Marijuana (cannabis) has been a point of contention for decades. It was not actually made illegal in the United States until 1970, and was added to the Confidential Restricted List in 1923 in Canada. It is still federally illegal in the United States, causing a convoluted and shaky basis for medicinal marijuana in that country. In Canada, it is federally illegal to possess or sell marijuana for recreational use, but it is controlled by the government for medicinal uses. Patients utilizing the drug for medicinal reasons have a considerable amount of legal protection compared to those in the United States. [continues 740 words]
Drugs: Medical Ethicist Says Safe Injection Locations 'Brilliant' At Preventing Overdose Deaths SAINT JOHN - There would be no downside to setting up a safe injection site in Saint John, says a medical ethicist and board member of AIDS Saint John. "People might debate whether Saint John needs one or not, but I would say there's no harm in having one," said Tim Christie, associate professor in bioethics at Dalhousie University and a lecturer at the University of New Brunswick Saint John. [continues 684 words]
Drugs: Ottawa Gives Portage Atlantic Facility $1 Million CASSIDY LAKE - Kyle Hooton has travelled the road to freedom and that road started when he entered Portage Atlantic's drug rehabilitation centre three years ago. "I came to the Portage program a 21-year-old boy. I didn't know who I was, I had no confidence," he said Tuesday afternoon before a crowd of community leaders and fellow youths who have struggled with addictions. "I had the mentality of a 14-year-old." [continues 699 words]
Police To Continue Permissive Approach To Pot During Games In The Home Of B.C. Bud VANCOUVER - That sweet scent in the air during next month's Olympic Games might be the smell of success. Then again, it could just be the weed. It will be far from business as usual for much of Vancouver during the Olympics, but marijuana advocates and police say the city's laissez-faire attitude towards the infamous B.C. bud won't change. "Our officers show an exceptional amount of discretion with respect to people smoking marijuana and that will continue," said Const. Lindsey Houghton, a spokeswoman for the Vancouver Police Department. [continues 450 words]
ST. STEPHEN - An Elmsville man hopes for a break when he returns to St. Stephen provincial court Feb. 16 for sentencing on drug charges. If the Crown or the court does not stay proceedings, Adam Troy Dickerson, 27, will probably lose his medical certificate to use marijuana to control pain, duty counsel Joel Hansen told Judge David Walker. Dickerson pleaded guilty last year to growing and possession of marijuana contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Walker agreed to postpone sentence to adjourn sentencing to allow Dickerson to apply to Health Canada for a medical use certificate. [continues 109 words]
BLACKVILLE - A man who was pulled over in Doaktown showing some signs of impaired driving by drug was eventually let go, because RCMP said at the time there was not much evidence of impairment. District 6 RCMP Cpl. Chuck Plaxton said the 43-year-old man had given a "reasonable explanation" about why he may have had drugs in his system. "However, the biggest problem we have right now is that we don't have the same training in place" to identify an individual under the influence of drugs, he explained. [continues 569 words]
Safeguards are in place to prevent take-home doses of methadone from getting into the wrong hands, according to the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society. But pharmacy protocols, which include instructing clients to keep methadone in a locked box, appear not to have been followed in the case of a 23-month-old girl from southeastern New Brunswick who was transferred to a Halifax hospital after ingesting the drug. "If clients are receiving take-home doses they are to present at the pharmacy with a lock box," Gary Meek, assistant registrar of the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society, said in an interview. "It's to prevent exactly this kind of thing from happening." [continues 198 words]
No Evidence Tougher Drug Laws Will Reduce Crime: STU Professor FREDERICTON - Although some unexpected political twists may have delayed the implementation of tougher drug laws at both the federal and provincial levels, a New Brunswick criminology professor says the changes the governments have proposed are ill-advised and unlikely to be effective. "It looks good, it sounds good, but it's a very political move, not a very smart one," says Michael Boudreau, associate professor and head of the department of criminology and criminal justice at St. Thomas University. [continues 630 words]
To The Editor: New Brunswick Justice Minister Mike Murphy -- of all people -- should know that the courts take a dim constitutional view of the provinces entering into the federal criminal power realm ("Province pushes for stronger drug laws," Dec. 17). Suspending someone's driver's licence for a drug conviction, as California tried in the 1980s, is, despite his assertion, not only outside the province's power, but appears to be a cynical move by the Graham government to deflect attention from the public outrage over the sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec. Shame. T.J. Meehan, Kingston, Ont. [end]
