Vaping Rules Restrict Use of Prescribed Medication A Calgary medical marijuana user is looking for clarity on where and when he can use the substance. Daniel - not his real name - told Metro he's been using marijuana to deal with anxiety, PTSD and depression. He uses a vaporizer to consume his marijuana, which he gets legally through Aurora Cannabis, located in Alberta. He said he's not looking to vape everywhere all the time, but said there are times when he has a panic attack and can't make it outside. [continues 254 words]
Young People Need A Voice As Legislation To Legalize Rolls Out, Writes Rebecca Haines-saah The April 20 announcement by federal Minister of Health Jane Philpott regarding the imminent legalization of cannabis use in Canada has provided us with the opportunity to protect our sensibilities or our children. We won't be able to do both and so we must choose. When Philpott announced that the government plans to have legislation to legalize cannabis ready by spring 2017, the priority of "protecting children" was front and centre. [continues 597 words]
The Great Remembrance Day Bust, as it became known in peer folklore, began with two long-haired gun-wielding undercover Toronto drug cops busting down the door and charging up the stairs, followed by six uniformed officers. It was 2 a.m. I was still in college, and had just returned from my part-time job on the sports desk at Canadian Press. I was making Kraft dinner, and was standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but undershorts and a Fly United T-shirt depicting two ducks copulating in mid-flight. [continues 508 words]
Police Have Challenge Ahead With Legal Weed and Impaired Driving While recreational marijuana use is on the brink of being legalized in Canada, driving while high isn't, said a Colorado state trooper speaking to local law enforcement about how to curb drivers impaired by drugs. "You are legalizing the consumption of marijuana; you are not legalizing driving impaired," said Lt.-Col. Kevin Eldridge after delivering a seminar to local law enforcement at the eighth International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety April 25 at the Shaw Conference Centre. [continues 628 words]
City Police Prepare to Better Recognize Drivers Under the Influence of Drugs Ahead of the Pending Legalization of Marijuana While recreational marijuana use is on the brink of being legalized in Canada, driving while high isn't, said a Colorado state trooper speaking to local law enforcement about how to curb drivers impaired by drugs. "You are legalizing the consumption of marijuana; you are not legalizing driving impaired," said Lt.-Col. Kevin Eldridge of Colorado State Patrol, after delivering a seminar to local law enforcement at the eighth International Conference on Urban Traffic Safety at the Shaw Conference Centre last Monday. [continues 732 words]
The federal health minister says the exact role of the provinces in regulating legal marijuana has yet to be determined, but there is a model in how they already deal with alcohol and tobacco. Jane Philpott announced last week at the United Nations that the Canadian government would introduce legislation next spring to legalize pot. The Liberals plan to appoint a task force to work out the issues raised by legalization, including the responsibilities of provincial governments. Speaking to reporters at the Liberals' cabinet retreat in Kananaskis, Philpott said it's too early to talk specifics but noted provinces already have a regulatory role. [continues 316 words]
The federal government is pushing ahead with plans to legalize marijuana and not before time. Health Minister Jane Philpott certainly didn't play down the controversial announcement. She chose a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York regarding drug use and drug-related crime. The timing was more than coincidental. Minister Philpot chose April 20 to reveal that Ottawa plans to introduce legislation legalizing marijuana in the spring of next year. Her address coincided with 4/20 - - the annual day of celebration for cannabis culture lovers, the so-called National Weed Day. [continues 409 words]
The federal government, in a feat of showmanship, announced last Wednesday that marijuana legalization would be coming next spring. The day is known as 420 among head shops and the people who frequent them. An often-cited anecdote when it comes to drug regulation refers to the case of Portugal. Prior to 2001, the country was experiencing a drug epidemic. Post 2001, the country's government decriminalized possession of drugs. This led to a marked decrease in rates of hard drug use (like heroin and cocaine) and HIV, though, notably, an increase in recreational marijuana use. [continues 661 words]
The federal health minister says the exact role of the provinces in regulating legal marijuana has yet to be determined but there is a model in how they already deal with alcohol and tobacco. Jane Philpott announced last week at the UN that the Canadian government would introduce legislation next spring to legalize pot. The Liberals plan to appoint a task force to work out the issues raised by legalization, including the responsibilities of provincial governments. Speaking to reporters at the Liberal's cabinet retreat in Kananaskis, Philpott said it's too early to talk specifics but noted provinces already have a regulatory role. [continues 251 words]
