Many have noted the federal government's vision on recreational marijuana regulations remains notably blurry. With legalization anticipated about a year from now, the questions continue, as do recommendations about where to draw certain lines. The legal age to possess and partake is right up there among concerns. To that end, the New Brunswick Medical Society has weighed in this week, saying the bar should be set at 21. They add that the legal age for tobacco purchase and consumption should also be 21. [continues 388 words]
If all goes according to plan, Canada's new marijuana law will take effect in July 2018. It's what happens between now and then that is critical, especially when it comes to safeguarding young Canadians who are the most vulnerable to the potential harms of marijuana use. Studies have shown adolescents are particularly at risk due to the fact their brains are continuing to develop and at a rapid pace. It's wise to take into consideration that research has shown that chronic marijuana usage is linked to memory and attention difficulties, prominently among individuals who started use while in early adolescence. [continues 346 words]
One of Canada's largest medical cannabis producers says it will fund a Nova Scotia man's ongoing legal fight to have his marijuana prescription paid for by his employee-insurance plan - the latest move in a nationwide push by industry, patients and their advocates for more widespread cannabis coverage. Aurora Cannabis Inc., a publicly traded grower based in Alberta, announced this week that it will bankroll elevator mechanic Gordon Skinner's coming defence this fall in the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. [continues 565 words]
A Town That Cares group to host more town hall meetings The fight against the local drug crisis is being expanded. Buddy Penney, a founder of the A Town That Cares group, says town hall meetings will be held in communities across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. "We want people to see it's a problem for every community, not just New Waterford," he said. "We will be working on gathering support to see a mental health/drug addiction facility built in the CBRM. Strength comes in numbers." [continues 474 words]
Driving on the dope could soon lead to a driving suspension and a fine. "In Canada the proposed legislation for roadside screening is going to between two and five nanograms of cannabis for suspensions and a $1,000 fine." That was the message RCMP Const. Travise Dow gave at the MADD Road Rally Saturday at the Amherst Lions Club. Dow said a 2016 study done by the Canadian Safety Council shows that 24 per cent of drivers who have crashed on Canadian highways have high levels of THC in their system. THC is the active chemical in cannabis giving users the high they seek. [continues 262 words]
If your objectives are to protect public health and safety, keep marijuana out of the hands of minors and cut illegal profits flowing to organized crime-then the law as it stands today has been an abject failure. Law enforcement agencies in Canada spend an estimated $2-3 billion a year trying to fight pot, yet Canadian teenagers are among the heaviest users in the western world. And criminals walk away with $7-8 billion every year in illicit proceeds. We have to do better. [continues 679 words]
The Liberals have introduced a new Cannabis Act that attempts to check the box of an election promise kept. I don't think the bill will pass anytime soon and I doubt the Liberals are serious about it anyway. Why unveil the Act on the last day before a two-week break in Ottawa? The act does have its challengers in the medical and legal fields. Eighteen is not an acceptable age for the government to allow for marijuana use. Medical opinion has advised that up to the age of 25 the human brain is still developing and that marijuana use can stunt this development. [continues 362 words]
Property owners plan around issues like ventilation, insurance Landlords' main concerns with marijuana legalization in Nova Scotia are around protecting tenant's health and possible damage to buildings, says one advocacy group. Kevin Russell of Halifax, head of the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia's (IPOANS) Cannabis Legalization Committee, said the proposed federal legislation is causing "a lot of concern" for property owners as well as tenants with respiratory problems or small children who are worried about second-hand smoke. [continues 198 words]
Legislation to be tabled today in the House of Commons will pave the way to the legal selling of marijuana across the country by the summer of next year If he wants to avoid spending the 2019 campaign walking on the shards of yet another broken signature promise, Justin Trudeau has little choice but to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in time for the next election. Of the many commitments the prime minister made on the way to his majority victory some were more emblematic than others. The Liberal embrace of deficit spending, the vow to change the voting system in time for 2019 and the legalization of marijuana fall into that category. [continues 666 words]
It was a bold statement. "We will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana." The 2015 federal Liberal election promise caught the attention of Canadians and attracted votes of many who supported the long-overdue legalization of marijuana. Many citizens believe that smoking a joint is no worse than having a beer. Many Canadians - even prime ministers - have tried it. Polls indicate a majority favours legalization. Medical marijuana use has smoothed the drug's acceptance and eased concerns. What's the big deal? The government is finally ready to table legislation to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018 - much too late for many Canadians. 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 374 words]
