IN HIS role as co-ordinator of Nova Scotia's 33 drug recognition experts, Const. Scott MacDonald of the Halifax Regional Police sometimes takes trainees to rock concerts in Halifax. They don't go for the music, though. They go - after first getting permission from the concert hall and music promoter - to find people under the influence of drugs. "It may be a target-rich environment," he said in a recent interview. Const. MacDonald said that police can't be named experts until they've completed a standard 10-day field-sobriety and drug-recognition course, scored 80 per cent or higher on a number of exams and correctly assessed if at least eight of 12 test subjects are either high on drugs or sober. [continues 637 words]
13 People Arrested As Cops Scoop Up Members Of One Drug Dealing Group One of two Halifax drug-dealing groups involved in a violent feud suffered a major blow Thursday as police made 13 arrests and seized cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and some serious weapons. "We have significantly disrupted a large-scale drug operation functioning throughout this province," Assistant Commissioner Steve Graham of Nova Scotia RCMP told an afternoon news conference in Halifax. Chief Frank Beazley of Halifax Regional Police said the 10 men and three women arrested all come from one side of the feud between members of the Marriott and Melvin families seeking to control the local drug trade. [continues 537 words]
CHESTER - The grade six class from Bayview Community School recently visited the Chester RCMP office as part of the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The students were able to tour the station and see a jail cell and police car first-hand. The experience is aimed at not only preventing students from winding up behind bars, but also fostering their trust in the police. Constable Paul McCallion teaches the 9-10 week classroom program, which gives kids the tools to live productive, drug-free lives. [continues 421 words]
Judge's Written Ruling Supplies Surnames Of Cops Involved A rookie cop criticized for an "unfortunate lapse of judgment" and an unlawful search that blew a drug and weapons case has been partly identified. A written decision by Justice Suzanne Hood of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court released on Dec. 17 identified the officer only as Const. Muir, a young cop who had joined the force only 10 months before the July 2007 search. This newspaper published an article on the judge's oral decision released on Oct. 27. The officers who were involved were not named in the story. [continues 244 words]
SYDNEY - Cape Breton Regional Police have seized 5,000 ecstasy pills believed to be headed to local high schools. Police estimate the street value of the green and blue tablets to be $40,000. O'Connell appeared in provincial court in Sydney yesterday, and has been charged with one count of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. He has been remanded to the Cape Breton Correctional Centre pending a bail hearing Monday. Staff Sgt. Eugene MacLean said the regional police street crime drug unit has been involved in the investigation for several months. [continues 207 words]
In November 1998, Halifax witnessed a string of five murders in 10 days. Four of the killings were connected to the drug trade. Back then, it was drug dealer killing drug dealer behind closed doors. But this is a whole new era, with the second generation bringing the violence to the front door of a local children's hospital. "I think the two incidents that occurred in very public places took this to a level that we haven't seen before, said Const. Jeff Carr, Halifax Regional Police spokesman. [continues 1511 words]
HALIFAX -- Police are trying to control what they say is a bloody rivalry in Halifax between drug gangs that has seen shots ring out in front of a children's hospital and another hospital's emergency department forced into lockdown twice in two weeks. The police department says it has devoted unprecedented resources into investigating the series of incidents, which also involves shots fired at a pizza parlour in nearby Spryfield. "We have seen violence in the drug trade before," Constable Jeff Carr said. "The difference this time is that they've brought their dispute into very public places, which is alarming." [continues 727 words]
"The culture has changed from soft drugs to hard drugs," said an unnamed mother in the Nov. 17 story, Eskasoni Residents March to Show Frustration with Drug Problem. "Kids aren't even going to the soft drugs; they're hitting the pills first." Adults have failed to keep kids away from drugs, and keep drugs away from kids. Your kids learned drug use from you. Our whole culture promotes and glamourizes drugs of all kinds. Everything about North American culture is saturated with sex, fun, thrills, wealth acquisition, rule breaking, law scoffing, authority resisting, danger, and power. [continues 93 words]
