Grieving father warns kids about dangers of drugs after son's death

SMOKE from a smudging stick and the warm breath of friends and family of Jeremy Hobson filled the front yard of the house where the 21-year-old accidentally overdosed and died on the weekend, during a ceremony held Thursday.

Jeremy died after taking a pill, which he thought was OxyContin, at a gettogether with friends and cousins on Saturday night, according to his father Larry Hobson. Hobson said he thinks the pill that killed his son was laced with fentanyl.

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WINKLER'S mayor vows that until the smoke clears on pot legalization, his community won't vote to allow retailers to sell recreational pot.

Mayor Martin Harder says his council recently decided to ignore the province's Dec. 22 deadline to vote on the issue.

"Our biggest issue is the rules keep changing," Harder said on Monday.

"They said you have to vote by Dec. 22 and then the next one says you can have four years to have a plebiscite. We don't want to do that.

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WINKLER - The City of Winkler will not honour the province's Dec. 22 deadline to indicate whether or not they'd be willing to have marijuana sold in the community.

Mayor Martin Harder was the first municipal leader in Manitoba to make that statement and he said they don't feel they have enough facts to make a decision either way.

"We haven't got any information," he said. "It's a moving target, and every time we get some information it's different than what we knew before."

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WHEN politicians talk about the arrival of legal cannabis, they make it sound like it's going to be more trouble than it's worth.

Oh, the worry. According to the narrative coming out of the federal and provincial capitals, legalizing pot is going to involve enormous costs with very little return, in terms of tax revenue.

There are expected to be increased costs for provinces and municipalities in the areas of law enforcement, public education, health care and addictions treatment at a time when governments of all levels are having trouble generating the revenues needed to sustain core services.

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So, pot czar Justin Trudeau, realizing his actual street dealers were on the verge of a revolt, turned to his Mr. Big, Bill Morneau, and told him to divvy up a more saleable split of the profits from upcoming pot deals.

When profits are projected to be in the billions, honour among thieves, and we say "thieves" with all due respect, begins to lose its lustre.

After all, it will be the street dealers who will be taking on the majority of the risk, meaning all those premiers hypnotized by dollar signs who will have to set up their own turf, build their own drug outlets, collect the juice from the sales, and deal with law enforcement should the criminal element invade their space.

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Consumer advocacy group concerned marijuana treated differently than booze

A consumer choice advocacy group has condemned the Manitoba government's plan to ban homegrown marijuana when it becomes legal in the country next year.

David Clement, the North American affairs manager for the Consumer Choice Centre, an independent entity that aims to promote more choice and freedom for consumers, says the decision to ban the growing of pot in homes is "silly" questions why the ability

Clement said the reason the CCC has spoken out is two-fold.

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Re: Manitoba's legal age for cannabis to be set at 19: source (Dec. 5)

With legislation now tabled, it has now become obvious that the federal Liberals and provincial Progressive Conservatives still believe the lies their governments told about cannabis for the last 100 years.

It is ridiculous to ask 18-year-olds to risk their lives for their country in military service but not permit them to smoke cannabis legally. The idea that government should protect children from anything is just as ridiculous. Parents are the proper authorities to protect their children from all of life's never-ending dangers.

Crony capitalism seems to be the driving force in "legalization." Legalization policies will make enforcement even more expensive than Prohibition was.

Chris Buors

Selkirk

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Province's age restriction, home-growing ban lack common sense

GOVERNMENTS in Canada have been playing politics with marijuana for some time now. The promise to legalize cannabis helped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his federal Liberals achieve a majority government in 2015, and now provincial governments across the country are coming to grips with legalization according to their own political principles.

Some provincial governments (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick) are creating Crown corporations to be the legal marijuana dealers. Others (Manitoba, Alberta, Newfoundland) are letting the private sector run the stores. British Columbia just announced a retail solution that will include both the public and private sectors.

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MORE than 21 per cent of adult Manitobans used cannabis in the past year and another 21.1 per cent may try it after legalization, new data from the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba suggests.

The figures come from an anonymous phone survey of 1,201 adults in September. The alcohol and gambling regulator, whose mandate will include marijuana, says its sample is "quasi-representative" of the province's adult population. The survey found 55.2 per cent of Manitobans have used cannabis, with 16 being the most common age of initiation.

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A SLIGHT majority of Manitobans disagree with Premier Brian Pallister's calls to delay federal legalization of cannabis in Canada, according to a new online poll from the Angus Reid Institute.

