A Brampton councillor wants the city to clamp down on licensed marijuana grow operations in residential neighbourhoods. "Even though there are legal marijuana grow operations happening in residential communities, the municipality has no legislative authority to inspect them for safety and compliance," said Regional Coun. Gael Miles. Miles won support on a motion at the Nov. 16 Community Services meeting directing staff to research what legislative powers the municipality can enact to counteract what she described "as a growing concern locally." [continues 289 words]
25-year-old part of a delegation making case for federal assistance OTTAWA - A 25-year-old recovered addict told her sad story on Thursday to federal cabinet ministers who are forging a national strategy against Canada's overdose crisis. Victoria resident Mikaela Mamer was part of Premier Christy Clark's delegation that is pushing for tougher measures to tackle overdoses killing two British Columbians a day. She shared the story of how, after years of alcohol and drug abuse starting in a small Saskatchewan town at age 13, she went into treatment at a clinic on Vancouver Island. [continues 742 words]
Bundle overdose-fighting naloxone with opioid prescriptions to save lives, area health unit urges It's been proven to be the most effective weapon in the fight to prevent deaths from opioid overdose, a major killer in Ontario. Now the Middlesex-London Heath Unit wants anyone who gets an opioid prescription to get access to and counselling on naloxone, the medication that reverses the deadly effects of an overdose by restoring respiration. The health unit board voted Thursday to make that recommendation to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. [continues 489 words]
Don't ignore their specialized training in harm reduction, says Marilou Gagnon. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott is hosting two events in Ottawa this week. The first, a conference, will be held today and will feature presentations by physicians, pharmacists, politicians, chief medical officers, police officers and researchers, just to name a few. Then, on Saturday, a summit will be held. It is unclear who has been invited to attend the summit, but according to the website, it "will bring together individuals and organizations that have the authorities and commitment to take action to combat the opioid crisis." [continues 389 words]
PETAWAWA - Municipalities will have some say in the selling of marijuana should Parliament legalize the narcotic as has been promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Petawawa council learned Monday. Recently, the Petawawa Police Services Board discussed the implications of federal legislation concerning marijuana. Upon advice from law enforcement, the board drafted a series of sample bylaws and passed them along to staff. In last year's federal election, the Liberals campaigned on a promise to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana. The issue is being studied by a government panel, however, the Liberals do not plan to decriminalize marijuana, arguing it gives a legal stream of income to criminal organizations. At this time, simple possession of marijuana remains a criminal offence. [continues 232 words]
Two of the pot shops raided by police two weeks ago are back in business. The Green Tree dispensaries on Preston Street and Montreal Road opened on the weekend. Both were sparsely stocked Monday, with a few jars of dried weed selling for $10 to $14 a gram. The popular edibles - cannabis cookies, brownies, candy and pop - will be available later this week, said a clerk at one of the stores. There's no ATM available yet, a clerk at the Montreal Road dispensary explained to one customer, pointing to the spot where police ripped it out of the floor during the Nov. 4 raids. [continues 371 words]
It no longer sells marijuana, but Cannabis Culture reopened Saturday to sell drug paraphernalia with an aim of becoming a community hub for pot smokers. The chain store at 282 George St. N, drew long lineups of recreational and medicinal smokers after opening as a marijuana dispensary in September before being shuttered following a pair of police raids, first on Sept. 15 and then on Sept. 29. The premise behind opening to sell products such as rolling papers, pipes and bongs is to pay the bills, but more importantly, to ensure the community is aware the location is here to stay, new store manager Eamon Cyr said Monday. [continues 205 words]
Magna Terra Health Services planning third outlet despite city crackdown Marijuana dispensaries have been closing across the city after police raids and robberies, but one local entrepreneur is expanding. Franco Vigile and his partners plan to open a third Magna Terra Health Services outlet. A storefront at 29 Montreal Rd. will be open "in the near future," Vigile says. The other Magna Terra outlets are on Carling Avenue and in Stittsville. Six of the city's 17 dispensaries closed after raids by the police drug unit on Nov. 4. Another shop run by the same B.C.-based chain was evicted by its landlord. [continues 565 words]
Device can be used for surveillance, chief says The Chatham-Kent Police Service expects to have a new tool in place. Three years after police chief Gary Conn raised the idea of purchasing a drone, approval was granted at Tuesday's meeting of the Chatham-Kent Police Services Board. Conn said the RFP is expected to be ready within a month and told board members money for the estimated $110,000 to $120,000 purchase has been set aside in reserve in the fleet budget. He said the goal is to have 12 officers trained and have the drone operational by early 2017. [continues 451 words]
Substance-free world a fantasy; best to permit, but discourage, he advises It's time to admit we've lost the war on drugs - and to take the radical course of legalizing all of them, University of Windsor law professor emeritus Bill Bogart says in his new book. "Look, there is no perfect answer here. We will always have people using substances," said Bogart, whose book Off the Street: Legalizing Drugs was released Nov. 12 on Dundurn Press. "The notion of a drug-free world is a fantasy. And so we have to figure out the least harmful way to address substance consumption." [continues 432 words]
Addiction can hit close to home for some people - and can often end tragically for those involved. This week, the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse, in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and other participating organizations, will be holding their annual education campaign, National Addictions Awareness Week. This year's theme, Addiction Matters, will draw attention to substance misuse as a chronic health issue that impacts individuals, families and communities across Canada. CMHA Oxford executive director Mike McMahon said six-million Canadians will meet the criteria for substance abuse disorder in their lifetime. [continues 323 words]
