I think our communities could benefit from a fulsome dialogue about addiction and how we respond to those who suffer from it. We need a compassionate discussion that engages our hearts and our minds and that avoids blaming and shaming the ultimate victim, the person who is addicted. Using our community newspapers might be a way to have such a dialogue. We all have access to myriad drugs - prescribed, non-prescribed, licit, illicit, some socially acceptable and others not. We are bombarded by marketing and messaging that encourages us to use drugs of one form or another. So it should be no surprise that medicating ourselves has become the answer to our problems and our pain. [continues 551 words]
I think our communities could benefit from a fulsome dialogue about addiction and how we respond to those who suffer from addiction. That is, a compassionate discussion that engages our hearts and our minds, and avoids blaming and shaming the ultimate victim - the person who is addicted. Possibly, our community newspapers might be one way for us to have such a dialogue. We all have increased access to myriad drugs - prescribed, non-prescribed, lawful, illicit, some socially acceptable and others not. We are tirelessly bombarded by marketing and messaging that encourages us to use drugs of one form or another. So it should be no surprise that medicating ourselves has become the answer to our problems and our pain. [continues 613 words]
When it comes to health care, we need to be open to new means of helping people. Medical marijuana comes with built-in controversy because it's been an illegal substance for so many decades. It's time to get rid of that stigma and have a more honest review of the potential medicinal benefits. Practical uses of the drug have been slow to catch on in the medical community, purportedly due to a lack of information - but also, some suspect, because of lingering suspicions from the level of lawmakers. [continues 233 words]
'We recognize that this is a major concern and having this training will help us make the roads that much safer' TRURO - It's an additional tool that they can keep in their arsenal of things, and it was something the force has needed. Two constables - Justin Russell and Robert John Hunka - are the two newest drug recognition experts with the Truro Police Service, a service that the force has needed for some time now. "I've had an interest in impaired driving and this is just another avenue that we could be involved with in the detection of impaired driving," said Russell about why he wanted to spend three weeks in Phoenix taking the training course. "There are 70,000 police officers in Canada and only 600 with this training. It was a large undertaking to go away for the course but it gives us another thing we can do, to be able to conduct this test." [continues 381 words]
To the Editor: In the "Our Opinion" "An argument missing the point" the writer mentioned "... Its call for legalization ... Currently, other than medicinal marijuana, it's in the hands of criminals. ... The real debate we need to hear from politicians has to be based on available evidence." Since the 80s, many people have come to decide that drug prohibition has resulted in harshness in enforcing it, great expense, and has been ineffective. Consequently, they have advocated drug decriminalization and even outright drug legalization. In addition, they refer to the history of a drug - alcohol, from temperance (1800s) to prohibition (19201933) and then to alcohol control (legalization). They stated that the anti-alcohol movement was devoted to convincing people that drinking alcohol was dangerous and destructive; that the consumption of alcohol naturally would lead to compulsive use or addiction. Then point out the same argument is made for marijuana. Reaching back to the failures of alcohol prohibition, they try to see similarities with the general illegalization of marijuana. [continues 270 words]
This past summer, one of my columns was entitled, "Special training needed for drug dealers." The title came from a "tongue-in-cheek" comment made by Dr. Brian Ferguson. He was upset and angry because of the deaths of young people due to use of painkiller medications. A recent article in the Chronicle Herald has put names to two victims of a one-time use of prescription medication. Last April, Dale Jollota went into her daughter's room to wake her up for school. Olivia Jollota was sitting cross-legged on her bed with her computer on her lap - and she was dead. A toxicology report indicated Olivia had died from taking one hydromorphone pill. [continues 523 words]
To the editor, It seems ludicrous: a law that prevents me from healing myself. I have a rare disease (cramping fasciculation syndrome) which keeps me up night after night with plenty of pain and no sleep. The medicines prescribed for this disease have so many side effects that they should just be called poison, for me at least. I have been smoking marijuana oil for a full year now and I am pain free. The oil does not ease the pain, it stops the pain from coming. It's truly a miracle. I am on a pension and my miracle would cost me $200 weekly. My only option was to grow my own marijuana and make my own oil. I figure, what's the harm, I'm not selling it, I only want to be pain free and perhaps continue to do the things I enjoy such as skiing and skating (they recommend you do not exercise with this disease) but which I was able to do for 54 days last winter with the help of my medicine. [continues 185 words]
