But as legalization nears, province still unsure how to sell the stuff If you're old enough to get drunk, you're old enough to get stoned. That might not be a government slogan, but it pretty much sums up the nub of Alberta's proposed marijuana laws. Those laws have yet to be drawn up, but on Wednesday morning, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley unveiled the direction the government is headed. When possession of cannabis becomes legal across Canada next July, here are some of the proposed rules for Alberta: [continues 673 words]
I keep hearing arguments against the government's plan to legalize marijuana. It seems that those opposed believe there will be a massive increase in consumption and a huge increase in people driving while under the influence of the demon weed. As Mr. Snobelen points out it is quite simple to obtain and use the drug. I hope he is being facetious about driving ten miles an hour with doritos bags flying out the window. It is time we threw away all the misleading propaganda about marijuana. There are doctors, lawyers and other professionals that are regular users. These are not street people or ne'er do wells, these are people you interact with everyday. People would be shocked to discover the truth, you can use marijuana on a regular basis and it doesn't destroy your life. It's time we stopped believing the untruths used for prohibition. Corey Dahl Lac La Biche (What are those folks smoking?) [end]
Employers at a luncheon hosted by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce were warned it was time to update their policies on medications and impairment, as the federal government plans to legalize recreational marijuana use next summer. During the Thursday afternoon meeting, members of Wood Buffalo's business community were given a presentation on what the future legislation will look like, what rights staff will have and the role employers can play in securing workplace safety. "With the legislation coming, and it will almost certainly pass, these issues will only grow and you will have to deal with it as an employers," said lawyer Michael Jones of Stringam LLP. "Safety is key, as is protecting human rights of the people you work with and who works for you." [continues 376 words]
With the nation-wide legalization of recreational marijuana coming up in July 2018, the clock is ticking for Alberta to put in place its own set of regulations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is essentially legalizing weed while dumping the logistics of its distribution on the provinces. If anything goes wrong, he can blame the provincial governments and will still have kept his original election promise. Alberta is not alone without a plan. Of the 10 provinces and three territories, only Ontario and New Brunswick have come forward with their regulation methods, providing a study in contrasts for the other provinces' reference. [continues 460 words]
If access isn't convenient, legalization won't work, writes Andrew Klukas. In July 2018, the federal government will legalize the production and distribution of cannabis. Between now and then, the provinces and territories will have to decide how to adapt to this legislation. Whether or not one agrees with the legalization, everyone can agree that when it happens, the systems that the provinces put in place should promote the goals of legalization that, if realized, will be positive. Through its legislation, the federal government aims to move cannabis from the illegal market into a regulated system in which products can be taxed and where quality standards and controls protect citizens. [continues 579 words]
'I don't really think that's on the table,' minister says The NDP government says it isn't considering raising Alberta's legal age of 18 for drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco as it develops its policies around legal marijuana. Alberta Health Services, in its written submission to the government's consultations on legal cannabis, suggested the province consider a minimum age of 21 for marijuana consumption, and potentially raise the drinking and smoking tobacco age to match. But outside a meeting of Premier Rachel Notley's cabinet at McDougall Centre, Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said changing the legal age for alcohol consumption is not on the agenda. [continues 119 words]
Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley says she's not expecting "complete consensus" as Alberta prepares to release its plan for legal cannabis in a matter of weeks. As the federal Liberal government prepares to legalize the recreational use of marijuana on July 1, 2018, it falls to the provinces to deal with issues such as the minimum age for consumption and how pot will be distributed and sold. In written submissions to its cannabis secretariat, Alberta's NDP government has heard wide-ranging options for how retail sales of marijuana should be handled, including allowing new standalone specialized stores, utilizing existing private liquor stores or government-controlled sales. [continues 417 words]
