Excuse me! As a 64-year-old registered nurse from an RCMP family, if a Canadian citizen is considered old enough to legally put their lives on the line to sign up for military service at the age of 18, then they are plenty mature enough to decide whether or not to consume commonly used drugs such as alcohol or marijuana. To legislators: quit being so hypocritically nanny state and, realistically, get with the program! Liz Stonard Port Alberni, B.C. [end]
While Brandon's political representatives encourage the delay of the legalization of marijuana, local advocates of the plant are saying the day couldn't come soon enough. Picking up related paraphernalia at Growers N' Smokers on Friday, veteran Michael Gibson said that his "disrespect" for Premier Brian Pallister is "huge, right now." This week, Pallister publicly requested that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delay legalization for an extra year beyond the proposed date of July 1, 2018. With too many questions that still need answering, we're just not ready for legalization, Brandon East Progressive Conservative MLA Len Isleifson said, sharing in some of Pallister's concerns about marijuana, more accurately called cannabis. [continues 887 words]
Health minister rebuffs calls to delay legalization THE federal government will stick with its July 1, 2018, deadline for marijuana legalization despite concerns from Premier Brian Pallister and other premiers. Health Minister Jane Philpott said in Winnipeg on Thursday that civil servants across Canada are already preparing for legalization and there will not be an extension, which was requested by Pallister. He has been adamant Manitoba won't be ready to cover the health, justice, safety, sale and production issues that need to be met by that time. [continues 603 words]
Health Canada says police officers can call them any time when it comes to confirming whether citizens have legal authority to produce and possess medicinal marijuana. The department's ability to notify police of those who legitimately possess cannabis for that purpose was recently criticized in a lawsuit launched by a Brandon couple whose legal medical grow-op was mistakenly raided by RCMP. "Health Canada negligently administered a system of license retention and issuance notification by failing to establish and maintain proper protocols for notice to arresting authorities Â… as to the legitimacy of licenses such as those held by persons such as the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs in particular," Jerry Pomehichuk and Brenda Wakefield assert in their statement of claim. [continues 496 words]
PREMIER Brian Pallister has shown great determination for tightening Manitoba's belt. But he's had less success finding new revenue to fatten the province's wallet. For a premier who has unleashed a wide array of tough-love measures he says are necessary to return Manitoba to fiscal stability, Mr. Pallister has been surprisingly quiet about legalized marijuana as a potentially rich source of new revenue. At a meeting of premiers in Edmonton this week, Pallister repeated his pitch for an extension of the federal government's July 1 deadline for legalization, saying provinces need more time to deal with tricky issues such as distribution, sales, a minimum age and drugged-driving enforcement. [continues 485 words]
Pallister says marijuana legalization makes province a dealer OTTAWA is forcing the provincial government to compete with street gangs in the marijuana business next summer, Premier Brian Pallister said Friday. The federal mandate for provinces to be ready for legal retail cannabis sales is July 1, 2018. That doesn't give Manitoba anywhere near the amount of time it will take to control sales and prepare for legal pot, he told reporters. "There's no way we're going to supply the demand, except in part. It's pretty clearly understood, we don't have enough pot to sell," he said, outlining some of the issues he'll raise at next week's premiers meeting in Edmonton. [continues 584 words]
Manitoba's premier believes legal pot sellers will be forced to compete with gangs and lack a sufficient supply of the drug to do so. Premier Brian Pallister he expects the "unrealistic" federal timeline that mandates pot sales be legalized by July 2018 will lead to direct competition between legal and illegal sellers. He plans to lobby fellow premiers at a first ministers meeting in Edmonton next week to join his call to delay that date. "There's no way that we're going to supply the demand, except in part. So therefore, we're moving into a situation where we're going to compete gradually with gang distribution marijuana. Right there, we're not in a position to take over the market with legal cannabis distribution systems because we don't have enough production," said Pallister. [continues 321 words]
