Group to ask about opioid crisis at town hall Edmontonians will line up at MacEwan University on Thursday in hopes of getting face time with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Moms Stop the Harm, a group of parents who have lost children to drug overdoses, plans to have 10 to 15 members at the town hall to challenge the PM on the opioid crisis. "It's very upsetting for us how silent he has been on this issue," said group member Petra Schulz. "There are thousands of Canadian families like ours that are mourning the loss of a loved one, and the prime minister has not even spoken on the issue in the house." [continues 310 words]
Edmonton is giving more naloxone kits to those who need them, but much more work is required on the underlying drivers of the fentanyl and opioid crisis. That was the message left with city council after their quarterly update Wednesday. Dr. Chris Sikora, Alberta Health Services' medical officer of health, Edmonton zone, said childhood trauma and social factors such as poverty and a lack of housing leave people susceptible to addiction. With fentanyl, those addictions are taking an even more tragic turn. [continues 233 words]
AHS teaming up with two universities to study effects of cannabis on the brain If you have smoked five joints a week, every week, for the past year, then science needs you. A research collaboration between Alberta Health Services, the University of Alberta and MacEwan University is studying 120 healthy Edmontonians aged between 18 and 35 to understand the short and long-term effects of cannabis use and its residual effects on cognition, motor skills and sensory skills. It will also look at how people with mental illness are affected by cannabis. [continues 266 words]
StatsCan can tell you the answer to that Albertans are paying just under $8 a gram for marijuana on average, according to a new Statistics Canada report. The Cannabis Economic Report ranked average prices of medical and non-medical cannabis between provinces and found Alberta is slightly above the national average and the highest of the Prairies at $7.67. The national average is $7.48. Manitoba has the cheapest weed at $6.69 per gram, while the territories rank the highest at $9.58. [continues 106 words]
The opioid crisis affecting Canada and the world has surfaced in a significant dangerous way here in Lethbridge. This rampant drug abuse involving fentanyl, labelled as the "new alcohol," is being driven by factors that can and should be controlled by our own community activities or lack thereof. Much is being done to deal with the crisis, i.e. safe Injection site and other initiatives. Nevertheless, little is being done to deal with the underlying causes driving this crisis. Currently, our own Lethbridge Shelter is accommodating homeless citizens, many of whom are affected by addictions, homelessness, job loss, poverty. Many are selling drugs to put food in their bellies. On average, 65 per cent of the clientele are aboriginal. The shelter has become a refuge for drug dealers and users banished from the Blood Reserve - many as a direct result of the new "trespass" policy on the reserve. The Blood Tribe does not want them, and neither does Lethbridge. [continues 204 words]
Drunk driving laws have not stopped impaired drivers and pot will be no different Last Sunday, I was driving on John Laurie Blvd. when I caught up to a motorist in the passing lane who was doing 40 km/h in a 70 km/h zone. As I pulled out to pass him on the right, I could smell the stench of marijuana coming from his car. Wait until marijuana is legal in Canada and then more of these bozos will be on the road. In Colorado, where marijuana has been legal for almost four years, a recent poll by the Colorado Department of Transportation showed that 55 per cent of people there think it's perfectly all right to drive while stoned. As Time magazine reported, the poll also found that of the people surveyed who had used pot in the past 30 days, half thought it was fine to drive while high. Why should Alberta's potheads think any differently when legalization arrives here? Some of them, like the guy on John Laurie, aren't even waiting till then. [continues 499 words]
Health: Veterinarian speaks out over dangers of drug, signs of intoxication in pets Foothills veterinarians are expressing concerns animals could be exposed to marijuana when the drug is legalized in July. Dr. Tony Gerrow, at the Okotoks Veterinary Clinic, said he's seen several cases of intoxicated dogs over his 35 years and anticipates more with legalization looming. "If there are marijuana products available to the pets, whether it's accidental ingestion or it's second-hand smoke, I'm sure we're going to see more of those cases," said Gerrow. [continues 593 words]
