SAINT JOHN - A dangerous new hallucinogenic drug is causing more criminal problems in Bangor, Maine than any of the other illegal drugs combined, Bangor police say. And the drug - called "bath salts" - could easily make the roughly three-hour trek across the border to Saint John, Ron Gastia, Bangor's police chief said. "This is the worst drug we have seen here in my career," said Gastia, who has 29 years of experience. "This is my primary focus right now. Officers are out there responding to these calls and I fear my officers will be in a position of kill or be killed, or another member of the public will be hurt." [continues 654 words]
Late Summer, Early Fall Is Busy Time for Illegal Drug Trade Police officers will soon be patrolling the forests of New Brunswick, looking to dismantle marijuana grow-operations and disrupt the drug trade. This is an annual operation for the RCMP's J Division in New Brunswick, conducted every August and September. "Late summer and early fall is when outdoor grow-ops are maturing and they're ready to be harvested," says Const. Jullie Rogers-Marsh. While the criminals who planted the marijuana hope to harvest their crop and get the product into the drug trade, police want to beat them to it whenever possible. [continues 509 words]
The RCMP and Crime Stoppers are asking the public to be on the lookout for outdoor marijuana grow operations on public land in New Brunswick. The police issued a news release asking the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities. "Marijuana growers plant marijuana on their own property, but they also often use Crown land in an attempt to avoid prosecution," stated the release. "Marijuana plants are usually grown in clumps in large areas and are sometimes surrounded by chicken wire to prevent damage from animals. [continues 114 words]
About a year ago, Dr. Michael Mosley participated in the U.K.'s first scientific trial of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. He took the drug while filming his series for the BBC (airing tonight on the CBC's documentary channel) called The Brain: A Secret History. "It was one of the strangest experiences of my life," he would write later in a piece for U.K.'s Beckley Foundation, a charitable trust that investigates consciousness and drug-policy research. [continues 368 words]
SAINT JOHN - If policy-makers want to prevent a drug epidemic in Saint John, they must figure out why users are attracted to drugs in the first place, says a Vancouver-based HIV expert. "The big thing is, what's the root cause of why people are abusing the drugs, and attack those issues. That's not a police issue, that's a societal issue," Michael O'Shaughnessy said in an interview after making a presentation for AIDS Saint John Wednesday night. [continues 526 words]
To The Editor: I was watching Canada A.M. last Thursday and saw what looked like an outdoor concert in Vancouver. It was a gathering for a "pot smoking day." Do a little research on that. It's not so much the date, April 20 (4/20), rather it was more the time of day. Google 420 and you'll see it is code for teenagers that means at 4:20 after school, smoke up. That gathering did little to help their cause of legalizing pot. [continues 380 words]
Tickets for George Chuvalo Event Now on Sale Boxing legend George Chuvalo is coming to Moncton as part of his fight against drugs. The former Canadian heavyweight champion will be one of the guest speakers during an event on May 28 at 3 p.m. at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Center. This is the first event being staged by Eloquent One Promotion, a new local company. Tickets are $30 and go on sale today at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Center, Frank's Music and Steve's Diner. Tickets are also available at www.ticketwindow.ca or by calling 1-877-700-3130. [continues 706 words]
SAINT JOHN - At Lorne Middle School, in the heart of the north end, it's not uncommon for youngsters to start their school days high on marijuana. The Grade 6, 7, and 8 students are "extraordinarily impressionable," says principal Greg Norton, but that's his biggest worry. With a crack house on one street corner, and known drug dealers and ex-convicts on the next, Norton is worried the acceptance of pot among his students will lead to something much worse. [continues 572 words]
Tickets for George Chuvalo's Anti-Drug Seminar Go on Sale Today George Chuvalo ended his illustrious boxing career in 1979, but he continues to pack a big punch when talking about life. The former Canadian heavyweight champion is coming to Moncton as part of his wide-spread travels in his fight against drugs. He will be one of the guest speakers during an event on May 28 at 3 p.m. at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Center. This is the first event being staged by Eloquent One Promotion, a new Moncton organization that's looking to "design and promote creative and accessible events that celebrate and enrich the diversity within our culture." [continues 608 words]
Warning - Police Warn Students of New Highly Addictive Drug on the Market That Could Ruin Their Lives SAINT JOHN - A dangerous new form of ecstasy is turning up in schools throughout the region, police say. Drug dealers are turning to young teens as a lucrative market for ecstasy laced with methamphetamine - a highly addictive and toxic substance. The pills come in all different colours, with graphics such as Transformers or kangaroos and names such as Facebook. "There's no question about it. They've recognized that ecstasy is a gateway to the kids," said Sgt. John Wilcox, who heads the street crimes unit for the Saint John Police Force. "It's a way of increasing their addictive base." [continues 635 words]
