Client info e-mailed to almost 500 people Who's shopping at Ottawa's largest local marijuana dispensary chain? That information has been widely shared after Magna Terra Health Services accidentally sent an email to nearly 500 "clients and friends" that listed all their email addresses. Some Magna Terra customers who want to keep their medical marijuana purchases private are upset. Magna Terra president Franco Vigile sent a second email apologizing for the privacy breach and saying the employee responsible for the original email sent Sept. 30 had been let go. [continues 531 words]
WATERLOO REGION - Of the 26 charges laid last year for driving while high on drugs, one driver had 17 different drugs in his system. "The driver was severely addicted," said Const. William Hand, co-ordinator of the drug cognition expert program with Waterloo Regional Police, which has nine officers trained as specialists in recognizing the signs of those driving high. The drug of choice that drug recognition officers see most is opiates such as oxycodone, heroin and methadone. Waterloo Regional Police have also stopped drivers on stimulants such as cocaine, meth and crack. [continues 328 words]
The public has been credited with helping Ontario Provincial Police officers collar thieves and vandals in North Glengarry over the Summer. Now citizens are being asked to keep an eye out for illicit harvesters. "It is greatly appreciated," said Sgt. Simon Hardy. "It shows how effectively we can resolve matters when we work hand-in-hand with communities. I would like to thank the community for that." In addressing township council, Sgt. Hardy said police have arrested "several local individuals" and as a result of two separate investigations, apprehended two suspects for "numerous thefts from motor vehicles." [continues 617 words]
You know what they say: Candy's dandy. And liquor's quicker. But a combination of pot, hash and whisky - well, it's fast on its way to an LCBO near you. Liquormen's Ol' Dirty Canadian Whisky, which is promoted by the Trailer Park Boys, suggests you should mix its booze with a "six-paper joint." It also suggests it's the right booze to drink early in the morning. "Let's face it, some days you're going to wake up and start drinking before 10 a.m.," it says, under its recipe section of the website. [continues 676 words]
You know what they say: Candy's dandy. And liquor's quicker. But a combination of pot, hash and whisky - well, it's fast on its way to an LCBO near you. Liquormen's Ol' Dirty Canadian Whisky, which is promoted by the Trailer Park Boys, suggests you should mix its booze with a "six-paper joint." It also suggests it's the right booze to drink early in the morning. "Let's face it, some days you're going to wake up and start drinking before 10 a.m.," it says, under its recipe section of the website. [continues 483 words]
Ottawa achieved a dubious distinction over the weekend when the capital saw its 50th shooting of 2016. With a quarter of the year left to go, that beats the previous record of 49 set in 2014. Now, I am not prepared to invite outrage and opprobrium from the left by suggesting that we might encapsulate the increased violence with the sobriquet of "welcome to Justin Trudeau's Canada." But it does suggest that while Canada enforces some of the toughest gun control legislation in the world, the criminals never have any difficulty in obtaining weapons. [continues 580 words]
An ad campaign for a whisky brand associated with the Trailer Park Boys has been described as "dangerous" by the premier of Ontario - and Windsor's Shoutabout Creative Agency couldn't be happier. The Walkerville-based ad agency worked on the promotional materials for Liquormen's OL' Dirty Canadian Whisky - materials replete with four-letter words, references to drug use, and tongue-in-cheek encouragement of alcoholism. Premier Kathleen Wynne was taken aback by the advertising when told about it by reporters at an unrelated news conference on Monday. [continues 467 words]
Licence suspension, $180 fine take effect Sunday for those caught driving while high Motorists stopped by police for driving while high on marijuana - or other drugs - will face the same penalties as drunk drivers starting Sunday in Ontario. At a minimum, that means a fine of $180 and an immediate licence suspension under legislation passed last year to combat growing problems with drivers under the influence. Criminal charges can also be laid, as with drunk driving. Sentences can range up to five years. "What we do know from law enforcement is that there is an increase of those who are impaired by drugs, especially in combination with alcohol," Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said this week. [continues 266 words]
In the national back-and-forth conversation over how to treat illegal marijuana stores, Peterborough police have weighed in forcefully on the shut-'em-down side. That's not surprising and not a position that should be criticized. When the owner of a local Cannabis Culture pot franchise announced in August that he would open a George St. store we suggested police would be best to let the store operate while monitoring its promise not to sell to minors or to those without a doctor's letter stating they require marijuana for medical purposes. [continues 362 words]
The legalization of marijuana, we are told, is coming. The Trudeau government has promised to introduce legislation by next spring. But on the streets of Ottawa, legalization appears to be in effect already. Pot shops have been springing up all over the city, peddling mostly "medicinal" marijuana products: Brownies, candy, gummies, you name it. At last count, there were roughly 15 known shops in the city. These shops are, at least for the moment, illegal. There are licensed producers for medical marijuana, and Canada Post is their delivery mechanism. Storefronts selling weed or weed-laced products - either to medical or recreational users - is not on. [continues 363 words]
Cannabis Culture founder says two people were arrested Cannabis Culture was raided again and shut down by city police Thursday morning. The marijuana store at 282 George St. N. opened earlier this month and was raided by police within days, on Sept. 15. It was shut down until Tuesday morning, when it reopened at 10 a.m. The store drew lineups until Thursday at about 10:30 a.m. when police arrived. At least four Peterborough Police officers were seen inside the store following the raid. [continues 588 words]