THE Manitoba government will never have enough time to study and prepare for the impending legalization of marijuana. At least, that's how Canadian cannabis advocate and president of Winnipeg 420's organizing committee, Steven Stairs, sees it. Marijuana is already here, he said, and legalization won't change the fact that for years people have been buying and selling it, smoking and ingesting it. "They're fostering the black market right now," Stairs said of the government's slow response to legalization. [continues 428 words]
Manitoba wants to know about your marijuana use as it prepares for legalization The Manitoba government plans to poll residents about their marijuana consumption and what kind of rules they would like to see when recreational pot is legalized next year. The provincial liquor and gaming authority is looking for a company to do 15-minute surveys of at least 1,200 Manitobans in the coming months as it prepares for the new law. "We don't have a great understanding about cannabis as a substance and how people use it," said Kristianne Dechant, the authority's communications and research manager. [continues 276 words]
FOR the first time, naloxone kits will be available at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Festival spokeswoman Kelly Romas said Thursday any of the event's 60 first-aid volunteers can administer the medication that reverses the effect of an opioid overdose, which can slow down or stop a person's breathing. More than 100 Manitobans die from overdose every year and opioids are most often involved, says Street Connections, the Winnipeg-based health agency that supports harm-reduction and provides health care to people on the street. [continues 379 words]
DRUG bust worth about a quarter of a million dollars has been tossed out of court because city police violated the charter rights of two men they detained and subjected to a warrantless search. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchbery dismissed all drug trafficking charges against Benjamin James White and Jaden Joshua Omeasoo earlier this month, after he ruled officers violated their rights every step of the way. "We will never know how this incident may have evolved if those rights had been provided," Lanchbery said in his decision. "The officers are not permitted [continues 471 words]
It's that time of year again, when the reminder's needed on all sorts of fronts. From water safety to fire safety to reminding folks that drinking and driving and piloting an automobile under the influence of drugs are terrible ideas. Let's hope we don't get any graphic and tragic reminders that become cautionary tales for all teens and their parents. First, young and inexperienced drivers are hugely overrepresented in crashes. Parents, talk to your kids about safe driving. [continues 327 words]
Re: Province should control marijuana sales (June 19) Do we need to own a permit to purchase alcohol annually? No. Is there plain packaging for alcohol? No. Does the government only sell two types of alcohol? No. Does the government track everyone who purchases alcohol? No. Do we have a government task force to monitor who has legal alcohol in their homes? No. Does the MLL sell any intoxicating substances other than alcohol? No. Did the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health determine alcohol is one of the greatest public health threats in Canada in 2013? Yes. Alcohol accounts for eight per cent of all deaths for people under 70 years old currently and has a burden of $14.6 billion on our health-care and law enforcement services, according to a 2013 study, Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies. [continues 243 words]
SOME Manitobans might not like it, but at least this province now knows where it stands with its request for an extension of the date when marijuana will be legalized. There will be no extension. Ready or not, Manitobans - like all Canadians - can legally light up on July 1, 2018. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen spoke out this week after returning from a two-day summit of his provincial and federal colleagues, frustrated that his request for a deadline extension was denied by federal finance minister Bill Morneau. [continues 569 words]
THE Trudeau government is set on legalizing marijuana by the summer of 2018. While they will enjoy the political payoff of appearing progressive on this matter, all of the associated problems and the logistics of doing so will fall on the shoulders of the provincial governments and their civic counterparts. I suggest the Manitoba provincial government draw lessons from the last time an illegal substance was legalized following Prohibition in the late 1920s, as well as from the current public health efforts to eliminate tobacco use in Canada as a means to guide their policy on marijuana. [continues 927 words]
Gives mom convicted of drug smuggling time to arrange child care ahead of mandatory prison term In a case that has raised questions about the effect of mandatory minimum sentences, a Manitoba judge has taken pity on a woman he convicted by agreeing to give her more freedom before he sends her to prison. In a likely unprecedented move, Justice Sheldon Lanchbery reserved his decision and delayed the sentencing of 37-year-old Sandra Dignard by about two months. That will allow the mother of four time to make child-care arrangements before she is placed in custody. The judge said he has no choice but to sentence Dignard to two years in prison for drug trafficking, despite his belief she should not be locked up. [continues 654 words]
