Ever since Liberal leader Justin Trudeau told students - and the national media - in Charlottetown he supports its legalization, marijuana has been dominating news headlines here. In an interview with Huffington Post a few months later, Trudeau said he smoked marijuana several times, most recently three years ago after he was elected to the House of Commons. Then everyone wanted to know what other MPs might have sampled the mood- altering drug that's currently illegal to use in Canada - other than for medicinal purposes. [continues 704 words]
Investors Hope to Open by Fall The P. E. I. BioCommons will soon get a new tenant after a local business owner confirmed plans to open a medical marijuana production facility in Charlottetown. Edwin Jewell, owner of Jewell's Country Market in York, confirmed Monday he is one of 10 investors in the new operation that he hopes will be inspected and running by the fall. Jewell said he was interested in the business because at the heart of the operation, it was about growing plants, which is something he has been doing for most of his life, and providing an alternative to some medications. [continues 303 words]
Prince Edward Island RCMP have decided to take an international drug education program and tailor it to suit the needs of Island youth. The move makes a lot of sense because the one currently being offered in Island schools is based in the United States. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) is a comprehensive school-based drug prevention program taught by police officers to children at the Grade 5 level. The DARE officers partner with classroom teachers to build protective factors for children by providing information and social skills needed to live drug- and violence-free. [continues 384 words]
The CEO of a company building a medical marijuana plant in Ontario is praising Charlottetown city council for paving the way for P. E. I.' s first production facility. Bill Chaaban, CEO of Creative Edge Nutrition, said these facilities are state of the art and just as secure as the Pentagon. Before they can be built, Health Canada says municipal approval is required as well as approval of the local police and fire departments. "We are, essentially, building in our neck of the woods a supermax federal security prison," Chaaban said, noting the facility also carries a premium camera system, two-tier fencing and a level 10 vault that weighs 2.5 million pounds and is 4,000 square feet in size. [continues 378 words]
SUMMERSIDE - An RCMP program on drug abuse education in Island schools will continue. RCMP Sgt. Andrew Blackadar, media relations officer for L Division, said the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program is being looked at to see if an alternative can be developed for Island schools. "We're re-evaluating the DARE program," he said. "We will be, at some point, replacing it with some other drug awareness program." Blackadar said DARE is not an RCMP program and actually comes from the United States. [continues 653 words]
Council agrees to amend zoning and development bylaw City council in Charlottetown has paved the way for the province's first medical marijuana production facility. By a vote of 8-2 at Monday night's regular public monthly meeting, council has agreed to amend the city's zoning and development bylaw by adding the definition for medical marijuana production facility. Couns. Mitchell Tweel and Danny Redmond were the two naysayers. Council is also restricting where such a facility can be built. Those areas include the West Royalty Industrial Park, some light industrial areas located north of the city's bypass highway and the bio-commons park, although the city would likely have to amend its development agreement with the latter before going ahead. [continues 597 words]
Editor: After reading Dr. W. G. Tucker's Letter to the Editor it reminds me that a lot people still believe in what was portrayed in the movie Reefer Madness, that cannabis, unfortunately known better as marijuana, is still the "devil's drug." I am glad Dr. Tucker is no longer practising oncology and that hopefully someone more educated on the medical benefits of cannabis took his place. He states that "marijuana has no place in the medical care of patients and is a dangerous drug," as if the thousands of prescriptions he wrote for his patients during his 40 years of practice were good for them. He also states that marijuana use results in a marked increase in lung cancer. Alcohol, cigarettes and sugar just to name a very few are carcinogens, all perfectly legal and none have the medical benefits that the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant provide. [continues 209 words]
Editor: Marijuana exists in our communities, and will continue to make its way into the hands of adults and youth. Drug dealers are not at the scrutiny of the sovereign hand. Meaning they will not discriminate against the age of their customers. It is time to build the chicken coop with the appropriate materials, keeping the young chicks safe. This will bring organization to the "farm," keeping the fox outside with the straw man. Steven Clements, Montague [end]
Operation Clean Sweep Makes Dent; Alarming Numbers Cause for Concern As Islanders awoke early Thursday morning they were greeted with the startling news that an enormous drug sweep was underway throughout Charlottetown. Early reports indicated that upwards of 40 people were facing arrest on drug related charges as more than 15 residences and properties were being searched. The first reaction was why would police be tipping off suspects so they could escape or destroy evidence? It soon became apparent that by the time the news went public, most of the key police work was done. Officers were busy for several hours beforehand and had alerted the media to allay any fears for people seeing scores of officers and emergency vehicles swarming throughout the city. [continues 257 words]
Editor: The article entitled "Province won't help Summerside put police officer in high school"( The Guardian, Jan. 22) was disappointing not only because I see it as a short-sighted rejection, but also because of the shallow offhand comments made by Justice Minister Janice Sherry in defending the decision. In essence Minister Sherry's statement portrays a system composed of youth justice workers, outreach workers and police liaison officers who are assigned to work with specific persons at schools when support is called for or needed. Sounds great, but when examined, is rather nebulous to say the least. [continues 256 words]