Fourteen have been charged after an undercover drug operation in Halifax (Nov. 20 story). "Called Operation Imperative, the police response to the drug problem in the targeted zone should help make the neighbourhood safer, said Deputy Chief Chris McNeil of Halifax Regional Police." According to my research on this issue, taking drug dealers off the street actually makes a neighbourhood LESS safe because now that territory is up for grabs. It isn't the drugs that make our streets unsafe - it's the guns and the Wild West atmosphere that prohibition entails. [continues 140 words]
HALIFAX -- Police are pouring unprecedented resources into a bid to head off the resumption of a violent 30-year feud between two local families. The city has been rattled this week by two shootings that police confirmed yesterday are linked to a battle for control of an area known as Spryfield, a long-standing turf war that has included gunfire and firebombings. "It appears the feud has begun again," Frank Beazley, Chief of Halifax Regional Police, said yesterday. "[These are] the latest incidents in a long-standing conflict between two families involved in the drug trade." [continues 378 words]
Halifax Regional Police are looking to ensure "the lid stays on" a drug war in the Spryfield area after several shots were fired in a parking lot of Jessy's Pizza on Herring Cove Road late Monday afternoon. Reports indicate the intended victim was Jimmy Melvin Sr., who was released in 2006 after serving close to half of a 22-year sentence for drug trafficking and assaulting a peace officer. "Any time bullets fly, obviously we're concerned," HRP Const. Jeff Carr said yesterday. "But I'm not going to comment on any names or whether or not there is a rivalry (going on). There are always on-going disputes in the drug trade." [continues 215 words]
AMHERST - OxyContin might soon replace alcohol as the addiction of choice if more awareness isn't raised about the addictive powers of this painkiller. This week is Addiction Awareness Week in Cumberland County and the local addiction services offices is hosting a film festival and special showings of "Cottonland" to spread the message about the dangers of drug addiction. "We're really excited about this film festival and being able to show 'Cottonland'," Sandi Partridge of Addiction Services said. "It's a great way to get the message out." [continues 331 words]
ESKASONI - They're fed up and they're not gonna take it anymore. Parents, grandparents, educators and police officers walked alongside children in an eight-kilometre long march through this First Nation community to show their continuing frustration with local drug pushers who get many kids hooked on drugs like valium, percocet and ecstasy as preteens. The abuse doesn't begin with so-called "soft drugs" such as marijuana anymore, said one mother who attended the rally. The woman, who did not want to be named in order to protect her grown child's privacy as they currently undergo treatment for drug abuse, said kids are starting to use prescription drugs before moving on to something more hardcore such as cocaine. [continues 585 words]
Patriquen In Serious Condition In Hospital; Suspect In Custody The son of two of Nova Scotia's best-known marijuana activists was in serious condition in a Halifax hospital Tuesday after an early morning shooting at a home in Lower Sackville. Mike Patriquen, 25, is the son of Michael Patriquen, the founder of the provincial Marijuana party, which is no longer active, and Melanie Stephen. The couple are divorced. The shooting occurred at 93 Orchard Dr. in Lower Sackville. Ms. Stephen is the listed owner of the house and two other properties on the street, but neighbours said she hasn't lived there recently. [continues 483 words]
No Grounds For Stroke-Of-Luck Search, Judge Rules It seemed a stroke of luck for Halifax Regional Police that a pair of officers responding to a car accident last year found a large quantity of drugs and a loaded handgun stashed in one of the damaged vehicles. But their luck changed Monday when a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge ruled that the constables lied to Christopher Henderson in order to search his car because they knew they had no grounds for a warrant. [continues 370 words]
HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's Court of Appeal has quashed drug convictions against a dozen people because an RCMP officer fabricated evidence against them. In a decision released yesterday, the court says none of the convictions can stand because former Mountie Daniel Ryan sold drugs while lying under oath to justify search warrants for the premises of the 12 men who were convicted. "While investigating the appellants for drug-related offences, then RCMP officer Daniel Ryan kept a dark secret," the court says in its decision. "In fact he was a drug dealer, breaking the very laws that he was sworn to uphold." [continues 177 words]
Appeal Court Clears a Dozen Drug Convictions It's been years since they pleaded guilty, but now a dozen Nova Scotia men have had their drug convictions overturned because of a dirty cop's involvement in the investigations. In a decision released Wednesday, the Nova Scotia Appeal Court quashed the convictions and stayed the proceedings after it came to light that the cases relied heavily on evidence obtained through search warrants issued on the basis of "fabricated or unreliable information" from Daniel Ryan, a former RCMP constable convicted of drug dealing. [continues 445 words]