WHEN marijuana is legalized in Canada, it should be sold in standalone publicly operated stores, the head of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) says. Michelle Gawronsky said the union believes that Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp. should be responsible for selling cannabis products, but that marijuana not be marketed in booze stores. "You don't want to be selling the two together. You want to be socially responsible. That's the whole idea here," she said following a public hearing on Bill 25, The Cannabis Harm Protection Act. [continues 524 words]
In Larry Comeau's letter he quotes a report that marijuana related ER visits in Colorado among kids have quadrupled since legalization. Previously, marijuana possession and use was a felony. It might just be the increase in visits to the ER since legalization has something to do with users in Colorado no longer fearing prosecution if they seek help while under the influence. Is it not possible that mental illness issues in general are on the rise in young people unrelated to marijuana use? It would certainly seem so according to many recent studies. [continues 108 words]
Re: Marijuana related ER visits among kids quadruple at Colorado hospital. With pot legalization to take place on July 1, 2018, this is a scary report for parents. There really is no surprise to anyone following reports from the U.K., U.S. Surgeon General and the Canadian Medical Association all stating unequivocally that the youngest smoking pot run a greatly enhanced risk of suffering psychosis and other mental issues. Yet Trudeau is ignoring these studies, setting 18 as the age to purchase pot. Legalization is all about his pleasing a certain voting block and of course raking in billions in sales. This is the most dangerous move by any Canadian government. Early on Colorado had warned Trudeau that legalization is the easy part, everything thereafter, including the entrance of organized crime, much more difficult. Larry Comeau (Parents have a role to play in this. Where government fails, parents are responsible for their children's safety.) [end]
Marijuana enthusiasts gather to celebrate annual holiday in haze of smoke THE rain may have thinned the crowds - and clouds of smoke - at the Winnipeg 4/20 celebration Thursday, but cannabis supporters still kept their spirits high and their joints lit. People gathered together on the lawn and sidewalks outside of the Manitoba legislature for the event held every April 20. More planning went into this year's festivities than ever before, with vendors and food trucks lining the street. This year was a bit different than it has been in the past. Now that the federal Liberal government has tabled a bill to make marijuana legal by Canada Day in 2018, there is cause for celebration - and some frustration. [continues 601 words]
JUSTICE Minister Heather Stefanson looked out her legislature building window Thursday with dismay at how many young people were on the lawn smoking up. "It does disturb me how many young people were out there today," Stefanson told reporters. She didn't go outside and she kept her window closed, Stefanson said with a smile. But Stefanson was all seriousness when she reiterated her fears that federal legislation shows no signs of educating young people about the dangers of marijuana, especially of driving after using pot. [continues 173 words]
4/20 participants extol virtues of pot as drug that helps you cope Leigh Filbert admits he lived the "rock-star lifestyle" in the past and acknowledges now his body is paying for it. Filbert suffered a stroke a little over a year ago that left the right side of his body paralyzed. He suffers from anxiety he also contends is paralyzing, emotionally. Attending his first 4/20 rally, Filbert biked around the Legislature grounds on Thursday "to gather constructive information" about the cannabis movement as he continues on his road to recovery. [continues 398 words]
The federal government's proposed bill for legalizing marijuana expands police powers, sets new mandatory penalties for illegal possession, and boosts prison sentences for lawbreakers. That all sounds pretty tough. But the legislation also downloads some difficult decision-making on to provincial authorities, and from there on to municipalities and local police. That part's going to be tougher. For example: Where will legal cannabis be sold? The 130-page federal bill leaves this crucial detail to the province. Will it be in your local liquor store? At a corner store but hidden, like cigarettes? From some other outlet? Mail order only? And how close to a school or youth centre can sales take place? About all we know is you can't sell cannabis from a vending machine. [continues 283 words]
