West Kelowna floods shops with fines, while Kelowna takes them to court The City of West Kelowna has issued $60,000 in fines to the operators of pot shops since Nov. 1, but none of the tickets has been paid. Bylaw officers regularly visit the five stores that sell marijuana, handing out $1,000 tickets each time for not having a business licence, city spokesperson Kirsten Jones says. But the City of Kelowna has opted for a different approach in trying to force the closure of five pot shops operating without a business licence in that municipality. [continues 567 words]
Having worked as a police officer for many years, I have to admit, it requires a shift in thinking to look at marijuana as a legal substance. Countless policing hours were dedicated to keeping it out of our homes, schools and communities, but the future will be different. Since the federal government announcement earlier this year, the law enforcement community began work to determine what public safety issues might arise with the availability of legal marijuana. Much of the public discourse was simple: legalize it, regulate it, tax it and use the revenues for everything, from health care to education spending. Unfortunately, it is not that simple from a public safety perspective, and the Delta police, along with our policing partners have done a great deal of work to identify and address key issues. [continues 302 words]
Best-selling author Johann Hari weighs in on B.C. housing and opioid crises Graeme Wood / Richmond News Adequate, affordable housing - not a misguided, unscientific and subjective approach to drug criminalization - is the cornerstone of preventing and overcoming drug addiction. That's the message British author and drug war critic Johann Hari brought to Richmond Monday at a conference hosted by Housing Central (BC Non-profit Housing Association, Co-op Housing Federation of BC, Aboriginal Housing Management Association and the Pacific Housing Research Network.) [continues 529 words]
Richmond residents petition Tory leader The Richmond-based Marijuana Legalization Concern Group, led by Coun. Chak Au, has taken its fight one step further by presenting an opposition letter and petition to Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party. Two of the group members, Jonathan Ho, who is also a Richmond school trustee, and Zenbia Chan, along with more than 10 supporters, handed their opposition letter and petition - which had more than 9,000 signatures - to Scheer last Wednesday night in White Rock. [continues 322 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "Trustee: Stop sending our youth mixed pot messages," Letters, Nov. 17. When are the reefer madness people going to let it go? For three generations, marijuana prohibition has been tried and is a complete failure. Some members of society should not have the power to impose their own moral code on adults when no harm is being done to others. Some of us are against alcohol and/or gambling, yet people are free to make their own choices. This is true despite the health dangers of booze and the chance that gambling can ruin lives financially. [continues 207 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "School trustee needs history lesson," Letters, Nov. 17. I fully support Mayor Brodie and councillors plus trustees Ho and Hamaguchi and other like-minded persons with their pot legalization concerns. May I suggest pot proponents substitute ingesting tablets identified as DDD as an alternative to all available recreational drugs. The history of failed reliance on education to avoid the use of recreational drugs and abuse of prescription drugs has been demonstrated by the overdose death tragedy. Surely, serious and meaningful consequences must be applied in addition to education. Why do we assess financial consequences for illegal parking, speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, etc., while ignoring this available significant deterrence and financial resource asset? [continues 110 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "School trustee needs history lesson," Letters, Nov. 17. I'd like to thank Brad Kilburn for bringing up that key fact from anti-cannabis history. The USA criminalized marijuana originally to keep the prohibition bureaucracy and police budgets going. Canada, however, did it mainly as an attack on the Chinese in our West Coast port city of Vancouver. Legalization, with basic regulation, including age limits and laws against black market production and sales, is coming. That's a given. [continues 79 words]
To the editor, Re: Providing drugs would curb crime, Letters, Nov. 9. The question is not when our government will decriminalize personal possession and provide a safe clean drug source, like we do for alcohol and soon to be marijuana, but how many more families will be devastated with the loss of a loved one before a government is brave enough to value lives over votes. In Portugal, possession is not a criminal offence if you have a 10-day personal supply in your possession. By decriminalizing personal possession, we can then start to rid the negative stigma that is associated with addiction. [continues 208 words]
There are many absurdities in Victoria city council's pot-regulation proposals: Second-hand smoke, whether it is from tobacco or pot, affects everyone in the vicinity. When you add pot's psychoactive components into the mix, non-users get all the unhealthy tar and lung contaminant and they also get stoned. Not everyone has a pleasant reaction to cannabis. While I can decline a drink if it is offered, I can't decline the effect of pot smoke in my air, whether it's from a pot lounge or seeping through the ventilation system of a building. [continues 129 words]
It's late afternoon and you receive a text message: 'Friends coming for dinner. Please pick up wine.' You pull into the neighbourhood liquor store, pick up a bottle of your favourite wine and head home. A familiar scene taking place across the province every day. When you go into your local liquor store, you have confidence knowing that you're buying a quality product in a secure environment, with stores conveniently located in every community across the province. B.C.'s public and private liquor stores have a proven track record over many decades, selling controlled alcohol products to adults in a responsible manner, with more than a 90 per cent compliance rate in restricting sales to minors. [continues 533 words]
