Sitting in drug treatment court feels like a visit to the principal's office.

Each week, two dozen program participants appear before Judge John Guy for a brief face-to-face talk and review of their progress.

Like the best principals, Guy knows when one of his charges needs some words of encouragement or when it's time to get tough.

"I view myself as part of the treatment team. I bring the carrot or I bring the stick," Guy said.

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One can't make the same argument to prove opposing points.

But Walter Cavalieri of the Canadian Harm Reduction Network tried.

Cavalieri's argument, made on my Toronto radio show, is the war on drugs has not worked, so we need a different approach. He favours facilitating drug users with free needles and crack pipes along with medical assistance and supervision.

But it seems that hasn't really worked either.

How do we determine that the war on drugs has not worked? By the fact drugs are still readily available and many people are addicted to them?

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A seven-year-old program that sees Winnipeg health officials hand out free crack-smoking kits to addicts could be reviewed if the Tories win October's provincial election.

Ian Rabb, the Tory candidate in Fort Garry-Riverview and a former Addictions Foundation of Manitoba board member, said the Conservatives need more hard data about the program's success from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority before agreeing to "subsidize addiction."

"My concern is the WRHA is paying to subsidize addiction without any real benefit," said Rabb, an admitted former crystal meth addict himself.

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Addicted to crack and living on the street, Glen Colton knew his life could go one of two ways.

"I was lucky it took me to jail rather than the cemetery," Colton, 31, said in a recent interview. "When I was arrested I was almost relieved. I got a couple of good nights sleep and that really opened my eyes."

It was in jail in 2007, charged with possession of crack for the purpose of trafficking, when Colton made a choice that finally set him on the road to a new life of sobriety and promise. Colton agreed to participate in the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court program, a pilot project geared to steering drug addicts out of the justice system.

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Re: All we can offer Janet Goodin is a sincere apology (July 30). I feel bad that this lady was harangued, but at the same time, having a medical marijuana licence, I am forbidden entry into the U.S.

One lady in B.C., who had no pot with her, had a sample of her DNA taken by U.S. officials and was told never to try entering the country again. She had never been charged with anything; she was being denied entry due to a medical condition.

So as much as I sympathize with this woman, anyone crossing the Canada-U.S. border is walking on thin ice and should expect to get soaked.

Nepean, Ont.

[end]

Told Border Officials Any Drugs Were His

After a 66-year-old Minnesota woman was detained at a Manitoba border crossing on allegations of heroin trafficking, customs officials reportedly received a call from her son saying any drugs they found belonged to him.

An audio tape of Janet Goodin's bail hearing on April 27 records Crown attorney Kathleen Tokaruk telling provincial court Judge Lee Ann Martin about the call from Alan Goodin, Janet's son, saying "he was upset with the fact that his mother was being detained at the point of entry. He indicated that whatever drugs that were found in the vehicle belonged to him and not his mother."

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You never know where the next column is lurking. Or who will lug it to your door.

Paul "Willy" Williamson, the Free Press's big Buddha of an auto writer, dropped by my newsroom cubicle this week with an idea that sounded like it had wheels.

Until the brakes were applied.

Initially, Willy's idea seemed doable.

If the Canadian government won't say it's sorry for the humiliating and unnecessarily punitive way Warroad, Minn., grandmother Janet Goodin was treated last spring, maybe Canadians can apologize in a collective way for the way she was strip-searched and cuffed at the border, then tossed in jail for 12 days on suspicion of smuggling heroin in a jar. And Willy really did mean apologize in a collective way.

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Daughter's Vehicle 'Torn Apart' At Border

Not long before Janet Goodin endured 12 days in jail because of a faulty drug test, her daughter's vehicle was "torn apart" by officers at a different border crossing, another daughter says.

Janet's daughter Tina Goodin, who lives in Buffalo Point, Man., said her sister Angela was interrogated for five hours at the Roseau border crossing "not too long" before April 20, the date Goodin was stopped at the Sprague crossing.

"They just tore apart the whole vehicle," Tina said. As an explanation, border officers told Angela they were simply carrying out a random search, Tina said.

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They're Right 99 Per Cent of the Time, Official Says

THE erroneous drug tests that sent Janet Goodin to jail are accurate more than 99 per cent of the time, the Canadian Border Service Agency says.

"False positives occur infrequently -- less than one per cent," Lisa White, a communications agent with the agency, wrote in an email. She said the agency collects data on the performance of its drug-detection technologies and performs "service" on them when necessary.

"However, CBSA officers are trained to understand any/all limitations of the CBSA's detection technologies and that is why these tests are used only as an indicator during their examination," White wrote.

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The appalling treatment of an American grandmother who was jailed for 12 days in Winnipeg on suspicion of trying to smuggle heroin into Canada exposes the problem of relying on fallible technology at the expense of common sense and human intelligence.

Janet Goodin, 66, was ensnared in an Orwellian nightmare when Canadian border agents arrested her after a roadside drug test determined a jar of what she assumed was motor oil was heroin. She was locked up at the Winnipeg Remand Centre while the motor oil/heroin was sent off for tests, a process that took 12 days, even though the results were requested on an urgent basis.