To The Editor, RE: Column: Police Presence At Schools: As a federally licensed medical marijuana user who is also married to one, I consider D.A.R.E. nothing more than a government-sponsored hate crime. Not only has D.A.R.E. failed to reduce drug use (pot use has quadrupled in the 20-plus years since the program was started,) it also lies to kids about drugs, drug users, and drug laws. It uses misinformation, and actively encourages stigmas and alienation of drug users with rhymes and sloganeering like "Users are Losers." [continues 131 words]
Dear Editor, Regarding Paul Calder's Sept.. 26 column, good intentions are no substitute for effective drug education. Independent evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) have found the program to be either ineffective or counterproductive. The scare tactics used do more harm than good. Students who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like methamphetamine are relatively harmless as well. This is a recipe for disaster. Drug education programs must be reality-based or they may backfire when kids are inevitably exposed to drug use among their peers. The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be overstated. School-based extracurricular activities have also been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're most likely to get into trouble. [continues 105 words]
Police Raid On South Shore Nets Almost $500k Worth Of Pot, Vehicles POLICE DISPLAYED plastic garbage bags and ice-cream containers, paper compost bags and large onion bags filled with dried marijuana leaves and buds Thursday, all items they seized in raids on three South Shore homes on Wednesday. It was the largest seizure the South Shore Integrated Crime Unit has made, with Bridgewater town police and RCMP officers arresting five people and taking in $370,000 worth of marijuana along with pot growing equipment, ATVs and vehicles. [continues 440 words]
SYDNEY - Police have seized more than $120,000 worth of marijuana in a raid on an abandoned barn in Ross Ferry. Cape Breton Regional Police believe Wednesday night's haul belongs to the same people whose plants they seized in Georges River last month. No charges have been laid in either case. Staff. Sgt. Paul Jobe said police felt it was more important to seize the drugs before they were sold rather than invest the time in a stakeout. "Otherwise, this would have been out on the streets and getting to kids," he said, gesturing at the pile of leafy plants poking out of the back of a truck. "We hit them twice; we're talking (a total) of $600,000, so it's pretty significant in our books." [continues 182 words]
Is Halifax Eastern Canada's most marijuana-friendly city? Considering how often the sweet smell of ganja wafts down Spring Garden Road and Robie Street, tourists might be forgiven for thinking that dope is legal here. Don't be mistaken, marijuana is definitely still illegal but Halifax has evolved a reputation as a dope-friendly city. Scott Doucette owns Mary Jane's Smoke Shop on Grafton Street, selling "novelty items" and pot paraphernalia. His customers include doctors, lawyers and visiting celebrities. "Everybody smokes," he says. "I think there have always been smokers in the city. Being East Coast, it's more laid back here than other parts of Canada." You can't buy pot at Mary Jane's, although people come through the doors asking for it almost every day. [continues 1050 words]
Pot Advocate In Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley Battle AMHERST - The marijuana maverick is back to take a second crack at becoming MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley. Rick Simpson, the Maccan man who believes he has found the cure for cancer in a marijuana paste he calls hemp oil, said Friday that he filed the necessary paperwork with the riding's returning officer earlier this week. "I'm running to get my message out," Mr. Simpson said. "I want to see lives saved and get the country on its feet and straightened out. Hemp is the answer to all our problems." [continues 343 words]
The school year is up and running and, with it, the Cumberland District RCMP are making their plans to maintain a presence and involvement with each of the schools within our district. While we do not have full-time school liaison officers, each of the 13 schools in the district has a member assigned from the respective offices or detachments. This way, the students and staff will have an opportunity to get to know the member over the school year and vice-versa. [continues 389 words]
Excluded From Candidates Debate, Hemp Advocate Says He's Already Being Treated Unfairly AMHERST -Better known for hemp advocacy than his last run for federal office, Rick Simpson has become the second independent candidate in the race to represent Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley in the House of Commons. Simpson, 58, of Little Forks, Cumberland County filed his nomination papers Monday for the Oct. 14 federal election. "I ran in the last election on the same issue," said Simpson, a former power engineer. "They called me the one issue candidate but they were wrong, hemp is not just one issue." [continues 310 words]
