An Ottawa judge has blasted the police force for failing to shut down the city's illegal marijuana dispensaries. Justice Norman Boxall said Friday he can't understand why it's so difficult to close shops that operate openly on major streets. "I just don't understand how the police cannot shut down a dispensary where the person has a big sign up, as I drive down Rideau Street, that says 'marijuana dispensary.' They brag about it on the internet that they are selling it. [continues 431 words]
There may be as much as $1 billion in tax revenue at stake as Canada readies for legalized marijuana next summer. The cut for cities? So far, zero. Municipalities may be left in the cold when it comes to sharing in the cash from legalized pot sales, with the federal government proposing a 10 per cent excise tax - or $1 per gram, whichever is higher - to be split evenly between the provinces and the feds. Little has been said about how many, if any, tax dollars will flow to cities bearing the burden of costs associated with policing, licensing and enforcement of marijuana sales after July 1. [continues 441 words]
KITCHENER - A judge who granted an absolute discharge to a Kitchener couple running an illegal marijuana dispensary has handed out a tiny fine to one of them for careless storage of a loaded handgun. Nour Louka, 30, owned and operated the Waterloo Dispensary, which sold marijuana out of a second-floor business on King Street in uptown Waterloo. Her husband, Shady Louka, 32, was a part-time, temporary employee. Justice Colin Westman had said in July that he would grant an absolute discharge and he made it official on Thursday. [continues 289 words]
( Re: Feds set tax on pot at $ 1 per gram plus GST, Nov. 10 edition) When Justin Trudeau first floated his marijuana legalization plan, to get votes and new tax revenue, he claimed it was the best way to curb black market sales, thereby keeping it away from children, who can cause serious harm to their developing brains. Now, by coming up with this substantial tax, Trudeau is throwing out an open invitation to organized crime groups to grow and sell illicit pot. To further compound the problem, Trudeau wants to allow anyone to grown four marijuana plants, a huge gift to organized crime. [continues 72 words]
Politics Everything is political in the months before an election. And that's especially true for where the pot stores are going to be located. Earlier this month, 14 locations were announced for provincially-run recreational cannabis stores. One of those will be in Kitchener. Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said he wasn't surprised "in light of our size, the fact that we're the eleventh-largest region in the country." I'm not surprised either, but I think it's about politics, not size. [continues 460 words]
When Justin Trudeau first floated his plan to legalize marijuana he said that this was the best way to keep this dangerous drug away from our children by curbing black market sales. As we have seen with the sale of cigarettes, after tens of millions spent fighting against organized crime's involvement selling illicit smokes, the battle is far from won. Organized crime is involved in growing and selling pot in Colorado and Washington states and will do the same here. This has been made easier for criminal groups, as anyone is entitled to grow four plants; virtually impossible to police. [continues 115 words]
Four students share their stories of drug use on campus Illicit drug use among university students might be more common than our parents would like to think. According to the Canadian Tobacco Alcohol and Drugs Survey published by Health Canada in 2015, 11 per cent of 20-24 year-old respondents reported doing cocaine, five said they do speed, meth or other amphetamines, 15 per cent took ecstasy and 16 per cent reported taking hallucinogens. Despite being illegal, marijuana, opiates, amphetamines and stimulants are a very real part of student culture on campus. Although a large majority of students might never encounter them, these drugs exist within social circles across university campuses. [continues 1252 words]
Users fed their poisons - but safely - in public park It's the perfect setup for hard-core addicts. There's a special tent for crack smokers. There's another tent to provide safe injections of illegal drugs like heroin, fentanyl and opiates and handouts of Naloxone (an antidote for opioid overdoses) - the tent now winterized with the generous assistance of the health ministry. Overseeing the "military-grade equipment" that provides heating and lighting are two staff with the ministry's emergency medical assistance team (EMAT). Cost is unknown at this point because the "deployment is ongoing," says Laura Gallant, spokesman for Health Minister Eric Hoskins. [continues 623 words]
The county issued a request for proposals last week for local drug strategy to address opioid and other substance misuse issues Oxford County is zeroing in on the development of a local drug strategy that would include an overdose response plan for the opioid crisis. Last week, the county issued a request for proposals for the development of a drug strategy to enhance local opioid response while working towards building a sustainable community outreach and response capacity. "We are reaching out to individuals and organizations who may be interested in developing a drug strategy for Oxford County to address opiate issues and other substance misuse," said Peter Heywood, manager of health protection for Oxford County public health. "We look forward to reviewing those proposals in a couple weeks." [continues 218 words]
City and province meet to talk about locating new marijuana dispensary KITCHENER - The province had its first meeting with Kitchener municipal staff since announcing earlier this month that the city would be home to one of the first government-run pot shops to open in Ontario by July. On Tuesday, Waterloo Regional police and city staff met with representatives from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and the Ministry of Finance to discuss how a storefront location in the city will be selected. [continues 449 words]