Maybe it's all the smoke in the air but the legalization of marijuana is as foggy almost nine-months out as it was when it was first announced. With consensus lacking on pretty much every issue, here and across Canada, Alberta Health Services waded into the debate with its suggestions for distribution, promotion and a minimum age for marijuana use. While stopping short of calling for 21 as the legal age, AHS cites studies suggesting risk to the developing brain as the possible impetus to align the minimum age of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use. [continues 328 words]
Only now bothering to consider health impact of legalized marijuana If the Trudeau Liberals were Boy Scouts, they'd be miserable failures in living up to the troop's famous motto of "Be Prepared." Anyone who still thinks the Liberals have all the pieces in place in their rush to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by Canada Day 2018 has being smoking the drapes. Health concerns? Hmmm, perhaps it would have been best to have gotten onto this long before now, seeing as how sucking in THC-laced smoke into the lungs just might have some health repercussions for the burgeoning toker crowd. [continues 513 words]
Society needs to understand why people abuse substances There'll come a day, long after we're gone, when people will react with disbelief at how we now treat mental health. Those future Canadians will shake their collective heads in amazement in the manner we do today when looking back to a time when surgeons would routinely perform operations without first washing their hands. How could they have been so ignorant, will be the future common comment. But there's a chink of light emerging with next summer's planned legislation of cannabis use across Canada. Not that smoking dope is going to cure anyone's mental issues, probably the opposite, but it is recognition that locking people up as criminals because of an urge to consume mind-altering substances is being jettisoned as a long lost proposition. [continues 559 words]
AHS: Consider unifying minimum age for cannabis, liquor, tobacco Alberta Health Services says the provincial government should consider a minimum age of 21 for consumption of legal cannabis - and potentially raise the minimum age for smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol to match. In its submission to the NDP government's cannabis secretariat, the provincial health authority also says the government should be in control of distribution and retail of marijuana when it becomes legal next year and calls for bans on public smoking and promotion of cannabis use. [continues 795 words]
When I was in university, two of the dumbest guys I knew had a thriving pot business. They grew their plants behind a pair of bushes under their rez room window and conducted sales from a corner at the pizza place down the street. Selling weed is neither complicated nor particularly difficult. But just watch how cumbersome and bureaucratic it becomes after governments try to take over "bud" retailing next July. When Health Canada tried to grow medical marijuana in an abandoned hard-rock mine near Flin Flon, Manitoba, it made a hash of it, before finally bringing in a private hydroculture company to grow the plants for them. [continues 521 words]
Supporters of Edmonton's Chinatown packed a meeting Thursday on how to let community members guide the implementation of the city's new supervised injection sites. But the olive branch was too little, too late for some, with many residents left feeling bitter and ignored by city council's vote on injection sites last May. "Supervised injection is not just a health services issue," said resident William Lau. "You know why we're frustrated, angry, why we're scared Do you know why we feel insulted?" [continues 498 words]
Re: Victims of overdose. To have a location so these people can go for a fix is totally wrong. What needs to be done is to drill them into giving up the people that supplied the drugs to start with. Giving them another fix is not a solution. Alcohol is also a nasty drug. Is the city setting up a location where alcoholics can go for a supervised drink? No, AA is not a place where they can get a supervised drink. [continues 114 words]
An opioid crisis is bringing together friends and family members of overdose victims who want to support others going through the same pain. Fort McMurray residents Mari-Lee Paluszak, 55, and Holly Meints, 51, both lost sons to accidental overdoses last year. Both attended Overdose Awareness Day at the Wood Buffalo Regional Library last Thursday to help put a face to the drug overdose problem, and to promote a support group for people suffering the same grief as their own. Their new group, On A Dragonfly's Wings, is meant to provide mutual support for grieving family members of overdose victims. [continues 726 words]