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The Minnesota grandmother who was wrongly jailed at the Winnipeg Remand Centre for 12 days on suspicion of smuggling heroin into Manitoba says federal officials owe her an apology and compensation for the debt incurred to cover her legal costs.

Janet Goodin, 66, said she is pleased the Canada Border Services Agency is preparing a report on her arrest, but said she's owed more than that.

"I would like an apology and I would like the charges to be withdrawn," Goodin said. "My daughters had to borrow at least $5,000 to cover my legal costs, and that money should be recouped, too."

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WINNIPEG =AD The Minnesota grandmother who was wrongly jailed at the Remand Centre for 12 days on suspicion of smuggling heroin into Manitoba says federal officials owe her an apology and compensation for the debt incurred to cover her legal costs.

Janet Goodin, 66, said she is pleased to know that the Canada Border Services Agency is preparing a report on her arrest but said she's owed more than that.

I would like an apology and I would like the charges to be withdrawn,=94 Goodin said. =93My daughters had to borrow at least $5,000 to cover my legal costs and that money should be recouped, too.=94

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Minnesota grandmother Janet Goodin crossed the border to play bingo and ended up in a Winnipeg jail for 12 days, after a forgotten jar of motor oil in her van mistakenly tested positive for heroin. The 66-year-old widow and retired Girl Scout administrator from Warroad, Minn., was questioned, strip-searched and jailed until officials discovered the error and released her. "This was so out of context and so preposterous that it's just literally turned my life upside down," she told the Post's Sarah Boesveld by phone from her quiet trailer home about six kilometres from the border. "It was so surreal." The Canada Border Services Agency said Tuesday officials at the Sprague border followed protocol, but Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said he has requested a "full report" on Ms. Goodin's detention from the agency's president. While sitting in the Winnipeg Remand Centre, Ms. Gooding began chronicling her ordeal in what would become a nearly 4,000-word journal entry, which she shared with the Winnipeg Free Press. Here is the entry, edited for length and clarity by the Post:

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How did this country and the U.S. become such drug-addicted societies?

A recent report states that the pain killer Oxycontin is now the number one drug used by addicts in North America. But whether it's this drug, crack cocaine, crystal meth or others, the result is always the same: wasted lives, needless deaths, crime and the spending of tons of taxpayers' money that should be used for productive purposes. It's a cop-out when ministers of health claim there's no easy answer.

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Regarding Tom Oleson's June 4 column, What are you smoking?, the Global Commission on Drug Policy's groundbreaking report criticized the U.S. government for promoting a global drug war.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy immediately rejected the commission's call for reform and defended the "balanced drug-control efforts" of the U.S. government. These "balanced" efforts have given the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. Prohibition-related violence has caused upwards of 35,000 deaths in Mexico over the past four years.

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In December of 2008, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police made the largest seizure of heroin in Manitoba history at the time -- two kilograms with an estimated street value of $250,000. On Wednesday, almost three years later, a B.C. woman and former Winnipegger was sentenced to nine years in prison for her part in the smuggling operation, a long and costly court proceeding that contributed little to the safety of Canadian cities.

That's pretty serious jail time, however, more time, in fact, than many people who murder other people face once they have been convicted. Crown Attorney Chris Mainella justified the punishment on the basis of the "mountain of misery" that this heroin could have caused if it had found its way onto the streets instead of being apprehended at the Winnipeg airport en route to its destination in Vancouver.

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An Ontario court ruling this week has set the stage for what will hopefully be a decisive national debate on the country's marijuana's laws, which make criminals out of ordinary Canadians and deny relief for thousands of people suffering from chronic ailments.

In a case involving a man who relies on marijuana to ease pain, the Ontario Superior Court ruled Canada's pot laws were unconstitutional and it gave Ottawa three months to respond.

The government has three choices: Do nothing, which would effectively legalize the drug in Ontario; challenge the ruling, which would likely result in the matter ultimately heading to the Supreme Court of Canada for a decisive ruling; or rewrite the laws to make it easier for people to obtain marijuana for medical purposes.

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Reaction to Judges' Decision 95% Positive

Were the judges right or wrong? A man suffered spinal injuries in a car accident, leaving him with chronic pain only relieved by marijuana. His insurance company refused to pay for this medication. But Quebec judges believed that "personal experience" must be considered when deciding if a patient is helped by medication. They ruled his company must pay $5,000 so he could grow his own marijuana. When I wrote about this, I asked for your opinion.

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Study casts doubts over Tory strategy on illicit drug use

OTTAWA - It's not clear the Conservatives are getting a whole lot of bang for all the bucks thrown at the illicit drug problem, a new report says.

A consultant hired by the Justice Department couldn't tell whether the Tory drugs strategy is working.

That casts doubt over the value of a multimillion-dollar suite of anti-drug programs, which has formed part of the Tories' tough-on-crime message.

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Judges See It's About Pain Relief

What would you do if you were the judge? A man in his 40s (his name is protected under provincial law) is involved in a severe car crash. His spine is badly damaged, resulting in painful spasms. A variety of painkillers is prescribed to alleviate the pain, but none are effective. Would you agree to the medical use of marijuana?

Patient X requested insurance coverage for marijuana, but it was refused. Not an unexpected decision, as the use of this drug has sparked controversy for many years. But an unusual event occurred in this case.

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