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]
Knowing more about impairment key to setting fair and safe workplace rules: expert Alex Boucher says the looming legalization of marijuana is opening up a whole new frontier for employers. He's an expert in wellness areas, including disability management and workplace accommodation, and works with employers, unions and communities. He acknowledged that medical marijuana use has posed challenges in the workplace, and that legalized pot will add an extra level of challenge for employers wanting to be fair and yet ensure the workplace is safe. [continues 915 words]
Expert says employers should treat recreational marijuana the same as alcohol - it's a no-no at work 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. "The message I was trying to bring to the group from a legal perspective is you treat (marijuana) no different than alcohol," Smith said. "You would ban recreational use of marijuana or cannabis on the property as you ban alcohol. So an employer, you ban it. You say you 'shall not, must not, and cannot have cannabis, like alcohol, on our site.'" [continues 414 words]
Torbay man's job is in limbo as workplaces wrestle with marijuana policies Scott Tizzard has been wrestling with a two-pronged dilemma for the past seven months. And like the north poles of two magnets trying to meet, they repel each other in his mind. The first is his fight for his legal right to medical marijuana - the only thing that works to ease the chronic pain from his diagnosed osteoarthritis after trying a long list of medications his doctors have prescribed over the years. [continues 714 words]
It will be Russian giants again this summer. No, not Vladimir Putin. Russian giant sunflowers, which the seed package promises can grow up to eight feet high. We plant them every year for fun, and built a two foot by eight foot flower box especially for them, so we can have a veritable field of rising Russkies. (Tip: put the seeds in the dirt in late May, and you'll yield a swath of yellow by early September.) This year, the Russian giants were to be supplanted by marijuana plants. Again, just for fun. [continues 552 words]
Parsons promises public consultation soon on legal marijuana The government will start public consultations within the next month or two on how to implement marijuana legalization in Newfoundland and Labrador, Justice Minister Andrew Parsons said. On Thursday, the federal government will unveil the legislation for legalization of marijuana use, which will set out the overall framework for how things will work. But according to a news report by the CBC, important aspects of the new marijuana system will be up to provincial discretion - the age that you can legally buy the drug, how it's distributed and what the retail price will be. [continues 245 words]
It was a bold statement: "We will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana." The 2015 federal Liberal election promise caught Canadians' attention and attracted the votes of many who supported the long-overdue legalization of marijuana. Many people believe that smoking a joint is no worse than having a beer. Plenty of Canadians - even prime ministers - have tried it. Polls indicate most people want legalization. Medical marijuana use has smoothed the drug's acceptance. The government is finally ready to table legislation to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018. But why the wait? Do we really have to wait another 18 months for proclamation, when 60,000 Canadians are convicted each year for simple possession or personal use? [continues 363 words]
Worker claims companies refusing him jobs because of medical marijuana prescription Scott Tizzard of Torbay says he is being discriminated against by companies he should have been working for over the past several months. The Reason? Taking his doctor-prescribed medical marijuana. Tizzard has worked construction in the province for 30 years, going from big project to big project wherever the work has taken him, and wherever dispatched by his union. Described by co-workers as a hard worker, for many of those years he'd worked long-hour days battling the pain and discomfort of Crohn's disease and osteoarthritis. [continues 1499 words]
So, we smoke like tilts and drink like fish - Canadian champions on both counts (it's not only with brooms and rocks where we excel), the No. 1 nicotine inhalers and boozers in the country, according to stories that appeared side by side (appropriately enough) in The Telegram last week. And with marijuana set to be legalized by July 1, 2018, as we were told the other day, Newfoundlanders, if our history with smokes and liquor is any indication, can probably be counted on to eventually toke up more than any other Canadians. [continues 841 words]
"I'd like to think there'll be consultation among the different stakeholders and people that have an interest in this, but again, that's a cabinet decision and a premier's decision." Justice Minister Andrew Parsons Federal MP Bill Blair confirmed to reporters Tuesday that Ottawa is aiming to make marijuana legal for recreational use by July 2018, although he was at pains to downplay any sense that it might be fun. In nearly every question about marijuana, Blair talked about how the government's legalization effort is all about "strict regulation" and control in order to keep the drug out of the hands of kids, and the profits out of the hands of organized crime. [continues 283 words]