Many Users Are Skipping Over Gateway Drugs An Edmonton addictions specialist says an increasing number of teens are skipping booze and pot and jumping straight to hard drugs such as fentanyl. "We've never been this busy," said Metro City Medical Clinic's medical director, Dr. Hakique Virani. "One of the differences we're seeing today (versus) four to six years ago is the number of young people who come in looking for treatment because they're addicted to opioids - including fentanyl - never having used marijuana, never having drank alcohol." [continues 211 words]
Legalizing marijuana may result in more impaired workers on the job, says a local concrete contractor. "We have enough dealing with present drugs and alcohol. We don't need marijuana too," said Dean Brown, project manager, Mudrack Concrete Ltd. The workplace policy at Mudrack is "show up fit for work", said Brown. Those on prescription drugs must tell their foreman and if necessary are put on other duties for the duration of the prescription. Employees have a standard rule of thumb about how many hours after drinking alcohol they are fit for work, said Brown. Alcohol is metabolized fairly quickly, 12 to 24 hours, compared to marijuana that stays in your system three to 90 days. [continues 340 words]
The history of our Crowsnest Pass communities is replete with stories of Prohibition adventures and misadventures. One event even inspired an opera! Today, those stories offer more than entertainment, or a hit of nostalgia. They're also somewhat instructive, as Canadians look to the end of another form of prohibition. Last fall, Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals declared if they were elected, they would end the nation's longstanding prohibition on "simple possession" of marijuana by Canadian adults. We know how Canadians responded to that and the many other Liberal campaign pledges. [continues 574 words]
Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will legalize the use of marijuana, the dangers of the drug have seemingly disappeared. It is worth being reminded of some of them. Marijuana contains a mind-altering chemical that can have long-term effects including hampering the development of the brain and its function, according to the website of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Young people are particularly vulnerable in terms of impaired memory and ability to learn. The damage can be permanent. There are also the potential risks of mental illness including hallucinations, paranoia, depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. There is, of course, the risk of addiction too. [continues 331 words]
The annual pot-themed gathering at the legislature had a festive vibe Wednesday, after signals on the same day from the federal government that pot could be legal as soon as next spring. Keith Fagin, head of 420 Alberta, described the government's announcement timing as "tongue in cheek," as it coincided with 420, the annual day of celebration for lovers of cannabis culture. "We're quite excited about it, we've been cautiously optimistic," Fagin said, noting that several normally politically-neutral marijuana advocacy groups threw their weight behind the Liberal campaign last year, after Trudeau made legalization a campaign promise. [continues 132 words]
Feds Say Legalization Could Start In Spring 2017 As protests go, it was pretty laid back. About 50 people were gathered outside Calgary City Hall Wednesday for the annual 420 rally in support of legalizing marijuana. Participants said with word today of the federal government's plan to begin legalization in the spring of 2017, the rally was more of a celebration than a protest. "We want to let the city know that the plant that we fought to legalize is on its way and that it's medicine and that it's pretty much more harmless than anything you could think of," said participant Travis Donald. [continues 157 words]
Appeal Board called position 'extreme' in April decision Canadians spend $166 a month on gifts. Business A Calgary man suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) who has a legal marijuana grow operation at his home says he isn't quite sure what Alberta Health Services has against him. Keith Gall, whose MS confines him to a wheelchair, grows his own medicinal marijuana out of his Calgary home, and last September he received notice of a routine inspection to be done by a city of Calgary Safety Codes Officer. On the day of the inspection, six individuals, including two police officers and an uninvited, unannounced AHS executive officer showed up for the inspection - which goes against regulations in the Public Health Act (PHA). [continues 452 words]