Beginning Sunday, offence will match penalties faced by drunk drivers Stiffer penalties for those who choose to drive while under the influence of drugs will be meted out beginning Sunday. The Ministry of Transportation announced Wednesday afternoon that the penalties would match those faced by drivers impaired by alcohol. "You do see drug use and driving regularly," Sgt. Darren Keuhl of the Kingston Police's traffic enforcement unit said. "And maybe people are thinking, 'well, I'm not drinking and driving,' I think that is what the government is tiring to impress upon drivers that, no, it's as bad, if not worse than drinking and driving." [continues 538 words]
Smoking marijuana can impair one's thought processes, but all the federal government needs to do is talk about it to achieve a state of surreal confusion. Consider the situation today. Marijuana is going to be legalized next year. Cool. In the meantime, illegal pot stores are proliferating under the guise of offering medical marijuana. Since they are illegal, and theoretically don't exist, they are unaffected by zoning regulations and business licence requirements. Little is known about quality of what they sell. When Health Canada received a report about dangerous toxins in pot sold in dispensaries in Vancouver, it did nothing. Police don't know what to do about this, and in Ottawa, they are not enforcing existing law. [continues 519 words]
Vance Badawey recalls arguing against a proposed medical marijuana greenhouse on Pinecrest Road back when he was Port Colborne's mayor. Now as Niagara Centre's MP, Badawey feels he's in a better position to deal with the issue that city council was then powerless to prevent. At the time, he said was concerned about the impact growing medical marijuana could have on the residential properties surrounding the greenhouse, and suggested it would be better suited to an industrial property. However, because the greenhouse land was already zoned agricultural, the city's hands were tied. The medical marijuana facility on the city's rural east side, formerly operated as Muileboom Greenhouse, was the scene of a violent robbery Sept. 19 in which two people were held at gunpoint. [continues 351 words]
Ontario will implement stricter drug-impaired driving penalties beginning on Sunday, but a local lawyer who handles a lot of impaired driving cases questions what practical impact it will have. Brian Ducharme said he has handled a few drug-impaired driving cases, none of which resulted in a conviction. "I've had some but not a lot, frankly, because it's very different to prove impairment by a drug," said Ducharme. "There's no scientific evidence that can prove that. "What the police do is they force you to provide a urine sample, but the urine sample doesn't prove impairment by a drug, it can prove that a drug is in someone's system, but it doesn't prove when the drug entered the system." [continues 413 words]
Smoking up more than your partner causes problems With dispensaries popping up on every corner and a popular pro-legalization prime minister, some Canadians have a case of reefer madness. But for couples learning their drug-use preferences are incompatible, the result can be reefer sadness instead. Take Amanda and Jeff,* a couple in their 30s from Belleville, Ont. For the last few months Amanda, who suffers chronic pain due to a serious car accident years ago, has been using medical marijuana from a dispensary to help her sleep. [continues 690 words]
The drug trade is perpetuating violence and cruelty that is mind-boggling and unprecedented. The futile war on drugs simply cannot be won. Continuing to defy and ignore more than 100 years of failed prohibition is counter-productive and irresponsible. Prohibition, as history shows, whether it be for alcohol or illegal drugs, fuels violent crime. Law enforcement simply does not, nor has it ever, reduced or dried up the supply of illegal drugs. Reducing the amount of illegal drugs in any community only increases the violence ... the lesser the amount, the greater the fight among drug gangs to control the remaining supply. Drug lords are not dumb; it's simple economics. [continues 95 words]
To the editor: The drug trade is perpetuating violence and cruelty that is mind-boggling and unprecedented. The futile war on drugs simply cannot be won. Continuing to defy and ignore more than 100 years of failed prohibition is counterproductive and irresponsible. Prohibition, as history shows, whether it be for alcohol or illegal drugs, fuels violent crime Law enforcement, in and by itself, simply does not, nor has ever, reduced or dried up the supply of illegal drugs. Reducing the amount of illegal drugs in any community only increases the violence ... the lesser the amount, the greater the fight among drug gangs to control the remaining supply. Drug lords are not dumb; it's simple economics. [continues 95 words]
Mayor Jim Watson suggested Wednesday that police need to smoke out marijuana dispensaries, which are sprouting all across Ottawa. "I would like to see everyone obey and respect the law," Watson told reporters Wednesday. "If marijuana is going to be legalized, as the prime minister has indicated, then that's fine, we'll live with those rules and regulations and these shops can then open legally, but we don't know the timeframe of that and while they're breaking the law, I think the law should be enforced." [continues 176 words]
WATERLOO REGION - New legislation will mean harsher penalties, including licence suspensions, for motorists who drive while impaired by drugs. The new provincial rules, which take effect on Sunday, will allow police to suspend the licence of drivers impaired by drugs just like they do for drunk drivers who are charged with impaired driving. The increased penalties include a $180 fine, a licence suspension of three days for the first occurrence and seven days for the second occurrence. A third offence leads to a 30-day suspension after failing a roadside test. [continues 297 words]
Inside Ontario
