Renfrew County councillors have more questions than answers when it comes to the impending legalization of marijuana by both the federal and provincial Liberal governments. Earlier this month, legislation giving the provincial Liberals a monopoly on recreational marijuana sales in Ontario passed at Queen's Park. The bill creates a provincial agency that will distribute and retail pot through storefronts and online. It also creates stiff fines that could top $1 million against companies and people who sell marijuana in defiance of the government monopoly. [continues 246 words]
Medical users fear legalized recreational marijuana may leave them behind in puff of smoke For Mandy Mcknight, the benefits of cannabis oil to treat her son Liam's debilitating seizures seem almost miraculous - the nine-year-old has gone from being wracked daily by dozens of the life-threatening episodes to having days when he experiences none. But like many Canadians authorized by doctors to use marijuana to treat a wide range of medical disorders, Mcknight is worried what will happen when recreational pot for adults becomes legally available through government-sanctioned retail outlets in July 2018. [continues 1051 words]
Owner of Green Health for Six waiting to hear from Ottawa, council, and initiated survey As far as Jeff Hawk is concerned, his marijuana dispensary is filling a void in Six Nations. Potentially deadly opiates are widely available, but safe, medicinal marijuana is not, says Hawk, owner of Green Health for Six. "There ain't really a large industry in pot anymore. That's what I'm worried about." Hawk says his dispensary on Highway 54 just outside Ohsweken has a solid customer base for weed, edibles and oils. [continues 484 words]
Q: Our 16-year-old son smokes dope daily. We see his grades slipping from last year. He keeps talking about it being legalized and therefore not harmful. How do we get him to understand that he still shouldn't be smoking? A: How one addresses the issue depends on how one understands the problem. Regular marijuana use in teens can occur if they become addicted to the substance or it may be masking an undiagnosed mental health problem such as depression or anxiety. Or your son may be otherwise well but enjoying the substance and simply not conforming to your expectations. [continues 234 words]
With the plague of opiate overdoses, some doctors are prescribing pot to get people off opioids. There are many positive medical applications which help many people with everything from mental illness, terminal conditions, to severe physical disabilities. Fact is we have never had legal recreational pot, so how can you say it's going to destroy communities? I would like to point out how legalizing it has worked for Colorado and I think the red light district in Amsterdam would also beg to differ. [continues 73 words]
Licensing vapour lounges would enhance safety, say Jenna Valleriani and Abi Roach. If you've been following the plans for cannabis legalization across Canada, one of the key concerns is not just how it will be sold, but where exactly people will be allowed to consume cannabis. Not in parks, or in the streets, certainly not in restaurants or even in places where there are existing tobacco allowances. In Ontario, the proposed legislation boils down to this: The only place we can consume legal cannabis will be in the privacy of our homes. [continues 619 words]
Liability issues make area police, firefighters wary of administering opioid overdose antidote Naloxone for all? Not so fast. The province's newly-announced plan to equip front-line police officers and firefighters with the potentially lifesaving opioid overdose antidote free-of-charge isn't without its drawbacks, critics say - and emergency responders across Southwestern Ontario are divided on how to handle it. Sarnia officers have already saved one life by administering naloxone, an injectable or inhalable emergency drug that blocks the affects of opioid overdose. [continues 792 words]
Police want laws to change regarding the drug naloxone Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Monica Hudon said the organization is mandated to investigate all deaths and serious injuries involving the police, and that includes cases "where the extent of alleged involvement was simply the administration of a medication such as naloxone." "Whether or not the administration of the drug by a police officer was the only interaction with a person who subsequently died or suffered a serious injury is for the SIU to determine," she said. [continues 537 words]
Medical users fear legalized recreational pot may leave them behind For Mandy McKnight, the benefits of cannabis oil to treat her son Liam's debilitating seizures seem almost miraculous - the nine-year-old has gone from being wracked daily by dozens of the life-threatening episodes to having days now when he experiences none. But like many Canadians authorized by doctors to use marijuana to treat a wide range of medical disorders, McKnight is worried what will happen when recreational pot for adults becomes legally available through government-sanctioned retail outlets in July. [continues 1054 words]
