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1 CN MB: PUB LTE: Another Take On TokesWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:White, Stan Area:Manitoba Lines:27 Added:12/29/2016

Pamela McColl is guilty of some backwards thinking. Eight decades of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition has proven to be "experimenting with dangerous drug policies" and "risky public-health policy," not the other way around.

Insinuating cannabis laws involve "evidence-based drug policy" could not be farther from the truth. Cannabis prohibition and persecution was orchestrated from the beginning out of greed and racism. If cannabis were discovered today for the first time, it would be hailed as a miracle plant.

Stan White

Dillon, CO

[end]

2 CN MB: Quarter Of Adults Would Try Pot If Legal: PollWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:sanders, Carol Area:Manitoba Lines:131 Added:12/29/2016

If marijuana is legalized in this province, nearly one-quarter of Manitoba adults say they're prepared to get some. Rich or poor, NDP or Progressive Conservative, man or woman, young or middle-aged - tens of thousands are likely to try some pot.

The Winnipeg Free Press/Probe Research Inc. survey asked, "If marijuana becomes legal in Canada, how likely would you be to use it even just once?" Twenty-four per cent - nearly one-quarter of a million adult Manitobans - said they would be likely to use it.

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3 CN MB: LTE: Anti-Drug RantMon, 26 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Dirks, Laurie R. Area:Manitoba Lines:37 Added:12/28/2016

"I have been hearing and reading a lot about fentanyl and about the many hundreds who have died using it, Well, I guess I want to kill myself, so would the government please advise me were I can get a couple pills? Oh, and by the way, would they send along the location of any of the injection sites where I can get the antidote just in case I change my mind?

The question remains: Why is the government supporting this sort of crap by offering injection sites and free antidotes to people who know full well taking the drug may kill them, but they do it anyway? Maybe it's the government who needs the antidote.

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4 CN MB: Opioid Antidotes In Schools ConsideredFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Martin, Nick Area:Manitoba Lines:135 Added:12/28/2016

WINNIPEG School Division is considering stocking its schools with the antidote naloxone in case any student suffers an opioid overdose.

"We need to pay attention to it," trustee Lisa Naylor said Thursday. "It may be something we deem as a good idea, as part of a first aid kit."

Naylor raised the possibility at a school board meeting earlier this month and was told the WSD administration was already looking into it. Naylor said a parent, who is also a doctor, had told her another unidentified school division is also considering putting naloxone kits in schools.

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5 CN MB: LTE: Don't Smoke 'Em If You Got 'EmFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:McColl, Pamela Area:Manitoba Lines:37 Added:12/24/2016

Re: How Canada's legalization of marijuana could change its relations with the U.S. (Dec. 20)

Donald Trump is the least of Prime Minister Trudeau's worries.

Three international UN drug conventions represent the legal basis of global drug prohibition, restricting nation-states from taking alternative approaches, including moving to the legalization of marijuana products for a domestic market.

The prime minister cannot pick and choose what international laws he wishes to uphold.

Not only will the new Trump administration in the United States question Trudeau's enthusiasm for risky public-health policy, but Canada will find itself offside of 190 countries that have supported evidence-based drug policy for decades. Canada has the highest rate of use by youth in the industrialized world and is the last country that should be experimenting with dangerous drug policies.

Pamela McColl

Vancouver

[end]

6 CN MB: LTE: Going To PotTue, 20 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Alexander, John Area:Manitoba Lines:39 Added:12/23/2016

For the past few days I have been listening to, and reading about the 80 recommendations made by the marijuana legalization task force, headed up by Anne McMillan, a former Liberal justice minister.

Some of the recommendations include: an age for purchase restriction of not less than 18 (not 21 as recommended by the Canadian Medical Association); separate storefronts for tobacco, alcohol and pot because, according to the committee, one addiction leads to another; two separate bureaucracies for medical and recreational use; and money is to be earmarked to fight addiction, underage use and for harm-reduction strategies.

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7 CN MB: Column: No Sense Waiting On Pot PlanFri, 16 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Rabson, Mia Area:Manitoba Lines:110 Added:12/18/2016

OTTAWA - It seems pretty clear Canada is going to fully legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use in just a matter of months.

