Part 1 in an occasional letter series exploring marijuana use and legalization

The federal government has indicated that it will introduce legislation in the spring 2017 session of the House of Commons making the cultivation, sale and consumption of marijuana legal in Canada, to take effect in 2018.

What can we expect in this braver new world of marijuana legality? In the vernacular, it will be legal to grow "weed" in Whitbourne and to have a "toke" in the confines of your own domicile.

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As the lunatic fringe has long said, allowing people to grow their own marijuana would kill the illegal drug trade as soon as the first crop was harvested. But the task force, being an arm of government, had to be stupid.

Watching sanity finally seep into the country's drug laws, you have to marvel at the stubborn narrow-mindedness that kept marijuana illegal for so long, causing suffering and injustice for half a century.

Once again, the lunatic fringe is proven right. We could have listened decades ago, and prevented people from being imprisoned for pot possession. The impending legalization of marijuana will be vindication for the vocal lunatic fringe who long argued the laws against it were illogical, hypocritical and indefensible.

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Man secretly smoked medical marijuana

All may not be lost for a Muskrat Falls worker fighting his dismissal last year for secretly smoking medicinal marijuana on the job.

Brendon Uprichard - a structural assembler of the transmission line for Valard Construction on the Lower Churchill project - had a prescription for medical marijuana to control chronic back pain and anxiety since December 2014. The 37-year-old hid this from his employer, and discontinued its usage to pass the mandatory physical examination and testing for drug and alcohol use upon being hired.

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New legislation will allow the province to involuntarily detain young people at the Hope Valley Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor for drug withdrawal and treatment.

The new law, which will be debated in the House of Assembly on Thursday, lays out steps for a court order that will allow officials to detain young people between 12 and 18 years old.

The detention in the Hope Valley Centre's secure treatment unit can be from five days up to a maximum of 10 days.

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Whether or not cannabis (marijuana) dispensaries are legal is no longer the issue, and it's less complicated than grey areas. Never has cannabis prohibition not been treated with contempt from citizenry. Presently, the level of contempt is greater than at any other time in history. Laws are being challenged and are changing and citizens are not waiting on government to do it.

Cannabis prohibition is over. The only thing left is to create regulations, and in the meantime, people across North America are going to continue acquiring the plant and are no longer tolerating a prohibitionist stance in the equation.

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Province to provide suboxone as a treatment for opioid addiction

Health Minister John Haggie's latest announcement received a round of applause when he presented it at the Provincial Opioid Addiction Forum Tuesday morning.

As part of an action plan to address opioid addiction in Newfoundland and Labrador, the province will provide suboxone as an alternative to methadone for people undergoing addictions treatment.

Calling opioid addiction a "public health crisis" in this province, Haggie said suboxone is considered much safer than methadone. It's a mixture of a synthetic opioid and the antidote naloxone that is available in tablet form and is less likely to cause an overdose. Suboxone can be given to a patient early, unlike methadone, which requires a patient to wait until opioids are out of their system in order to start taking it.

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Drug awareness session held for parents in the Lewisporte area

You could hear a pin drop. Retired RCMP officer Harold Nippard was addressing a crowd of about 60 parents at a drug awareness session at Lewisporte Collegiate on Nov. 28. The parents were of students from Grades 5-12.

Collegiate principal Krista Freake explained why they invited parents of younger children - Grade 5 students are 10-11 years old.

"Drug use is happening in much lower grades than in the past," she said. "Some parents have little to no information about what drugs are available, what they look like and the side effects they have and we want to start the conversation."

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Marijuana dispensaries: how is this legal? It's complicated

As news broke this week that CannaLeaf Medical Dispensary on Water Street was selling marijuana to anybody older than 19, and dozens of other dispensaries have opened in cities across the country, one question hangs over it all: how is this legal?

The answer, depending on who you ask, is somewhere between, "It's definitely illegal," "It's a legal grey area," and, "It's really, really complicated."

The first thing to understand is that according to the law, as it's written now, selling marijuana out of a storefront to anybody is still definitely illegal.

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Police forces are warning parents after a raid Tuesday night at the Canna Leaf marijuana dispensary in downtown St. John's that the cannabis candies and cookies seized are similar to what can be purchased in regular stores in the province, but can be harmful to children.

"They are infused with (THC) tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive constituent of cannabis," the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU - NL) stated in a news release.

Members of the CFSEU-NL executed a search warrant at Canna leaf Medical Dispensary around 10 p.m. Tuesday, which the release describes as "an illegal marijuana dispensary in downtown St. John's."

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The CannaLeaf marijuana dispensary at 448 Water Street was closed on Wednesday, after a nighttime raid by police on Tuesday.

The raid happened just past 10 p.m. Tuesday, and according to the police, four people were arrested and charges are pending.

"Seized was a large amount of cannabis products including marihuana and shatter," a release from the The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) said. "Also seized were edibles infused with Tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC, such as brownies, cookies, gummy bears, sour keys, lollipops, medicated bath fizz, and oils, along with a vehicle and a large quantity of Canadian currency."