It was a bold statement. "We will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana." The 2015 federal Liberal election promise caught the attention of Canadians and attracted votes of many who supported the long-overdue legalization of marijuana. Many citizens believe that smoking a joint is no worse than having a beer. Many Canadians - even prime ministers - have tried it. Polls indicate a majority favours legalization. Medical marijuana use has smoothed the drug's acceptance and eased concerns. What's the big deal? [continues 419 words]
Legalization But advocate hopes province finds innovative ways to sell weed A recreational pot supporter in Halifax is applauding the expected announcement by the federal government that recreational marijuana could be legal by July 1, 2018. Chris Henderson, general manager of Halifax's High Life Social Club, said he hopes the impending move will encourage more people to be open about their pot usage. "Younger people are more open about their usage, you don't hear about the older generations and cannabis," he said in an interview on Monday. "I hope this encourages older people." [continues 127 words]
Dana Larsen's "quiet revolution" envisions more and more Canadians growing pot until the laws prohibiting it are unenforceable. The Vancouver cannabis activist and author will be in Bedford at the Legion Hall (1772 Bedford Highway) on Monday from 7-9 p.m. to dispense advice, solutions to the crisis of fentanyl and other opioids - and maybe even a few cannabis seeds. Larsen is the founder of the Overgrow Canada campaign and distributed more than 2.3 million cannabis seeds in spring 2016. He's doing a larger seed giveaway now, which started in January. [continues 422 words]
Anyone hoping for major hints about the government's plans to legalize, regulate and tax cannabis in Wednesday's federal budget likely came away disappointed. Cannabis is mentioned just twice in Budget 2017 - the first time to direct existing Health Canada funding of $9.6 million over five years, with $1 million per year ongoing, to support "marijuana public education programming and surveillance activities" ahead of legalizing the drug for recreational use. The second time, in a section that deals with raising duty rates on alcohol, the budget says as the government moves forward with a new taxation regime on cannabis, "it will take steps to ensure that taxation levels remain effective over time." [continues 786 words]
This letter concerns Addiction Services' and the Nova Scotia Health Authority's new approach towards the treatment of opioid addicts in this province. According to a CBC News report (Dec 8, 2016), this new strategy involves a move to "eliminate hospital-based Detox for opioid addicts." Essentially, the Nova Scotia Health Authority intends to withhold inpatient treatment to opioid addicts at their eight Detox Units across the province saying that (for opioid addicts) "detox alone is not working." The preferred approach now is to kick the problem out to family physicians who may or may not have methadone licenses or to other community programs and services already overwhelmed by the problem. [continues 423 words]
For years, cannabis has been a counter-cultural symbol-a plant that can be grown almost anywhere, giving it little marketing potential. That's about to change. At a show last summer, a musician friend said to me, "This is Pineapple Express-I bought it legally in Kensington Market." Legal. Weed. Kensington. Toronto. That stuck in the memory banks, and I followed up next time I was in Toronto, visiting several locations of one well-reputed dispensary, sampling as many marijuana strains and concentrates as my budget would afford. [continues 512 words]
Two federally regulated medical marijuana companies caught up in a tainted-cannabis scare are facing proposed class-action lawsuits from patients who unknowingly ingested banned pesticides. Mettrum Ltd. and OrganiGram Inc. were both found selling medical marijuana that contained unauthorized chemicals, including the controversial pesticide myclobutanil, which produces hydrogen cyanide when combusted and can lead to serious health problems. The suit against OrganiGram was filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Monday by Halifax=based Wagners Law Firm, while a separate action against Mettrum was filed in Ontario Supreme Court by the firm Roy O'Connor LLP. [continues 926 words]
Bad record keeping to blame for some 3,000 missing items according to police Halifax police are adamant that bad record keeping rather than any criminal activity by its officers was behind the "misplacement'' of 3,000 of nearly 10,000 drug-related exhibits uncovered in a recent inventory. Among the unaccounted for items were cocaine and other drugs, and more than 200 cash items totalling $100,000. Police Chief Jean-Michel Blais told reporters Monday the force was confident there had been no wrongdoing. [continues 482 words]
Thousands of dollars, drugs still missing from audit Tens of thousands of dollars and several kilograms of illicit drugs are still missing from Halifax Regional Police evidence, but the chief says there's no indication anything "untoward" has happened within his force. Chief Jean-Michel Blais presented an update on the Drug Exhibit Audit to Monday's meeting of the municipality's Board of Police Commissioners, and outlined the preliminary results of a full inventory, conducted between September 2016 and February 2017, of all 12,792 drug-related exhibits in the police database. [continues 589 words]