The marijuana task force reported its findings publicly this week, recommending recreational use be legalized with certain limitations, including how much can be grown or possessed at a time and where it can be sold. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said Tuesday plans are in place to introduce legislation for legalization in spring 2017.

There is no indication the government is going to put the train back in the station on this one.

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8 CN MB: Local Pot Advocate Applauds Federal Task Force ReportWed, 14 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)          Area:Manitoba Lines:90 Added:12/15/2016

A federal task force report on legalized recreational marijuana marks a "momentous" step toward the normalization of the drug, a local pot advocate said Tuesday.

"I think the consensus is this is the day a lot of people, both from the medical cannabis community and recreational users, never thought they would live to see," said Steven Stairs, a medical marijuana user and local "4/20" organizer.

The task force is recommending storefront and mail-order sales to Canadians 18 years and older, with personal growing limits of four plants per person.

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9 CN MB: PUB LTE: Black Market PotWed, 07 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:White, Stan Area:Manitoba Lines:32 Added:12/10/2016

Re: 'Feds should delay legalizing pot,' Dec. 6.

I'm sure Premier Brian Pallister means well. However, cannabis (marijuana) usage and sales are not going to wait for delays. Pallister's 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 perfectly fine; North Americans have grown accustomed to the increased efficiency of the black market for the last eight decades.

Dillon, Colorado

(An intense education campaign is needed for when pot is legalized.)

[end]

10 CN MB: No Need To RushWed, 07 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Lambert, Steven Area:Manitoba Lines:58 Added:12/10/2016

Pallister says he is not alone in wanting delay in feds' marijuana bill

The federal government should postpone legislation to legalize marijuana, planned for the spring, because there are still too many details to work out, says Premier Brian Pallister.

"We've done a fair bit of preparatory work here and research, and the more we do, the more we unlock complexities that need to be addressed that are not minor things," Pallister told reporters Tuesday.

"I know at least some of the other first ministers have these concerns as well."

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11 CN MB: Column: Sometimes, The Drug Problem Is Your KidMon, 05 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:JenZoratti, Area:Manitoba Lines:95 Added:12/07/2016

Parents need to realize addiction knows no demographic boundaries

THERE are many ways a parent can lose a child to drugs. They might overdose and die. They might get lost to addiction, which is a kind of death. Or they might be killed by drug-related violence - such as Cooper Nemeth, whose body was found in a recycling bin in February, or TJ Wiebe, who was beaten, strangled and left to die in a field in 2003.

In February, I sat in Karen Wiebe's living room. We talked about TJ, and what the Nemeth family was going through, trying to grieve while also dealing with the justice system and the media. No one prepares you for what happens when your child becomes a headline.

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12 CN MB: LTE: Troubled TokingMon, 05 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Flanagan, Stephen Area:Manitoba Lines:30 Added:12/07/2016

There is no question that the recreational use of marijuana is coming, even though it will open the door to a number of serious health issues down the road. The Canadian Pediatric Society is advocating an age restriction for its use along the lines of what is in place for alcohol. Give me a break - if they think that younger people will adhere to the age limit they are pipe dreaming. Like booze, the younger set will just pay someone to purchase it for them. This pending legislation will open up a Pandora's Box of problems but the feds can't say the [sic] haven't been warned.

Stephen Flanagan



(Fair point.)

[end]

13 CN MB: 'We Didn't Realize It Was This Bad'Mon, 05 Dec 2016
Source:Metro (Winnipeg, CN MB) Author:Taylor, Stephanie Area:Manitoba Lines:105 Added:12/07/2016

Firefighter union reacts to Winnipeg's overdose statistics

Winnipeg firefighters and paramedics are responding to more overdose calls in 2016 than in the past five years, new data shows.

From Jan. 1 to Nov.16, the city says the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service has received 1,593 calls related to overdoses and poisonings, which are tracked together.

In 2015, the service had 1,556 of the same calls, compared to 1,328 back in 2014 and 1,269 in 2013.

Municipal spokesperson Michelle Finley said the service only tracks the calls and does not specify which drug causes an overdose.