A downtown London pot shop has beefed up security after a staffer was charged for the second time in less than three months. The charges announced Thursday against Michael Leeder, 27, stem from a three-week investigation into the London Relief Centre, an illegal marijuana dispensary that set up shop on Richmond Row in September. Police raided the dispensary, where anyone over the age of 19 can buy cannabis, even without a valid pot prescription, less than two weeks after it opened. Leeder and four others were charged with multiple counts of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking. [continues 334 words]
Impending legalization is daunting says Keetch Sault Ste. Marie's top cop anticipates impaired driving by drugs "is going to be a significant challenge" in the latter half of the new year. The federal government plans to legalize marijuana on July 1. Robert Keetch, chief of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, fears city residents will opt to toke and drive, not recognizing how their ability to drive may be impaired. "Canadians have not been getting the message when it comes to impaired driving and it remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada," he told The Sault Star. "I believe that legalizing marijuana will only add to the numbers of drivers on our roadways whose ability to drive is impaired by either alcohol and/or drugs. I believe there are individuals who will consume legal marijuana and be under a false impression that their ability to drive is not impaired and will get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive." [continues 538 words]
The most important social and legal change in Canada during 2018 will almost certainly be the legalization of marijuana. This move, the boldest by the Trudeau government so far, will end almost a century of prohibition of cannabis that has resulted in a great deal of misery while delivering few benefits in return. The House of Commons has passed two laws that will make the consumption of marijuana legal while toughening the rules against abuse of the drug. The prime minister now says his goal is to put them into effect by "next summer." [continues 683 words]
Scott Reid stood alone on the Conservative benches as the House of Commons gave its final say on landmark legislation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Of the 74 Conservative MPs in attendance for the late November vote, he was the only one to support the bill. He was also the only MP in the Chamber who could say with some level of confidence that his vote represented the wish of his constituents. Nearly 3,100 of Mr. Reid's constituents in the Eastern Ontario rural riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston responded to a mail-in referendum on the bill, resulting in a narrow finding of 55-per-cent support. Mr. Reid voted accordingly. [continues 776 words]
Correctional officers union boss reflects on issues, progress in 2017 Jason Godin, national president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, has overseen many changes in the union that represents more than 7,400 correctional service officers across Canada at federal institutions, including approximately 1,000 in the Kingston area. Currently halfway through a third mandate as national president, Kingston-based Godin sat down with the Whig-Standard at the union offices in Kingston's west end to discuss issues for his members, which included the increasing amount of fentanyl coming into the institutions, recognizing correctional officers as first responders, post-traumatic stress disorder issues, the challenges with the beleaguered Phoenix pay system, and the settlement of a union contract that makes them the highest paid correctional officers in North America. [continues 1085 words]
So-called experts want overdose prevention sites set up to protect druggies from themselves. Temporary and short-term they say; about as short-term as income tax, which was said to be a temporary measure. Rather than deterring drug habit, it seems like it's being encouraged. Maybe the consequences should not be removed. How many front-line medical personnel and how many precious health dollars are being eaten up, depriving more deserving and legitimate health sufferers timely and proper attention? E. R. Dow London [end]
Chalk it up to a bunch of whacky weed decisions: The first was that Ottawa's finest decided to charge people working in pot shops. the second that the Crown actually wasted the public's money and the court's time with prosecuting these people and the third being the conditional discharges and suspended sentences handed down which should and will be wiped clean down the road. Why on earth are authorities going through with this utter lunacy when they darn well know that this drug will be legal soon? The state has better things to do with their enforcement arms and the public purse. Stephen Flanagan Ottawa (For now, the law's the law) [end]
