Cites Similar Cases Thrown Out In Ontario SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. -- A Prince Edward Island judge has stayed a teen's marijuana possession charge, ruling it would be unfair to prosecute him when other Canadians have immunity from the same charge. Provincial Court Judge Ralph C. Thompson stayed the proceedings against the 19-year-old after considering cases in Ontario. The teen was charged with possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana in the fall. In his decision, the judge explained an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling, known as the Parker decision, effectively struck down the law that prohibits simple possession. [continues 119 words]
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. -- A Prince Edward Island judge stayed a teen's marijuana possession charge, ruling it would be unfair to prosecute him when other Canadians have immunity from the same charge. Provincial Court Judge Ralph C. Thompson stayed proceedings against the 19-year-old on Friday after considering cases in Ontario. The teen was charged with possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana in the fall. Defence lawyer Clifford McCabe argued in a previous hearing the charge should be quashed because it's not a valid offence based on the Ontario cases. [continues 137 words]
SUMMERSIDE - A provincial court judge has stayed a marijuana possession charge against P.E.I. resident Ronald Stavert, dealing another blow to Canada's pot laws. Judge Ralph Thompson cited an Ontario court ruling which declared possession of marijuana unconstitutional. The decision does not mean Stavert is innocent or guilty of the charge, but that there is not enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. The charge of simple possession was for having under 30 grams of pot. Since no plea was entered in the case, the exact quantity of marijuana Stavert had is not known. [continues 302 words]
CHARLOTTETOWN - Two major drug busts in the province in the past week may slow down the influx of illegal drugs to the Island but they won't completely stop people from trafficking, said Cpl. Ken Murray of the RCMP's drug awareness section. RCMP, along with the Summerside police, arrested 33-year-old Karl Robert Kenny of Augustine Cove Friday after searching his home and uncovering a marijuana home grow operation worth more than $75,000. Police seized 250 plants along with a large sum of cash and grow equipment. [continues 731 words]
Editor: Referring to 'Binns urges feds to move with caution on pot laws' (The Guardian, Dec. 13, 2002). One has to wonder what the outcome may be if the laws about using marijuana are even somewhat relaxed in P.E.I. and/or in Canada. The U.S. has been quick to jump on the recommendation already. When one considers the many problems that the health department and government officials have faced, and are still facing, about cigarette smoking over past years, one has to wonder what new problems may be faced if pot is allowed to be used more freely as a result of current laws being relaxed. L.C. MacNeill, Charlottetown [end]
The Province's Chief Medical Officer Is Among Those Advocating A Needle Exchange Program For P.E.I. To Stop The Spread Of Diseases Recovering drug addict Daniel Nowogorski says the number - and diversity - of IV users in the province should serve as a sharp stab in the gut to the many Islanders oblivious to the alarming problem. "See, a lot of people have to understand that it's not just a typical picture of a junkie," he said. "It's not this homeless guy standing on a street corner or shooting it in alleyways. It's professionals, it's mothers, it's fathers, it's brothers, it's sisters - and people we talk to every day of the week." [continues 1488 words]
The Province's Chief Medical Officer Is Among Those Advocating A Needle Exchange Program For P.E.I. To Stop The Spread Of Diseases Recovering drug addict Daniel Nowogorski says the number - and diversity - of IV users in the province should serve as a sharp stab in the gut to the many Islanders oblivious to the alarming problem. "See, a lot of people have to understand that it's not just a typical picture of a junkie," he said. "It's not this homeless guy standing on a street corner or shooting it in alleyways. It's professionals, it's mothers, it's fathers, it's brothers, it's sisters - and people we talk to every day of the week." [continues 1484 words]
Alcohol remains by far the most widely used drug by students with cannabis now second The number of tobacco smokers in P.E.I. schools is going down while those using cannabis is climbing, making pot the number two drug after alcohol, according to a recent survey released on Tuesday. Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Van Til unveiled results of a study led by Dalhousie University that looked at drug use among students in P.E.I., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. What she found is that the years of anti-tobacco campaigns and smoking restrictions seem to be paying off in terms of non-smoking youth. [continues 738 words]
The senators who have favoured more relaxed marijuana laws may have blown their chances of arguing for them Lead Editorial charlottetown Canada's senators have certainly pushed the debate about marijuana laws into the spotlight. The question is whether their call for outright legalization pushes the issue so far that more modest progress on drug laws will be impossible. This week a committee chaired by Senator Pierre Claude Nolin brought in a 600-page report that compared marijuana use to alcohol consumption and proposed that marijuana be treated like alcohol ? as a controlled but legal substance. [continues 315 words]
Editor: I am writing to express my support for the Senate's recommendation to legalize the use and possession of marijuana. For far too long, thousands of good and otherwise law-abiding citizens have been persecuted (and prosecuted) for their use of a substance no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. It is ridiculous, given the scientific evidence that supports a rethinking of our attitudes towards pot, that someone can still be sent to jail and saddled with a permanent criminal record for recreational cannabis use. [continues 233 words]