Despite a decline in area crystal meth operations the substance continues to arrive from large urban centres in other forms that are part of a larger drug problem. "It's coming in a pill form and it's also coming in and being mixed with other chemicals . . . for example in marijuana," said Barb Fedy, co-chair of the Grey Bruce Task Force on Crystal Meth and Other Drugs during a recent presentation to Bruce County council. "We recognize that we have more than just (crystal) meth to deal with; it's a bigger more complex issue. We're looking at a broader scope, multiple forms of drugs and recognizing that different communities have different forms of problems. But the strategies that we are building we want to use in all communities in Grey and Bruce counties." [continues 417 words]
New legislation around medical marijuana - including its licensing and distribution - is expected in April, 2017. And it will be created after a task force that is working right now provides a report, Northumberland Peterborough South MP Kim Rudd told Hamilton Township councillors Tuesday. The council had asked the MP to the council session to answer questions about marijuana because of past complaints about grow ops in the township of which they knew nothing, members said, until they received a phone call from a neighbour. [continues 406 words]
Belleville man prevented from using prescribed cannabis at Kingston hospital A Belleville man says he was prevented from using doctor-prescribed cannabis in hospital following spinal surgery at Kingston General Hospital. Nate Craig, 35, underwent spinal fusion surgery on Friday, Oct. 14, to address chronic pain he has suffered since being involved in a car crash in 1999. "When I found out I was going in for surgery, I knew it would be an issue," he said, adding that he contacted the hospital ahead of time and spoke to several directors and managers about his cannabis use, even arranging to have his wife bring in fudge containing the drug for him to eat. He asked prior to his operation if he could use a vaporizer, but he said that request was turned down. "A lot of people were informed." Craig has had a prescription for medical cannabis for 16 years but said the arrangements he had made with the hospital didn't get passed along to the medical staff working on the weekend following his Friday surgery. [continues 454 words]
KGH staff wouldn't let man use prescribed cannabis following painful spinal surgery A Belleville man says he was prevented from using doctor-prescribed cannabis in hospital following spinal surgery at Kingston General Hospital. Nate Craig, 35, underwent spinal fusion surgery on Friday, Oct. 14, to address chronic pain he has suffered since being involved in a car crash in 1999. "When I found out I was going in for surgery, I knew it would be an issue," he said, adding that he contacted the hospital ahead of time and spoke to several directors and managers about his cannabis use, even arranging to have his wife bring in fudge containing the drug for him to eat. He asked prior to his operation if he could use a vaporizer, but he said that request was turned down. [continues 498 words]
Arrest nine employees in bid to curb illicit trade Ottawa police raided six marijuana dispensaries Friday morning, closing a big chunk of the city's pot shops in one fell swoop. It's the first police action against the dispensaries that have been popping up in Ottawa, and is bound to ratchet up the heated debate over what to do about the illegal shops. Teams of police officers, some in black balaclavas, descended on six dispensaries shortly after 10 a.m. and emerged with plastic bags stuffed with jars of dried weed and cannabis cookies, candy and pop. A search warrant on a seventh dispensary, which had already closed due to an eviction, was executed Thursday. [continues 1192 words]
Bracing itself for the possible legalization of marijuana, Pembroke will be looking at ways to regulate cannabis retail operations through its zoning bylaws. On Tuesday, Colleen Sauriol, planning and building department manager, told the planning and development committee city council received a request from the Pembroke Police Services Board to consider putting in place some sort of control over where such stores could be located. She said the police board is concerned about possible marijuana retail stores setting up within the city in inappropriate areas, such as near schools. The board is requesting council give consideration to providing controls over the retail sales of marijuana through the city's zoning bylaw. [continues 213 words]
Targeted outlets run by a B.C.-based outfit that moved into city in summer Ottawa police raided six marijuana dispensaries Friday morning, closing a big chunk of the city's pot shops in one fell swoop. It's the first police action against the dispensaries that have been popping up in Ottawa, and is bound to ratchet up the heated debate over what to do about the illegal shops. Teams of police officers, some in black balaclavas, descended on six dispensaries shortly after 10 a.m. and emerged with plastic bags stuffed with jars of dried weed and cannabis cookies, candy and pop. A search warrant on a seventh dispensary, which had already closed due to an eviction, was executed Thursday. [continues 520 words]
They come with names such as Green Tree and Weeds Glass & Gifts, which sound harmless. But Ottawa's 16 pot shops aren't legal, and some of them have sprung up in the last few months in areas close to where kids can be found, or where shops cater to families. Many in Ottawa have clamoured for the police to shut them down. Friday, finally, the brass took action, staging simultaneous raids on six marijuana dispensaries across the city. About time. [continues 332 words]
Re: Shoppers seeking licence to distribute medical pot - Oct. 26 Shoppers' Drug Mart has recently applied to become a licensed medical marijuana producer for the purpose of dispensing the product through their pharmacy network. Future prospects are staggering. Presently, Shoppers' gives seniors a 20 per cent discount on Thursdays on all regularly priced items, such as milk. With their many aches, pains, and sleepless nights, many seniors may then soon lobby Shoppers for a similar weekly discount on medical marijuana. Also, with Shoppers' now part of the Loblaws grocery chain, new possibilities loom for earning and spending President's Choice points. What a catchy slogan: Redeem Points for Pot. Just as it was part of his father's legacy in the late 1960s to decree that the state had no business in the bedrooms of the nation, Justin Trudeau may be remembered for helping Canada "come out" on the question of marijuana. Alan J. Nanders Kitchener [end]
Inside Ontario