Dana Larsen, the British Columbia man who calls himself a cannabis crusader, will be in St. John's this weekend spreading his message of cannabis freedom as part of his cross-country campaign. But the police officer heading this province's drug unit is warning the public to be leery of what Larsen has to say. RNC Supt. Marlene Jesso is concerned Larsen may send the wrong message to people when it comes to the legalization of marijuana. "It's not against the law for him to come down here and speak to people," said Jesso, who is in charge of the Newfoundland and Labrador combined forces special enforcement unit, a joint RCMP-RNC team. [continues 359 words]
A recent Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court decision tested the weight the justice system places on confidential police informants. The case revolved around a British Columbia man arrested and charged in Newfoundland with drug-related offences in February 2015. The accused applied to the court to have certain police evidence excluded from his case - particularly the police informant information - - stating that his rights under Section 9 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were breached. He claimed police did not have reasonable grounds to make the arrest nor search his vehicle. [continues 866 words]
It is evident by recent cuts to our public sector that the provincial government's commitment to austerity measures will undoubtedly continue through the upcoming spring budget. However, as the rise of violent crime and introduction of dangerous new drugs to our province risks tearing apart our families and communities, it remains clear that we cannot afford further cuts to justice and public safety initiatives within our province. Appealing to relevant statistics about drug use and crime in our province brings only heartwrenching conclusions. Drug-related deaths within Newfoundland and Labrador increased 42 per cent from 2014 to 2015. Fentanyl, an extremely dangerous street drug, has been the subject of a recent public warning by the RCMP after the fatal opioid was spotted on the Burin Peninsula. Furthermore, this warning comes merely a month after a St. John's drug bust seized over 250 fentanyl pills that were manufactured to appear like OxyContin, an often abused prescription painkiller. [continues 296 words]
If there was ever a time that people needed to talk to their kids about drugs it would be now. The importance of education and communication were the key topics brought up during an information session on the drug fentanyl held at The Merge on Feb. 9. Staff Sgt. Dale Foote, of the Burin Peninsula detachment of the RCMP, was one of the invited speakers for the evening. "Everyone thinks that the overdose at the hospital is going to be the individual that is addicted to drugs, that's not (always) that case," said Foote during his presentation. [continues 796 words]
The Merge hosts fentanyl information session If there was ever a time that people needed to talk to their kids about drugs, it would be now. The importance of education and communication were the key topics brought up during an information session on the drug fentanyl held at The Merge on Feb. 9. Staff Sgt. Dale Foote, of the Burin Peninsula detachment of the RCMP, was one of the invited speakers for the evening. "Everyone thinks that the overdose at the hospital is going to be the individual that is addicted to drugs, that's not (always) that case," said Foote during his presentation. "We're living in a time right now where the types of drugs people are using are lethal if they're inhaled by anybody, they're lethal if some one comes in contact with them - that's very important for our teenagers to know." [continues 211 words]
Get ready for the worst, intervention counsellor warns province Andy Bhatti has spent the majority of his life surrounded by hard drugs. As an interventionist, he can talk to you eloquently about the dangers of drug use, quote Canadian statistics, and offer his ideas about what programs and services are needed in order to help drug users and stop overdoses. He can just as easily slip into the language of a drug user, calling drugs by their slang names, giving you a list of his acquaintances who have died, and talking like living in stolen cars and dirty motels while committing crimes in order to support an expensive addiction is a regular fact of life. [continues 950 words]
What can we expect with the legalization of marijuana? Proponents argue that legalization will reduce crime, lower criminal justice costs, improve public health, improve traffic safety and stimulate the economy. Opponents argue that legalization will spur marijuana and other drug and alcohol use, increase crime, diminish public safety and lower educational achievement. There is research available with some interesting results, but the most important point to be made is that at this stage research must be considered preliminary, since there has been insufficient time for conclusive evaluation and predictive results. [continues 449 words]
Part 3 in an occasional letter series exploring marijuana use and legalization What can we expect with the legalization of marijuana? Proponents argue that legalization will reduce crime, lower criminal justice costs, improve public health, improve traffic safety and stimulate the economy. Opponents argue that legalization will spur marijuana and other drug and alcohol use, increase crime, diminish public safety and lower educational achievement. There is research available with some interesting results, but the most important point to be made is that at this stage research must be considered preliminary, since there has been insufficient time for conclusive evaluation and predictive results. [continues 448 words]
Inside Newfoundland