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14 CN MB: Premier Wants Pot Bill Postponed While Kinks Worked OutTue, 06 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Rabson, Mia Area:Manitoba Lines:84 Added:12/06/2016

MANITOBA - Premier Brian Pallister said the federal government should delay introducing legislation to legalize marijuana until the provinces are prepared to deal with its legal and social implications, particularly drug-impaired driving.

Pallister heads to Ottawa Friday for a first ministers meeting between premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau called the meeting to discuss his climate change plan, and requirement for every province to introduce a price on carbon, and the premiers are hoping to put pressure on Trudeau over health-care transfers.

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15 CN MB: OPED: Fighting Together On World Aids DayThu, 01 Dec 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Plourde, Pierre Area:Manitoba Lines:79 Added:12/05/2016

TODAY marks World AIDS Day. We celebrate advances made in the fight against HIV, look back on how far we've come and honour those we've lost, while also looking to the future and what we have left to accomplish.

Last year, 102 people in Manitoba were diagnosed with HIV, joining more than 1,250 living with HIV in the province and 78,000 across Canada.

Late diagnosis and limited access to services outside Winnipeg continue to be challenges, but there are success stories. For example, Manitoba has a relatively low rate of HIV among people who use drugs. In 2014, 12 per cent of new HIV diagnoses in Manitoba could be traced back to drug use, generally from sharing needles. The same year, the number in Saskatchewan was 49 per cent.

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16 CN MB: Column: Keeping Watch, Saving LivesFri, 25 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Zoratti, Jen Area:Manitoba Lines:183 Added:11/28/2016

Opioid crisis draws attention to supervised drug-use sites, but Manitoba's not interested - so far

A DECADE ago, fentanyl, the killer synthetic opioid that can be 100 times more potent than morphine, was a relatively unknown drug. Today, it's everywhere - and it's at the heart of a national crisis claiming the lives of hundreds of Canadians.

In Manitoba, at least two dozen people have died from opioid overdoses in 2016, nine confirmed to be caused by or related to fentanyl. It's a dangerous drug that many people don't even know they're taking: it's often showing up in other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

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17 CN MB: 'Underwhelming'Sun, 20 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Bender, Jim Area:Manitoba Lines:75 Added:11/22/2016

Opioid conference misses point, advocate says

A policy to address the latest opioids crisis at a Health Canada conference in Ottawa does not go far enough, or fast enough, to prevent future deaths, an advocate says.

Cynthia Genaille, whose daughter Brittany died of a fentanyl overdose on Oct. 6, speaks to media during a small rally denouncing the opioid in front of the Legislative Building.

"Where's the urgency?" Richard Elliott, the executive director for the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, asked. "You need to stop people from dying now."

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18 CN MB: Too High To Drive?Tue, 15 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Pursaga, Joyanne Area:Manitoba Lines:68 Added:11/18/2016

National poll finds 65% of Manitobans fear spike in impaired driving once pot becomes legal

If you're afraid drugged driving will become more common once marijuana is legalized, you are certainly not alone.

CAA Manitoba reports found 65% of Manitobans surveyed in a national poll believe there will be an increase in impaired driving once recreational marijuana use is legal. Meanwhile, 24% say they've driven while under the influence of marijuana or been the passenger of someone who has.

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19 CN MB: Goertzen Urges Ottawa To Act On Opioid CrisisTue, 15 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Paul, Alexandra Area:Manitoba Lines:85 Added:11/16/2016

Calls for national strategy heading into summit on illicit drugs

MANITOBA'S health minister is calling on the federal government to stop the flow of powdered fentanyl from countries such as China.

"We need national strategies around that," Kelvin Goertzen said Monday at a news conference to mark addictions awareness week.

The event, held before Friday's national opioid conference and summit in Ottawa, included some of the province's leading addictions and health officials and the mothers of two victims of fentanyl overdoses.

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20 CN MB: Slap On The WristWed, 09 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Pritchard, Dean Area:Manitoba Lines:46 Added:11/12/2016

Trafficking teen gets off with reprimand

A Winnipeg teen convicted of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking got off with a reprimand - the lightest sanction available under the Youth Criminal Justice Act - after a judge ruled police violated his rights after his arrest.

