Bill C-15 -An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to amend other Acts - - deals with many topics, from protection of children from sexual exploitation to animal cruelty offences. But the topic that is creating the biggest fuss is the radical change in Canadian drug policy that, some argue, will further enrich gangsters, create more violence on our streets, and fail to reduce either the demand for, or the availability of, drugs in our society.

This statement may seem bold but it is backed by comprehensive studies published by the Senate of Canada, the Canadian Department of Justice, the European Commission, the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the Fraser Institute, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Rand Corporation all who support the view that mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offences are useless at best.

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FREDERICTON - New legislation is now in force that gives the New Brunswick attorney general the authority to sell or dispose of property that has been seized, restrained or forfeited to the provincial government under the Criminal Code and the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Attorney General T.J. Burke and Public Safety Minister John W. Foran issued this reminder that the Management of Seized and Forfeited Property Act is now in effect.

"The responsibilities for seizure and forfeiture were previously carried out on a case-by-case basis by a court-appointed agent," said Burke. "But this approach proved to be challenging over time. The new act modernizes the process and brings New Brunswick in step with other jurisdictions across Canada."

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Dear Editor,

Every time the police tear out one grow, they make the 90 to 95 per cent of grows they will never catch all that much more valuable.

In this way, they are subsidizing the dealers they don't catch.

They know this, too, because all science and history on the subject supports this.

It leads me to wonder just which side of the law these guys are really on.

If the police really cared about reducing crime and drug use and protecting public safety, they would lobby for legalized regulation.

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Every time the police tear out one grow-op, they make the 90-95 per cent of grow-ops they will never catch all that much more valuable. In this way, they are subsidizing the dealers they don't catch.

They know this, too, because all science and history on the subject supports this. It leads me to wonder just which side of the law these guys are really on. If the police really cared about reducing crime and drug use and protecting public safety, they would lobby for legalized regulation.

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BURNT CHURCH FIRST NATION - Members of a recently formed anti-drug group in Burnt Church First Nation aren't alone in their fight to clean up the community.

In fact, the group has been in contact the past couple of months with Eskasoni First Nation in Cape Breton, N.S., a community currently dealing with a similar crisis.

The reason, according to Burnt Church Band Councillor Curtis Bartibogue, is the success Eskasoni has seen in their venture.

In November 2008 the Nova Scotian First Nation community of approximately 4,000 people launched an anti-drug campaign highlighting community marches and dry community events.

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ST. STEPHEN - Adam Troy Dickerson needs a physician to sign papers to allow him to legally use marijuana to control pain.

His family doctor agreed he fit the criteria under federal law to medically use the otherwise illegal drug, but would not sign the papers as a matter of policy, duty counsel Joel Hansen told provincial court Judge David Walker this week.

At an earlier court appearance Dickerson, 27, of Elmsville, pleaded guilty to producing marijuana.

Walker adjourned sentencing to allow Dickerson to follow Hansen's advice to find out if he could qualify to legally use marijuana medically. The judge adjourned sentencing to May 19 to allow Dickerson to try to find another doctor to sign the papers.

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My first encounter with Burnt Church First Nation left me in a state of shock.

It was about two weeks ago that I had to drive up to talk to community members about the most recent death in the community attributed to a drug overdose. The count, according to community members was at three in roughly a month.

I spoke with drug counsellors and at least one band councillor who informed me of the frightening drug problem plaguing the community.

I was told that most of the deaths that occur on Burnt Church First Nation are drug related, either overdoses or suicides. I was told the unemployment rate was at ridiculous heights, a factor that strongly played into the drug problem on the reserve.

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To the editor,

Regarding MP Rob Moore's March 24 column, when it comes to drugs, mandatory minimum prison sentences are proven failures.

If harsh sentences deterred illicit drug use, Canada's southern neighbor would be a "drug-free" America. That's not the case. The US drug war has done little other give the former land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. The drug war is a cure worse than the disease.

Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness and instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health problem it is.

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With the help of the public, RCMP continues to crackdown on drug trafficking in Carleton County.

Last Thursday evening, District 7 RCMP - along with the Woodstock Police Force and the Woodstock Integrated Border Enforcement Unit (IBET) - executed a search warrant on a home in Windsor, following the assistance of the public.

During the raid, RCMP Sgt. John de Winter said, officers seized in excess of 100 methamphetamine pills, a quantity of marijuana and over $1,000 in cash.

"The amount of methamphetamine is a big concern to us to see popping up in our communities," said Sgt. de Winter. "We are seeing it in this area a lot more than we would like.

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Gail Leslie doesn't look nearly old enough to be a widow. Yet the attractive young Burnt Church woman, who is pregnant, is just that, having lost her husband Lonnie Simon in what is believed to be a drug related death.

Simon's body was found last week in Eel Ground. Police have released few details of what happened and have not confirmed the death was drug related, but Leslie and most of the residents of the First Nations community of Burnt Church know what killed Simon and they are angry about it.

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MONCTON - The number of seizures in New Brunswick of the drug methamphetamine has doubled in the past year, RCMP say.

RCMP officers on Monday displayed quantities of methamphetamine, commonly known as "meth", seized in the province over the past few years.

Compared to the rest of the country, New Brunswick still remains relatively clean from the addicting drug since no production labs have been discovered, the Mounties say, and they want to keep it that way.