Discarded needles in the spotlight as Edmonton tackles overdose crisis, safe injection sites Cardboard boxes filled with syringes fill every nook and cranny of the Streetworks office at Boyle Street Community Services. They're stacked on top of cabinets, in corners and underneath a table in the centre of the brightly lit office. Unboxed sharps, wrapped in plastic, are stored in bins along a counter where people who use drugs can pick up clean supplies. The boxes go "wherever we can stuff them," said Marliss Taylor, program manager at Streetworks. Last year, the service distributed a record two-and-a-quarter million syringes through its needle exchange van and exchange sites throughout the city. The goal, Taylor said, is to "flood the market" with clean needles, reducing the health impacts of intravenous drug use. [continues 621 words]
Chief medical examiner's office pores over deaths in opioid fight EDMONTON - In the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner each morning, medical examiners, investigators, and morgue staff divide the stack of files containing unexplained deaths that have come in from the night before. Five years ago, this department, headquartered in a low-slung grey building in Edmonton, investigated between 1,900 to 2,000 cases a year. But in the last couple of years the caseload has jumped to between 2,500 to 2,600 annually - the bulk of that increase, officials say, is due to fentanyl and other opioid deaths. [continues 1507 words]
Re: Pot use can make your sperm lazy, Sept. 1 This article shed light on the very serious implication of the use of marijuana products on reproductive health. In 2016, I testified before the federal task force on the legalization of marijuana and started my six-hour presentation against the legalization of marijuana with a question for the Health Canada lawyer and the committee. The question was simply: "How does a responsible government legalize a drug for recreational purposes when their health 'watchdog' agency, Health Canada, acknowledges the science and in turn warns all Canadian men who wish to start a family not to use this drug due to the substantiated risks to reproductive health?" [continues 75 words]
Government will strive to make required policy changes, health minister says Mioara Whytock clutches a photograph in her hands as tears roll down her cheeks, a picture of her son kayaking on her T-shirt. Standing beside is her husband, Steve Whytock, wearing a shirt with a different photo of Calum Whytock. Their son died of a carfentanil overdose last April, just a week before his 19th birthday. Calum Whytock was one of many overdose victims remembered at the Alberta legislature Thursday on International Overdose Awareness Day. [continues 476 words]
Public health researchers behind Edmonton's effort to develop supervised drug consumption sites say they have a plan to study how the yet-to-be-approved facilities affect both clients and communities. Assuming the four sites win approval from Health Canada and begin operating, a robust evaluation process will be needed to gauge the benefits and residents' reactions to the facilities, the researchers said in a new report. The evaluation will be conducted by the University of Alberta's School of Public Health, with Elaine Hyshka serving as the lead. [continues 153 words]
Cannabis will not be the panacea everyone with an ailment is thinking it will be, says a local physician, and it is going to challenge law enforcement when it comes to impaired driving. "If there ever has been an issue in medicine as clouded by opinion and ignorance, it is medical cannabis," said Dr. Gaylord Wardell, anesthesiologist and pain specialist in Medicine Hat. The pro-cannabis forces have claimed everything from cancer cures to relief from pain but we don't actually have research to verify this, said Wardell. [continues 420 words]
I am a resident of the County of Strathcona and have been for 37 years. We live on Range Road 213 and have loved the peace and tranquility that comes with life in a rural area. Sadly, we are now going to be living with a medical marijuana facility in the neighbourhood. Our little piece of Heaven is going to change. The zoning bylaw for facilities such as this should be industrial, not agricultural, plain and simple. We are going to be faced with an increase in traffic on our range road, which will result in our tax dollars paying to either reinforce the road or pay for repairs to the same. [continues 226 words]
Alberta's justice minister says the province's law enforcement communities are having to "constantly" adapt in their efforts to combat the evolving methods of illicit drugmanufacturers. Following news that health workers have found possible fentanyl-laced stickers in Calgary and Edmonton, Kathleen Ganley said police are doing a "very good job" of staying on top of drug trends. That vigilance is key, Ganley says. "It's like this with most types of drugs, they're sort of constantly adapting to continue to try to keep those hidden and we're having to constantly adapt to continue to try to find those. We'll continue to use intelligence to move forward." [continues 83 words]