To The Editor: Regarding Rob Moore's letter to the editor recently. I believe this is about Bill C-15, although he doesn't mention it. In his letter he states "dangerous marijuana grow-ops and methamphetamine labs . . . are a significant threat . . ." If these are found now, don't those people already go to jail? Maybe not for long enough to suit some, but I think that most would say that up to 14 years for one plant is a little excessive. It appears Bill C-15 is about mandatory drug sentencing. [continues 241 words]
To The Editor: I read with interest the letter in the Times & Transcript of Dec.18 from my Conservative colleague Rob Moore on the proposed amendment to Bill C 15, regulating certain drugs and substances. In it he accused the Liberal Senators of wanting to water down the bill's impact. The Senate had promised to carry out a critical examination of the bill. The members of the committee heard from an assortment of experts and representatives of various organizations who argued that the new legislation would encourage drug lords to recruit more street-level dealers, and that it would be these dealers who suffered the consequences of minimum sentencing, not the drug lords. [continues 131 words]
Canadians Want Tougher Punishments For Traffickers: Attorney General FREDERICTON - Attorney General Mike Murphy has outlined a plan to strengthen punishments for producers and traffickers of illegal drugs through tougher laws at the provincial and federal levels. "We're going to use any and every ability and tactic and law we have in the province to put these people out of business," the Moncton North MLA said yesterday. The provincial element of the anti-drug strategy is legislation that would allow police to confiscate vehicles used in criminal activity and revoke driving privileges from those found guilty. [continues 490 words]
To The Editor: Regarding the Times & Transcript story "Province pushes for stronger drug laws" in yesterday's edition, I thank New Brunswick Justice Minister Mike Murphy for his support of our government's efforts to combat serious drug crime. The illicit drug trade is the primary source of income for street gangs and other violent criminal organizations. These groups often establish dangerous marijuana grow-ops and methamphetamine labs in residential neighbourhoods. This represents a significant threat to communities throughout Canada. We need stronger sentences to send the message that we will not tolerate this kind of activity. [continues 195 words]
BATHURST - Eric Buckley was a Mirimachi teenager addicted to drugs. "It was mostly prescription drugs, narcotics, it wasn't so much drinking," said the 22-year-old graduate from Portage Atlantic's residential treatment centre at Cassidy Lake in Kings County. Portage is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the social rehabilitation of substance abusers. Buckley told a community breakfast in Bathurst how addiction to drugs affected his life to the point when he didn't even recognize his own father on a park bench sitting beside him. The Portage Atlantic program helped him overcome his addictions. [continues 389 words]
Justice Minister To Introduce Forfeiture Legislation Justice Minister Mike Murphy plans to introduce new legislation to help battle criminal activity in New Brunswick's neighbourhoods. Murphy says the Civil Forfeiture Act will target property used by people to commit crimes. The province will launch lawsuits against those individuals in an effort to have the court order them to forfeit property used to commit an offence. Murphy singles out people who deal drugs out of their homes or produce and distribute child pornography from their homes. [continues 726 words]
Critique: Criminologist Argues That Stings Such As Operation Portland Will Have Little Lasting Effect On The Supply Of Street Drugs SAINT JOHN - Called Operation Portland, the six-month drug sting has had an impact on the city's hard-core drug trade in crack cocaine, Dilaudid and OxyContin. But how long the streets remain quiet after such an operation is always the big question. Irvin Waller is an Ottawa University professor and author of Less Law, More Order: Truth about Reducing Crime. The book takes a look at where America has gone wrong in its battle against drugs. He believes Canadian lawmakers and enforcers could also learn from the experiences south of the border. [continues 435 words]
The signs are there. You notice a house in your neighbourhood where no one seems to go to work, but they sure have a nice truck to drive around in. The people in this house have a lot of visitors dropping in, but these visitors never seem to stay for more than a few minutes. And when you walk by, you notice the window in the front door is completely black. It's all a little weird and suspicious - and yes, your instincts are correct. [continues 455 words]