"What we are seeing in pockets across Canada are problems with methamphetamine," MacNeil said. "We want to keep it low (in the province); we do not want methamphetamines to come in here, but that being said, there are pockets in New Brunswick that have been affected by this drug."

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Methamphetamines Highly Addictive, Linked To Violence

Methamphetamine seizures are on the rise in New Brunswick and that's not a good thing, according to police.

Wayne Jeffery, a Vancouver-based forensic drug expert who retired after more than 30 years as a police officer, says meth is one of the most addictive drugs a person can take, trailing only heroin. And people hooked on meth are prone to violence, both because of the psychological effects of the drug and the junkies' desperation to get their next fix.

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As part of our government's ongoing efforts to crack down on gangs and organized crime, we recently re-introduced legislation that provides for mandatory minimum penalties for serious drug crimes.

The illicit drug trade is the number one source of income for most gangs and other criminal organizations. This legislation will ensure that those who own grow ops or meth labs will face significant jail time.

The new legislation increases penalties for a number of aggravating factors. This includes a two-year mandatory prison sentence for the offence of running a large marijuana grow operation involving at least 500 plants and a two-year sentence for those who deal harmful drugs such as cocaine, heroin or crystal meth, to youth or near areas such as a school.

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Recent High-Profile Crimes Turn Attention To Metro's Drug Underworld

There are 'pharm parties' where bowls of prescription pharmaceuticals are passed around like candy, but cannabis use is down.

Addiction Services offered in our region are seeing 300 requests for help per month.

The RCMP is linking a pair of violent area crimes to the drug trade.

It's difficult to get a sense of Metro Moncton's illicit drug scene.

However, some of those who would know best suggest that though the nature of drug use in our area has changed a bit and is at the root of much of our relatively rare major crime, the size of the drug problem has at least stayed relatively constant.

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To The Editor:

Sorry but am I missing something here? Were there not drugs in the car that was stopped for a minor light being burned out? Yes, the officer acted on a hunch, but that's his job people! He is the one, after all, who has the training and the experience.

Because of that hunch, those drugs that might have found their way into schools to kids and adults etc. will not be used by our society.

It's the judicial system that's in need of a good shaking up! Drug traffickers in other countries certainly have a harder time than they do here in Canada.

We have the RCMP to act on their better judgment to protect us Canadians. I for one, am glad the officer acted on his hunch! Good Job!

Anne Bourque

Moncton

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Chief, Council, Elders, Police Ready To Fight Drugs

RICHIBUCTO - Chief Jesse Simon woke up yesterday morning compelled to take a stand against the hostile spread of drugs in Elsipogtog First Nation.

Before leaving his home en route to the Richibucto courthouse, the Mi'kmaq chief adjusted a handcrafted necktie that he received as a token of encouragement from one of his community members.

Embroidered in tiny beads between his name and an eagle were the words honesty, humility, wisdom, courage, respect, truth, and love.

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Eastern N.B. RCMP Say Firearms A Big Part Of Booming Drug Trade

Kent RCMP Sgt. Darrell Marchand recalls that many years ago, his detachment had a wall set aside in the evidence room for firearms.

Seized rifles and guns would be hung on pegs on the wall until they were needed for court, returned to their owners or forfeited and destroyed. These days, things are a little more crowded.

"Right now in the bond room I have two walls full (of firearms), plus one wall in another bond room," says Marchand, a 35-year police veteran set to retire in April. "And that doesn't count the firearms that are on the shelves."

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Stephen Harper's Conservative government is one step closer to passing legislation designed to curtail gang activity in Canada. The proposed mandatory jail time and increased mandatory minimum sentences set out in Bill C-14 are poised to attack drug trafficking and the increasing number of gang related murders and drive-by shootings in international drug hot beds like Vancouver, B.C..

"Our message to potential offenders is clear: if you sell or produce drugs, you will face jail time," Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson told the media in late February. The list of proposed changes to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act includes a minimum one-year sentence for the sale of drugs such as marijuana in connection with organized crime, a mandatory two-year sentence for dealing drugs such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines to "young people" and a two-year mandatory sentence for running large-scale marijuana grow-operation, the CBC told me.

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To The Editor:

Jamie Colbert must feel, as most of us do, that Canada is a wonderful country to live in after he was acquitted of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking by Provincial Court Judge Joseph Michaud despite being caught by an RCMP officer with a huge amount of marijuana in his possession.

For those not familiar with the case, Colbert was pulled over near Salisbury about a year ago because the SUV he was driving had a burned out tail light. The officer wasn't satisfied with the answers to questions he put to Mr. Colbert and, as a consequence, suspected something illegal might be hidden in the vehicle. The officer asked for, and received, permission from Colbert to allow his drug sniffing dog Jasper to sniff around the SUV. Jasper's sniffing led to the discovery of $1.4 million worth of marijuana (155 lbs).

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One should not speak ill of the dead, but it's hard to resist the suspicion that the murder of the army chief of staff on March 1 and of the president on March 2 in the small West African country of Guinea-Bissau were linked to the drug trade in Africa's first "narco-state."

On Sunday, a powerful bomb blew up the military headquarters in Bissau, the capital, killing Gen. Batista Tagme Na Waie, chief of Guinea-Bissau's military, and severely wounding five other senior officers.

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