This time next year will be the last 4/20 - the unofficial cannabis holiday known by its numeric calendar date - when possessing weed for personal use will be a crime. Legalization is coming to Canada in the summer of 2018. So far, reactions to legalized cannabis have ranged from healthy concern to outright fearmongering. Some people have claimed it will lead the youth astray, make our roads less safe and harm our overall health. Legalizing cannabis is not without risk. But legalization can also address how risky our current approach, the so-called War On Drugs, has been. [continues 461 words]
With legalization on the horizon, today's 4/20 gathering will be a celebration For as long as anyone can remember, the annual 4/20 gathering at the Manitoba legislature grounds was about protesting the country's harsh marijuana laws. Police would be out in force to keep an eye on a rag-tag group of stoners, rarely arresting anyone unless things got out of hand. This year's event, which begins at noon today, has a much more celebratory tone since legislation is in the works to legalize the recreational use of pot. [continues 703 words]
Like clockwork, buds burn on April 20-but in light of the federal government's marijuana legalization plans, the organizer of Winnipeg's 4/20 event says the tone has changed. "For the longest time, cannabis-related events were protests-especially 4/20-that had kind of hit a stalemate," said local cannabis advocate Steven Stairs. "We show up once a year, (authorities) let us do this, and we're probably showing up next year because nothing's changingÂ…. "Well, this year things are actually changing." [continues 335 words]
We cannot have a future pot policy that doesn't deal with criminalized pasts. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has said that the new pot legislation will not include any special amnesty for past convictions. This is a mistake. The government's proposed legislation follows a public health approach of reducing harm and preventing problematic drug use. But the legislation, which is slated to come into effect by July 1, 2018, cannot just serve future drug users - and businesses, for that matter. It should also serve the health and wellbeing of the young, racialized men and women who are currently in court and in prison on drug charges. [continues 363 words]
Jim Warren should have told us what age he figures is old enough to join the army to kill and die for your country if he figures the government should be protecting children from cannabis until they are 21. I figure if you're old enough to kill or die for your country, you're old enough to engage in vices. Governments were never intended to protect children from adult vices. It is the duty of parents to instill ethics and morals in their children, not the state. [continues 122 words]
Irony, hypocrisy and cops. Nothing good can come from this trio when all three are put in play. On Monday morning, for example, with no reference to his late father being the moving force behind it, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement celebrating the 35th anniversary of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "I remind Canadians that we have no task greater than to stand on guard for another's liberties," said Trudeau. "The words enshrined in the Charter are our rights, freedoms, and - above all - our collective responsibility." [continues 532 words]
Province has concerns about pot legalization but next moves remain unknown MANITOBA - Justice Minister Heather Stefanson says she has "lots of concerns" with the federal government's new legalized marijuana legislation tabled Thursday, but won't speculate publicly what Manitoba's next move will be. "We want to listen to Manitobans and consult on that," she told reporters Thursday. The federal government's proposed law, which sets the minimum age to purchase marijuana at 18, gives provinces some latitude to increase that age, but Stefanson declined to say whether she believes 18 is too young to buy marijuana. [continues 621 words]
The Liberals owe young Canadians their majority government. They have an obligation to address the issues youth are facing right now. Get the brownie batter mixing, folks. We've got a landing date for marijuana legalization. July 2018. Yes, 2018. Okay, maybe put the batter in the freezer for the time being. Finally, Trudeau government officials have confirmed that this month they will announce legislation to legalize the recreational use of weed by July 1, 2018. Obviously, this is a cause that many young Canadians from coast to have been fighting for and whining about for years, if not decades. So much so that giving Canadians the right to light up a bowl or roll a joint was a central promise during Justin Trudeau's election campaign, designed to lure young Canadian voters and portray the Liberals as Canada's youthful party. [continues 982 words]