Charlottetown cannot say no to any proposal that might come its way concerning construction of a medical marijuana facility, a public meeting heard. City council turned out in full Wednesday for a public meeting hosted by the planning and heritage committee to look at three issues. While the meeting began with standing room only from a crowd estimated at 100, most left after discussion of zoning changes for an expansion of Mel's Quick Mart on St. Peter's Road, and changes to allow the new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. [continues 447 words]
Charlottetown cannot say no to any proposal that might come its way concerning construction of a medical marijuana facility, a public meeting heard. City council turned out in full Wednesday for a public meeting hosted by the planning and heritage committee to look at three issues. While the meeting began with standing room only from a crowd estimated at 100, most left after discussion of zoning changes for an expansion of Mel's Quick Mart on St. Peter's Road, and changes to allow the new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. [continues 611 words]
CHARLOTTETOWN - Residents in Charlottetown are going to have their say on the medical marijuana issue next week. The City of Charlottetown has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 29 to hear comments on that issue as well as a rezoning application from Mel's Petro Can on St. Peters Road and the addition of a new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The meeting takes place in the Georgian Room at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel on Kent Street, beginning at 7 p.m. [continues 290 words]
Charlottetown Public Session On Wednesday Residents in Charlottetown are going to have their say on the medical marijuana issue next week. The City of Charlottetown has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 29, to hear comments on that issue as well as a rezoning application from Mel's Petro Can on St. Peters Road and the addition of a new horse barn at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The meeting takes place in the Georgian Room at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel on Kent Street, beginning at 7 p. m. [continues 423 words]
Council Makes Unexpected Motion To Seek Public Input On Amendment There is no truth to the rumour ( started here) that Charlottetown city council is considering a motto change from ' Cunabula Foederis' (literally Cradle of the Federation but officially translated as Birthplace of Confederation) to ' Cannabis Foederis.' It just wouldn't be appropriate in this 150th anniversary year of the Charlottetown Conference which led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada. Seriously, the city is wise to get in front of the legal production of medical marijuana issue. The recent controversy swirling nationally about decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana has made it a hot topic. But there was the normally cautious chair of planning, Rob Lantz, bringing the issue to the floor and getting a 9- 0 vote in support of a motion to proceed to public consultations on amending the city's bylaw to allow for the construction of such a facility. [continues 271 words]
Editor: I am opposed to increasing the methadone treatment here on P. E. I. I appeared before a government committee on prescription drugs and demanded a provincial ombudsman investigate babies born hooked on methadone. I challenged the erroneous statement that a person on methadone is drug free. If a person on methadone was drug free then babies wouldn't be born hooked on methadone. The Ghiz government has inspectors to investigate the over- prescribing of prescription drugs but no inspector to investigate prescribing methadone during pregnancies. Babies born hooked on methadone are simply irrelevant. I had called for the closure of both the Hillsborough Hospital and Mount Herbert and build a youth addiction facility. Drug addicts will be able to trade an illegal addiction for a legal addiction and be on methadone for years. I am writing a complaint to the P. E. I. Auditor General to investigate taxpayers paying to treat babies born hooked on methadone and doctors prescribing methadone for more than two years. John W. A. Curtis, Summerside [end]
City Considers Adding Definition To Bylaw In Event Of Building Application The City of Charlottetown may be paving the way for the province's first medical marijuana production facility. Council voted unanimously (9- 0, Coun. Eddie Rice was not present for the vote) to proceed to the public consultation phase to consider an amendment to the city's zoning and development bylaw. Such an amendment would add a definition for medical marijuana production facility. The resolution also stipulated that a medical marijuana production facility could only be built in a heavy industrial zone or a business park industrial zone, such as the bio-commons park in the former neighbourhood of West Royalty. [continues 480 words]
When Justin Trudeau dove into the legalized marijuana debate last summer, it initially looked like an unnecessarily polarizing position that too easily allowed his opponents to depict him as a lightweight unable to grapple with more pressing issues. The Liberal leader still surely doesn't want to get freighted down by his pot ponderings, and it is never going to become the centrepiece of a party platform. But there is a case to be made that it will be an issue that can move votes in 2015. [continues 677 words]
When Justin Trudeau dove into the legalized marijuana debate last summer, it initially looked like an unnecessarily polarizing position that too easily allowed his opponents to depict him as a lightweight unable to grapple with more pressing issues. The Liberal leader still surely doesn't want to get freighted down by his pot ponderings, and it is never going to become the centrepiece of a party platform. But there is a case to be made that it will be an issue that can move votes in 2015. [continues 678 words]
The Prince Edward Island Student Drug Use Report released in late December contains some encouraging data, especially that alcohol use among youths has decreased significantly. The report, covering the years 2004- 2011, also suggests there is a continued decline in tobacco use while other drug uses remain consistent. The report is a tool to provide the province with data on alcohol and drug use among Island youths and helps shape the provincial strategy on addictions and mental health. The survey uses data from a youth smoking survey and outlines use and trends involving tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and other drug use among Island students in grades 6- 12. [continues 158 words]
Inside Prince Edward Island