Police arrested the then 17-year-old accused after a safety and security officer at his high school reported suspicions he had been selling marijuana to other students from his car. Police conducted a traffic stop and found 36 grams of packaged marijuana in a gym bag behind the driver seat.

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21 CN MB: PUB LTE: Cannabis Prohibition Must EndTue, 01 Nov 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:White, Stan Area:Manitoba Lines:33 Added:11/02/2016

Re: Marijuana strategy missing (Letters, Oct. 26)

I'm sure Malina Hedgecock means well, however, cannabis (marijuana) prohibition must be put behind us. The majority of North Americans are through with caging and punishing responsible adults who wish to use the relatively safe, God-given plant. At this point, the strategy is to end one of North America's worst policy failures in history as soon as possible.

It is commendable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ending cannabis prohibition in Canada. Colorado successfully legalized cannabis for adults, and every subsequent poll indicates Colorado citizens continue supporting the end of cannabis prohibition.

There is every reason to believe that when Canada ends cannabis prohibition, the majority will not look back with regret either.

Stan White

Dillon, Col.

[end]

22 CN MB: LTE: Marijuana Strategy MissingWed, 26 Oct 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Hedgecock, Malina Area:Manitoba Lines:32 Added:10/28/2016

Re: Grits' plan to legalize pot hazy: province (Oct.21).

I think marijuana should only be legalized for medicinal purposes and not for recreational purposes. Therefore, I don't think marijuana should be sold at provincial liquor stores, but should be provided at hospitals when prescribed by a doctor or personal psychiatrists.

I find that marijuana is an unsafe substance and I think that people impairing their train of thought and ability to comprehend what is happening around them without consequences is dangerous.

I agree that Manitoba should work on a harm reduction strategy to address dangers of marijuana and not just look into the revenue.

Malina Hedgecock

Winnipeg

[end]

23 CN MB: New Gap Seen For Youths Battling AddictionsMon, 24 Oct 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:May, Katie Area:Manitoba Lines:127 Added:10/26/2016

Two treatment programs closed

THE closure of two youth-treatment programs has raised concerns about access to addictions treatment for young people involved in Manitoba's criminal justice system.

The youth addiction and mental health treatment programs run by the Behavioural Health Foundation closed permanently this spring because of a lack of funding. The shuttering of the two programs - one in Selkirk for boys and the other in St. Norbert for girls - was already in the works when a Red River College student was brutally attacked by two boys at the Selkirk facility during the final shift of her child and youth care practicum last May.

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24 CN MB: Editorial: Time To Ramp Up Opioid FightSun, 23 Oct 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)          Area:Manitoba Lines:69 Added:10/26/2016

Manitoba stands on the edge of a opioid crisis that promises tragedy for families across the province and we're about to tumble into that dark abyss.

Fentanyl is ripping through Winnipeg streets and is so prevalent and dangerous that the Winnipeg Police Service is considering having officers carry naxolone, an opiate antidote.

That news comes on the heels of a pair of deaths that were linked to carfentanil, which is touted as 100 times as potent as fentanyl, which is itself already said to be 100 times stronger than morphine.

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25 CN MB: City Police To Carry Naloxone To Combat Fentanyl ODsSat, 08 Oct 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Rollason, Kevin Area:Manitoba Lines:69 Added:10/09/2016

WINNIPEG police officers will soon join fire and paramedic emergency workers in carrying the antidote to fentanyl overdoses.

Deputy police chief Danny Smyth confirmed to the Winnipeg Police Board Friday they are working with health officials on how officers can carry doses of Naloxone and administer it.

Smyth said one concern is the lifesaving drug can't be used in temperatures lower than 4 C. According to various pharmaceutical websites, the drug works at temperatures up to 25 C.

"We will have to figure out how officers will carry the drug," he said.

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26 CN MB: PUB LTE: Addiction A Medical ProblemSat, 08 Oct 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Dowling, Michael Area:Manitoba Lines:36 Added:10/09/2016

It really makes my blood boil when I read about senseless deaths from drug overdoses that were very likely behind the demise of the two men recently found dead in their car.

