning possession of small amounts of pot. ''I'm bummed out, man,'' said David Malmo-Levine, a self-styled pot freedom crusader in Vancouver. ''It's a bit of a kick in the nuts.'' Malmo-Levine, 32, and two other men failed to convince a majority of the top judges that pot penalties are out of whack with constitutional guarantees of fundamental justice. [continues 205 words]
PONTIAC -Spurred by a report that showed twice as many Pontiac teenagers used drugs and alcohol in 2001 than in 1996, the council of mayors unanimously agreed at its monthly meeting Wednesday, Nov. 26 to form a working committee to develop a policy on youth. The report released by the RRSSSO in 2001 and presented at the meeting by Ariann Bouchard, director-general of the Maison de Jeunes, showed drug and alcohol use by Pontiac teenagers more than doubled in the period 1996-2001 to 15.5 per cent [continues 406 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada's verdict on marijuana possession should be welcomed by the Canadian public, regardless of how people feel about the drug. This week the court said it was not unconstitutional for someone to be charged with a small amount of marijuana, despite an argument from three men that the law denies them the right to "life, liberty and security of the person." Instead, the court ruled that it if changes were needed to country's marijuana laws, those changes should come from federal government. [continues 133 words]
THUMBS UP: To the Supreme Court, for ruling that Canada's marijuana laws are, in fact, constitutional. That's not to say that we think the nation's laws regarding pot possession are sensible or effective -- even the Canadian government recognizes the need for change, and newly minted Prime Minister Paul Martin promised to move ahead with decriminalization legislation in the near future. That's the main reason the Supreme Court's ruling is so encouraging: It seems the nation's top justices have realized our legislators have a role to play in running the country -- and a right to pass even unpopular laws -- and have have decided to let them get on with it. Good for them. [end]
Editor, Thanks for publishing David Lane's short and to the point letter: "Deflate Crime" (12-11-03). I'd like to add that if drugs were legalized and sold in regulated age-controlled markets, the jail and prison builders would be out of business. Almost 100 per cent of so-called "drug-related crime" is actually drug criminalization caused crime. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, drug lords, drug cartels and drug dealers as we know them today, didn't exist. Neither did the term "drug-related crime." What message would re-legalizing recreational drugs send to our children? It's not the proper role of a free country's government to attempt to protect adult citizens from themselves. Kirk Muse Mesa, Arizona [end]
Inside Canada