NORFOLK COUNTY - Ontario Provincial Police say officers used naloxone to save a man's life while transporting him to Hamilton's Barton Street jail. Norfolk OPP credit "quick-thinking" officers for helping the 29-year-old man who appeared to have overdosed on opioids Friday afternoon. They administered three doses of naloxone, which is used to revive people in medical distress after taking drugs such as fentanyl. The man regained consciousness and began to respond to officers. Paramedics transferred him to hospital. [continues 111 words]
During my life time, I have always taken politics with a grain of salt; I never took it too seriously as Canada's voting system gave me the opportunity to exercise my rights every four years with my personal vote to effect change. Since Pierre Trudeau's time as prime minister of Canada, things have changed noticeably but not always for the better. For example, during the past decades, the Indigenous social issues have been kicked down the road like a tin can with no evidence of concrete changes for the people. Many [Indigenous people] continue to live on far northern inaccessible reserves with overall sub-standard living conditions, drinking water and sewage disposal challenges. [continues 377 words]
Governments raise a lot of revenue by taxing alcohol and tobacco. Now they are turning their sights on cannabis. A lot of young people think that using marijuana is a good thing. But, like any drug, cannabis can lead to addiction and ruin a person's life, all because our greedy government wants the tax money. Alan Morris Brantford [end]
Re: "Public health supports legalization of marijuana," Dec. 16. The problem with having one's head in the sand is that you can't open your eyes! It is concerning that our local public health unit supports the legal sale of marijuana to those over the age of 18 years of age, yet at the same time it acknowledges that regular marijuana use for those under the age of 25 years will reduce the cognitive functioning of their still-developing brain. Quite the contradiction. It is almost as if the health unit is of the mindset that once marijuana use becomes legal, fewer of our young adults with indulge. [continues 169 words]
Fines, probation for Marc and Jodie Emery TORONTO * Prominent pot activists Jodie and Marc Emery have been fined and placed on probation after pleading guilty to a number of drug- related charges in a Toronto court. Marc Emery, the self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot," pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking marijuana and possession of proceeds of crime more than $5,000. Jodie Emery pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. [continues 491 words]
CAMBRIDGE - An innovative new peer-based pilot project will be launched in Cambridge early next year with the aim of curbing improper needle disposal in the community. The project is a partnership between Region of Waterloo Public Health, which will provide funding, Sanguen Health Centre and the City of Cambridge. Along with removing needles through patrols and education, it will offer employment and skill development to people who have experienced substance abuse; they will be hired as the peer workers. "There is no harm in trying other methods to connect people and get them on board," said Violet Umanetz, Sanguen's outreach manager. "The peers do so well working in the community." [continues 538 words]
In the wake of a deadly opioid drug crisis that's killed hundreds in Ontario, London health officials are fast-tracking a pop-up, - -overdose-prevention site they want to have up and running by January. The stripped-down version of a supervised consumption site will give drug users a safer environment to inject. The location of the site, or the total number if there is more than one, hasn't been pinned down. But the plan is to have at least one as early as possible in 2018. [continues 747 words]
Officers fear SIU probe if they can't revive opioid OD victims with naloxone WINDSOR - The fear of officers getting into a legal jam for trying to save someone from an overdose has made the Windsor police service hesitant to embrace a medication that fights the effects of opioids. Police officials are not rushing to use naloxone, despite the province's offer to pay for it, because officers who try and fail to revive someone from an overdose would face an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). [continues 235 words]
Predicting a "mess" of traffic chaos and policing problems when the province opens a cannabis retail store in Windsor, Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac Monday called for the city to have some input on the location. Her motion, passed by council, involves expressing concerns about increased policing demands and making the province aware the city has a designated entertainment district downtown where there is already a beefed-up police presence. "I'm expressing concern that I want to make sure it's done right," she said. [continues 225 words]