One was the chief of police for Toronto, London, York Region and the OPP. The other spent 34 years putting away bad guys as a member of the RCMP, retiring as deputy commissioner of Federal and International Policing. In the past, if former police chief Julian Fantino or onetime RCMP officer Raf Souccar were talking to you about cannabis, it would be time to quickly head for the door or maybe even call a lawyer. Not anymore. Fantino and Souccar now fight for the benefits of marijuana: The legal kind that is. The kind used for medical purposes. [continues 553 words]
Liberals ignoring concerns about decriminalizing pot On April 13, the Liberal government introduced legislation that would allow for the recreational use of marijuana for Canadians over the age of 18, and eliminate penalties for possession of marijuana (up to five grams) for those between the ages of 12 and 18. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government have repeated time and time again that the aim of this legislation is to protect our children and increase public safety. However, neither of these goals is accomplished with this legislation. This is not just my view. In a recent Angus Reid poll, approximately two in three Canadians (66 per cent) said they believe that this legislation fails to prevent young people from using marijuana more than they already do. [continues 456 words]
There are two things to be said about the 11-year-prison sentence handed out last week to Kitchener fentanyl dealer Erin Vezina. First, it is as hard as nails; indeed it's the most severe punishment involving a fentanyl-related crime ever handed out in Waterloo Region. Second, this is what real justice looks like. Bravo, Justice Melanie Sopinka, for your wise decision. In only a few years, the abuse of illicit opioids, especially fentanyl, has exploded into a national crisis that is believed to have claimed 2,458 lives across Canada in 2016 alone. [continues 428 words]
Report looks at return on investment for technology The use of a drone has provided some cost savings for the Chatham-Kent Police Service, but that wasn't the purpose for obtaining the technology, says Chief Gary Conn. "The true value is in life-saving and how does one attach a dollar figure to a person's life? You just can't," the chief said. Conn presented a return on investment report to the Chatham-Kent Police Services board on Tuesday regarding the first six months since police bought the drone for more than $110,000. [continues 468 words]
If St. Paul, one of the most virulent and effective enemies of early Christians could pull off the greatest about face in history and become the religion's most prolific proponent, then who am I to argue with former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino as a shill for the marijuana industry. Fantino, the macho, no-nonsense, law-and-order tough guy from Vaughan stood at a podium in his city Tuesday singing the virtues of - pot. Yes, he used to bust men and women, boys and girls - locked them up for smoking a joint or a spliff - ignoring the haze of vibe-inducing smoke and the good vibes of the "natural mystic flowing in the air," riding the Rasta rhythms of Bob Marley or the raw rhetoric of Peter Tosh's Legalize it. That was then. [continues 1119 words]
Former top cop sings praises of medical weed One was the chief of police for Toronto, London, York Region and the OPP. The other spent 34 years putting away bad guys as a member of the RCMP, retiring as deputy commissioner of Federal and International Policing. In the past, if former police chief Julian Fantino or one-time RCMP officer Raf Souccar were talking to you about cannabis, it would be time to quickly head for the door or maybe even call a lawyer. [continues 573 words]
BIA expresses concern about T.O.'s first harm-reduction site In a mere matter of months it seems the city's first harmreduction site has turned one of Toronto's top tourist areas into a needle disposal site. Mark Garner, CEO and executive director of the Downtown Yonge BIA, says they're seeing an "increased number of needles" within blocks of The Works location on Victoria St. - in YongeDundas Square, in the washrooms of Tim Hortons coffee shops and in laneways. [continues 887 words]
Mayor fears without proper regulations, legalization of cannabis could have a number of unforeseen impacts Right now, the scenarios are only 'what ifs', but come next year, these troubling situations could become a reality. What if, during a drug screening at work, THC shows up in your system because while sitting on your deck, your neighbour was smoking pot on the other side of the fence? What if you called the City of Oshawa to do something about said neighbour smoking in his backyard, could they do something about it? [continues 455 words]
That fury you hear? The betrayal medical cannabis patients and activists feel after the federal government went back on yet another promise surrounding legal marijuana. Last Friday, the Department of Finance announced a federal tax proposal that could see an excise charge of $1/gram or 10% (whichever is higher) on both recreational and medical cannabis. According to Ottawa, the revenues will be shared equally between the feds, provinces and territories. So what are they smoking? The shady government is apparently 'concerned' users will lie to their doctors, pretend to be sick and navigate the complex workings of the medical cannabis system in order to save the extra 10% tax that would be reserved for recreational pot. [continues 482 words]
Legalizing marijuana could mean people more people will grow pot, which may hurt real estate sales, say city and national realty officials. The looming federal legislation to legalize cannabis use states people can grow up to four plants at home. But each pot plant can grow to more than two metres and yield four crops a year, posing a risk of water and mold damage inside a home, said Costa Poulopoulos, a London realtor who is director of the Ontario region for the Canadian Real Estate Association and a board member of the Ontario Real Estate Association. [continues 639 words]
Inside Ontario