More that 600 school children are expected to take part in the RCMP Racing Against Drugs program when it visits West Prince later this month. West Prince RCMP Const Carlo Bernard said Tignish Elementary School will host the event this year, with students from Alberton, Bloomfield, O'Leary and St Louis Elementary schools bussed in to the event. Racing Against Drugs 'RAD,' is a drug and alcohol awareness program developed in partnership by the RCMP and various other organizations. Designed to provide police officers, education and addiction counsellors with an exciting alternative teaching aid, RAD has become a popular program across the country. [continues 153 words]
Editor: Re: Mark Murphy's letter of May 27, which said that to bring drug use under control, the answer is to empower police to: search any vehicle, person, place or thing (residence) likely to control drugs; wiretaps and technical surveillance, "automatic" investigations of new suspects, and mandatory 20-year sentences for traffickers and 'conspirators'. Whew. If such actions are taken, we'll have to quadruple the number of prisons in Canada, at least, throw out the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and taxes would rise through the roof, at $60,000 a year per inmate. [continues 165 words]
The Sherwood elementary school students spilling into the Charlottetown Police Department are excited about their behind-locked-doors tour of this city facility, to say the least. "Good morning! What day is it?" asks their tour guide, Const. Gary Clow, who is community policing co-ordinator for the city. "It's D.A.R.E. day!" the Grade 6 class heartily announces before they get started on their second-last session of the 17-week D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, which Clow has instructed. [continues 760 words]
Editor: As Canadian troops fight terrorism in Afghanistan, we should declare a second war but within our own borders, on drugs. After a three-year study, the solicitor general announced that drugs and alcohol contribute to crime in this country. Was that a surprise to anyone? As a former police officer, it's fair to say we knew that 35 years ago. The question that begs to be answered is what is the solicitor general and Parliament willing to do about it? [continues 287 words]
Editor: Re: 'Ottawa gets data to tackle addiction issue' (The Guardian, May 6, 2002). Lord save us from the relentless ignorance of the press. The editorial states "Given the latest federal government information confirming the link between addiction and crime, it's obvious where Ottawa should be putting more resources - into stronger efforts at combatting drug and alcohol dependency." Well no. We should legalize drugs. Nearly all the harm done to users and non-users alike by illegal drugs is because the drugs are prohibited. Thousands were poisoned by adulterated booze during Prohibition. Thousands more are dying today because of adulterated drugs, an aspect of government policy my wife became well acquainted with when our 19-year-old son, Peter, died shortly after ingesting some street heroin in 1993. [continues 175 words]
Editor: I hope Canadian taxpayers didn't spend too much on the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse study mentioned in your May 1st article. That alcohol is the drug most often associated with violent behaviour is well established. The United States tried prohibiting alcohol once, with disastrous results. Organized crime flourished and kids had easier access to alcohol than ever once mobsters took over the distribution. The lessons learned and their relevance to the drug war are unfortunately lost on today's policymakers. Forcibly limiting the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increases the profitability of drug trafficking. In terms of addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 137 words]
Given the latest federal government information confirming the link between addiction and crime, it's obvious where Ottawa should be putting more resources - into stronger efforts at combatting drug and alcohol dependency. Many experts in the field of criminology and social work have noted the high rate of addiction in our jails, but a new study by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse in Montague reinforces this opinion. It says almost half the crimes of those in our federal jails are directly linked to drug and alcohol use. Researchers discovered that more than half of federal inmates reported being intoxicated at the time they committed their offences and in 23 per cent of cases, the crime was committed to get drugs or alcohol. [continues 219 words]
New Study Suggests Intoxicants Contribute To Nearly Half Of Crimes By People In Federal Jails Drug and alcohol use are a direct cause of almost half the crimes that put people in the federal justice system, according to a study released in Charlottetown Tuesday. Studies of inmate populations have long found a high number of the people in federal institutions reporting addiction problems, but the recent study from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse goes a step further and suggests that intoxicants are a contributing cause to between 40 and 50 per cent of crimes. [continues 528 words]
Islanders Committed To Reducing The Supply And Demand For Drugs On P.E.I. Are Urging Better Treatment, More Education And Increased Resources To Help Combat The Complex Problem From duped doctors to dope pushers, Prince Edward Island's drug problem is far reaching. Several Islanders ? some paid to work at reducing the supply of drugs and others employed to help those damaged by drug use ? have offered their insight into the province's complex drug scene. Collectively, they painted a bleak picture but also offered suggestions to get at the problem. [continues 1637 words]
Editor: Our pot laws stink. Any drug has the potential for abuse, be it caffeine, nicotine, marijuana or even sugar. People consume these things to enhance their lives or confront their own demons in way of their choosing. My God, look at alcohol. I live on Kent Street in the bar district and for 10 years have witnessed mayhem on the street at times almost nightly. Fighting, threats and abusive language are common and intense. A young man was even killed outside my front window in some bar-related incident last year. I don't think you'd find the same scene outside of a cannabis cafe. Cannabis has many God-given attributes, and people shouldn't have to run to their doctors to find their own medicine of choice or hide from the law in fear. Our pot laws stink! Paul Myer, Charlottetown [end]
Inside Prince Edward Island
