Future Edmonton supervised injection sites should offer counselling and medical services, police say When Edmonton drug and gang enforcement detective Guy Pilon toured the Insite supervised injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside several months ago he didn't like what he saw. He had visited it three years prior and wanted to see the progress of it and other drug treatment facilities in the city. "There are users now waiting outside of Insite just waiting to get in," Pilon said. [continues 400 words]
When Edmonton drug and gang enforcement detective Guy Pilon toured the Insite supervised injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside several months ago he didn't like what he saw. He had visited it three years prior and wanted to see the progress of it and other drug treatment facilities in the city. "There are users now waiting outside of Insite just waiting to get in," Pilon said. "They are shooting up in the street, they are shooting up around the corner. There are just users everywhere." [continues 387 words]
A decade ago, Vlassis Douvis's storefront window was plastered with T-shirts. "The T-shirts weren't for sale," the Calgary entrepreneur says with a laugh. "It was to hide what was really going on inside." These days, Douvis isn't doing much hiding. It's pretty clear, in fact, what kind of business he operates. At his three Hemp Roots stores in the city, marijuana leaves are painted on the windows and the only thing blocking the view inside is Christmas tinsel. [continues 589 words]
A group representing Alberta's liquor stores is advocating for the alcohol industry's involvement in the sale of legalized recreational marijuana. "It's unfortunate from our perspective that the task force took out an entire industry for selling cannabis, especially when that industry has such a good track record," said Ivonne Martinez, president of the Alberta Liquor Store Association. "We have high compliance, we sell in a responsible way." Her comments followed the release of a report Tuesday that was commissioned by the federal Liberal government. The framework document recommended that recreational marijuana shouldn't be sold in the same locations as alcohol or tobacco. It also recommended storefront and mail-order sales to Canadians over the age of 18 and personal growing limits of four plants per person. [continues 225 words]
A spike in fentanyl-overdose reversals thanks to naloxone kits has been documented by the local HIV Community Link, and shows the lifesaving impact the program is having. Since the local organization began training and dispersing naloxone kits, they've officially documented 16 overdose reversals - and 12 within just the last few weeks, said overdose prevention nurse Kim Dick. "It's been quite a jump - it's been correlated with something like a bad batch of heroin we're assuming was laced with fentanyl coming through town," said Dick. [continues 535 words]
The Remembrance Day Massacre, as it was dubbed, began at 3 a.m. when long-haired Toronto drug cops busted down the door of our shared apartment, guns drawn, and hauled the four of us off in handcuffs. I was arraigned in court for marijuana possession the next morning, wearing blue jeans, sneakers and my Fly United T-shirt showing two ducks copulating in mid-flight. This was in the `70s. I had already been fingerprinted and had my mug shot taken before appearing before the bail-court judge, as had my three roomies, all students at Ryerson. [continues 575 words]
While Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister are advocating delaying regulation of cannabis, usage by citizens who wish to use the plant will continue. Their message then must be acknowledged as informing consumers to continue purchasing cannabis from the black market while government takes additional time to create a regulated legal market to replace it. And that's tolerable since North Americans have grown accustomed to the increased efficiency of the black market regulating cannabis for the last eight decades. Stan White (New rules are allegedly coming soon.) [end]
Many young males without a history of prescription opioid use are arriving in emergency departments due to fentanyl overdoses, says Alberta Health Services. "A lot of the individuals we are seeing coming into our emergency departments, who are dying from fentanyl overdoses, tend to be younger males who don't often have a history of prescription opioid use," said Dr. Nick Mitchell, senior medical director, addictions and mental health Alberta Health Services. There are also older people with chronic opioid use over time. The dose may have been increased, other medications added, or they may be more medically frail, said Mitchell. [continues 391 words]
Re: "Don't rush federal pot law, NDP cautions," Dec. 7. The Liberal government plans to legalize marijuana next spring to stop its illegal distribution by the bad guys and, of course, to make a lot of money at the same time. What pitfalls may lie ahead? A significant increase in the drug's use across all age groups, increased traffic accidents and deaths, increased cross-border issues with the U.S.A., increased health problems, increased use of more powerful drugs, increased addictions and treatment, and an increased number of unlicensed growers for the authorities to try and eliminate. [continues 74 words]
While Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister are advocating delaying regulation of cannabis, usage by citizens who wish to use the plant will continue. Their message then must be acknowledged as informing consumers to continue purchasing cannabis from the black market while government takes additional time to create a regulated legal market to replace it. And that's tolerable since North Americans have grown accustom to the increased efficiency of the black market regulating cannabis for the last eight decades. Stan White (New rules are allegedly coming soon.) [end]