Using marijuana remains illegal for most people, despite the Liberal federal government's push to legalize it. Even if marijuana use is legalized, employers still have the right to prohibit it in their workplaces and to create policies that allow them to fire employees who come to work intoxicated, subject to the same rules that apply to alcohol use. However, that is not the case with prescribed medical marijuana. Since the passing of legislation in 2014, the number of employees alleging that their use of marijuana is related to chronic pain, cancer, sleeping disorders, and so on, has grown. [continues 535 words]
When it comes to Canada's criminal justice system, the popular political play in recent years has been to follow in the footsteps of our American neighbours and mimic their embrace of "tough on crime" laws with hard and fast rules for mandatory minimum punishments. The election of Justin Trudeau's Liberal party served as one signal that Canadians may be ready to rethink the wide array of ironclad minimum sentences. That's a good thing in light of a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling. [continues 352 words]
Medical marijuana counselling businesses could soon face similar land-use bylaws as liquor stores to prevent them from clustering in communities and from opening too close to schools, according to a report to the city's planning body. On Thursday, administration will present a land-use bylaw amendment to the Calgary Planning Commission that recommends medical marijuana counselling businesses be listed as a discretionary use in most commercial and industrial districts. It would require the businesses to be separated by at least 300 metres from each other and 150 metres from schools to prevent clustering and proliferation similar to existing rules used for liquor stores. [continues 496 words]
No different than liquor stores. If not quite reefer madness, it's a mentality straight out of the archaic past, when marijuana was considered a dangerous narcotic only capable of corrupting our youth and incinerating societal mores, rather than a regulated medicine legally available across Canada. City council, for some reason, remains entrenched in the dope-fiend mythology and fear mongering prevalent a century ago, and this week's Calgary Planning Commission agenda points directly to that paranoia, in grouping medical marijuana counselling with liquor stores under the land use bylaw. [continues 581 words]
Striking Down Canada's Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentence Was Not Necessary The Supreme Court got it wrong. Not spectacularly wrong. After all, this is no longer the court of former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer. During Lamer's tenure (1990 to 2000), the court frequently made up new laws and new rights out of thin air. In one especially appalling decision - the 1999 Marshall case from Nova Scotia - the Lamer court so badly misinterpreted the history of the early Maritime treaties with First Peoples that it was forced to issue a formal correction of its ruling. [continues 535 words]
The Supreme Court got it wrong. Not spectacularly wrong. After all, this is no longer the court of former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer. During Lamer's tenure (1990 to 2000), the court frequently made up new laws and new rights out of thin air. In one especially appalling decision - the 1999 Marshall case from Nova Scotia - the Lamer court so badly misinterpreted the history of the early Maritime treaties with First Peoples that it was forced to issue a formal correction of its ruling. [continues 536 words]
On the eve of the 34th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Supreme Court of Canada has made two significant decisions regarding the constitutionality of legislation passed by the federal Conservatives. On Friday, the country's top court ruled that mandatory minimum sentencing for repeat offenders in drug offences and the denial of enhanced pretrial custodial credit for accused denied bail were unconstitutional. It's fair to say these and other so-called tough on crime legislative measures didn't meet the requirements outlined in one of this nation's foundational documents which establishes the rights of Canadians. [continues 451 words]
A two-day fatality inquiry has been set into the jailhouse death of a former city resident convicted of the April 1992 murder of Darlene Korolak. Derek Brian Upton was 15 years old at the time of the murder but was tried and convicted as an adult for first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison and, under the provisions of the Young Offender Act in force at the time, was eligible for parole after 15 years incarceration. On Christmas Eve 2011, Upton and fellow inmate Nicholas Whynott were found dead in their cells at Drumheller Institute from a suspected drug overdose. [continues 106 words]
Lethbridge police said Monday they are "well aware" of two feuding gangs previously linked to a drug turf war in the region, but they do not believe the public is at risk. The assurance comes after an investigator with Blood Tribe police warned that violence between these two gangs will likely get worse. Const. Drew Kanyo said the Bloods and the Crips, rival groups not associated with notorious Los Angeles gangs, have become increasingly involved in the illicit drug trade on the Blood reserve and in nearby Lethbridge. [continues 649 words]