Drug reliance stems from lack of social bonds, trauma: Expert To Janice Abbott, the link between housing and addiction is a direct line. "One of the things that happens when women don't have housing is that women use (drugs) to stay safe," the CEO of Atira Women's Resource Society told attendees at the Housing Central Conference in Richmond on Monday. "Young women on the streets use speed, any upper, to be able to stay awake so they can keep themselves safe from all the predation that's on the streets." [continues 461 words]
Dear editor: On Oct. 19, I was saddened and outraged while viewing Global Okanagan's interview with West Kelowna city councillor, Rusty Ensign, regarding the pulling of business licences of the city's medical cannabis dispensaries. Last week, I attended one of West Kelowna's cannabis dispensaries to purchase some edible products which help to control my pain and allow me to get some quality sleep, and, contrary to Ensign's claims that such stores service 20-30-year-old males, there were none in the shop, only three other ladies, of which only one was under the age of 65. [continues 210 words]
B.C. lobbying to preserve producers' licences as hectic spring looms While the New Democrats prepare to do their share on marijuana legalization, they are also lobbying Ottawa to preserve the province's position as one of the leading producers of what has been called B.C.'s largest cash crop. "The reality is this," said solicitor general Mike Farnworth, lead minister on the file for B.C. "We have had in this province an industry that's been in place for a very long time. Some of it underpins the economy, for example, no surprise, in the Kootenays, certain parts of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the coast." [continues 837 words]
Doctors of B.C. is asking the provincial government to consider banning individuals from growing recreational pot at home when it becomes legal in July. The group was one of more than 130 stakeholders offering feedback to the B.C. government as part of its consultation on cannabis regulation and distribution. The variety of submissions reflects the complex decisions government faces. Doctors of B.C. provided a list of "considerations" since there isn't enough evidence to make a strong recommendation, said president-elect Dr. Eric Cadesky. [continues 473 words]
Doctors of B.C. is asking the provincial government to consider banning individuals from growing recreational pot at home when it becomes legal in July. The group was one of more than 130 stakeholders offering feedback to the B.C. government as part of its consultation on cannabis regulation and distribution. The variety of submissions points to the complex decisions government faces. Doctors of B.C. provided a list of "considerations" since there isn't enough evidence to make a strong recommendation, said president-elect Dr. Eric Cadesky. "There isn't a consensus amongst doctors. The feedback we got contained many different points of view." [continues 246 words]
Regularly imposed bail condition is an untenable method of punishment and sets up marginalized people for failure Imagine you have a serious medical condition requiring regular care. You are charged with a minor offence, for which you are innocent until proved guilty, and your first step into the justice system is to stand before a judge who will determine whether you will be released on bail. The judge says you are free to go, but as a condition of release you are not to be within the 10 square-block area that constitutes the downtown - even though your doctor, your pharmacy and your social supports such as friends and family are all within that area. You have been "red zoned" from your community. [continues 835 words]
Another day, another Trudeau Liberal lie That fury you hear? The betrayal medical cannabis patients and activists feel after the federal government went back on yet another promise surrounding legal marijuana. Last Friday, the Department of Finance announced a federal tax proposal that could see an excise charge of $1/gram or 10% (whichever is higher) on both recreational and medical cannabis. According to Ottawa, the revenues will be shared equally between the feds, provinces and territories. So what are they smoking? The shady government is apparently 'concerned' users will lie to their doctors, pretend to be sick and navigate the complex workings of the medical cannabis system in order to save the extra 10% tax that would be reserved for recreational pot. [continues 482 words]
Doctors of B.C. is asking the provincial government to consider banning individuals from growing recreational pot at home when it becomes legal in July. The group was one of more than 130 stakeholders offering feedback to the B.C. government as part of its consultation on cannabis regulation and distribution. The variety of submissions points to the complex decisions government faces. Doctors of B.C. provided a list of "considerations" since there isn't enough evidence to make strong a recommendation, said president-elect Dr. Eric Cadesky. "There isn't a consensus amongst doctors. The feedback we got contained many different points of view." [continues 457 words]
Staff at Revelstoke Secondary School now have a new tool to keep students safe. The high school received two Naloxone kits at the end of September. Naloxone is used to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose. With a focus on student safety and well-being, principal Greg Kenyon said that getting the kits was an obvious decision, despite the school being low-risk for drug overdoses. "It's just another thing we do and have," said Kenyon. "It's like we're trained for responding to anaphylaxis and we're trained now to respond to Naloxone and administering that." [continues 635 words]
Pot entrepreneurs should be encouraged, says Paul Clark. Entrepreneurial ism and innovation are key ingredients to Canada's domestic economy and its international competitiveness. For example, France has a vibrant wine industry, Cuba is recognized for its cigars, China has a strong manufacturing role, and Italy and France have their fashion brands. To this end, the Government of Canada invests a considerable amount of money and effort into sparking and supporting entrepreneurial activities. For example, government-funded Entrepreneurial Incubators exist across the country, loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses are widely promoted, and other agencies such as Community Futures support entrepreneurial activity. [continues 568 words]
Inside British Columbia