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City inspectors will visit marijuana dispensary

The Canna Leaf marijuana shop on Water Street will be getting a visit from city inspectors, because they violated municipal bylaw in setting up business.

Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Galgay said that any time a business opens in St. John's, it needs a change of occupancy permit.

"I made a call to our inspection division, and I have been advised that no application was made to the city," Galgay said.

"So what I have done now is I have asked for building inspectors to go into that building and do a full inspection, because they have failed to follow city bylaws in submitting an application."

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Marijuana advocate approached N.L. police months ago about starting a dispensary

Marijuana advocate Ryan Stratton said when he first heard about pot dispensaries popping up in St. John's, he was a little bitter.

Back in May, he approached the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary about starting a marijuana dispensary in town, and he got a firm, unequivocal "No."

"I can't help but feel really slighted and bitter about that," he said. "Are you kidding me? I would love to own the first dispensary down there, make it professional, make it well done, get the best product out there."

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Editor's note: Reporter James McLeod had a tip: A shop in Downtown St. John's was selling pot to people who never had a prescription. He asked if we wanted him to try and buy some for a story. We said yes. The sale of marijuana is already a big issue in our community. That importance will only grow in the coming months as the federal government prepares legislation to legalize. So James proceeded and this story reflects his experience. Our hope is it informs the community and prompts necessary debate on this issue.

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It's a lot of fuss over a gram of "Green Lantern" marijuana and four THC-containing extra-strength sativa gummy bunnies - two green, two yellow. But a $25 purchase by The Telegram's James McLeod is certainly making waves. It's a lot of fuss over a gram of "Green Lantern" marijuana and four THC-containing extra-strength sativa gummy bunnies - - two green, two yellow. But a $25 purchase by The Telegram's James McLeod is certainly making waves.

McLeod bought the marijuana products at CannaLeaf Medical Dispensary, a marijuana dispensary operating in plain sight on Water Street in downtown St. John's.

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Owner says opportunity exists for progressive approach, taxation

The owner of Health Cannabis on Water Street in St. John's says he has been put on notice by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary: sell marijuana and risk criminal charges.

The warning comes despite the federal government's promise of new legislation to come in spring 2017 - expected to legalize the business of marijuana and possession for more than just medical use.

"They called my landlord a couple of days ago," said David Ferkul, who spoke with The Telegram Wednesday afternoon. "Then he gave us a number. I phoned them back. They waited a couple of days and I finally got the call today."

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In an ingenious campaign tactic, Justin Trudeau threw a campaign curveball at reporters in this country by promising to legalize and regulate the use of marijuana. What made the tactic especially clever was its timing; early enough that centrists forgot about it, but late enough that liberal reformists were excited about it through until Election Day. Considering that 59 per cent of Canadians supported legalizing marijuana, in a 2014 survey, it's clear that there is a certain demographic this type of policy appeals to.

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Dealing with reaction from the United States was always going to be one of the trickiest aspects of moving towards legalization of marijuana across Canada.

The case of Matthew Harvey, which came to light this past week, underscores just how tricky it may get. And it shows that the federal government must lose no time in making sure that individual Canadians are not penalized as a result of misunderstandings between the two countries.

Harvey was banned from the U.S. for life in 2014 after he truthfully answered a question from an American border control officer as he tried to cross from Vancouver into Washington State.

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It's back to school time and, for many parents, that means serious discussions with their children about the many challenges that can arise in the schoolyard and the classroom: bullying (both on and offline), peer pressure, test anxieties and other stress, budding sexuality, alcohol and drugs.

In the case of the latter category - drinking and drugs - many of us might be tempted to tell our kids, "Just don't do it." But is that a realistic approach? Let's face it, our children, and older teens in particular, are prone to experimentation. Many of us did it and many of them will do it. It's a fact of life.

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Naloxone take-home antidote soon available

Dawne Smallwood's eyes filled with tears as she contemplated how a recent announcement could have saved her son, Nathan.

"He just had a demon he could not beat," the St. John's woman said as she stood on the steps of Confederation Building at a rally associated with international overdose awareness day.

Smallwood said her son, 23, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in April 2015.

"He was the most beautiful person," she said.

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I'm writing regarding your editorial "Weeded out," Aug. 30.

I smoked many a reefer in the alley next to the Backward Clock on Water Street. Procured from and shared with friends. Prohibition invokes the most cruel capitalism, the iron hand of prohibition. The harder the prohibition, the harder the drugs. Sellers of low-quality product will get less market share.

I grew some great crops here in northern California, and have tossed many pounds into the stove due to mould caused by my ineptitude - very educational, that. While I am a big fan of the social joint in the alley, many other consumers are ill, immune-system compromised. If I made someone sicker with my mouldy weed, where would that put me in the line at the Pearly Gates?

In closing, my heart's desire would be a grey sunset on Signal Hill, light wind, and a fat, legal, reefer.

Jay Bergstrom Forest Ranch, Calif.

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