Force believes missing money placed in police bank account Halifax Regional Police have located 34 of 72 exhibits that were missing from their evidence storage, but the remaining 38 - including nearly $5,000 in cash - are still unaccounted for. Chief Jean-Michel Blais will present a report to the municipality's Board of Police Commissioners on Monday updating the force's progress on finding the missing items from the Drug Exhibit Audit released last year. That audit was conducted between June and November 2015 after an officer was accused of stealing from an evidence vault. Police originally found 90 per cent of the drug exhibits in one vault were unaccounted for, and 55 per cent of the evidence in the money vault wasn't where it was supposed to be. [continues 278 words]
It's a tough call, whether companies soon to be marketing recreational marijuana should be allowed to brand their product. A precedent is in the works with tobacco, to deny manufacturers the right to have distinctive packaging. Some would extend that same caution to pot. It's an issue that government will ultimately have to grapple with - while hearing from proponents on both sides of the argument. Garfield Mahood of Vancouver, president of the Campaign for Justice on Tobacco Fraud, campaigned for decades to get the federal government to force tobacco companies to use plain packaging. [continues 345 words]
A month after it opened, a downtown business specializing in marijuana paraphernalia was searched by police on Thursday. Dr. Greenthumb was searched by members of the Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit on Thursday with assistance from the Amherst Police Department. This whole pending legislation has created a challenge for police across the country. Some people are trying to get ahead of it because the government is saying legislation is coming, but it's not here and they have to be patient and wait for the legislation. Ian Naylor, Amherst Police Chief [continues 298 words]
Vince Rigby remembered for work with veterans Friends of Vince Rigby are remembering him as a strong advocate for veterans across Cape Breton. Rigby's body was found by firefighters in an abandoned Robert Street building during a fire in Whitney Pier on Monday. Cape Breton Regional Police investigated the fire and ruled out any suspicion and foul play in the death of the Sydney man. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Ron Clarke, a Korean War veteran, said he will remember Rigby as a "strong advocate for veterans." [continues 323 words]
A Nova Scotia human rights board has ruled that a patient's medical marijuana should be covered by his employee insurance plan in a potentially precedent-setting case. The decision, issued Jan. 30, ruled in favour of Gordon Skinner's claim that he faced discrimination when trying to access insurance coverage for his disability. Independent human rights board of inquiry chair Benjamin Perryman said that medical marijuana should be an eligible expense since it requires a doctor's authorization and thus didn't fall within the plan's exclusions. [continues 341 words]
Man injured in workplace accident A Nova Scotia human rights board has ruled that a patient's medical marijuana should be covered by his employee insurance plan in a potentially precedent-setting case. The decision, issued Jan. 30, ruled in favour of Gordon Skinner's claim that he faced discrimination when trying to access insurance coverage for his disability. Independent human rights board of inquiry chair Benjamin Perryman said that medical marijuana should be an eligible expense since it requires a doctor's authorization and thus didn't fall within the plan's exclusions. [continues 332 words]
Nova Scotia's human-rights board has ruled that a man suffering from chronic pain must have his marijuana prescription paid for by his employee-insurance plan, with advocates saying the decision opens the door for patients across Canada to push for similar cannabis coverage. Gordon Skinner, from a community just outside Halifax, had argued that he faced discrimination when he was denied coverage by the Canadian Elevator Industry Welfare Trust Plan. He has been using medical cannabis to treat pain from an on-the-job car accident that forced him from work as an elevator mechanic more than six years ago. [continues 535 words]
HALIFAX - A human-rights board has determined a Nova Scotia man's prescribed medical marijuana must be covered by his employee insurance plan, a ruling that advocates said will likely have impact nationwide. Gordon Wayne Skinner, of Head of Chezzetcook, suffers from chronic pain following an on-the-job motor vehicle accident, and argued that he faced discrimination when he was denied coverage. In a decision Thursday, inquiry board chair Benjamin Perryman concluded that since medical marijuana requires a prescription by law, it doesn't fall within the exclusions of Skinner's insurance plan. [continues 478 words]
Former corrections employee sentenced on drug trafficking A Sydney Mines woman was given a two-year federal jail sentence Monday after pleading guilty to drug trafficking at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre. Special federal prosecutor David Iannetti told the court that Nicole Marie Smith, 46, came to the attention of jail officials when a letter was found in which an inmate thanked Smith for bringing marijuana into the facility. Smith worked part time in the kitchen at the provincial jail and had struck up a friendship with a male inmate who also worked in the kitchen. [continues 316 words]
Police forces in Canada testing out devices over February Next time you come across a police checkpoint in Halifax, you might be asked to help test a roadside drug-screening device. Halifax Regional Police (HRP) began a new Public Safety Canada pilot project a week and half ago, and have until the end of February to collect 100 saliva samples from anyone who'd like to anonymously volunteer for the testing in a regular traffic stop. "This is for us. It's not about any of the public, it's about how user-friendly are these devices for the police at roadside," Const. Kristine Fraser of the HRP traffic unit said Thursday. "If you say 'um, no,' (it's) 'okay, thank you for your time,' and you drive away.'" [continues 283 words]