Help Needed | City Residents Asked To Provide Information The Fredericton Police Force is looking to stamp out neighbourhood drug houses. But it says it can't do it without help from residents of the streets and neighbourhoods affected by drug dens. Staff Sgt. Brian Ford told the city's public safety and environment committee Tuesday that unlike some cities, there are no typical drug neighbourhoods in Fredericton. But that doesn't mean drug operations aren't flying beneath police radar and it often takes residents near drug houses to alert police, he said. [continues 530 words]
Enforcement: Highway Stings Are Making Construction Zones Safer For Workers, Says The Head Of Traffic Division SAINT JOHN - The city's police department has devoted more officers to its traffic division and more tickets are being handed out, the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners heard Tuesday night. The number of tickets for violations rose from 2,534 in 2007 to 3,854 in 2008 and will likely top that again in 2009, said Sgt. Jeff LaFrance, who heads the traffic unit. [continues 380 words]
Police Promise Not To Rest On Their Laurels Following The Biggest Drug Bust In City History SAINT JOHN - The world of drug dealers is a murky place governed by paranoia and populated by cagey and shadowy figures. If police want to infiltrate that world, they have to become part of it. Operation Portland, which netted 48 people and resulted in 120 charges, used three undercover officers who infiltrated street-level and mid-level drug dealers. For six months they lived in a world that most only see on TV or read about in the news. [continues 667 words]
Young people are being barraged with a variety of highly addictive drugs and they're being found in local schools. That's the finding of a 2008 health and addictions survey conducted by Dr. Bonnie Priest of Positive Heart Living. The study, carried out in association with the Fredericton Police Force, found that 37.7 per cent of respondents had tried drugs. The study involved 131 youths around 15 years of age with the average educational level of Grade 9. All participants were from Fredericton and its surrounding areas. [continues 553 words]
ST. ANDREWS - Bill Howatt has a simple question on the back of his business card: What's the cost of doing nothing? If you're talking about workers addicted to drugs and alcohol, that cost adds up to $40 billion in Canada, he said. But many employers haven't yet realized how employees with addictions affect the bottom line, he said Tuesday at a conference put on by Enterprise Charlotte and the Charlotte Drug Coalition at the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel. "The reality is if one in four people have an addictive disorder, one out of four people have a mental health issue, then we have a lot of concerns," he said in an interview after he lectured a room full of business professionals from Charlotte County and across the province. [continues 431 words]
To the editor, In actual fact, the Conservatives are trying to increase crime in an effort to increase jail attendance. Mandatory minimum sentences for pot growing, for example (Bill C-15), will do nothing to scare off the gangsters, but will do much to scare off the mom 'n pop growers who offer direct market competition to and better product than the gang growers. With these small-timers out of the picture, there will be more business, and thus more violence, within the gang community. [continues 187 words]
Here is how things work in real life: We send emails, letters, and phone calls to MP's offices. Their secretaries record it all, and at the end of each day (or week, depending), the MP might get an overview sheet that says something like "100 calls for this Marc Emery issue, 200 emails..." and so on. The MP might give it a cursory glance, at best, then get on with other business. It would also be safe to assume that all of these emails and phone calls from disgruntled pot-and-sovereignty lovers is actually making Nicholson and his cronies even more chuffed about his actions. [continues 92 words]
Our government is taking action to protect the safety and security of our communities. We are standing up for victims of crime and putting the rights of law-abiding citizens ahead of the rights of criminals. We passed the Tackling Violent Crime Act, which implemented measures to better protect youth from sexual predators, put serious penalties in place to fight impaired driving, and toughened sentencing and bail for those convicted of serious gun crimes. In addition, the government passed legislation to end conditional sentences for serious personal injury offences, including sexual assault, and we brought forth measures to increase penalties for those convicted of street racing. [continues 212 words]