No Answers About Decision To Drop Charges AMHERST - Federal prosecutors aren't about to say why drug charges against two Halifax County men were dropped nearly three years after they were laid and just three weeks before their trial was to begin. "I have no comment," local federal prosecutor Doug Shatford said Friday. Drug charges against John Alfred Hardy, 50, of Ingramport and Alex Banfield, 44, of Upper Tantallon were mysteriously dropped during a pretrial conference in Amherst provincial court on Tuesday. [continues 368 words]
STELLARTON - Police are calling it the largest marijuana drug bust in Pictou County this year. Roughly 35 police officers raided dozens of marijuana grow operations Monday. The operation began at 7 a.m. and by late that evening police had seized hundreds of pot plants, most of which were in the senior stage of growth. "We found dozens of concealed marijuana grow sites throughout Pictou County; most were way back in the woods and could only be seen by helicopter," says Sgt. Law Power, Pictou County District RCMP. [continues 141 words]
Re: "Drug trafficker has big heart" (Aug. 9). The real drug traffickers wear suits and push pills and have their hands in the pockets of our politicians. Rick Simpson is a man of conviction, with a big heart, who believes in a cause. That he received a fine at all is a disgrace. I think his idea to make the recipient of his fine the Salvation Army is a good one. They do more good for us than does the attorney general's office. [continues 62 words]
SYDNEY - When Const. Steven Conohan is not at home in Newfoundland coaching soccer, baseball or leading a beaver troop you may find him in Pakistan, Afghanistan or Colombia, dismantling clandestine drug laboratories. During his 17-year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Sydney native has become somewhat of an expert in the field of drugs, specializing in designer drugs such as ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). "Early on in my career, drug enforcement became my forte," said Conohan. "Actually, my first file as an RCMP officer I conducted a traffic stop that ended up being a drug bust; the tone was set from there." [continues 258 words]
Amherst-Area Man Asks That His $2,000 Fine Go To Charity AMHERST - A drug trafficker who believes he's found the cure for cancer in marijuana wants his $2,000 fine to go to a good cause. "Since I am paying this fine for the heinous crime of saving lives, I think I should have a say as to where the money goes," Rick Simpson said in a July 27 letter sent to officials at the Justice Centre in Amherst. Mr. Simpson made the letter public Friday. [continues 456 words]
Two years ago, Canada hosted the largest global gathering in the history of the AIDS pandemic -- the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. Among more than 20,000 attendees, there was overwhelming consensus about what needs to be done to prevent the further spread of HIV, care for those living with and affected by the virus, and mitigate its impact on entire communities and economies. We have, or could easily have, the tools at hand to take effective action. What is lacking is leadership from those making policy and committing funds. Hence the theme of the 2006 conference: "Time to Deliver." [continues 808 words]
Suspected drug-impaired drivers now face a battery of tests if they are stopped by the Antigonish RCMP. As of July 2, an amended Criminal Code of Canada has made it mandatory to comply with a drug recognition expert (DRE) demand given by a peace officer. In order to determine if a driver is drug impaired, several police officers across Canada, including Cst. Melanie Geoffrion of the Antigonish RCMP, have been trained as drug recognition experts. "Before July 2, drivers suspected of being impaired by drugs could only be tested on a voluntary basis," Geoffrion - one of only two certified DREs in the North East Nova region - said in an interview at the Antigonish RCMP detachment. [continues 953 words]
WHO WOULD have thought that cavalier lending practices in the U.S. Sunbelt would damage the second-largest industry in British Columbia? No, I'm not talking about forestry and lumber. I'm talking about dope. BC Business magazine reckons that marijuana production in B.C. contributes $7.5 billion and 250,000 jobs to the province's GDP - second only to construction, and more than forestry. Most of the product is exported to the United States. The RCMP estimate that marijuana is being grown in about 20,000 B.C. homes, not to mention sizable farms in the Interior and large-scale commercial operations in former warehouses and industrial buildings. One academic study concluded that if marijuana in B.C. were legalized, the province would see $5 billion in additional legal business activity and could collect $2 billion in taxes. [continues 702 words]