She'll take the message to the UN ... An Edmonton mother is part of a Canadian contingent attending a global drug policy summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York next week to urge governments to forego the "war on drugs" and embrace harm reduction. The harm reduction approach promotes policies and programs that support and reduce the risks and dangers drug users face, rather than prohibiting the drug itself and punishing users. Lorna Thomas's 24-year-old son, Alex Thomas-Haug, died by suicide in 2012. Thomas-Haug was a welder and snowboarder who suffered from depression. His mother later found out he'd also been using cocaine. [continues 467 words]
More violence expected as gangs fight for control of illicit market Two southern Alberta communities can expect an increase in violence waged by two rival gangs - prone to use machetes and hatchets - that are clashing for control of turf in the drug trade, a police investigator warns. The Bloods and the Crips, who are not affiliated with the Los Angeles street gangs, began their long-standing feud on the Blood Tribe, a sprawling First Nation southwest of Lethbridge. Over the past year and a half, members of these gangs have become increasingly involved in the illicit drug trade on the reserve and in nearby Lethbridge, said Const. Drew Kanyo of the Blood Tribe Police Service. [continues 630 words]
An Edmonton mother is part of a Canadian contingent attending a global drug policy summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York next week to urge governments to forego the "war on drugs" and embrace harm reduction. The harm reduction approach promotes policies and programs that support and reduce the risks and dangers drug users face, rather than prohibiting the drug itself and punishing users. Lorna Thomas's 24-year-old son, Alex Thomas-Haug, died by suicide in 2012. Thomas-Haug was a welder and snowboarder who suffered from depression. His mother later found out he'd also been using cocaine. [continues 412 words]
Pot grow-op busts are way down in Alberta, with most of those smoked out now legal gardens, say cops. They also seized 13,067 pot plants province-wide last year - a whopping 234% decrease from the 43,606 confiscated in 2012, said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT). The vast majority of the cannabis plants seized last year - about 86% - - were in the zone south of Red Deer. While those numbers are dramatic enough, the majority of public tips to police now lead to medicinal marijuana gardens, reflecting the increasingly murky, fluid nature of the war on cannabis, said Staff Sgt. Keith Hurley. [continues 435 words]
Police say most tips from public now lead to pot grown for medicinal use Police in Alberta last year smoked out 125 per cent fewer marijuana grow ops than they did in 2012, with most of the pot gardens now detected being legal ones. They also seized 13,067 pot plants province-wide last year, a whopping 234 per cent decrease from the 43,606 confiscated in 2012, said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, also known as ALERT. The vast majority of cannabis plants seized last year - about 86 per cent - were from south of Red Deer. [continues 469 words]
They're not the infamous Bloods and Crips that have waged bloody battles over the drug trade in Los Angeles. But a Blood Tribe police investigator warns the two gangs who've adopted those monikers - and are prone to wielding machetes and hatchets - could spur a rise in violence in two southern Alberta communities. The Bloods and the Crips, who are not affiliated with the Los Angeles street gangs, began their long-standing feud on the Blood Tribe, a sprawling First Nation southwest of Lethbridge. [continues 406 words]
If Crime Is Reduced and Drug Users Get Help, 'I'm All for It,' Knecht Says If a safe injection site for IV drug users reduces crime and helps people get to a better place in their lives, Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht says he would throw his full weight behind it. But for now, he's not voicing an opinion on whether one should open or not. "I'm obviously not a physician, I'm not a nurse, I'm not a social worker," Knecht said Friday. "I think if the public's view is that safe injection sites are a good thing, I guess we'll respect that, but we have some concerns." [continues 553 words]
Edmonton's Top Cop Addresses Some of City's Key Problems If a safe injection site for IV drug users reduces crime and helps people get to a better place in their lives, Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht says he would throw his full weight behind it. But for now, he's not voicing an opinion on whether one should open or not. "I really don't have a position," Knecht said Friday morning. "I'm obviously not a physician, I'm not a nurse, I'm not a social worker. I think if the public's view is that safe injection sites are a good thing, I guess we'll respect that, but we have some concerns." [continues 822 words]