Drug laws must change, as drug dealers are under no compulsion to produce a pure product in a standard dosage, and they profit handsomely from the sale of their adulterated wares. If drugs were regulated and sold at cost to those with addictions, it would be better for all concerned.

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27 CN MB: Youth Fuel Meth-Use Hike In CityThu, 15 Sep 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:May, Katie Area:Manitoba Lines:147 Added:09/17/2016

Price, availability, addictiveness appeal to young people, police say

THE city's youth are fuelling a surge in methamphetamine use because it's a cheaper way to get a long-lasting high.

In fact, "because of its affordability, addictive nature and accessibility, the methamphetamine user base in Winnipeg has increased significantly over a few short years, allowing traffickers to prosper," the Winnipeg Police Service said in a statement.

Sadly, both police and health officials don't expect the situation to get better any time soon.

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28 CN MB: 'Just Like Alcohol'Mon, 08 Aug 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Pursaga, Joyanne Area:Manitoba Lines:102 Added:08/09/2016

Pot activist aims to make 4/20 family friendly

"As pot's becoming legal, why wouldn't it be like any other festival?" Steven Stairs, president of the Winnipeg 4/20 organizing committee

Should the same festival offer both a "bud garden" and a bouncy castle?.

A local medical marijuana advocate is proposing just that for a pro-cannabis event next spring.

Steven Stairs, president of the Winnipeg 4/20 organizing committee, said he's met with city and provincial officials to discuss ways to add a kid-friendly element to festivities a day after the main event on April 20, 2017.

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29 CN MB: High Hopes For New Pot ShopSat, 09 Jul 2016
Source:Metro (Winnipeg, CN MB) Author:Jones, Braeden Area:Manitoba Lines:85 Added:07/10/2016

Owner doesn't expect trouble from police.

Winnipeggers green with envy over the lack of marijuana dispensaries sprouting up as they have in other cities can finally chill as there's a new pot shop in town.

It's not going to have cannabis products on site, but after its soft launch on Friday, 'Weeds Glass and Gifts' will begin signing up legal clients to order marijuana medicine on their behalf.

Owner Don Brier said the new store at 52 Adelaide Street will be a headshop, an education centre and intermediary between cannabis users and suppliers.

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30 CN MB: Group Aims To Be On Federal Pot-Shop PanelTue, 21 Jun 2016
Source:Globe and Mail (Canada) Author:Hager, Mike Area:Manitoba Lines:113 Added:06/24/2016

Bill Blair, the federal government's lead on legalizing marijuana, has been quietly meeting with advocates for the illegal pot shops springing up across the country, hearing their arguments for how regulating the sector could help eliminate the black market.

Mr. Blair blasted dispensary operators at a recent conference as reckless profiteers "who don't care about the law, who don't care about regulations, don't care about kids, they don't care about communities, they don't care about health of Canadians." But days later, the Liberal MP and former Toronto Police chief held a series of informal "behind the scenes" talks at the party's convention in Winnipeg, according to Rosy Mondin, a Vancouver lawyer who recently co-founded the non-profit Cannabis Trade Alliance of Canada, which represents legal and illegal marijuana business owners.

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31 CN MB: Column: My Nephew And Toronto Pot Dispensary BustsThu, 16 Jun 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Bonokoski, Mark Area:Manitoba Lines:87 Added:06/17/2016

If not for stepping out for a coffee, my oldest nephew, Jay, would have been among the nearly 100 arrested in the coordinated police raids of 43 storefront Toronto pot dispensaries at the end of May.

Instead, he got grainy smartphone footage of the takedown of the dispensary where he works as a clerk - footage taken from across the street of police with guns drawn, of his co-workers in handcuffs, and even a "patient" in a wheelchair being cuffed as well.

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32 CN MB: Pot Crackdown Steadfast In 'PegMon, 06 Jun 2016
Source:Metro (Winnipeg, CN MB) Author:Jones, Braeden Area:Manitoba Lines:167 Added:06/07/2016

While marijuana dispensaries proliferate and engage in a game of legally-grey chicken with authorities in some Canadian cities, Winnipeg police say the same simply isn't happening locally.