Dana Larsen and his group on tour giving out seeds The man who's helped ship millions of cannabis seeds across the country for the last couple years is visiting Winnipeg Monday to drop off tens of thousands more. B.C.-based cannabis advocate Dana Larsen, 45, is touring cross-country with his group Overgrow Canada, which aims to hand out five million cannabis seeds this year. In 2016, they spread 2.5 million seeds, encouraging Canadians to plant cannabis in public places like parks to "normalize the cultivation" of the plant, Larsen said in an interview Monday. [continues 257 words]
Emerys, Magder deserve medals (my dad, too) Maybe one day Marc and Jodie Emery will be on a postage stamp. As opposed to in jail. There's a fine line between heinous criminal and heroic pioneer, eh? Unless you've been in a coma, or totally wasted, you know the Emerys are Canada's prince and princess of pot. They were busted last month for trafficking and possession - 20 charges between them - as they were about to depart Toronto's Pearson airport for a pot festival in Spain. [continues 572 words]
PARTICIPANTS in the annual 4/20 event at the Manitoba Legislative Building are likely to be in an even more celebratory mood this year as the federal Liberal government is poised to introduce legislation to make good on its promise to legalize pot. The April 20 bash, which extols the consumption of cannabis - especially the smoking of it - may also have a more political undertone as local medical marijuana advocates protest a lack of consultation by the Pallister government before introducing a bill last week setting out new rules to deal with cannabis when legalization occurs. [continues 816 words]
As news leaked Sunday of the federal government's plans to table legislation legalizing marijuana by next summer, Eddy Barahona was emerging from a night spent in jail after being arrested and charged with pot-related offences. "I don't understand how we can arrest people for practising with medicine or why we're still putting people in jail for something that's going to be legalized in a matter of time," he said in an interview Monday. Barahona was rubbing his eyes, which still stung from being pepper-sprayed over the weekend, during an interview Monday at Vapes Off Main. [continues 370 words]
IT'S only a matter of time before marijuana sales will be legalized in our country and that means the Pallister government has some important decisions to make. This past week, the Manitoba government tabled the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act. We are very pleased the government is talking about the legalization of marijuana and taking steps to ensure public safety is kept in the highest regard. The legislation is focused on ensuring Manitobans are not allowed to smoke marijuana in public places, indoors or in vehicles. As well, it addresses the issue of driving while high. These are fundamental matters of public safety, but if the government truly wants to ensure social responsibly, it has to recognize the need to keep the sale of this controlled substance public. [continues 515 words]
Marijuana advocate says introduction of Bill 25 is a step backward for Manitoba The political component of the 4/20 event in Winnipeg often gets overlooked in the haze of marijuana smoke. Initially an act of civil disobedience, there just isn't as much to counter in the cannabis culture's annual gathering these days. The federal government is expected to table legislation this spring to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana, medical marijuana clinics are springing up around the city and are open about their services, and a recent poll found that 59% of Manitobans support legalization, the highest in the country. [continues 355 words]
The Manitoba Minister of Justice's move to get out in front of the marijuana legalization train-wreck is to be applauded. However, if the federal government does remove marijuana possession from the Criminal Code the costs of enforcement fall to the provinces. If the province involves itself in the distribution of marijuana, something the feds are unlikely to do, the cost to education the public on marijuana harms and risks will also fall to the provinces, who will have no choice but to spend massively or face liability for failure to warn, as they will have become part of the problem, rather than the solution. Add the increase costs to health care and insurance, and a decline in productivity, and legalization becomes a recipe for provincial financial disaster. For what - so a small minority can get temporarily high? Seriously! Pamela McColl (A small minority is already getting "temporarily" high.) [end]
Too many people getting behind wheel with drugs in their system As federal legalization of marijuana seems more and more like an inevitability, a new poll commissioned by Manitoba Public Insurance shows 10% of Manitobans drive with drugs in their system. The roadside survey was conducted in September 2016 in five Manitoba communities, including Winnipeg, and found 10% of drivers who voluntarily participated tested positive for drugs, more than half of those testing positive for cannabis. Of the 1,230 drivers who participated, 124 tested positive for a drug, with 53% of those positive for cannabis and 31% for cocaine. [continues 188 words]