Dana Larsen Held in Jail Overnight After Leaving Kelowna at Start of Tour Aimed at Legalizing Pot The Free Marijuana Tour will continue minus the free seed part, its Kelowna-based co-ordinator says. Cindy Heemeryck says no cannabis seeds will be distributed at future stops planned by pot activist Dana Larsen, who was arrested and held in jail overnight by Calgary police. "We're going to carry on," Heemeryck said Thursday from Calgary, a few hours after she had paid $1,000 bail to get Larsen out of jail. [continues 340 words]
Advocate Charged With Two Counts of Trafficking A well-known Vancouver pot activist has been released on bail after being arrested in Calgary for handing out cannabis seeds at a rally he was hosting Wednesday. Overgrow Canada director Dana Larsen said a volunteer was first arrested for handing out the seeds at the Calgary stop in his cross-Canada tour, but when Larsen found out he presented himself to police. "I went out there and said 'if you're going to be arresting anyone for sharing cannabis seeds it's going to be me,'" he said. "So, I gave him a handful of seeds and the officer arrested me as well." [continues 262 words]
Marijuana Activist Arrested for Seed Handout Turns out giving away marijuana seeds will get you arrested ... at least in Calgary. Vancouver's Dana Larsen, 44, a marijuana activist says his high-profile arrest in Calgary has only boosted the profile of his national seed giveaway campaign, which has attracted new seed orders and several offers from suppliers. He is expected to appear in court on May 18. Larsen was arrested at the Days Inn on Macleod Trail South as his Overgrow Canada event, dubbed "Free Marijuana - Overgrow the Government Tour," made its stop in Calgary, the second of 14 cities in the tour. [continues 241 words]
Activist arrested at Calgary tour stop Vancouver-based pot activist Dana Larsen vows to push ahead with his pro-legalization rallies and tour despite being arrested and charged in Calgary this week for distributing marijuana seeds. "It's absolutely fuelling the fire," he said Thursday. "I'm getting more requests for seeds and have more people contacting me to donate seeds - so really, this kind of harassment just gets people worked up and gets way more media attention." Larsen, 44, was arrested Wednesday evening in Calgary during the second stop of his cross-country OverGrow Canada tour. [continues 404 words]
Urges Canadians to exercise their freedom by planting cannabis seeds A marijuana activist says his high-profile arrest in Calgary has only boosted the profile of his national seed giveaway campaign, which has attracted new seed orders and several offers from suppliers. Dana Larsen, 44, of Vancouver, was charged with one count of trafficking marijuana and one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. He was later released from custody and is expected to appear in court on May 18. [continues 668 words]
Police say they were forced to bring in extra officers to a pot rally for the arrest of a marijuana activist because the crowd had become agitated. "The crowd became aware of that occurring, then a number of people came out and it =C2=85 elevated the incident somewhat as people were becoming upset," Calgary Police Inspector Mike Bossley said Thursday after Dana Larsen was charged. "That really required additional response from the police just to make sure that it stayed as a peaceful event." [continues 334 words]
A drug case that's been before the court for more than a year avoided a major delay when a judge ruled that lawyers representing two suspects would not have to withdraw. Judge Eric Peterson said Tuesday during a hearing in Lethbridge provincial court he could not find that a substantial conflict of interest exists, even though the two lawyers, Robin McIntyre and Andrea Urquhart, work for the same Calgary law firm. Peterson ruled on the matter after the federal Crown prosecutor applied to have the lawyers removed because of perceived conflict of interest. But Peterson said he was satisfied the public's confidence in the administration of justice would not be shaken, and the lawyers could continue to represent their clients, [names redacted]. [continues 181 words]
Says City Is Under-Serviced for Medical Marijuana The founder of a medical marijuana clinic opening this month in Edmonton says the facility will provide a "necessary service." "We know that Edmonton is under-serviced, from what we're hearing from both physicians and patients, with regards to physicians who are comfortable with prescribing cannabis," Dr. Danial Schecter said Tuesday. On Monday, Edmonton anaesthesiologist Dr. Brian Knight told Metro there is no shortage of physicians to prescribe cannabis. Schecter opened his Toronto clinic in 2014 and has since expanded to Halifax, Ottawa, St. John's and Barrie, making Edmonton's Hys Centre location his first venture into Western Canada. [continues 217 words]