A University of Calgary researcher says the city's supervised consumption site is important not only for people who use opioids, but for those who consume other substances such as meth, which was cited as the most frequently used substance during a recent study of drug users in Calgary. The research was conducted as part of a harm reduction needs assessment for Calgary that launched in June 2017 and wrapped up in the fall. The study included 370 people in the city who use substances other than alcohol or marijuana. [continues 472 words]
Prescribed opiates rarely hit streets, writes Barry Ulmer. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is happy lately, at least according to the medical regulator's new registrar. Dr. Scott McLeod wrote in these pages last week that doctors contributed to Alberta's "opioid crisis" by over-prescribing, and now they're going to help fix it. "We need to prescribe opioids more appropriately," he wrote, "and that means less. Already, prescriptions for Albertans in pain are way down, and that's terrific." [continues 660 words]
More than 40 client support workers have been hired With staff training well underway, officials at the city's supervised drug consumption centre will be ready once building contractors have finished their work. Renovations on the 1 Avenue S. structure - a night club and bar for many decades - started last fall. Stacey Bourque, executive director of the Arches harm reduction agency, says it's a little behind schedule because of a decision to install a new fire detection and sprinkler system. [continues 285 words]
Made-in-Alberta protocols change ways dogs sniff out fentanyl Alberta RCMP is leading the way when it comes to new police service dog drug detection protocols. Previously, sticking their nose in drugs was a police dog's business, but now the canines sit beside suspected drugs when they are found, said K Division Deputy Commissioner Todd Shean in a year-end interview. "Now the dogs are sitting back ... so if they detect it - versus putting the dogs in harm's way - they sit," Shearn said. [continues 234 words]
Permanent facility replaces stop-gap trailer at Chumir Health Centre A permanent supervised drug consumption site will open its doors in the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre on Monday, replacing a temporary facility that handled 2,551 visits by more than 300 people in two months. Claire O'Gorman, program coordinator with Safeworks, said 55 overdoses were reversed between Oct. 30 and Dec. 31 at the trailer outside the health centre. "There's 55 lives saved already," she said during a tour of the facility Friday. "We're making a difference here in our community." [continues 450 words]
At some point this summer, Justin Trudeau expects to make good on his promise to legalize recreational marijuana use across Canada. The Senate thus-far has spoiled Trudeau's plans to kick off Canada Day with a country-wide high, and may yet delay or otherwise thwart speedy implementation of his Cannabis Act. The provinces, meanwhile, are working to flesh out the regulatory details that will govern the sale, purchase, distribution and use of pot across the country. However, the reality of marijuana legalization is fast approaching, raising the question, how do Canadians feel about legal pot now that it is upon us? [continues 553 words]
Let's shift our approach, writes Dr. Trina Larsen Soles The opioid epidemic is the biggest public health crisis to hit in decades. One potential response, in addition to opening more supervised consumption sites, providing better access to Naloxone kits, urging people not to use alone, and trying to stop tainted drugs from being accessible - could be to deepen our public understanding and shift our approach to a more compassionate and effective outcome: recognizing and addressing the underlying role of adverse childhood experiences and how they make individuals more vulnerable to substance use. [continues 575 words]
Re. "Opioids kill hundreds," Dec. 28 This is a terrible tragedy and health professionals need to be supported in their evidence-based efforts to prevent these deaths. However, this story, like many media reports, inaccurately frames the approval of four supervised drug injection sites in Edmonton as a "positive development" in efforts to prevent these deaths. In contrast, the Journal's headline on the day after these sites were announced was "Injection sites may do little for fentanyl crisis, experts say" (Feb. 23, 2017). [continues 118 words]
Re: "Marijuana isn't without its risks," Letter, Jan. 4. As is typical of marijuana scaremongers, Jack Falk misconstrues the fact that marijuana metabolites are detectable in the body for a longer period than alcohol. The effects of marijuana (the high, if you will), however, are fairly short-lived (two to three hours if smoked, six to 12 hours if ingested). The letter writer needs to educate himself a little before making such easily repudiated claims. Ted Tarrant, Calgary [end]