Would-be weed entrepreneurs await federal framework Although not clear how pot legalization will go down, Albertans are already planning to piggyback business on the marijuana economy. In Colorado, when pot was decriminalized in the state, their local tourism board didn't touch the stuff, because it's not federally legal. Yet if you plan a trip to the toking state, there are many services purporting to be 420 friendly. And according to Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley, because of the state's restrictions on smoking outside, and of course, in restaurants, they quickly found the edibles market exploding. [continues 585 words]
Patients prescribed pot afraid of getting fired, demoted Employers need to start accepting medical cannabis in the workplace, proponents say. Kait Shane, director of patient care with medical cannabis clinic Natural Health Services, said while patient numbers are quickly growing, most keep their medical cannabis use secret at work for fear they will be fired, demoted or unfairly judged. "It's really outdated policies that some employers have in effect, including zero-tolerance policies, which are basically breaching human rights violations in that people can access medical prescribed medication as needed," Shane said. [continues 179 words]
Re: "safe injection sites in Edmonton would save lives and health costs". What a perverse argument, surely treating drug addictions and weaning addicts off their addictions, rather than simply facilitating them by providing safe injection sites, is a far better approach. Addicts will still be committing crimes to purchase their drugs and the fact areas around safe injection sites are 'no-go areas' for the police presents all sorts of problems for those living near these sites. safe injection sites seem more about making the political left feel good, rather than positively addressing the growing problem of drug addiction by providing more treatment facilities for addicts. Larry Comeau Ottawa (Adding more treatment beds is certainly an important part of the equation.) [end]
Edmonton Fire Services Chief Ken Block is looking into the cost and benefits of outfitting fire crews with naloxone, the treatment drug for opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil, the latter of which has killed 14 people in the past two months in Alberta. "We are actively looking at that. We have a medical director on staff who is working quite closely with Alberta Health Services just to see how we might be better prepared," Block said in an interview as his department's budget goes before city council. [continues 445 words]
Looking into the cost and benefits of the treatment drug for opioids Edmonton Fire Services Chief Ken Block is looking into the cost and benefits of outfitting fire crews with naloxone, the treatment drug for opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil, the latter of which has killed 14 people in the past two months in Alberta. "We are actively looking at that. We have a medical director on staff who is working quite closely with Alberta Health Services just to see how we might be better prepared," Block said in an interview as his department's budget goes before city council. [continues 443 words]
Alberta has never been in more urgent need of providing improved access to treatment for drug users, says addictions medicine specialist Dr. Hakique Virani. Virani said news from the provincial government this week that carfentanil overdoses have killed 15 people is tragic, as well as predictable. "This is what we expect to happen in this illicit market when we're not meeting the needs for opioid addiction treatment and still drug traffickers are going to meet the demand for opioids, and they're going to do that with the path of least resistance," said Virani, who is based in Edmonton. [continues 385 words]
Alberta Avenue resident Adam Millie "tore a strip off " council staff when he heard Edmonton was considering four safe injection sites in the inner city. Attracting more addicts and crime to fragile communities is not the answer, Millie raged in a series of frustrated messages on Twitter, Facebook and in an email to council. Then he had a change of heart. He thought about the issue Friday evening. On Saturday, he deleted those messages, sent an apology to council, and came to City Hall on Monday to argue this plan is actually critical to making those fragile communities safer. [continues 520 words]
Alberta's NDP government is warning Ottawa not to rush on marijuana legalization but isn't calling for pending federal legislation to be halted. Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said Tuesday there is much work that will need to be done after the Liberal government introduces its legalization bill, which is expected this spring. She suggested the legislation should be subject to considerable deliberations through the House of Commons committee process. "We need time to consider these things but we need to consider them once we've seen what the feds are doing," Ganley told reporters at the provincial legislature. [continues 186 words]
I have to laugh at all the hype about drugged driving on pot. Have you read your prescription drugs packaging? May cause drowsiness, do not operate machinery etc. So where are the tests for impairment for mind-altering prescription drugs? Oh, I know, pick and choose what laws to enforce and what laws not to enforce. Typical law enforcement attitude, get the easy mark and look good doing it, too. Make headlines. Oh, and I have over 45 years experience with smoking pot responsibly. How much THC does one need to have in their system to be classified impaired? How much codeine, or how about anti-hyper drugs for kids that are prescribed by doctors? Mike Griffith (Wow, 45 years, eh?) [end]
Inside Alberta