Knives, Drugs, Poking Others With A Needle A student in Cape Sable Island was suspended in June for threatening another student with comments including "bring(ing) a knife to school to kill her, to smash the daylights out of her, and to choke her." According to the Tri-County Regional School Board's (TCRSB) student suspension report for June 2008, it was the second suspension this year for the student who, this time, was sent home for five days. The student was 10 years old. [continues 1536 words]
There was more than one way to get baked in the sun in Halifax on Canada Day. A telltale sweet smell drifted through the air as more than 200 people gathered on the Dartmouth Common for Halifax's 13th annual Cannabis Day picnic, held every July 1. They seemed relaxed and happy as they enjoyed the warm weather, played Hacky Sack or sat together on blankets under nearby trees. One young man named Jordan said he had recently moved to Halifax from Ottawa and wanted to get a taste of the city's Canada Day events. [continues 358 words]
Addiction detox services in the HRM are closed for the month of July, leaving hundreds of addicts with no place to turn for help. Local addiction detox programs are closed for the entire month of July, leaving hundreds of addicts with no immediate place to turn. "The choice wasn't ours," says Tom Payette, director for district addiction and treatment services for Capital Health, which operates the only detox programs in HRM, at Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth. "Capital Health made the decision that this building needed decommissioning, so we had to shut down our operations." [continues 612 words]
SYDNEY — Drivers who operate a motor vehicle while high will no longer be able to refuse road side drug tests under new laws which came into affect last week. Police can now require drivers to submit to roadside tests and also have the power to take suspected drug-impaired drivers to a police station or hospital to get a blood, urine or saliva sample. Under the old law, police were obliged to tell drivers suspected of being high that roadside tests weren't mandatory. [continues 336 words]
Marijuana Proponents Buzzing Over Bill C-26 There was more than one way to get baked in the sun in Halifax on Canada Day. A telltale sweet smell drifted through the air as more than 200 people gathered on the Dartmouth Common for Halifax's 13th annual Cannabis Day picnic, held every July 1. They seemed relaxed and happy as they enjoyed the warm weather, played Hacky Sack or sat together on blankets under nearby trees. One young man named Jordan said he had recently moved to Halifax from Ottawa and wanted to get a taste of the city's Canada Day events. [continues 356 words]
Should the injection site for addicts in Vancouver be closed? Proponents argue that one million injections in Vancouver have saved lives and decreased the risk of HIV infection. Others contend injection sites send the wrong message and should be closed. But in this heated debate, why don't both sides and our government attack the root cause of this cancerous problem? First, how sick are these heroin addicts? I've no idea, as I've never treated addicts. But Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, a British prison doctor and psychiatrist, has treated addicts for years. In his book "Romancing Opiates," he writes that heroin is not as highly addictive as is claimed and withdrawal is not medically serious. He contends that a useless medical bureaucracy has been established to deal with addicts. [continues 588 words]
Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program Wraps Up For PRES Grade Six Students PARRSBORO - Being a teenager is not easy. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, the problem of illegal drugs seems to rear its ugly head for young people, but local Grade Six students have another tool to help them deal with such pressures - the information they picked up from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. The students graduated from the 10-week program in a special ceremony at the elementary school gymnasium, with their parents and other supporters looking on. [continues 436 words]
Backed by 1,600 hours of research, the city's crime report does a pretty good job making sense of a pretty bad situation. Donald Clairmont was visibly enjoying himself as hepresented his massive report on crime, violence and public safety to city council last Friday. The gregarious 69-year-old retired sociology professor said he spent about 1,600 hours over the last year-and-a-half on research and writing. "I could have been drinking beer and watching Captain Kangaroo," he joked, "but I loved talking to people, I like the idea of multiple realities." To come up with his 64 recommendations, Clairmont interviewed scores of experts, politicians and activists. [continues 633 words]
There has been a lot of press about "sniffer" dogs in schools lately. It would appear that we are all very concerned about violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We don't seem to be, however, nearly as concerned about the safety and security of our children. Instead of looking at sniffer dogs as an intrusion on privacy and civil rights, why are we not looking at them as "deterrents" to the sale/purchase and use of drugs in a great number of our high schools. [continues 67 words]