At least 200 potential marijuana retailers have expressed interest in setting up shop in Calgary, says the city official responsible for planning for the impending legalization of recreational cannabis. Matt Zabloski said retail expectations could be getting out of hand, depending on provincial directives on how such shops will be located and regulated - guidelines that should be provided next month. "There are a lot of people putting a lot of money into this now and there are no guarantees," said Zabloski, who's working with as many as 17 city business units to prepare for legalization, expected to take effect this summer. [continues 535 words]
Second-hand smoke concerns will cut into consumption The war on drugs is about to get a lot more interesting, here in Alberta. And not because of another tough-talking "lock everyone up and throw away the keys" politician. Heck, we've seen that lot come and go without making the slightest dent in an age-old problem, though it did help get them elected. Nope, that was just blather, bluster and tossing peanuts to the gallery. Sure, politicians and law enforcement agencies love that standby news conference where oodles of some drugs, bundles of cash and a few handguns and semiautomatic weapons are proudly displayed for effect. [continues 588 words]
ALERT boss says officers will focus on keeping up with tech-savvy bad guys Disarming and dismantling the upper echelon of organized crime groups in Alberta is in the sights of the province's dedicated guns and gang investigators in 2018, says the province's integrated law enforcement boss. But in order to disrupt the complex networks of drug-running and gun-toting criminals in Alberta, officers will need to stay ahead of the technology curve as these groups - which include some of the province's most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs - are becoming increasingly tech savvy. [continues 483 words]
Re: "Nothing to fear from legal pot," Letter, Jan. 3. Comparing pot's effects to alcohol is apples and oranges. The effects of alcohol leave the body when the alcohol is gone (or soon after). The effects of pot most assuredly do not. Consider this the next time you're returning from vacation on a late-night flight: The air traffic controller has returned from days off, during which time he can use weed as he wishes. It's a quiet night, and he sits back, all mellow and relaxed, then starts issuing instructions to the wrong aircraft. This is but one possibility. Think about jobs such as an oil worker on the floor of a drilling rig, or a highrise construction worker - or your surgeon poised over your brain with a scalpel. Jack Falk, Calgary [end]
Marijuana dispensary firms' efforts to launch dozens of franchises and shops in Calgary has ignited concerns of a chaotic scramble ahead of the drug's recreational legalization. Calgary-based Spiritleaf has attracted 40 entrepreneurs willing to put up a $25,000 franchise fee to operate a cannabis retailing store under the company's name, said CEO Darren Bondar. "We're well-positioned to be ahead of the game and being an iconic brand based in Alberta," said Bondar, who has exhibited at marijuana industry expos in the city. [continues 512 words]
Re: "Pot's harm exceeds value of tax revenue," Letter, Dec. 29. The letter writer's opinion could not be further off the mark. Legalization has nothing to do with a legacy for the prime minister. It is about fulfilling a campaign promise (finally) and growing scientific data. I voted for Justin Trudeau based on that promise. The prohibition of marijuana has been a complete failure. I encourage you to not make statements based on your own fears and absence of facts. And let me guess - you brought in the new year drinking alcohol, which was once prohibited because of its dangers to our social fabric. The hypocrisy is coming to end, thankfully. Wes Armitage, Calgary [end]
Edmonton police brace for cannabis legalization Edmonton police will not be ready to enforce cannabis-impaired driving laws in time for legalization, according to chief Rod Knecht. In a year-end interview with Metro, Knecht said he expects to see an uptick in impaired driving in 2018 - but without tools to accurately test for pot the way Breathalyzers test for alcohol, he doesn't know how officers will deal with it. "We are, quite frankly, not the least bit prepared for it," he said. [continues 297 words]
Calgary Staff, students developing on provincial pot policy How does weed fit in with higher education? It's hard to draw a conclusion. With only months to go before the federal government lights up marijuana legislation, Calgary's post-secondary institutions are just beginning the process of establishing how dope will fit into academic life. Both the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University have lit up their own marijuana working groups to look at the federal and provincial rules and pack their own policies through their respective governance processes. [continues 303 words]
Inside Alberta
