It must have been a busy meeting. A couple of weeks ago, Canada's federal and provincial justice and public safety ministers met in Vancouver for two days of meetings. They talked about delays in the criminal system and reforms to the Criminal Code over mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. About changes to the bail system and simpler and faster court proceedings. They talked about national security legislation and the safety of Canadians, about the legalization of marijuana and the nuances of home cultivation, and the health and safety effects of the drug, both on adults and the particular risks for young people. There was discussion about changing the rules on drunk driving to make it easier for police officers to require drivers to submit to breath testing, and on and on. [continues 361 words]
It must have been a busy meeting. A couple of weeks ago, Canada's federal and provincial justice and public safety ministers met in Vancouver for two days of meetings. They talked about delays in the criminal system and reforms to the Criminal Code over mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. About changes to the bail system and simpler and faster court proceedings. They talked about national security legislation and the safety of Canadians, about the legalization of marijuana and the nuances of home cultivation, and the health and safety effects of the drug, both on adults and the particular risks for young people. [continues 391 words]
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Canada's public safety minister says the federal government is anxious to legalize marijuana by next summer despite police services saying there's zero chance they'll be ready. Ralph Goodale said Wednesday the Liberals just announced $274 million over the next five years to help with police training and fight the involvement of organized crime. On Tuesday, police from Ontario, Saskatoon and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police told the Commons health committee that they need more time. They say they require an extra six months to a year for proper police training and public education - without which organized crime will flourish. [continues 471 words]
Advocate sees a role for public health nurses in fighting opioid crisis in rural communities The opioid crisis in St. John's is far from over, and a community advocate wants to see changes. "We see people every day who are at risk," said Tree Walsh, the harm reduction manager at the Safe Works Access Program (SWAP) for the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador. "We're trying to save lives, and we're trying to prevent deaths, but as soon as the pharmaceutical supply of opioids dries up, which is happening now things are going to get so much worse." [continues 559 words]
A majority of interest groups want the government to sell cannabis through a Crown corporation like the NL Liquor Corp., whereas most members of the public want to see stand-alone stores selling marijuana once it's legalized. The issue of how legalized marijuana will be sold is shaping up to be one of the most thorny issues for the provincial government to address, based on a report on public sentiment around legalization. Today, the government is releasing a document summing up what people said in consultations marijuana legalization, as the province gets ready for full legalization next year. [continues 363 words]
Marijuana business already thriving in St. John's ahead of legalization In a cluttered workspace in an undisclosed location in St. John's, Rosin709 operates a strange, makeshift device. He wraps about a gram of marijuana in parchment paper, and then sticks it between two metal pucks with wires coming out of them. The whole contraption sits inside a vice-grip on a worktable. Using temperature controls, Rosin709 heats the metal pucks to about 80 degrees before cranking the vice-grip to squeeze the metal pucks together. [continues 699 words]
Medical marijuana/medical cannabis has shown both anecdotal and clinical evidence that it can be used to manage and or alleviate symptoms of many illnesses, such as neuropathic pain, arthritis pain, multiple sclerosis, HIV, bone or inflammatory cancer pain, fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, colitis, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, insomnia and headaches. There are others. There should be no problem with this as long as its use is managed by your doctor or pharmacist. Now, recreational marijuana could certainly create problems, especially when people are permitted to smoke it. The smoke will bother other human beings, especially the elderly and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or any respiratory disease, and heart disease patients. Recreational purposes are just a means for people to have a high. There will be more crime and loss of life if this is legalized. It should not be OK for the government to OK this problem, and not in workplaces either. Lydia Parsons St. John's [end]
Many Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned with the federal government's proposed legalization of recreational marijuana. Rigorous scientific studies are not available on its long-term effects to users. Quite the opposite, what is available points to an irreversible neurological degeneration, in particular for young people. It took more than 400 years of ingesting the tobacco drug into the human body before the weight of evidence was accepted by the majority of governments that it was a disaster to human life. [continues 320 words]
In my boyhood days it was not uncommon to see, in an American Western movie, a US Cavalry officer look concerned at the sight of smoke signals on the trail ahead. Smoke signals often meant a battle was about to happen with the usual loser being - the Indians, of course! However, in July 2018, smoke signals of a totally different kind will be rising all across Canada with the legalization of marijuana. All Canadians, including status and non-status Indians, will be able to sit on their back bridges and light up a joint and blow their own smoke signals to their hearts' delight. For some, legalization means nirvana; for others, it's an uneasiness. Who will be the losers on this new trail we are about to take? [continues 865 words]