"There are a few people that have tried to open up and we enforced the laws as we know them right away," said Winnipeg Police Service Grow Operations Unit member, Sgt. Carrol MacDonald.

"To my knowledge there has only been a handful, it's not as bad as Toronto or Vancouver."

'Look what happened'

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33 CN MB: Prime TimeSat, 04 Jun 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Samyn, Paul Area:Manitoba Lines:302 Added:06/06/2016

Justin Trudeau sits down with Free Press editor Paul Samyn to talk about urgent legislation, First Nations, marijuana... and Stephen Harper

PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with Winnipeg Free Press editor Paul Samyn for an exclusive interview Thursday.

The event, held at the Winnipeg Free Press News Cafe, was a fulfilment of promise Trudeau had made to the newspaper.

"I was here a few years ago, and one of the promises I made - and it's great when a politician can keep promises - was to come back," said the casually dressed Trudeau.

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34 CN MB: Just Blowing SmokeSun, 29 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Bender, Jim Area:Manitoba Lines:68 Added:05/30/2016

Pot Protesters Call Out PM on Lack of Action on Promise to Legalize

A disillusioned group of medical marijuana users rallied outside the RBC Convention Centre hoping to capture the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Liberal Party convention Saturday.

Once enthused by Trudeau's election promise to legalize marijuana, the group was stunned by Project Claudia, a raid where 90 people at multiple cannabis dispensaries were arrested in Toronto on Thursday.

"I'm here to defend dispensaries and what went on in Toronto," said Holly Plouffe, who legally uses medicinal marijuana to address a number of health conditions. "I think that's a terrible waste of tax dollars. Cannabis is saving lives. Cannabis is saving my life. I've been terribly sick and it's doing me far better than any prescription pills ever have, and I really want to see the mania stopped. People are sick. They have taken away medicine from sick people. Thousands of sick people are going without today and that is wrong."

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35 CN MB: Column: NDP's Right: Little Logic In Pursuing Pot PossessionTue, 24 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Akin, David Area:Manitoba Lines:87 Added:05/25/2016

OTTAWA - Health Minister Jane Philpott stood before the United Nations last month and solemnly vowed that, by the spring of next year, marijuana use would be legal and tightly regulated in Canada.

Notably, she said: " We know it is impossible to arrest our way out of this problem."

And yet, if the next year is like any other recent year, as many 60,000 Canadians will be arrested for simple pot possession and, of those, about 22,000 will end up with criminal records.

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36 CN MB: Column: No Bang for Taxpayers' Buck With Pot ChargesSun, 22 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Bonokoski, Mark Area:Manitoba Lines:90 Added:05/23/2016

U.S. President Barack Obama recently used the twilight of his tenure to again grant clemency to almost 60 non-violent drug offenders.

With those commutations, Obama has now reduced the sentences of 300 federal prisoners in order to secure their release, more than the last six presidents combined.

He has been more reluctant, however, in dishing out the full Monty, as in outright pardons of crimes committed, which is a powerful right granted to all U.S. presidents.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Obama has pardoned just 70 individuals during his almost eight years in the Oval Office, well below the number of pardons granted by the most recent presidents.

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37 CN MB: Editorial: Trudeau Must Explain Pot LawMon, 16 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)          Area:Manitoba Lines:70 Added:05/16/2016

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize marijuana in last year's federal election and it's time he started answering questions on when and how.

Having Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott announce at the United Nations on April 20 -- or 4/20, otherwise known as Weed Day -- that Canada will introduce a law next spring was politically cute, but nothing more.

Back at home, the Liberals aren't dealing with an increasing number of questions about legalization.

In Toronto, Mayor John Tory is rightly worried about the sudden proliferation of unregulated marijuana dispensaries in anticipation of legalization, which are popping up all over the city, some close to schools.

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38 CN MB: Poll Reveals How Many Manitobans Smoke PotThu, 12 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)          Area:Manitoba Lines:108 Added:05/16/2016

Alcohol consumption, gaming habits explored

AS the Trudeau government wrestles with keeping its promise to legalize marijuana use, a new poll shows one in five Manitobans indulges in pot smoking.

The Forum Research poll found Manitobans like booze and aren't into casino-style gambling, while a low percentage use pot.