Cancer survivor had illegal 'wall-to-wall' grow-op COUNTY - A Chester man who believes marijuana saved his life is now in jail after police found an illegal "wall-to-wall" grow-op in his basement. George Gary Evans received the minimum mandatory sentence of nine months in custody September 16 on charges of producing marijuana and possessing it for the purpose of trafficking. "My reasons were not profit-oriented," the 59-year-old told Provincial Court Judge Paul Scovil. "My reasons were to grow my own medical marijuana and, yes, I had the hopes to be able to help some other people with cancer and similar issues ... five people in particular, I had in mind." [continues 548 words]
More Data Needed to Determine Effectiveness, Pain-Treatment Specialist Says At least a dozen physicians raised their hands at a pain conference in Halifax on Friday when asked if they have prescribed medical marijuana for their patients. More physicians in Canada are becoming familiar with medical marijuana but more education and research is needed, said Mark Ware, a renowned pain specialist at McGill University in Montreal. "We need more data, yes, but we also need better mechanisms to get that data, that we do have, out to the hands of people that need to know it." [continues 517 words]
Halifax police were nowhere to be seen as 50 people passed around joints on their front steps Friday afternoon. The "smoke-in" was in protest of the recent raid of Farm Assists, a medical marijuana shop on Gottingen Street. "When all of the nasty, addictive, victim-causing drugs proliferate across this province, why did you target people that were using cannabis as medicine?" shop owner Chris Enns shouted into a megaphone in front of Halifax Regional Police headquarters. Enns, 29, and the shop's other owner, his girlfriend Sherri Reeve, both face charges from the raid, including trafficking marijuana, possession for the purpose of trafficking and production. [continues 495 words]
Two arrests at Farm Assists. Deputy chief says police forces must respond to complaints The deputy chief of Halifax Regional Police says Canadian sentiment around medicinal marijuana may be in flux, but police forces are still required to enforce existing laws. Social-media users erupted after police raided the Farm Assists medical-marijuana lounge on Gottingen Street and two related properties in Head of Chezzetcook on Friday, arresting owner Chris Enns and his fiancee, Sherri Reeve. "This is completely wrong and a GIANT waste of taxpayers money and hrp's time," wrote Anthony Fares on the Metro Halifax Facebook page Saturday. [continues 518 words]
You can't blame doctors in Canada for feeling uncomfortable as Ottawa puts the responsibility squarely in their laps for authorizing the use of medical marijuana - a drug with relatively thin supporting evidence, scientifically. Courts in Canada have ruled criminal laws governing marijuana must have reasonable medical exemptions. A new federal regulatory regimen on the use of medical marijuana that took full effect in April has changed the dynamics of how Canadians must obtain approval for the legal use of marijuana medicinally. [continues 374 words]
Most will agree - both politicians and those without ulterior motives - - that youths should not smoke marijuana. Yet political parties insist on settling into their default mode of pointing fingers and mudslinging rather than informing Canadians honestly about their position on what's shaping up as a monumental issue. Many will recall the position Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made public in the past year, that marijuana should be made legal, with sales controlled as with alcohol. The federal Conservatives are proposing a marijuana awareness campaign, with a key point to underline the health risks of marijuana to youth. Health Minister Rona Ambrose has denied it is an attack on the Liberal leader's stance. [continues 219 words]
TRURO - Giving drug addicts cash to participate in an information study is like letting children play with fire, says a Truro woman, regarding a situation her grandson was recently involved in. "My beef is, $200 cash is enough to buy enough oxycontin or cocaine to OD on," said the woman, who asked that her name not to published to protect the identity of her grandson. "I'm outraged. I'm truly outraged. I'm too emotionally attached to this one, otherwise I'd be firing off letters to my MP saying, 'what kind of grant program is this that contributes to drug use?'" the woman said. [continues 863 words]
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to sit in on an interview at the Hants Journal that focused on the topic of underage drug and prescription drug usage. This topic itself is rather interesting to me because, being in high school, I am able to see what adults do not even suspect of their children. It is interesting as it gives an insight into my generation. After all, I am so used to what they do but when I take a step back, as I am doing right now, I am a bit stunned at what I find. [continues 787 words]