Many Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned with the federal government's proposed legalization of recreational marijuana. Rigorous scientific studies are not available on its long-term effects to users. Quite the opposite, what is available points to an irreversible neurological degeneration, in particular for young people. It took more than 400 years of ingesting the tobacco drug into the human body before the weight of evidence was accepted by the majority of governments that it was a disaster to human life. [continues 317 words]
How much should you tell little kids about weed? The distinctive smell of weed was permeating through the air around the concert grounds. And I was panicking. Not because I had sparked one up and feared getting caught. No, I was afraid of a question - "Daddy, what's that smell?" The distinctive smell of weed was permeating through the air around the concert grounds. And I was panicking. Not because I had sparked one up and feared getting caught. No, I was afraid of a question - "Daddy, what's that smell?" [continues 522 words]
Ken Harding says Transport Canada unfairly denying him marine medical certificate Ken Harding says he is unfairly being kept from going to work because Transport Canada refuses to issue him a marine medical certificate. Harding works as a cook on the Bell Island ferry service and is required to have such a certificate from Transport Canada to sail. Harding said the reason he has been denied the certification is because he has been taking chemotherapy treatments to fight Stage 4 cancer, and he also takes medical marijuana on occasion. According to Cancer.net website, Stage 4 cancer means the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body. It may also be called advanced or metastatic cancer. [continues 712 words]
On May 29, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published an editorial written by its editor-in-chief, Dr. Diane Kelsall, titled "Cannabis legislation fails to protect Canada's youth." Dr. Kelsall takes issue with three aspects of Bill C-45, the federal government's Cannabis Act. She argues that the minimum age for buying and consuming cannabis should be 21 instead of 18, with limits on the potency of cannabis for people under 25; that home cultivation should be prohibited; and that the federal government should set national regulations for distribution and retail. These well-intentioned suggestions are misguided and potentially harmful. [continues 501 words]
Advocates support idea of supervised injection and consumption site in St. John's, but unsure if drug users would use it Advocates endorse supervised injection and consumption site in St. John's The number of supervised injection and consumption facilities - often referred to as safe-injection sites - in Canada will soon grow exponentially. Over the last month, a new facility opened in Surrey, B.C., two were approved for Montreal, three more were approved for Toronto and there's one on the way for Ottawa. There's also talk in the addiction treatment and outreach community of Halifax having its own. [continues 875 words]
If people can legally buy alcohol and tobacco at the age of 18 or 19 (not to mention enlist in the military), then how can we justify setting a higher age for cannabis? On May 29, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published an editorial written by its editor-in-chief, Dr. Diane Kelsall, titled "Cannabis legislation fails to protect Canada's youth." Dr. Kelsall takes issue with three aspects of Bill C-45, the federal government's Cannabis Act. She argues that the minimum age for buying and consuming cannabis should be 21 instead of 18, with limits on the potency of cannabis for people under 25; that home cultivation should be prohibited; and that the federal government should set national regulations for distribution and retail. These well-intentioned suggestions are misguided and potentially harmful. [continues 492 words]
Expert says employers should treat recreational marijuana the same as alcohol - it's a no-no at work ST. JOHN'S , NL - St. John's lawyer Harold Smith of Stewart Mckelvey represents employers in all aspects of labour relations, employment and administration law, and as such has been helping employers adjust their policies to incorporate the legalization of marijuana. He addressed a recent presentation of the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Atlantic Region, in St. John's, titled "Marijuana in the Workplace" for employers. [continues 470 words]
Marijuana will soon be legal in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among other things, it will no longer be against the law to grow up to four plants at a time in your house. Anyone with a green thumb could produce about six pounds a year. In today's market that's a value of almost $50,000! This unregulated marijuana will flood our streets. This alone negates any argument that "The marijuana we are buying from government dispensers is tightly regulated," because who is going to pay $30 to $40 a gram from our government dealers when they can buy unregulated marijuana from the thousands of want to be entrepreneurs who will sell it for less? [continues 578 words]
Worker anxiously awaits arbitration case Part 4 in a four-part series Scott Tizzard remains mired in a career no-man's land. At one point he stopped taking his medical marijuana for a month so he could pass the pre-employment urine test for one company - with the employer fully aware - but was still denied work. He's worked for companies that hold contracts with Nalcor Energy, the Crown corporation leading the Lower Churchill development. "I was told (by one employer) I was red-flagged because I had a medical marijuana prescription and had filed a grievance," he said. [continues 672 words]
Inside Newfoundland