The random sampling of 1,140 Manitoba residents found 76 per cent had consumed alcohol in the past year, 53 per cent had gambled and 18 per cent had used marijuana.

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39 CN MB: High Time To Answer Burning QuestionsSat, 14 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Kives, Bartley Area:Manitoba Lines:236 Added:05/15/2016

By this time next year, weed will be well on its way to becoming a legal in Canada.

Next spring, the Trudeau government intends to introduce legislation that will effectively legalize the production, distribution and sale of marijuana and other cannabis products and eliminate penalties for possession. Precisely what that involves will depend on regulations that may take longer to put in place - whatever Ottawa decides will require Canadian provinces and municipalities to make changes of their own.

Right now, the status of weed sits in a sort of limbo as law enforcement agencies, governments and potential entrepreneurs watch and wait to see what precisely winds up being proposed by federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and parliamentary justice secretary Bill Blair, the former Toronto police chief.

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40 CN MB: Marijuana Regulations Can WaitWed, 11 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Santin, Aldo Area:Manitoba Lines:54 Added:05/13/2016

ENTREPRENEURS planning retail marijuana operations will not yet get direction from city hall.

A civic committee Tuesday supported an administrative recommendation not to prepare a report examining how retail marijuana operators can be regulated - despite a November directive from council to do so.

The proposal had been a suggestion from Coun. Ross Eadie, who said the city should be proactive in regulating where sellers can operate in anticipation of the federal government either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana.

Eadie said without regulations in place, marijuana retailers would be able to set up adjacent to schools - which he opposes.

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41 CN MB: Column: One Toke Over The Line, Sweet JesusThu, 05 May 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Bonokoski, Mark Area:Manitoba Lines:93 Added:05/05/2016

The Great Remembrance Day Bust, as it became known in peer folklore, began with two long-haired gun-wielding undercover Toronto drug cops busting down the door and charging up the stairs, followed by six uniformed officers.

It was 2 a.m. I was still in college, and had just returned from my part-time job on the sports desk at Canadian Press.

I was making Kraft dinner, and was standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but undershorts and a Fly United T-shirt depicting two ducks copulating in mid-flight.

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42 CN MB: Smokers Anticipate Feds' LegalizationThu, 21 Apr 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Hildebrand, Bailey Area:Manitoba Lines:71 Added:04/25/2016

POT advocates called for marijuana legalization at Wednesday's 4/20 festivities, but it could be the last time they have to.

A group of weed smokers clouded up downtown and gathered at the Manitoba legislature to celebrate the herb. The usual premise of 4/20 is to encourage politicians to look into either legalizing or decriminalizing the drug, but now that Justin Trudeau is prime minister, that could change.

Marijuana legalization and regulation was one of the Liberal government's big promises before the federal election last October. On Wednesday, Health Minister Jane Philpott told the United Nations legislation could be introduced as early as next spring in Canada.

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43 CN MB: Judge Finds Rights Not Breached When Police Found GrowTue, 12 Apr 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:McIntyre, Mike Area:Manitoba Lines:78 Added:04/12/2016

Police did not breach the rights of a Winnipeg man when they ignored his protests, burst into his home without a warrant and found a marijuana grow operation inside, a judge has ruled.

Edward Garbacz was seeking to have all of the evidence against him dismissed, claiming police had no right to enter his property in June 2013. But Queen's Bench Justice Karen Simonsen ruled Monday that officers acted properly given the unique circumstances surrounding this case.

It all began with an anonymous 911 call that came into police around midnight. A man said his "neighbour was beating up his wife" and then quickly hung up after providing the address. No other details were given. The call was made from a payphone that was almost two kilometres away from the scene of the alleged crime.

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44 CN MB: Edu: Marijuana Legalization in Canada IsWed, 09 Mar 2016
Source:Manitoban, The (CN MB, Edu) Author:Patterson, Jill Area:Manitoba Lines:98 Added:03/11/2016

Policy Infrastructure Needs to Be in Place Before Full Legalization

Since Justin Trudeau's election there has been mounting pressure to see fulfilled his promise to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Although the criminalization of marijuana has had more negative consequences than benefits, we still need to be mindful of the various legislative implications that full legalization would have.