BRIDGEWATER - Lifting up a pant-leg to reveal a heavily scarred left leg, a Pine Grove man fined for possessing marijuana emphasized to a provincial court judge that smoking bud helps prevent a "lock up" affect on his lower limbs. "I'm in pain every day. I don't know what else to do," Larry Labelle, 46, explained during provincial court, August 6, in Bridgewater. "I'm going to keep smoking marijuana. I have no choice." Mr. Labelle experiences "extreme difficulties with pain," since a time several years ago when a vehicle operated by an impaired driver ran him over, his lawyer, Bob Chipman, indicated to court. Smoking marijuana relaxes Mr. Labelle, allows him to sleep and alleviates pain, Mr. Chipman explained to Judge Paul Scovil. [continues 318 words]
Dr. Brian Ferguson has come up with a really novel idea. He would like to see to it that drug dealers receive training related to their trade. It might be a degree in pharmacology, or at the very least a bachelor's degree in chemistry. The problem - as Dr. Ferguson has noted - is that those who are selling drugs have no idea what the impact will be on their customers. They don't have enough knowledge, good common sense, and concern to warn the person who might be tempted to "experience" the effects of oxycodone and/or hydromorphone ... or one of the so-called designer drugs being sold on the street. [continues 451 words]
The grand opening of his new marijuana-themed business - The Farm Assists Cannabis Resource Centre on Gottingen Street - is Saturday, and co-owner Chris Enns said he intends to be completely open about the operation. He and partner Sherri Reeve opened the doors to the small shop in early June but wanted to delay their official opening until now. The store offers bongs, T-shirts, hemp backpacks, grinders and, in the back, about 12 strains of weed for licensed medicinal marijuana users. [continues 434 words]
Re: Witness of drug overdose fearful to contact emergency services, by Kayla Follett, Page 8, Truro Daily News, July 16, 2014 To the editor, The drug war is part of the problem. Illegal drug users are reluctant to seek medical attention in the event of an overdose for fear of being charged with a crime. Attempting to save the life of a friend could result in a murder charge. Overzealous drug war enforcement results in easily preventable deaths. Rehabilitation also is confounded. I think it's safe to say turnout at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings would be rather low if alcoholism were a crime pursued with zero tolerance zeal. Eliminating the penalties associated with illicit drug use would encourage the type of honest discussion necessary to facilitate rehabilitation and save lives. Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D. C. [end]
What if you could save a life? Just one life. Would you? For almost all of us the answer to these questions is an enthusiastic yes. Without question, regardless of anything, a life, just one life, is worth saving. But what if saving that person's life tested your political standpoints around drug use? Would that life still be worth saving? Across this country people are dying from legal and illegal drug use. Reliable statistics on drug overdoses across Canada are difficult to find, but research by the Ontario coroner shows that on average there is an overdose every day in our nation's capital and 33 people a year die from overdose in Ottawa. Clearly, people who use drugs along with their family and friends, come face to face with death all the time. But what can be done? How can we save people? One answer lies in the way emergency services respond when they receive drug overdose emergency calls. [continues 617 words]
' It's beyond amazing. It should've been done a long time ago' TRURO - Local youth are ecstatic programming that has changed their lives for the better can be offered to more people thanks to substantial federal funding. In the spring, the federal government announced it was providing $ 16.1 million to support more than 30 drug prevention projects in Canada. The Colchester East Hants Health Authority's mental health and addiction services was allocated $ 374,000 and is now starting a new program and enhancing others through the Strengthening Youth and Families Project, which aims to prevent illicit drug use among at-risk youth. [continues 416 words]
Legalizing soft drugs would help reduce the availability of hard drugs Does caffeine lead to cocaine use? Obviously not. But what would happen if caffeine was outlawed? Naturally, a black market would emerge. Drug gangs, which are highly skilled at operating outside of the law, and have preexisting distribution channels, would begin trafficking illegal caffeine pills. If people were forced to use black market distribution chains to obtain a mild stimulant such as caffeine, would they be more likely to opt for a stronger stimulant such as cocaine? Almost certainly. [continues 692 words]