Fifty-eight per cent of Manitoba respondents say, "The timeline should not be changed." Nationwide, 53 per cent of all respondents agree.

The Angus Reid Institute's online poll used a sample of 1,510 Canadians who were randomly selected members of the pollster's proprietary Angus Reid Forum, which the website describes as a representative panel of "almost 130,000 Canadian households." The poll, conducted Nov. 14 to 20, includes a sample of 101 Manitobans.

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Province sets 19 as minimum age to buy pot

You'll have to be 19 to buy recreational marijuana in Manitoba and only eligible medicinal users will be able to grow weed at home.

If provincial legislation introduced Tuesday passes as is, the minimum purchase and possession age for recreational cannabis will be one year older than both the federally required minimum and Manitoba's legal drinking age. The feds are set to legalize recreational pot on July 1, 2018.

The province says setting a higher-than-required minimum consumption age will help keep marijuana out of schools and out of the hands of kids.

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MANITOBANS will be prohibited from growing marijuana for recreational purposes at home after cannabis is legalized in 2018, should the provincial government's new Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act become law.

The bill was introduced by Justice Minister Heather Stefanson in the provincial legislative assembly Tuesday.

Although the federal Cannabis Act will allow Canadian adults to grow up to four cannabis plants at their home, Stefanson said her government was banning the practice, primarily for two reasons.

"This approach is consistent with our commitment to protect youth, and also responds directly to concerns that homegrown cannabis may be diverted to the black market," she told reporters Tuesday.

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AS first reported in the Free Press, the Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act will set the minimum age to buy and possess cannabis in Manitoba at 19, one year higher than the legal age requirement for purchasing alcohol.

Tuesday's announcement means Manitoba is set to be the only province where the legal ages to use alcohol and cannabis don't match.

Zach Walsh, a native Winnipegger who studies cannabis as a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, said the age differential in Manitoba "seems a little incongruous."

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Re: Marijuana in workplace focus of chamber panel (Nov. 29)

There is a high incidence of marijuana use among fatally injured B.C. forestry workers

(20 to 30 per cent), and Manitoba employers would be well advised to educate their workers on the harms posed by marijuana use.

Canadians need look no further than to the country's health watchdog, Health Canada, for credible information and evidence-based advice on this matter. Health Canada's consumer information web page states unequivocally that using marijuana can impair concentration and reaction time. It is well established by scientific research that the less-than-regular user of marijuana products should not operate a motor vehicle for at least eight hours after consuming 18 mg or more of marijuana.

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MANITOBANS will have to be at least 19 years of age to legally purchase and possess cannabis in the province after it is legalized, the Free Press has learned.

The minimum age will be part of a new bill to be introduced today at the Manitoba Legislative Building, according to a government source familiar with the matter.

According to the legislature's Monday notice paper, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson is scheduled to introduce the Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act.

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LEGALIZE and tax marijuana and the budget will balance itself - or so marijuana advocates, from stoners to recreational users to the prime minister, have tried to convince us of this for years.

But they're all wrong.

It makes some sense that a product so commonly used should be regulated rather than criminalized, sending its newly-enabled taxation revenues to the public coffers.

Unfortunately, recent federal announcements and the examples of two U.S. states tell us that a fiscal boon from legal pot is nothing more than reefer madness.

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Tracy Sanderson understood opioid addiction. Her daughter Kelsie began struggling with opioid addiction after she had a traumatic experience being tasered by RCMP officers.

After drinking with some friends, Kelsie, who was 16 at the time, stole her parents' truck. When Sanderson received a call from RCMP officers, she said, "Keep my daughter overnight. She needs to learn a lesson."

She did not expect to pick up a different girl the next day. "Something inside my daughter died that night," she said. That's when Kelsie's descent into fentanyl addiction began.

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When the police came to Lois Fridfinnson's door and told her that her son, Michael Johnson, died from a methadone overdose, she fell to the floor. She thought that would be the worst day of her life.

Her 23-year-old son struggled with opioid addiction. Michael had been waiting nearly three months to get into treatment. He had been given a two-day supply of methadone and was supposed to enter treatment on May 3, 2010. He died on May 1.

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As a power-lifter who could bench 340 pounds, a talented guitar player, and a driven young man with a strong work ethic who bought his own house at the age of 18, Jessie Kolb defied the stereotype of a fentanyl addict.

If there's one thing his parents, Arlene Last-Kolb and John Kolb, have learned about opioid addiction is that it can happen to anyone and all the preconceived notions some people have about opioid addiction just perpetuate the stigma.