The law is still against business owners like Shirley Martineau, even as Canada remains high on legalization. Even though it may seem like the illegality associated with weed today is akin to the criminal severity of something like jaywalking, the fact is that here in Nova Scotia, under many circumstances, having, selling or smoking the stuff could still get you thrown in jail. That's exactly what may happen to Shirley Martineau, owner of Auntie's Health and Wellness Centre, which was closed down earlier this month after Martineau decided on her own accord to begin providing access to medicinal marijuana to anyone over the age of 19-regardless of a prescription. [continues 565 words]
Why are patients who legally acquire medical marijuana being illegally charged sales tax on this medicine? Correspondence to get clarification on why this is so included federal Health Minister Jane Philpott, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and our two MPs - Mark Eyking and Rodger Cuzner. Health Minister Philpott replied that "tax policies fall within the purview of Hon. Bill Morneau" and forwarded my inquiry to him. MP Eyking replied with what are the existing regulations on marijuana that represent outdated information considering the ongoing changes with medical marijuana. [continues 318 words]
Auntie's Halifax marijuana dispensary is among a nation full of shops that have begun selling recreationally, despite federal laws that promise prosecution. Raids have been conducted by police in Hamilton, Montreal and Toronto over the past year, including those of recreational marijuana shops owned by company Cannabis Culture. "The federal government has been clear that until new legislation is introduced, the current laws remain and must be followed," wrote Sarah Gillis, a spokeswoman for the provincial Department of Health & Wellness. [continues 554 words]
Police stay silent on their plan if store reoffends A leading Canadian marijuana activist is standing behind a bid by Auntie's Dispensary to reopen after a police raid shut them down. Last week, Halifax owner Shirley Martineau and three others were charged - and had their inventory seized - after complaints led the Halifax Regional Police to take action. Martineau, who hasn't returned phone calls, vowed to reopen and has volunteers working at the shop right now. Toronto marijuana legalization activist Jodie Emery, who is married to fellow activist Marc Emery, knows what Martineau is going through. [continues 682 words]
Nova Scotia not ready to talk strategy on legalization The Nova Scotia government has formed two working groups to get into the weeds of marijuana legalization, but the province's plans remain a little hazy. A federal task force on marijuana legalization released a report this week recommending mail-order and storefront sales to people over the age of 18, with a 30-gram limit on personal possession of recreational pot. The report contained more than 80 recommendations about how legalized marijuana should be produced, regulated and sold. [continues 267 words]
When the recreational use of marijuana becomes legal in Canada in the next few years, how old should you have to be to join in the fun? This issue - the legal age for buying and consuming cannabis - is the biggest single challenge facing the federal Liberals as they rewrite the law on this popular, but potentially harmful, drug. A federal task force this week provided 80 recommendations for opening up the market for recreational pot. Most of the suggestions, which include permitting storefront and mail-order sales as well as allowing individuals to buy or carry up to 30 grams for personal use, are both reasonable and workable. But the recommendation to allow sales to people as soon as they turn 18 is troubling because of the harm that medical experts say would result. The age should be higher. [continues 358 words]
With the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana expected to become a reality in Canada in the next couple of years, there are a number of important issues to be considered as we proceed in a sensible way - in other words, with caution. This past week a federal task force released a report with a lengthy list of recommendations on how Canada should move forward with legalizing marijuana. One that causes immediate concern is the task force's troubling recommendation that would allow sales of the drug to anyone aged 18 or over. [continues 354 words]
This must be some sort of lapse of the synapse. One of the key warnings regarding coming legalization of marijuana didn't make the impression warranted. Health professionals have tried to stress the importance of keeping recreational marijuana away from young people. Last month, the Canadian Paediatric Society urged that the federal government ban sales to those younger than 18 or 19, depending on the province, to correspond with age limits for alcohol and tobacco sales. The federal task force in charge of recommendations, in releasing its report Tuesday, chose the low end of that age spectrum, saying sales should be limited to people 18 and over. [continues 333 words]
Auntie's founder convinced of weed's medicinal abilities A medical marijuana dispensary operating in Bible Hill is making access easier for people who require it, clients say. The dispensary, called Auntie's Health and Wellness Center, is also beneficial because it offers medicinal cannabis in more forms and wider variety than conventional methods. "I believe people should have direct access to their medication. And they don't," said Auntie's founder Shirley Martineau. She said people who genuinely need marijuana are often forced to acquire it illegally, "and they don't know what they are getting." [continues 381 words]