Policy Change. No Direct Billing, Distance Authorization A new policy from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia aims to lift the haze around authorizing medical marijuana, the college's registrar said Tuesday. The policy says physicians should not bill patients directly for services related to authorizing marijuana, and should prescribe the drug only to patients who they know in person. "It's not available for a physician to bill a patient directly for giving a prescription in the course of a normal clinical encounter, so neither should the physician do this when authorizing medical marijuana," said Dr. Gus Grant. [continues 214 words]
Some part of Doug McKenna's internal clock was restarted in November 2011 when he learned of his son's death. More than 19 months had gone by, he said, when he arrived at Antigonish court to hear the verdict for the man responsible. Two other drivers had called the RCMP that November night to report a Crown Victoria crossing the centre line on Highway 4, near Tracadie, and forcing oncoming traffic onto the shoulder, according to court testimony. The car had also been slowing down and speeding up erratically. [continues 729 words]
The THC Club Lives in a Grey Area for Medicinal Marijuana Users The THC Club is growing. The medicinal marijuana club that police raided last summer in Porters Lake has opened Halifax's only vapour lounge on Gottingen Street---but whether it's legal remains to be seen. Lounge owners Chris Enns and Sherri Reeve, who both face drug charges as a result of last year's raid, say they're operating in a legal grey area. During an interview at the new bong shop and vapour lounge, the owners---who are licensed under Health Canada's medical marijuana program---smoked a vapourizer while their dog Tripper, who takes cannabis oil for a mound of tumours near his tail, wanders around the shop. [continues 415 words]
From the 'Is this the best they've got?' department: you'd almost think whoever orchestrated the federal Conservatives' latest attack on the Liberals and their marijuana policy is on bad acid. In a byelection in the Toronto area set for June 30, the Tories have put out a flyer with a photo of the Liberal who stepped down to run for city council, Jim Karygiannis, along with a quote from him: "This is not the same Liberal party we knew. The party has changed." [continues 260 words]
The Crown's case against medical marijuana user Terry Wood for growing and possessing cannabis has gone up in smoke. "My client is ecstatic," said Amherst lawyer Jim O'Neil. "He's been living under the gun for quite a while on these charges." Wood is a 53-year-old father of three who lives in the Cumberland County community of Williamsdale, near Oxford. He had been growing and using marijuana to control the chronic pain he suffers from chipped bones in his elbows and knees, hip-bone spurs and a dislocated shoulder, all from his days as a machinist in the military. [continues 396 words]
AMHERST - A pivotal cannabis-extracts case briefly got underway in Amherst provincial court Tuesday. But Judge Paul Scovil agreed to set over until June 9 the complicated case surrounding Terry Wood, a 53-year-old medical marijuana user and grower from the Cumberland County community of Williamsdale, near Oxford. "When you've got the kind of resources that have been put into this case for a guy that had illegal marijuana through a technicality =C2=85 it's a huge amount of resources," said Amherst lawyer Jim O'Neil. "What's in it for Canadians? Why are we even here is my question." [continues 451 words]
Vida Cannabis projects initial job creation at its Stellarton facility in the range of 20-30, increasing to 200-300 at peak production. It is important, not only to the community of Stellarton but the county, for Vita to maximize those employment numbers. Everything possible should be done to support the enterprise. Health Canada lists just under 40,000 medical marijuana users with a projection of 309,000 by 2024, along with a 1.3 billion dollar industry valuation in that timeframe. There are presently more than 500 applications for a producer licence. While many applications are incomplete and applicants not fully capitalized there is no shortage of potential competitors. Canada's current laws require licensed producers to be headquartered in Canada or produce in a branch plant located in the country. [continues 690 words]
How attitudes can change. Pictou County is fortunate to a medical marijuana production plant on the horizon, with Vida Cannabis refurbishing the former Clairtone building in Stellarton for the operation. With recent changes in laws regarding medicinal uses, such an industry would have been unthinkable a decade ago. Much has changed all over. In fact, earlier this week a business-oriented conference was held in Vancouver - Canada's first medical marijuana, industrial hemp and alternative medicine investment conference. It is indeed a growth industry. The GreenRush Financial Conference attracted investors, industry exhibitors and pharmaceutical industry reps interested in the huge commercial potential. [continues 239 words]