This letter is addressed to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. As a concerned Canadian citizen, I feel that an explanation is in order from the Conservative government as to how they can justify collecting taxes on Marc Emery's marijuana seed selling business, then have him sent to a U.S. prison to serve a five year sentence for a crime which would have otherwise landed him a fine here in Canada. It is my understanding that an offer was made by U.S. authorities that would see Mr. Emery serve his sentence in a Canadian facility; however, the Minister of Justice has opted to deny him this opportunity. I believe the failure of this government to keep Mr. Emery in Canada - where he belongs - sets a dangerous precedent in which our very sovereignty is called into question. [continues 120 words]
Dear editor, Regarding the story "RCMP take 15,000 pot plants out of circulation" published in the Sept. 23 issue of the Victoria Star. Guess who is most pleased about this eradication policy. The 90-95 per cent of growers who will never be caught! This colossal waste of time and money is not only failing to fix things, it is, in fact, outrageously counterproductive. Think about it: if the police busted twice as many grows this year as last year, they would still only get about 20 per cent of them. And every time they bust one grow - indoor, outdoor, small or big - all they do is make the ones they don't catch that much more valuable. [continues 219 words]
Over the past month, as part of the RCMP's ongoing marijuana eradication efforts, nearly 15,000 outdoor marijuana plants have been seized. That amount of marijuana has the potential to create up to 7.5 million joints, which will no longer hit the streets. The seizures were made from more than 150 outdoor sites throughout New Brunswick. "Preventing and deterring marijuana production and trafficking are things we take very seriously," said RCMP Sgt. Claude Tremblay. "Marijuana is currently the most frequently abused drug by young people in New Brunswick, many of whom may be under the false impression that it is a soft, or harmless, drug. That's simply not true. Marijuana is a dangerous, illegal substance with the potential to cause serious impairment, and create lasting physical and psychological problems." [continues 84 words]
Enforcement Police Putting Officers Aboard Grand Manan Ferry GRAND MANAN - Drug couriers should be careful talking to strangers on their way to Grand Manan this fall. The RCMP intends to put both plain-clothed and uniformed officers on the ferries to interrupt drug traffic to the island, Cpl. Andy Cook said in an interview Wednesday. "We're going to change our times so they won't get used to our schedule," Cook said. "They won't know." RCMP officers do know "certain characteristics" to watch for looking for drug couriers, especially with help from Grand Manan residents who provide information, Cook said. [continues 462 words]
Busy Season | Pot Party Spokesman Says 'We Live In A Crime Factory Of Fear' The RCMP in New Brunswick is making no apologies for targeting marijuana grow operations. Sgt. Claude Tremblay said he doesn't agree with "illegal drug advocates" who say Mounties have better things to do with their time than busting marijuana growers. "We invite anyone who has a problem with that, (who) feels we have seized their marijuana, to call us and make a complaint." Marijuana is a huge issue in New Brunswick - one that affects everyone, Tremblay said Wednesday. [continues 488 words]
15,000 marijuana plants been seized across N.B. to date, compared to 13,500 plants by late September last year FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's harvest of seized marijuana has already topped the entire amount netted by RCMP last year, and police aren't yet finished with this year's hunt. Provincial Mounties estimate that 15,000 pot plants have been seized over the past four-weeks across New Brunswick. This is compared to 13,500 plants seized in 2008 between mid-August and late-September, the prime time to harvest. [continues 248 words]
Regarding the news articles RCMP seize over 1,800 marijuana plants, published in the Sept. 2 issue of the Victoria Star I would like to ask what difference did this bust make? The answer is none. The recent outdoor marijuana "eradication" efforts by police are glaring examples of the futility of prohibition. Law enforcement efforts are not "stemming the tide" or "taking a bite out" of drugs, nor will they ever do so. It is all just an expensive show at taxpayer expense to give the public the illusion that something is being accomplished. [continues 192 words]
Re: Story published Aug. 29 called RCMP taking a bite out of outdoor grow-ops Law enforcement efforts "taking a bite out of" the cannabis supply is hyperbole. This annual eradication effort is costly public theatre, giving the illusion that something is being accomplished. However, 80-95 per cent of grow-ops escape the RCMP. Instead it provides job security for police and gives their unions more resources with which to influence policy makers away from cannabis law reform, fibbing that "it sends the wrong message." [continues 141 words]