Alberta shepherds in new era in global fight against fentanyl INNISFAIL - Alberta is leading the world in fentanyl detection, having developed the first safe method for police dogs to detect the deadly drug. All but one of the 136 drug-detecting dogs schooled at the RCMP facility just north of Calgary have been trained to aid in the fentanyl crisis that's taking thousands of live. The RCMP developed a liquid solution for training because powdered fentanyl was too dangerous. The equivalent of just two grains of salt is enough to kill someone and was the reason agencies across the world didn't attempt to develop the solution themselves, said Staff Sgt. Gary Creed, senior trainer for the RCMP police dog service. [continues 219 words]
Alberta's justice minister says the province's law enforcement communities are having to "constantly" adapt in their efforts to combat the evolving methods of illicit drug manufacturers. Following news that health workers have found possible fentanyl-laced stickers in Calgary and Edmonton, Kathleen Ganley told reporters that police are doing a "very good job" of staying on top of emerging drug trends. That vigilance on the part of authorities is key, Ganley says. "It's like this with most types of drugs, they're sort of constantly adapting to continue to try to keep those hidden and we're having to constantly adapt to continue to try to find those. We'll continue to use intelligence to move forward." [continues 213 words]
Associate minister confident Ottawa will approve proposal for Beltway operation A proposed supervised drug-consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre will receive a $1.2-million funding boost from the province, as the number of fentanyl-related overdoses in Alberta continues to mount. Associate minister of health Brandy Payne said the funds will go toward renovating the Beltline health centre that is expected to eventually house Calgary's first supervised drug-consumption site. No timeline for the facility's opening has been confirmed, but Payne said the latest data on drug deaths across the province reaffirms the need for harm-reduction services. [continues 511 words]
One a day. That's the death toll fentanyl or its opioid derivatives are taking in Alberta each day. It's a startling fact. And the problems are mounting, with officials saying that death rate is already moving towards two per day. So when the province announces $1.2 million to help establish a supervised drug consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre, we should all encourage government action. The debate around safe drug sites is well known. Whether it should be done is for health and law enforcement professionals to hash out. We need to trust the experts to come to the right answer. [continues 256 words]
Halfway through 2017, Fort McMurray is already nearing its year-end total for fentanyl overdose deaths last year, according to an Alberta Health report released Wednesday. A total of eight people have died from fentanyl overdoses in the first six months of 2017, compared to nine fentanyl overdose deaths over the whole of 2016. The report, Opioids and Substances of Misuse, shows that in the second quarter of 2017, a total of 119 people died in Alberta from apparent fentanyl-related drug overdoses, compared to 85 overdoses over the same period in 2016. [continues 351 words]
One a day. That's the death toll fentanyl or its opioid derivatives are taking in Alberta each day. It's a startling fact. And the problems are mounting, with officials saying that death rate is already moving towards two per day. This is the kind of tragedy that spurred the province to offer up cash to help establish safe drug consumption sites in the inner-city. While it is but one piece of the fight against opioids, it's an important one. [continues 278 words]
Albertans have a lot to say about legalizing cannabis outside medical purposes, judging by the number of people who shared their thoughts with the province in a recent survey. Just over 45,000 Albertans took the online questionnaire about how the province should approach legalization, according to the Justice and Solicitor General's office. The survey, which sought feedback on people's priorities - road safety, eliminating the black market or keeping pot away from minors, for example - closed July 31. The federal government wants to make recreational cannabis legal by July 2018, but many key decisions have to be made by provinces - such as where and how the drug can be sold or how products should be taxed. [continues 93 words]
Two local mothers are bringing awareness to the rippling effect drugs leave on families by sharing the stories of their own children enveloped in the throes of addiction. Opening a public discussion about drug addiction is how mothers Shawna Taylor of Airdrie and Christina Sackett of Crossfield first connected. "There are so many families being affected," Taylor said. "I think the stigma is so incredible that people are embarrassed to come forward. It took us a long time." Taylor has been married to her husband Jeff for 23 years and said the two raised their daughter, Kenedee, and son, Nathan, to respect curfews and stay away from drugs. [continues 992 words]
ARCHES identifies former downtown area nightclub as a future medically-supervised drug consumption site A former downtown area nightclub has been pegged as the location for a future medically-supervised drug consumption site. ARCHES Lethbridge, a harm reduction agency, made the announcement on Wednesday that it had filed an application on July 31 with Health Canada to establish the services at the site formerly known as Pulse Nightclub. The facility requires a federal exemption to allow drug use inside the building. [continues 1130 words]