To the editor, RE: Police say ecstacy is anything but a "safe drug:" Who cares what police say about any drug? They lie, spin, hyperbolize and exaggerate about drugs, and always have. Meanwhile, junk food (i.e.; donuts) will kill many times more Canadians this year than all illegal drugs combined! Sugar is the real killer, but like an adult jingling their keys to distract an infant who is about to be vaccinated, the police distract the media and the public by diverting the argument! [continues 161 words]
Researcher Hopes To Pinpoint Drugs' Specific Risks When Mark Asbridge came across surveys indicating driving under the influence of drugs such as cannabis has surpassed the rate of driving under the influence of alcohol, it stirred his interest in exploring the precise effect of cannabis on drivers. "People are quite concerned about this issue," says Asbridge, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at Dalhousie University. Cannabis affects drivers differently than alcohol. It distorts the user's perception of space, rather than slowing down reaction time as is the case with alcohol, Asbridge said. [continues 174 words]
Researcher Wants To Study The Effect Of Being High While Driving Mark Asbridge wants Canadians to know exactly how risky it is to use drugs and get behind the wheel. In three years, he hopes to have the scientific data to prove it. "We want to actually know how much THC, or cocaine, or benzodiazepines are in (an impaired driver's) system," said Mr. Asbridge, an assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at Dalhousie University. "Do we see collisions in people who have higher levels of cannabis in their system? Is the severity of the collision worse when people are more impaired or less impaired?" [continues 483 words]
Westville - Out of the corner of his eye Jeff can see red and blue lights flashing in his rear view mirror. A Westville police officer has his sirens blaring and is chasing the stolen vehicle at high speed. Panicked, Jeff decides to pull the car over, but not before he gets rid of the evidence. Fifteen candy coloured pills could put the 18-year-old in jail for a long time. As he steers the car to the shoulder of the road, he fishes the ecstasy pills from the bottle and swallows them one by one. [continues 939 words]
Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada said it's unconstitutional to randomly search schools for drugs with sniffer dogs and the same for a person getting off a bus in Calgary. What about my rights and the rights of my kids? Don't they have the right to go to school and not be faced with drugs? Bring on the sniffer dogs! I welcome them because I am not afraid. I don't use dope. Nor do my kids. If I get off a long-distance bus, search me. I'd rather have my neighbours there, or wherever, know they're alright around me. Isn't that my right? Am I not allowed to look forward to having enjoyment of life, protection of body? The Supreme Court wants me to give up my rights to protect lunatics and losers? People want to have unprotected sex, people want to carry guns and knives, people want to buy and sell and use dope. Then that is your right. OK? But you face the consequences - you - not me. Dennis E. Parry, Yarmouth [end]
What's the world coming to when sniffer dogs don't pass the sniff test? That's what the Conservative government in Ottawa is asking after the Supreme Court of Canada, in a pair of recent rulings, curbed the use of police sniffer dogs for random drug searches at an Ontario high school and an Alberta bus terminal. The new rules are expected to apply across a wider spectrum of quasi-public spaces, like shopping malls and sports stadiums. Airports and border crossings, however, are exempt under federal law. [continues 452 words]
To the editor, Re: Learning to grow the right stuff The problem with the Health Canada medical marijuana program is that it was designed specifically to fail. Leave it to the Canadian federal government to screw up something that even stoners can get right. The reason PPS is having trouble growing good pot is because of Health Canada. They force PPS to grow it to their "standards": standards which have nothing at all to do with high-quality cannabis. "...the use of therapeutic marijuana remains controversial to some...." Actually, the science on cannabis' efficacy is old and solid, and recent science out of Germany shows how cannabinoids stimulate the body's production of TIMP-1, which helps healthy cells resist cancer invasion. [continues 239 words]
If certain Canadians operating outside the law can grow grade-A quality marijuana in spare rooms, one would think a company receiving millions of dollars in funding could achieve the same result. The federal government once again has a tender out for companies interested in growing and distributing medical grade pot. So far, since marijuana has been made available to a limited number of people for health reasons, the government has had a spotty record on getting the job done. The current firm, Prairie Plant Systems Inc., in Flin Flon, Man., has been the butt of criticism from users who say the product is inferior. [continues 215 words]
Inside Nova Scotia