KENTVILLE, N.S. - Nova Scotia is allowing some judges to use new sentencing options to help addicts who commit crimes get treatment. The government says the pilot project it is introducing in Kentville is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and courts there should begin hearing cases using the new program in May. Those charged with an offence in Kings County can be referred to a court-monitored drug treatment program by their lawyer, the Crown, police, probation officers and community treatment partners. [continues 165 words]
Cannabis activists have some breathing room before Health Canada changes the way they can access medical marijuana. Debbie Stultz-Giffen, of Maritimers Unite for Medical Marijuana Society, says she is hopeful about a recent court injunction that grants a temporary reprieve from new laws that would change patients' access to medical marijuana. "It's been a rough ride," she said early last week. "From coast to coast, there's a real sense of relief." Last year, Health Canada announced it would no longer accept applications for marijuana production licences from private individuals. According to the legislation, as of March 31, the production of marijuana in private dwellings is illegal. [continues 321 words]
The deputy chief of Halifax Regional Police says officers won't be "kicking down doors" when Canada's marijuana licensing laws change on April 1. "If they have a small amount of marijuana and they had a medical licence, we will get to them at some point, but there's no plan to go out and do a full collection," said Deputy Chief Bill Moore at Monday's meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners. As of April 1, licences to grow medical marijuana will be revoked as production shifts from individual growers to a handful of large companies. [continues 153 words]
Upstairs in his mother's barn in Conway, just outside Digby, Shawn Harvey has hundreds of cannabis plants. He has two rooms up there, built out of white fiberglass paper and hung with bright lights; one room contains 60 large plants-they get a warm yellow light-and across the hall are a couple hundred younger plants under cooler white lights. The large plants are budding and almost ready to harvest; the smaller plants will be the next crop. It's all legal until March 31 under the federal Marihuana Medical Access Program. [continues 565 words]
Cannabis Grower Says He Won't Stop Growing His Own Upstairs in his mother's barn in Conway, just outside Digby, Shawn Harvey has hundreds of cannabis plants. He has two rooms up there, built out of white fiberglass paper and hung with bright lights; one room contains 60 large plants-they get a warm yellow light-and across the hall are a couple hundred younger plants under cooler white lights. The large plants are budding and almost ready to harvest; the smaller plants will be the next crop. [continues 578 words]
An old factory in Stellarton has turned a new leaf. Vida Cannabis (Canada) has signed a purchase and sale agreement to produce medicinal and recreational marijuana in the Clairtone building, originally a television factory in the 1960s and only occasionally used since, by Sears for example as a warehouse. Vida Cannabis will use the facility to house a large-scale medical marijuana production plant. The deal is scheduled to close on or before Apr. 15 for a purchase price of $500,000. [continues 613 words]
By one small step the federal Conservatives are showing a willingness to advance beyond reefer madness mentality. Justice Minister Peter MacKay indicated Wednesday that the government is considering relaxing the laws against marijuana, allowing police to ticket people caught with small amounts rather than laying charges. The MP for Central Nova also noted this would not be a move to legalize or decriminalize pot. The Conservatives would need to make that clear to distinguish their stance on a controversial topic, since Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau recently expressed support for outright legalization and regulating sale of marijuana. He argues that would be the better approach to keeping the drug away from minors, rather than a set of laws that hand sales over to the criminal element. [continues 218 words]
By one small step the federal Conservatives are showing a willingness to advance beyond reefer madness mentality. Justice Minister Peter MacKay indicated Wednesday that the government is considering relaxing the laws against marijuana, allowing police to ticket people caught with small amounts rather than laying charges. The MP for Central Nova also noted this would not be a move to legalize or decriminalize pot. The Conservatives would need to make that clear to distinguish their stance on a controversial topic, since Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau recently expressed support for outright legalization and regulating sale of marijuana. He argues that would be the better approach to keeping the drug away from minors, rather than a set of laws that hand sales over to the criminal element. [continues 217 words]