While it seems out of context for a career progressive, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has gone law-and-order rogue in his quest to stem the plague of fentanyl overdoses and deaths in the nation's capital. He wants manslaughter charges laid against drug dealers if the illicit narcotics they peddle end up causing death. And he is not wrong in wanting this. The time is now to stop whistling past the graveyard, and ignoring the fact there is a fentanyl crisis that is not going away anytime soon - aided by the fact the lethal drug, 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin, is being laced into counterfeit pain killers disguised as known prescription narcotics of specific strengths. [continues 499 words]
The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba is urging the federal government to use a public health approach matched with strict regulation when legalizing marijuana. "This provides us with a very unique opportunity," said Dr. Sheri Fandrey of the AFM, which released a position statement Tuesday. "This is the first time since Prohibition that a substance which is currently illegal is becoming legal and fortunately the process has enough lead time that we can get ahead of the curve and start to provide some of the resources - educational, outreach, data collection - - prior to the change happening and cannabis being made legal. [continues 145 words]
An advocate for Winnipeg's homeless and addicted population says the city is in "denial" about its injection drug problem. Rick Lees, executive director of Main Street Project, looks at other large urban centres in Canada and says Winnipeg is lagging behind in addressing its hard drugs problem. "On the committees I sit on, it's always on the agenda for discussion, but that's all it is," Lees said. "We're where (other cities) were a year or two years ago. Ottawa is on the cusp of doing it, Toronto's mayor is out in support of it, Vancouver has been doing it for seven years now. In Manitoba, I think we're a bit in denial either because we're a smaller population or we just don't think it's that big a deal because it's not interfering with our mainstream lives." [continues 163 words]
A local marijuana advocate is compiling criticism against Ottawa's task force report on legalization in order to make sure Manitoba's cannabis community "has a voice." Steven Stairs, a medical marijuana user and grower who helps organize Winnipeg's 420 rallies, said he reached out to Kildonan MLA Nicholas Curry to talk about the highs and lows of the report. Without making our voices heard early in the process, we won't have a leg to stand on," he said. [continues 263 words]
This is a direct reply to "Heed Cigarette Lessons For Pot," a letter written by John Fefchak of Virden. I totally agree with you on one point. We can't find intelligent life, especially when we have people like you comparing the scourge of cigarettes to something like marijuana. It is truly ignorant and quite closed-minded to say marijuana is anything like cigarettes. There is no single recorded death in history linked directly with the use of this beneficial substance. [continues 160 words]
Re: Thoughts on pot (Letters, Jan. 5) Letter-writer James Teller misinterpreted statistics from Washington state on cannabis and driving. The cited report states "results of this study do not indicate that drivers with detectable THC in their blood at the time of the crash were necessarily impaired by THC or that they were at fault for the crash; the data available cannot be used to assess whether a given driver was actually impaired, and examination of fault in individual crashes was beyond the scope of this study." [continues 213 words]
Some facts that bear on legalizing marijuana are important to consider. Everyone agrees smoking cigarettes is bad for your health and causes many deaths each year even when the smoke is second-hand. We have laws restricting cigarette smoking, and cigarette packages warn us of the dangers. Why add another smoking risk? Statistics in Washington state show a twofold increase in highway deaths related to marijuana, and they now make up 17 per cent of the total, so why pass legislation in Canada that will increase deaths? To put this another way: if we could reduce highway deaths by five to 10 per cent (by prohibiting marijuana use), wouldn't this be good? [continues 222 words]
Re: Prankster changes Hollywood sign to 'Hollyweed." Some thing that citizens of Canada and all governments should be thinking about, as the planned legislation to legalize marijuana continues. A 'CANADAWEED' sign. Doesn't any one remember the health issues with cigarettes and tobacco through the years and the cancers associated with the use of those products? Aren't we now on the very same path to neglect our health and the social implications? I sometimes wonder why we are so obsessed with trying to find intelligent life on other planets, when we can't even find intelligent life here! John Fefchak (Rimshot!) [end]
Inside Manitoba