As it stands now, in Canada it is legal to purchase and consume marijuana with a prescription, but it remains illegal and a criminal offense to do so without the proper paperwork.

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45 CN MB: Column: Decriminalize Marijuana Possession ASAPMon, 07 Mar 2016
Source:Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Author:Parkin, Tom Area:Manitoba Lines:81 Added:03/08/2016

It's difficult to understand why our prime minister continues to let anyone be criminally charged and convicted for possession of marijuana - a substance he thinks should be legal. A substance he has smoked.

As we learned years ago, Trudeau smoked marijuana in the time since being elected MP. Some Conservatives tried to make a big deal of it. But most Canadians gave the story a pass.

Back then, Trudeau and the Liberals voted with the Conservatives to set mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana possession. It was a terrible decision. But it was a Liberal caucus decision. And Trudeau was not leader yet. So Trudeau can again get a pass.

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46 CN MB: Pot And Booze Don't Mix: CEOSat, 05 Mar 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Sinclair, Gordon Jr. Area:Manitoba Lines:118 Added:03/07/2016

Says marijuana should be sold in stand-alone stores

IT has been a year since CEO John Stinson advised the board of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, which had just hired him, that legalized pot was coming, and the Crown corporation better be prepared for it.

And now it's been a week since Stinson visited Denver to get the lowdown on Colorado's legalized marijuana high.

Which is how the CEO of our pot supplier-designate came to offer a one-on-one briefing about the surprise he got on the trip.

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47 CN MB: Chief Confronted Over Medicine PouchTue, 01 Mar 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Paul, Alexandra Area:Manitoba Lines:112 Added:03/03/2016

Plans to file complaint regarding incident at Winnipeg airport

A NORTHERN Manitoba chief says he was accused of carrying marijuana Saturday at the Richardson International Airport when a security guard aggressively confronted him about a sacred medicine pouch he wears around his neck.

In a peculiar twist to the incident, the guard walked off in an apparent huff when two other security guards tried to intervene and calm the situation down, leaving Pukatawagan's Mathias Colomb Chief Arlen Dumas and his companions speechless at the security screening area where passengers must pass through metal detectors or scanners and have their belongings X-rayed for safety before boarding a flight.

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48 CN MB: Pot-Growing Ruling HailedThu, 25 Feb 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Paul, Alexandra Area:Manitoba Lines:129 Added:02/27/2016

Users now allowed to raise pot for own consumption

WINNIPEG medical-marijuana patients hailed a federal court ruling that struck down "arbitrary and overbroad" legislation from the former Conservative government banning Canadian medical pot users from growing their own weed.

And the one company in Winnipeg with a federal licence to supply medical marijuana indicated the ruling won't affect it, at least not in the short term.

The city's most vocal advocate for medical-marijuana rights said even without knowing whether Ottawa will appeal the ruling, he couldn't contain his delight.

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49 CN MB: Column: High HopesSat, 20 Feb 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Kives, Bartley Area:Manitoba Lines:107 Added:02/21/2016

Legal Weed Should Bring Mellow to the Masses, Turn Criminal Profits to Ash

AS counterintuitive as it sounds, legal marijuana will probably result in some Canadians getting a lot less high.

In the 1980s, marijuana tended to be about three per cent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the plant's primary psychoactive ingredient and the substance largely responsible for making marijuana users feel stoned.

These days, the average THC content of marijuana is more like 12 per cent, and samples seized by law-enforcement agencies have tested as high (sorry) as 24 per cent.

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50 CN MB: Weeding Out The TruthTue, 09 Feb 2016
Source:Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Author:Billeck, Scott Area:Manitoba Lines:131 Added:02/10/2016

MARIJUANA and fitness - common sense suggests one doesn't go well with the other. The stereotype of the lazy stoner who makes late-night pilgrimages for junk food doesn't mesh with someone who spends spare time lifting weights or goes on early morning jogs.

But some users who have taken a hit before lifting weights say there are benefits.

"Weed was a great help for me when I was just starting off weight training, running and cycling. For one, it really takes the edge of the soreness," says Martin, who doesn't want his last name published.

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