Keewatin-Patricia public school board trustees not up for blowing smoke Legalized marijuana concerns public school board trustees. With the legalization of marijuana closer to becoming a reality the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is concerned how the new law could impact its students. During the Dec. 12 monthly board meeting the educational aspect of the topic was brought up, though everyone agreed to wait until the Ministry of Education provides some direction on how to proceed with the issue. Many of the board members expressed concern students might acquire the stimulant "off the streets" since they wouldn't be of legal age to purchase it in stores. [continues 284 words]
Narcotics back in the day were more a nuisance than anything else. Local police would regularly arrest people for possession of marijuana. Sometimes something more exotic like psychedelic mushrooms would materialize. The situation became more of a concern when cocaine and its derivatives appeared on the scene. Then came methamphetamine and opioids such as Oxycontin and hydromorphone. Heroin was never an issue locally like it has been in urban areas. Instead, rural areas like Norfolk and Haldimand skipped straight to more problematic substances such as fentanyl and carfentanil. These powerful synthetic opioids have caused the number of drug overdose deaths in Canada to skyrocket in recent months. [continues 408 words]
Bill C-45 is horrible legislation which will not achieve its objectives and should never see the light of day. The Senate will do its job and thoroughly study the Bill, but Canadians will be well-served if it is defeated, writes Alberta Senator Betty Unger. It's difficult to remember the last time the federal government and the provinces came to an agreement on revenue sharing in a single day. But that's what happened last week when the feds agreed to give the provinces 75 per cent of tax revenue generated by the sale of marijuana. [continues 787 words]
Chief's comments come after confirmation that constable died from fentanyl overdose Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders says he's actively looking at drug testing for officers in the wake of a constable's fentanyl overdose death this year. "I don't want to lose any officers to anything, especially drugs of any kind and if there are things that we can do to reduce that, then I'm very interested in that," Saunders said Tuesday during a year-end interview. [continues 462 words]
Medical officer of health expects regulations will evolve Chatham-Kent's medical officer of health is remaining neutral on a provincially operated cannabis store slated to open next year. However, Dr. David Colby admits he's intrigued by how it might play out in the communities that were announced as part of the first phase. "It will be very interesting to see how society reacts to this," he told The Daily News on Thursday. It was recently announced that Chatham-Kent will have a retail cannabis store by July of next year. [continues 349 words]
Will weed be the new booze? Will a culture so tied to alcohol switch allegiance once recreational cannabis is readily and legally available? A recent study out of the University of Connecticut looked at alcohol sales in jurisdictions with medical marijuana, and found the two substances to be substitutes, with monthly booze sales falling 13%. A 2016 Deloitte study predicted some alcohol consumers will migrate to legal recreational marijuana. Dan Malleck, associate professor in Health Sciences at Brock University, said the U.S. study looked at medical marijuana, and the findings suggest that people are switching if they're using alcohol to self-medicate for conditions like stress. [continues 337 words]
'A year of growth year of finding our feet' WATERLOO REGION - When police chief Bryan Larkin talks about harm reduction and being more humane with the drug user, he gets pushback. When he suggests supervised injection sites may be an alternative to help users take their drugs safely and the site will save lives, he gets pushback. And when he flies the Pride flag at police headquarters, he gets pushback. In each case, he gets criticism from people in the community and sometimes from officers, too. [continues 985 words]
Where have all the dirty needles gone? Mayor's efforts have made a difference This past Thursday, on a wickedly cold afternoon, I combed the same Yonge-Dundas Sts.-area alleyways where dirty needles have proliferated, particularly since the opening of Toronto's first harm-reduction site. While we saw plenty of drug paraphernalia buried in the snow - orange needle caps, blue gloves, water bottles used as bongs and even remnants of a Naloxone kit - we found no needles. Perhaps the cold contributed to the fact that patrons of The Works on Victoria St. are not shooting up outside. However, Mayor John Tory's cleanup efforts appear to be working. [continues 506 words]