Group suggests pardoning possession convictions People with a record of pot possession should be able to access a 'simplified, free' record suspension process, a for-profit advocate for Canadians with criminal records said in a report issued Thursday. AllCleared, formerly Pardon Services Canada, released a set of recommendations including eliminating fees for record suspensions, or 'pardons' of non-violent marijuana-related convictions. According to Statistics Canada, 17,733 people were charged with offences related to marijuana possession in 2016. Individuals currently have to wait five years from the date of sentence completion to apply for a record suspension, which takes several months to complete. [continues 238 words]
Number of patients has more than doubled in Alberta compared to last year The number of patients for whom medical marijuana is being prescribed has more than doubled in Alberta compared to last year, says the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta. In 2015 there were 109 authorized physicians prescribing medical marijuana for 1,750 patients. That would be the equivalent of 438 patients for every quarter of that year. In 2016 there were 329 physicians prescribing for 5,254 patients or 1,314 patients per quarter, said Kelly Eby, spokesperson for CPSA. In the first three months alone of this year, 178 physicians prescribed medical marijuana for 2,845 patients. [continues 360 words]
It will be a workout with a message. On Aug. 16, children and teens will start their Kids Against Drugs run through the Blood Reserve. The two-day event aims "to keep the momentum going for awareness, and to send a message that fentanyl and all drugs are not welcomed in the children's lives," says spokesperson Pamela Little Bear. "Too many children, on and off reserves and in the general community are affected in a negative way with these drugs," she says. [continues 136 words]
Alberta health professionals are launching a new phone service in an effort to save lives and curb a growing opioid crisis. The opioid dependency advice line, which launches Aug. 8, offers expert consultation for primary care physicians and nurse practitioners caring for patients with opioid dependence. "In the province not all family physicians are going to be comfortable or have experience in treating opioid dependence, particularly in using the medications," said Doctor Nick Mitchell, Alberta Health Services' provincial medical director with addictions and mental health. [continues 260 words]
Alberta Health Services encourages those at risk of overdose to carry kits Attendees at the Chasing Summer music festival will not be allowed to carry naloxone kits on festival grounds, organizers of the event said Wednesday. "Given our on-site medical resources and commitment to the health and welfare of all our fans, we want to ensure that only trained medical professionals administer medications to third parties, so we do not permit guests to carry private naloxone kits within festival grounds," said Colin Mathie, director of health and safety for Chasing Summer, which takes place Saturday and Sunday at Max Bell Centre grounds. [continues 370 words]
Property crimes of all sorts have increased in 2016, according to statistics included within the Medicine Hat Police's 2016 annual report published last week - numbers police say are linked together with the increased amount of meth and opiates being seen in the city. "The biggest thing is thefts of convenience," said Insp. Brent Secondiak of the MHPS. "They will take stuff to make money that's convenient for them ... they won't do a lot of work for it." "They will steal stuff from vehicles that are left open, they'll steal stuff from bicycles left in the yard." [continues 346 words]
A "huge spike" in opiate and methamphetamine seizures this past year poses a deadly and multifaceted problem for local law enforcement, says a police inspector. "We are hugely concerned with meth," said Insp. Brent Secondiak, speaking about the 2016 annual police report released last week. In 2016, police seized 52.5 grams of heroin and 1,474 grams of meth, a 563 per cent and 300 per cent increase from 2015 respectively. While fentanyl has made headlines across Canada for its deadliness, Secondiak said it hasn't been a problem in Medicine Hat compared to other drugs. [continues 499 words]
Calgary's police chief said his officers haven't changed their approach when it comes to marijuana, despite a slight dip in pot-related crimes being reported in 2016. Numbers released yesterday by Statistics Canada show Calgary's police-reported crime declined significantly last year, unlike other major Canadian cities which mostly saw an increase. Alberta also saw a drop in the homicide rate, with 17 fewer homicides in 2016 than 2015. Calgary's crime rate was down 1 per cent from 2015 numbers, which Chief Roger Chaffin called 'encouraging.' [continues 137 words]