Re: RCMP seize over 1,800 marijuana plants, Sept. 4 What difference did this bust make? The recent outdoor marijuana "eradication" efforts by police are glaring examples of the futility of prohibition. Law enforcement efforts are not "stemming the tide" (or "taking a bite out") of drugs, nor will they ever do so. It is all just an expensive show at the taxpayer's expense to give the public the illusion that something is being accomplished. Why aren't journalists asking important questions, like: [continues 183 words]
Re: America's longest war by Gwynne Dyer, Sept. 8 Nice of Gwynne Dyer to tell the story about many countries decriminalizing drugs. But how could he miss the fact that Canada is going in the opposite direction by bringing in mandatory minimums for drug offenses. Why is (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper bringing them in to Canada? Brian Kerr, Scarborough, Ont. [end]
It's too early to say that there is a general revolt against the "war on drugs" that the United States has been waging for the past 39 years, but something significant is happening. European countries have been quietly defecting from the war for years, decriminalizing personal consumption of some or all of the banned drugs in order to minimize harm to their own people, but it's different when countries like Argentina and Mexico do it. Latin American countries are much more in the firing line. The United States can hurt them a lot if it is angered by their actions, and it has a long history of doing just that. [continues 701 words]
It's too early to say there is a general revolt against the "war on drugs" the United States has been waging for the past 39 years, but something significant is happening. European countries have been quietly defecting from the war for years, decriminalizing personal consumption of some or all of the banned drugs in order to minimize harm to their own people, but it's different when countries like Argentina and Mexico do it. Latin American countries are much more in the firing line. The United States can hurt them a lot if it is angered by their actions, and it has a long history of doing just that. But from Argentina to Mexico, they are fed up to the back teeth with the violent and dogmatic U.S. policy on drugs, and they are starting to do something about it. [continues 792 words]
Re: Man jailed for six months for pot grow-op, beating girlfriend If Bill C-15 passes (it won't if there is an election), this guy in the court case would get a mandatory stretch of jail time for growing pot. Not surprisingly, there is no mandatory minimum sentencing for assault, sexual assault or rape. Once again our government gets its priorities right. Russell Barth Ottawa, Ont. Federally licensed medical marijuana user Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis www.paidoc.org [end]
Re: Story by reporter Michael Staples published Aug. 29 called RCMP taking a bite out of outdoor grow-ops Interesting and telling article, Mr. Staples. On one hand you have an educated knowledgeable person speaking intelligently on the subject of marijuana prohibition. On the other you have a biased person spewing unscientifically proven jibber jabber. Which one would you believe? Carl Anderson Kamloops, B.C. [end]
Re: Recent marijuana grow-op busts The people happiest about these marijuana grow-op busts are the 90-95 per cent of growers who will never be caught. Think about that: If the police busted twice as many grow-ops every year, they would still only get about 20 per cent of them. A fifth - or probably even less than that. And every time they bust one grow-op - indoor, outdoor, small or big - - all they do is make the ones they don't catch that much more valuable. [continues 187 words]
MIRAMICHI - One thing was clear from a sentencing this week for a marijuana grower from Wayerton. British Columbia is not New Brunswick. David Young, 59, pled guilty to charges of producing marijuana. He appeared in court before Judge Denis Lordon on Tuesday to be sentenced. Young received four months house arrest but will be allowed to travel out of the court's jurisdiction to attend work in Sussex six days a week. The sentence was a joint recomendation between defence and Crown counsel. [continues 381 words]
Re: No charges expected from marijuana seizure (Sept. 1). More RCMP Balderdash. Guess who is most pleased about this eradication policy? The 90 to 95 per cent of growers who will never be caught. Think about that: If the police busted twice as many grows this year as last year, they would still only get about 20 per cent of them. One fifth, probably less. And every time they bust one grow operation - indoor, outdoor, small or big - all they do is make the ones they don't catch that much more valuable. [continues 168 words]
MIRAMICHI - Four years after the drug bust that brought down an elaborate marijuana grow operation in Miramichi, the final court proceeding wrapped up last week. On April 19, 2005 policing agencies from across New Brunswick used search warrants to enter more than a dozen homes and businesses and uncovered "super" marijuana plants in various states of growth. The investigation leading up to the takedown involved bugging phones and homes, businesses and cars. Thousands of wiretap conversations were recorded and it helped lead to convictions of the major conspirators. [continues 1208 words]