Robbery: After Cabbie Relieved of Money at Knifepoint, Taxi Industry Veteran Says Crime Byproduct of Bad Economy SAINT JOHN - Desperate times and desperate people are what a veteran of the city's taxi industry believes led to an armed robbery of a cab driver early Thursday. "This type of crime usually surfaces when the economy is bad," said Gerry Lowe, the former owner of Vet's Taxi. "People looking for a (drug) fix is also part of it." Saint John police are investigating the armed robbery. [continues 443 words]
BATHURST - A Bathurst pharmacist says methadone patients will suffer should the provincial government make cuts to the dispensing fees for the drug. Steve Doucet is the owner of Shoppers Drug Mart in Bathurst, the only pharmacy in the region to offer methadone. He said the pharmacy assists 20 to 25 patients, and more are on a waiting list. Doucet said cuts to dispensing fees will make it difficult for the pharmacy to continue dispensing the drug. "They want to cut it by about a third," he said. "Already it's difficult to find pharmacies who want to provide the service, so by cutting the fee it's obviously discouraging any new pharmacies from getting on board with the program and the ones already doing it are certainly looking at the worth of running the program in their store. [continues 339 words]
If harsh criminal penalties deterred illicit drug use, Canada's southern neighbour would be a "drug-free" America. That's not the case. The U.S. drug war has done little other than give the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. Despite zero tolerance, the U.S. has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Thanks to public education efforts, legal tobacco use has declined considerably in recent years, without any need to criminalize smokers. Apparently mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse. Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington, D.C. [end]
Charles Moore's column "Drug laws dumb on crime" (Feb. 17) presents a thoughtful critique of Bill S-10. I would add that creating a 'prohibition' situation around marijuana growing will achieve the same results as alcohol prohibition did years ago. It will enable organized crime to cash in on growing and distribution opportunities when small growers leave the market. Tough on crime? When pigs fly! Rick Roth Sussex [end]
I support much of the Harper government's legislative agenda, but they're spectacularly, tragically wrong in their dogged determination to impose harsher marijuana laws. A case in point is their Bill S-10, currently before the Senate, which among other things proposes a mandatory six-month sentence for possessing as few as six marijuana plants. Passing such a law would be invidiously unjust and counter-productive, resulting in prison sentences and criminal records for substantially greater numbers of people, most of them young, for engaging in a harmless activity that millions of Canadians believe should not be criminal at all. [continues 761 words]
Court: Defence calls verdict 'great injustice,' promises to appeal A Hainesville man who argued against the legality of Canada's drug laws and claimed he was permitted to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes was found guilty of possessing the narcotic by a provincial court judge. Todd Terrance LeClair was fined $500 by Chief Judge R. Leslie Jackson after a trial in which the defence argued regulations governing access to medicinal marijuana are unconstitutional because of unreasonable delays in processing applications for permits. LeClair also argued certain sections of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) had no force with respect to marijuana because the medical exemption regulations were unconstitutional. [continues 836 words]
Ruling - Judge says accused didn't have authority to grow, possess pot An Upper Hainesville man who argued he didn't break the law by having marijuana for medical purposes has been found guilty of drug possession and fined. Chief provincial court Judge Leslie Jackson found Todd Terrence LeClair guilty of a charge of possession of marijuana in a decision issued recently in Woodstock provincial court. LeClair was charged after police executed a search warrant at his home Oct. 19, 2009. Officers found 215 grams of bud marijuana and 1,300 grams of low-quality pot commonly referred to as "shake." [continues 404 words]
Ever heard of the drug Salvia? Salvia is an old natural herb that the Mazatecs from Mexico used to use for shamanic visions. Nowadays it is considered to be a hallucinogenic drug much like LSD. There's one difference, though: salvia is legal in many countries across the world. Last week the Celebrity gossip website TMZ released a video of teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus smoking from a bong. Soon after the video surfaced, Miley's manager assured everyone that she was not smoking marijuana, another popular drug amongst young adults, but rather, she was smoking salvia, which, they clarified, is legal in the state of California. [continues 491 words]
To The Editor: Regarding the story "Mounties notch record pot hauls," stop and think of all the taxpayer money that goes into fighting a plant that God put on this Earth. I would assume this might not be a good time for God to return to his planet, as he would probably be arrested for cultivating a controlled substance with intent to distribute. This prohibition is on a non-toxic plant that has been medicine to humans for over 5,000 years and is now being recognized around the world by scientist and doctors who are standing up and supporting this medicine. [continues 329 words]
To The Editor: Regarding the recent news surrounding marijuana, I would like to make a few comments and even a debate. First, marijuana has become part of our culture and whether we like it or not, it's here to stay. I would argue Constable Cameron's recent remarks in which he stated that marijuana tears families apart and has a devastating effect on society, are ridiculous. The only devastating effect is the fact that the law "criminalizes" everyday, hard-working citizens who are good people who freely chose to use marijuana recreationally. [continues 214 words]
Inside New Brunswick