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IF you want to know how quickly this country is turning over a new leaf, consider the curious case of Julian Fantino.

The tough-on-crime former Toronto police chief was eager to help lead the war against drugs - including cannabis - during his time as a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper's government.

In fact, the record from the 2015 federal campaign is filled with public stands Fantino took about the danger of legalizing marijuana.

And today? Well, the former politician has had his own epiphany on the pot-marked road to the legalization of marijuana.

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When Dalton Fredericks took Jesse, his 18-year-old son, to the hospital because his son seemed dangerously high, he learned about the stigma associated with opioid addiction.

"I took him to the hospital and I said, 'I want you to keep him here.' I went home and after three hours, I got a call from the hospital that they were releasing him," he said.

The nurse told Fredericks that his son had been doing drugs, but there was not much they could do for him. He had the RCMP take Jesse into custody because he feared for his safety.

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Adam Watson didn't want to break his parents' hearts, and he did not want to die, but after battling opioid addiction for six years, he became the victim of a system woefully ill-equipped to help him.

Adam tried a methadone program, he attempted to detox at the Main Street Project, he saw family physicians, he ended up in emergency four times in the throes of withdrawal, and he met with a counsellor at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM). None of the treatment options or resources gave Adam the support he needed.

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There seems to be a general euphoria with the upcoming legalization of marijuana while, at the same time, there is silence from the majority who oppose legalization.

Perhaps one should look at why marijuana was made illegal in the first place. For many, it was a case of "We have enough problems with alcohol. If marijuana is legalized, we'll have twice as many drug problems."

Others didn't want to live in a nation of zombies, where people are walking around stoned all day.

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A GENERATION of Canadians who grew up with the "Just Say No" anti-drug messaging of the 1980s will find themselves in uncharted waters next summer.

As of July 1, 2018, marijuana will be legal, which will radically change a lot of things - including, significantly, how we talk to our kids about it.

Realistically, it's a conversation we should already be having. According to a 2013 UNICEF Office of Research report, Canadian youth are among the top users of marijuana in the developed world.

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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.

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Questions raised about decision to allow municipal authority over sales

PREMIER Brian Pallister's government went stone cold silent on legal retail cannabis Thursday while federal officials considered their reaction to Manitoba's plan of allowing municipal councils to have the final say on local sales.

The federal government will brief reporters in Ottawa today on its plans to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis.

But the Pallister government did not make the premier or any cabinet ministers available to the media Thursday and a communications staffer intervened when a reporter tried to ask Justice Minister Heather Stefanson about any possible reaction from Ottawa.

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PREMIER Brian Pallister has always been coy about whether he has ever enjoyed the pleasures of cannabis. "I prefer beer," has become his standard retort when asked if he's ever taken a toke.

Regardless of whether the premier smoked, inhaled or appreciated the mystic qualities of marijuana, you can bet he will learn to love the tax revenue that will flow from a legalized marketplace.

Manitoba's plan for the legalized wholesale and retail sales of cannabis is pretty thin. Pallister has only confirmed a plan to have Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries act as a wholesale distributor, with retail sales going to the private sector.

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MGEU off-base when it comes to private pot stores

Manitoba's largest union is accusing the Pallister government of compromising the safety of Manitobans and foregoing millions in profits by allowing private retailers to sell marijuana once it becomes legal next year.

But as usual, the union provides some of the dumbest arguments possible to try to support its case.

The province announced Tuesday that legal weed would be regulated by the

Liquor and Gaming Authority but would be sold through private retail outlets. It would be much like how beer, wine and other liquor products are sold through vendors, private wine stores and private liquor outlets in rural Manitoba. The outlets are private but the products must be purchased through Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp.

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Legal pot sales could lead to $95M annual profits for province

Legal pot sales in Manitoba could raise as much as $95 million a year for government after five years if the province could take over 80% of the black market, according to recent figures released by the Pallister government.

The sales projections, which contemplate various levels of black market penetration, are based on selling marijuana products through stand-alone government stores. However, since the Pallister government has opted for private retail stores instead, updated projections could be higher or lower.

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WINNIPEG - Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister signalled Monday that the province's private sector will be involved in the distribution of marijuana when recreational use is legalized next July.

Pallister said details of the provincial plan to govern cannabis would be released Tuesday. He rejected earlier statements from the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union that sales should be done exclusively through government-run stores.

Pallister said there will be some sort of a "hybrid option" - public-sector regulation and distribution combined with private-sector delivery - that could take business away from the existing black market.

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