A new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll says 44 per cent of Edmontonians surveyed support the establishment of a safe injection site for IV drug users in this city. Another 30 per cent opposed the idea, while 26 per cent were undecided. That's not overwhelming public support. But it suggests an intriguing degree of public receptiveness. And this is the right time for us to be having that discussion. Historically, heroin hasn't been a problem drug in Edmonton. But that's changing. In 2013, there were 19 visits to emergency rooms in the Edmonton health zone because of heroin overdoses. Last year, there were 118. In the first two months of 2016, there were about as many heroin overdoses as there were in all of 2013. [continues 625 words]
Edmonton location to offer exams, info and prescriptions An Edmonton anesthesiologist who prescribes medical marijuana is skeptical that a new clinic will help patients. Toronto-based Cannabinoid Medical Clinic, founded by Dr. Danial Schecter, will open its first Edmonton location this month to offer exams, product information and cannabis prescriptions. But Dr. Brian Knight says plenty of doctors are already prescribing medical marijuana. "There's really a shortage of people treating chronic pain in general in Canada, and all of a sudden these people come out of the woodwork opening medical marijuana clinics, and where were they 10 or 15 years ago to help treat patients?" he said. [continues 167 words]
The idea of a supervised-injection site in Edmonton appears to have lukewarm support among city residents, a new poll has found. One of the researchers assembling a proposal for medically supervised injection services in the city said Sunday she hopes support will grow once people find out more about how the service would work. "We're helping people stay alive, and also helping them find an off-ramp from using injection drugs," said Elaine Hyshka, a University of Alberta public health researcher and core member of Access to Medically Supervised Injection Services Edmonton. [continues 414 words]
University makes antidote to lethal opioid freely available Dirk Chisholm hopes he never has to give a shot of naloxone to an overdosing student on campus, but he's readily equipped if need be. Chisholm, who's part of an EMT certified group of University of Calgary students that assist in on campus medical calls, said the group has recently been given naloxone to combat on campus overdoses. Naloxone is an antidote that can reverse fentanyl overdoses. "I think it's quite important we have the kits," he said. "It's not an issue unique to campus by any means - it seems to be quite an epidemic, so if something were to occur we're quite equipped to handle that." [continues 271 words]
Association polling members on cannabis sales While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize recreational marijuana use, changes to legislation could take time. But the Alberta Liquor Store Association wants to be ready. "We wanted to poll our members to see how they feel about the possibility of liquor stores selling a controlled substance like marijuana so that when the provincial government (begins discussions) here in Alberta, we can be at the table," said Ivonne Martinez, president of the Alberta Liquor Store Association. [continues 219 words]
Alberta Association Polls Members, but Wants 'Full Picture' From Province While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize recreational marijuana use, changes to legislation could take time. But the Alberta Liquor Store Association wants to be ready. "We wanted to poll our members to see how they feel about the possibility of liquor stores selling a controlled substance like marijuana so that when the provincial government (begins discussions) here in Alberta, we can be at the table," said Ivonne Martinez, president of the Alberta Liquor Store Association. [continues 220 words]
There's increasing talk of other Canadian cities copying Vancouver's supervised drug injection site, which allows people to use substances such as heroin, cocaine and meth. The argument is that it's better for people to use drugs under the supervision of a health-care professional, rather than doing it on the street or in some alley. Staff can step in if something goes amiss and they can ensure safe practices, such as the use of clean syringes and disinfectant, which reduce the spread of disease. [continues 342 words]
Re. "Canadian causes stir at UN with drug speech," March 17 I applaud the assistant deputy minister of health, Hillary Geller, on her public support for harm reduction, including supervised injection services, at the United Nation narcotic drug conference in Vienna. I was disappointed with the negative spin of your article, which is not based on the available scientific evidence. We need supervised injections services exactly because narcotics like heroin and fentanyl are dangerous. Providing medical supervision during consumption saves lives, increases uptake into treatment, reduces crime and prevents related diseases. [continues 132 words]
Inside Alberta