Is Ontario keeping too tight a lid on pot? Premier Kathleen Wynne faced that question at a town hall meeting Wednesday night in Brampton, where about 250 citizens - some with anger in their voices - grilled her about high local auto-insurance rates, health care, workers' compensation, the Tarion new home warranty system, the rising minimum wage, the recent five-week community college strike and other issues. "Can we not have the private sector?" one young man asked as the clock ticks down to the legalization of marijuana across Canada on July 1. [continues 306 words]
Re Legal pot set to cost $10 a gram, Dec. 12 It is clear that the legalization of marijuana will fail its stated objectives and we are on track for another costly boondoggle that will implicate the health and well-being of Canadian society for many years to come. The stated objectives are to keep cannabis out of the hands of children and to keep profits out of the hands of organized crime. Legalization will achieve neither. Legalizing something legitimizes it. Children will now see marijuana as a safe legal product denied to them only due to their age. [continues 79 words]
TORONTO - Ontario adolescents are drinking, smoking and using cannabis and other recreational drugs at the lowest rates since the late 1970s, suggests a biennial survey of Grade 7 to 12 students by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. But the 2017 survey released Thursday turned up a disturbing finding: almost one per cent of respondents in Grades 9 to 12 reported having taken illicit fentanyl in the previous year, raising a red flag given the opioid's involvement in hundreds of overdose deaths across the country. [continues 558 words]
Politicians voice their concerns over 'little information' available, possible impact on community A number of York Region mayors have come out against proposed marijuana stores in their municipalities. East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson has joined regional colleagues Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti in speaking out against the possibility of a marijuana dispensary coming to the municipality. "My concern at this point is there is so little information about what it would look like. What are rules and regulations?" Hackson said. [continues 384 words]
The legalization of marijuana promises to provide governments with a tidy little windfall. That's the dirty secret the country's finance ministers didn't want to talk about when they were cutting up the cash this week. But it's true. To hear the provinces talk, you'd think legalized cannabis would be nothing but a drain on their revenues. They complain that the legal pot regime will be more costly to police than the current illegal one - - without exactly explaining why. [continues 605 words]
With the Ontario government passing legislation Tuesday that paves the way for the government-run sale of recreational marijuana starting in July, the search is on for a ready-to-go store in Windsor. According to a City of Windsor staff report going to council Monday, the list of requirements for this store, run by an LCBO subsidiary, the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp., include a standalone operation, apart from the LCBO's alcohol operations; 2,500 square feet of space at a location that's already properly zoned for retail; a location that's near to a Transit Windsor bus route; an existing space instead of new construction; and a location that's not located close to schools, addiction treatment centres, mental-health facilities and emergency shelters. [continues 589 words]
Brantford on list of 14 cities announced by the province Brantford is getting a government-run marijuana store after all. The city is on a list of 15 cities announced Tuesday by the government. The stores will sell marijuana for recreational use. Officials confirmed Tuesday that the city has been identified for the location of at least one cannabis retail store by next July, the same month the federal government plans to legalize cannabis. Brantford was not on a list announced in November of 14 cities chosen to host pot shops. [continues 855 words]
Ottawa must withdraw its plan to charge tax on medicinal marijuana or risk having an adverse effect on patients, a group of more than 50 doctors warned Monday as the federal government hashed out a pot-tax revenue-sharing agreement with the provinces and territories. The doctors, who describe themselves as a group of physicians who routinely prescribe marijuana to their patients, say applying a sales or excise tax to medicinal pot would impose a financial barrier for those who use the drug to manage their symptoms, compared to patients who take other medication. [continues 199 words]
OTTAWA - Manitoba will push the federal government to transfer all of the sin taxes collected from recreational marijuana into provincial coffers, the Free Press has learned. "This is a federal policy, with a federal timeline, with provincial obligations and responsibilities," provincial Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said. On Sunday evening, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau hosted his colleagues from the provinces and territories for a working dinner before a lengthy meeting today examining everything from pension reform to equalization payments. It's the looming July 2018 deadline [continues 574 words]