While the potato harvest is still a few weeks away, another type of harvest is yielding interesting results for police in both Madawaska and Victoria counties. On Aug. 25, District 10 RCMP, with ssistance from the Bathurst and Edmundston Regional Drug Unit, the RCMP's Integrated Border Enforcement Team and other local policing partners, seized over 800 marijuana plants from 12 different sites in Madawaska and Victoria counties. "This was enough marijuana to potentially produce over 400,000 marijuana joints," said RCMP Constable Yannick Gagnon. "These seizures will go a long way toward disrupting the activities of the organized criminal groups behind these operations." [continues 153 words]
Outdoor marijuana grow operations in the province are being targeted by law enforcement officials. Over the last two weeks, the RCMP has worked with other agencies to seize more than 1,800 marijuana plants, capable of producing close to one million pot cigarettes. The seizures, made from sites in Madawaska, Victoria and Charlotte counties, are expected to deny organized crime hundreds of thousands of dollars. Staff Sgt. Gary Hadley, who heads up the drugs/organized crime unit at RCMP J Division, said there's nothing at this point to indicate they've seized more marijuana this year than in previous years. [continues 482 words]
The judge probably said it best. "This is the closing of a distasteful episode in the history of the Miramichi." Many would agree with the sentiment expressed by provincial court judge Stephen Hutchinson after he sentenced David and Josephine Black for their role in a money laundering scheme connected to Operation Jackpot. It has been over four years since police from around the province descended on Miramichi to take part in the takedown of Operation Jackpot. It was a day that came about as a result of an 18-month joint force investigation that investigated members of the Black family - brothers David, Paul and Kevin - and their roles in overseeing numerous marijuauna grow operations, the cultivation and trafficking of the marijuana. [continues 271 words]
The punitive policy structure regulating medical marijuana use in Canada is utterly insane, not to mention inhumane. This is by design. If the program were a success, more people would use it. Then more people would be getting well, not having seizures and not dying. Then they'd talk in the media about how pot is great and saved their lives, and that totally undermines the government's propaganda war against pot. So they underfund it, understaff it, and make up rules that are nearly impossible to adhere to. The pot grown by Prairie Plant Systems is oxidized, full of seeds and stem (making it worse to smoke), zapped with gamma radiation (which kills half the medicine), and stinks of chemicals (because it wasn't grown properly). [continues 143 words]
Drugs RCMP Officers Expect To Get Usual Flurry Of Calls From People Who Stumble On Grow Ops In Woods HAMPTON - Police expect to spend a lot of time in the woods ripping pot plants from the ground, says the head of the RCMP's District 3 plain-clothes section. "The next few weeks is when we start to get a lot of calls," Cpl. Roger Gillies said. "This is the time of year when people are in the woods and come across marijuana plants, usually planted on wood lots, Crown land or Irving land." [continues 420 words]
If you're fortunate enough to own an Apple iPhone, it seems whatever your interest, "there's an app for that," as the TV commercial tells us. "Apps" are software applications, usually small, specifically-focused, and inexpensive, that run on Apple's iPhone operating system, a slimmed-down version of Apple's Macintosh OS X for personal computers and servers. There are literally thousands of these little programs available on Apple's online App. Store, one of the newest Apple has approved for sale being named simply "Cannabis," a US$1.99 iPhone and iPod app by Los Angeles-based Activists Justifying the Natural Agriculture of Ganja (AJNAG), who operate the AJNAG.com Website and MedicalCannabis.org database. [continues 602 words]
I have to admit, I do not have any personal memories of watching CBS News during Walter Cronkite's tenure as anchor, it was before my time. However, like many, I was struck by his death - he was a key figure in the early years of television news and played an important role in setting the standards for television journalism (even though many would argue that many contemporary journalists fall short of this bar). As anchor, he commanded respect and authority as one of the primary sources of news in the United States, something which is not possible today where there is a plethora of media sources including the Internet and 24-hour news stations. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he was frequently named in public opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America." [continues 713 words]
Inside New Brunswick