Police are laying fewer charges for possession of marijuana in a trend that accelerated in Alberta last year, particularly in Calgary. Alberta saw a 25 per cent drop in the rate of criminal marijuana possession in 2016 from the previous year, led in part by significant declines in Calgary for the fifth consecutive year. The downward trend began before the Liberals brought forward their plan to legalize the drug for recreational use, and those on the front lines of the judicial system say charges for simple possession are increasingly rare. [continues 320 words]
The current method of regulating retail alcohol sales allows for discretion in a variety of areas. Calgary city staff report Calgary city staff are recommending that Alberta set up a private retail system for recreational-cannabis sales, similar to its liquor stores, once the drug becomes legal next summer. Council is set to debate this and other recommendations on cannabis legalization Monday as municipalities across the country begin grappling with the nuts and bolts of regulating a drug that Canadians have largely been prohibited from buying and selling for almost a century. [continues 538 words]
The Alberta Government is reminding everyone there is still time to have their voices heard when it comes to the legalization of cannabis. Albertans have until July 31 to complete an online survey that will take only 20 minutes to complete. The online survey is broken down into six key topics: Alberta's cannabis goals, purchasing cannabis, using cannabis in public, setting the legal age, protecting roads and workplaces and economic implications and opportunities. The survey process is part of the province-wide consultations the Government of Alberta is undertaking to adapt the federal law. [continues 199 words]
The provincial government has begun to amp its plans for when the federal cannabis legislation comes into effect next year by July 1st. The Alberta Government is currently conducting a survey asking Albertans how they would like to see cannabis use and distribution be implemented in this province. Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley said July 1st, 2018 is an ambitious timeline, however this provincial survey - which has already had over 35,000 respondents - will help provincial legislation reflect the values of Albertans. [continues 626 words]
EDMONTON - Ontario is on track to set the legal age for recreational marijuana use at 19, Premier Kathleen Wynne says. Wynne told the Star the age of majority should be the same for pot as it is for booze once the federal government legalizes cannabis next July 1. "I have a hard time imagining Ontario will have a lower age for pot than we do for alcohol," she said in an interview at the close of the annual premiers' conference here. [continues 387 words]
Pallister monitoring fed decision on Churchill, wants Ottawa to delay pot legalization The federal government needs to "step up" on multiple matters that impact Manitobans, Premier Brian Pallister said Wednesday in a conference call with local media. Pallister said the province needs an answer from Ottawa on what to do about the ongoing crisis in Churchill before deciding its next move; and he reiterated his believe the feds need to push pause on their marijuana legalization, saying the stakes are too high to rush into a bold new era. [continues 240 words]
Failing that, provinces will call for a delay EDMONTON - Canada's premiers say the federal government needs to provide more clarity as they work to craft rules on legalizing marijuana - or Ottawa will face a call for a delay. "It's great that the prime minister wants to stick to his deadline. That's super-duper," Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said Wednesday at the closing news conference of the leaders' annual summer meeting. "He needs to then hear what the premiers of his country - our country - - have said we need help with. There are a number of significant and serious public policy issues here. They need to be addressed. They should be addressed co-operatively." [continues 474 words]
Re: Pot legalization on agenda. Let's first get alcohol and its deadly effects under control, prior to the legalization of marijuana. I really question Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sanity in this area. Why mix gasoline with dynamite? Donald Munroe (Most Canadians are OK with legalized pot.) [end]
Premiers Frustrated By Lack Of Answers From Federal Gov't On Pot Legalization Canada's premiers say the federal government needs to provide more clarity as they work to craft rules on legalizing marijuana - or Ottawa will face a call for a delay. "It's great that the prime minister wants to stick to his deadline. That's super-duper," Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said Wednesday at the closing news conference of the leaders' annual summer meeting. "He needs to then hear what the premiers of his country - our country - - have said we need help with. There are a number of significant and serious public policy issues here. They need to be addressed. They should be addressed co-operatively." [continues 432 words]
Inside Alberta