Fighting back tears, Olympia Lynn Trypis stood in the rotunda of city hall and begged for better services for drug users, to save her life and the lives of her friends. "In the last two years I've lost three of my really close friends and I am tired of having to go to funerals and not celebrating more birthdays. These people were beautiful souls," said Trypis, 22, speaking to a crowd who had marched to city hall in memory of people lost to drug overdoses, or contaminated drugs. [continues 325 words]
It'll be months before London finds out if it gets the go-ahead and funding for supervised drug injection sites, but it appears key players already are walking in unison to support the sites, but restrict where they can locate. The area's medical officer of health, a key city planner and an advocate for the downtrodden all express some confidence there will be suitable sites sufficiently far from schools and other places frequented by children. "I completely understand why the city and stakeholders would want to limit where it goes," said Chris Mackie, the head of public health in London and Middlesex County. "I definitely think it will be possible to find one or two locations that will work." [continues 602 words]
Ontario adolescents are drinking, smoking and using cannabis and other recreational drugs at the lowest rates since the late 1970s, suggests a biennial survey of Grade 7 to 12 students by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). But the 2017 survey released Thursday turned up a disturbing finding: almost one per cent of respondents in Grades 9 to 12 reported having taken illicit fentanyl in the previous year, raising a red flag given the opioid's involvement in hundreds of overdose deaths across the country. [continues 366 words]
Re: PM says sorry for decades of LGBTQ2 bigotry - Nov. 29 I'm convinced that there is now sufficient precedence set by the apologies and compensations to the LGBTQ2 communities and the First Nations communities that will allow a heartfelt apology and due compensation to the marijuana dealers and users community. Indeed, the dealers of marijuana deserve a greater consideration by the Canadian government in view of the fact that it intends to take over the control and distribution of marijuana throughout the Dominion thus depriving the said dealers of their livelihood. On a note of self-interest, I must state that I, as a good and true capitalist, have profited as a dealer in marijuana on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Joseph Murphy Kitchener [end]
TORONTO-Communities across Ontario cannot opt out of hosting a government-run pot shop if they are selected for a site, the provincial government said Friday after at least one town expressed resistance to having a cannabis retail location. If a community is selected to host one of the marijuana shops, it could delay hosting the store but cannot completely opt out of having it, said Ontario's Ministry of Finance. "As we roll out the next phase of stores, we will continue to engage with municipalities on an ongoing basis including with those municipalities who may not be ready for a store opening in July 2018," said Jessica Martin, spokesperson for Finance Minister Charles Sousa. [continues 347 words]
LCBO advises city that Peterborough will have one of the first 40 marijuana stores to open in Ontario Peterborough will have a marijuana store by next summer, says the city CAO. Allan Seabrooke said the store will sell marijuana for recreational use. He said it will be open by July - the same month weed is going to be legalized in Canada. In an email to The Examiner, Seabrooke wrote that the store will be operated by a subsidiary of the LCBO and will sell only cannabis - not alcohol. [continues 309 words]
Smoke-free means smoke-free at Sault Area Hospital - whether that applies to tobacco fixes or toking up. Sault Area Hospital currently has a no-cigarette policy that encompasses its entire property, which will apply once recreational pot becomes legal in Canada next summer. "We have a no-smoking policy, so that would apply to smoking marijuana on our property," SAH president and CEO Ron Gagnon told The Sault Star. SAH's policy includes all buildings, parking lots, the Hub Trail running along the eastern edge of the hospital grounds, roads encircling the hospital leading to and from both Great Northern Road and Third Line and wooded and grass areas to the south and west of the emergency department and helipad. [continues 361 words]
Province backtracks on stand that municipalities cannot opt out of cannabis stores The Ontario government appeared to backtrack late Friday on an earlier statement that municipalities would be unable to opt out of hosting marijuana stores, raising more questions about the province's readiness for the expected pot legalization next summer. The issue came up earlier this week after a city of Richmond Hill committee unanimously endorsed a statement saying it was not willing to host one of the retail stores. [continues 486 words]
Inside Ontario