Well here's an enterprise that won't fall under the traditional category in Nova Scotia. Nor is it likely medicinal marijuana will be described as a sunset industry any time soon. And that's just one of the pluses a marijuana production plant proposed for Stellarton has going for it. Naturally, as news broke Friday of this venture by Vida Cannabis, which has an eye on the former Clairtone building on the edge of Stellarton, the reaction included many chuckles and mirthful references to pot culture. That's to be expected - and a good sign. With the growing reputation for medicinal properties, attitudes toward marijuana have shifted hugely in recent decades, and the scandalized shock factor is behind most of us. [continues 202 words]
To the editor, I have a seed for thought and consideration: How about an island-owned grow operation? We could grow, study and provide organic medical marijuana. It could be a co-op with both profitable and compassionate sides, and the profits could be reinvested in the community. Imagine fields of green supporting our veterans, and local groups and charities. This could be a mega-make work project, with a documentary aspect. I think it could even have a positive influence on immigration. What do you think? Cathy Theriault Point Edward [end]
Clairtone Building to House Production of Medicinal Marijuana STELLARTON - People. Pride. Pot? It's high times in Stellarton as a marijuana production corporation looks to use the former Clairtone building to grow medicinal marijuana. Vida Cannabis has signed a purchase and sale agreement to produce marijuana in the long-vacant building. The deal is scheduled to close on or before April 15 for a total purchase price of $500,000. At full production, Vida Canada indicated a labour force of 200 to 300 employees might be needed, though they plan to start with between 20 and 30 and build as demand grows. [continues 641 words]
One thing about getting old is you have lived through a lot of history. People of my age remember when there was no TV and no computers. We appreciate how our world has changed and, if they are like me, they are amazed at the change. I do not go through a week without remarking, "aren't computers wonderful." This is usually after I discover a computer chip is doing something to change my life. Let's face it, computer chips are in nearly every product we use. [continues 657 words]
Imagine: You discover your 18-year-old growing marijuana or showing off an illegal loaded handgun to his buddies. What to do, what to do? Depending on the offence and the teen's previous record, as it were, a parent's response could range from turning him in despite his lack of a criminal record to resorting to grounding and withdrawal of privileges. I'd argue the last thing most concerned parents would do is send him off to spend all his time with rapists, armed robbers and guys who beat up people for a living. Sending an impressionable youth to live with criminals is, in my opinion, a great way to create yet another one. [continues 623 words]
Halifax Regional Municipality has lost its bid to fire a worker accused of pot smoking. The Nova Scotia Appeal Court upheld a lower-court ruling that stemmed from an arbitrator's decision to reinstate the man. The Appeal Court panel's written decision was released Friday. "It is clear that the employer was making up policy or rules as the case proceeded," Justice Ted Scanlan wrote in the decision. The municipality fired the worker, identified in the decision as Mr. Jeffrey, in early 2012, the ruling said. [continues 332 words]
Street drug rampant in bigger cities but pills main problem here The street drug that likely felled actor Philip Seymour Hoffman early this month has never had much of a presence in Halifax, police say. "Historically, heroin has never been a big hit around Halifax," regional police spokesman Const. Pierre Bourdages said Tuesday. "Let's hope it stays that way." Annually, Halifax police record over 1,000 incidents of people being caught in possession of some form of illicit drug. Only two or three of those cases involve heroin, the officer said. [continues 363 words]
To the editor, Justin Trudeau is correct about ending cannabis (marijuana) prohibition (Reefer Madness On Horizon, Jan. 10, 2014), which is one of North America's worst policy failures in history. Cannabis prohibition produces underground markets, cartels, increased hard drug addiction rates, contempt for drug laws, eroded constitutional rights, loss of freedom, escalated prison populations, corrupt politicians, race discrimination, trillions of dollars in wasted taxes and the listing is growing faster than the plant itself. The sooner Canada RE-legalizes cannabis the sooner the sky will stop falling in. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Kentville's police chief and his counterparts across Canada are proposing changes to the justice system that could create radical change. Mark Mander - who is chairman of the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs drug abuse committee - says the proposal could see police officers write tickets for minor offences instead of laying criminal charges. The proposal would have far-reaching impacts. For instance, instead of laying a criminal charge that would follow someone for life, police officers would have the discretion to simply ticket a person found with less than 30 grams of marijuana. [continues 392 words]