Medical marijuana users give thumbs up to retail dispensary At one point, following a severe industrial accident in 2005, Craig Upham was taking 28 different medications per day. Five of those were to counter side effects of the prescribed narcotics he was taking. Upham eventually became addicted to oxycontin, which robbed him of his personality, made him hostile and ruined a marriage. "In 2007 they didn't know what to do with me," he said. "The doctors told me I wouldn't be able to walk, I would be in a wheelchair." [continues 396 words]
Mandatory roadside screening and oral fluid testing for drugs should become law before the federal government proceeds with legalizing marijuana, a spokesperson for MADD Cobequid says. "This is something that has to take place before the decriminalization is put in place," newly elected president Kay Foster-Alfred said during a public meeting Thursday evening. "This is going to be happening and we have to be ready for it." Despite being disappointed that only one member of the public attended the session, Foster-Alfred says she does not feel that is representative of the community mindset regarding impaired driving by either drugs or alcohol. [continues 178 words]
Federal plan hits roadblocks from provinces, territories over road safety concerns at justice ministers' meeting HALIFAX - The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana has some provincial politicians raising concerns about drug-impaired driving. Three provincial justice ministers made a point of highlighting the issue Friday at the conclusion of a meeting in Halifax between federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson Raybould and her provincial and territorial counterparts. Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi was the first to bring it up during a news conference, saying his province is also keen to ensure there are measures to protect youth and focus on harm reduction. [continues 394 words]
HALIFAX - The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana has some provincial politicians raising concerns about drug-impaired driving. Three provincial justice ministers made a point of highlighting the issue Friday at the conclusion of a meeting in Halifax between federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and her provincial and territorial counterparts. Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi was the first to bring it up during a news conference, saying his province is also keen to ensure there are measures to protect youth and focus on harm reduction. [continues 439 words]
HALIFAX - The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana has some provincial politicians raising concerns about drug-impaired driving. Three provincial justice ministers made a point of highlighting the issue Friday at the conclusion of a meeting in Halifax between federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and her provincial and territorial counterparts. Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi was the first to bring it up during a news conference, saying the province is also keen to ensure there are measures to protect youth and focus on harm reduction. [continues 487 words]
Dealing with reaction from the United States was always going to be one of the trickiest aspects of moving toward 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. [continues 381 words]
A judge seemed bewildered Friday as she sentenced a Prince Edward Island man for selling drugs out of his home. Alfred William Gallant admitted to police he had been selling marijuana out his house for years. He said he did so to pay for his own usage - about seven or eight grams a day. A report found his common-law spouse didn't view it as trafficking because it was only marijuana and he only sold to people he knew. "You have to shake your head," Chief Judge Nancy Orr said. [continues 354 words]
A judge seemed bewildered Friday as she sentenced a Prince Edward Island man for selling drugs out of his home. Alfred William Gallant admitted to police he had been selling marijuana out his house for years. He said he did so to pay for his own usage - about seven or eight grams a day. A report found his common-law spouse didn't view it as trafficking because it was only marijuana and he only sold to people he knew. "You have to shake your head," Chief Judge Nancy Orr said. [continues 355 words]
A judge seemed bewildered Friday as she sentenced a Prince Edward Island man for selling drugs out of his home. Alfred William Gallant admitted to police he had been selling marijuana out his house for years. He said he did so to pay for his own use - about seven or eight grams a day. A report found his common-law spouse didn't view it as trafficking because it was only marijuana and he only sold to people he knew. "You have to shake your head," Chief Judge Nancy Orr said. [continues 355 words]
Air force member from N.S. speaks out on drug charges A member of the Royal Canadian Air Force who's facing drug and firearm offences says he intends to fight what he calls "bogus" charges. Nicholas Burrell, 28, says he believes he was unfairly targeted for using medical marijuana to treat his mental health issues. "The way it was worded made it seem that I was running around with a gun and selling weed," Burrell said about the Canadian Forces news release sent to media on Tuesday. [continues 516 words]
Medical marijuana shop challenging review board It's going to be business as usual for a local medical marijuana dispensary, despite a decision from the Utility and Review Board. Tasty Budds, which has three locations in Halifax Regional Municipality, appealed a decision by the municipality in February to deny the business an occupancy permit. In a decision released this week, the UARB denied the appeal. "We respect their decision, but we know that it's wrong at the same time. So we're just moving forward and filing an appeal," Tasty Budds owner Mal McMeekin said Wednesday. [continues 163 words]
Inside Nova Scotia
