Re: "How stoned is too stoned?" (NP Montreal, May 18) An Australian government study of impairment of pilots concluded that "residual effects of cannabis can persist for up to 24 hours. These effects include persisting difficulty with psychomotor tasks and interference with cognitive function." The Trudeau government seems intent on increasing access to marijuana, but a government that is pledged to implement evidence-based policy should recognize that allowing for more people to drive impaired without police being able to easily measure their degree of impairment runs contrary to public safety. Sorry for the buzzkill, but are you really okay with the driver you encounter at the next intersection being not sober enough to pilot a plane but intoxicated enough to risk the lives of your family and fellow motorists? Michael Wiener, Dollard-des-Ormeaux [end]
Last week, on April 20 no less, the federal government announced that legislation legalizing and regulating the recreational use of marijuana will be ready next spring. It's been a long time coming. The history of marijuana prohibition is a long and complicated one, but its origins can be summarized as a part of a widespread movement of white middle class progressives who believed in the benefits of social engineering based on ethnic, class, and Victorian moral grounds. It was a movement designed to 'uplift' society and advocated for things like women's suffrage, improved working conditions, and public health and education reform. Sadly, they also supported things like eugenics, and forced sterilization, and residential schools. [continues 969 words]
Projet Montreal Candidate Appeals for Calm As Demonstrations Planned Why Jean-Pierre Bony was in a Montreal North apartment that was raided by police last week, or what exactly his role in the alleged drug ring bust was, isn't what matters most, said Projet Montreal borough mayor candidate Kerlande Mibel on Tuesday. What matters, Mibel said, is knowing why the 46-year-old was reportedly shot in the head with a rubber bullet while he was trying to run away. [continues 556 words]
Gonzo Nieto and the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy Aim to Change Global Drug Policy "I experienced my own death," said Gonzo Nieto. It was the summer before he was leaving for university. Taking his parents car and picking up a few friends, they went to the local head shop and bought a bong, a torch flame lighter and a bag of Salvia. Salvia Divinorum, is a plant that when smoked leaves a person in a haze of hallucinations. It's often the choice for people experimenting because until recently, it was been legal to buy from head shops. [continues 857 words]
Racism and Ignorance Are Behind Illicit Drug Prohibition The federal Liberal government's campaign pledge to legalize marijuana has come under scrutiny as the long-standing debate over drug prohibition continues. The focus of this debate is often on avoiding usage among youth, or on the health and social effects of cannabis. What is often overlooked is the racist roots of laws that prohibit the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs, which continue to disproportionately target poor people of colour both in Canada and the U.S.. [continues 926 words]
Cannabis can be used to treat more than 40 different medical conditions Montreal's first medical cannabis clinic, which opened in 2014 at its location on Amherst Street, provides a clean, modern environment where patients can get prescriptions and support in moving away from pharmaceutical drugs. Two glass cases stand in the window, showing off a variety of vaporizers of all shapes and sizes. Medical marijuana is expected to impact the future of health and affect pharmaceutical companies. Sante Cannabis does not directly distribute cannabis to patients, but has nine part-time physicians to assess patients on their eligibility to receive a medical marijuana prescription. [continues 863 words]
Dear Editors of The Link, Gonzo Nieto got an arrow-splitting bullseye ("Rules To Roll By" volume 36, issue 19), discussing the future rules regarding cannabis. Actually, it amounts to simply changing the rules from regulations stemming from the black market to government regulations because either way cannabis is cultivated, sold and being used by responsible adults across North America, like it has been for decades. The level of contempt citizens have for cannabis prohibition demands the end of the farce. At the very minimum, until government creates their regulations, they should put a moratorium on caging responsible adults who choose to use the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant. Truthfully, Stan White, Dillon, Colorado [end]
Focuses on addiction and economic impacts On Jan. 27, students discussed cannabis legalization at an open forum held at the Yellow Door, led by the McGill chapter of the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP). Their goal as an organization, according to their website, is to discuss the negative impacts of drug policies on individuals and communities. The forum began with a video showing an interview with two professors from McGill University, Dr. Mark Ware, a director of clinical research at McGill University Health Centre and Dr. Ken Lester, a professor of Finance in the Desautels Faculty of Management. Ware started the video by disproving the widely held assumption that the effects of cannabis are worse than tobacco. [continues 543 words]
A Speculative Look at a Canadian Cannabis Policy With a federal government elected on a platform of legalizing cannabis, Canada stands to set an example on the international stage by being the first G7 country to fully regulate the production, sale and possession of a plant that has been at the heart of so much controversy-frankly, it's about time. That a government could get elected with this mandate is cause for hope and cautious celebration, but many questions remain open, and the way our policymakers navigate them will determine whether we set an example for other countries to follow, or if we botch the whole thing. [continues 575 words]
Justin Trudeau should be setting the right tone for young Canadians, Kevin Richard says. A little over a decade ago a wandering federal government stuck its finger to the wind to see what would carry them back to power in the next election. It openly dithered with the idea of decriminalizing marijuana only to make a half-hearted attempt that was doomed to fail. As a result of this irresponsible attempt to gain popular favour, police officers commonly encountered confused young people who believed that decriminalization was all but a done deal. Unfortunately, many of them now have criminal records. [continues 562 words]
Since being voted into power in the spring of 2014, the Quebec Liberal government has been zealously deploying polarizing "austerity" measures, chopping services to the public in a tunnel-visioned pursuit of its political Holy Grail: a balanced budget. Significant cutbacks to health and education in particular, and the detrimental impact they have had on both the Quebecers who use these services and those who deliver them, have quickly become a consequential part of the public discourse in the province, with few of us remaining unaffected, directly or indirectly, by this new regime. [continues 679 words]
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau, A little over a decade ago a wandering federal government stuck its finger to the wind to see what would carry them back to power in the next election. It openly dithered with the idea of decriminalizing marijuana only to make a halfhearted attempt that was doomed to fail. As a result of this irresponsible attempt to gain popular favour, police officers commonly encountered confused young people who believed that decriminalization was all but a done deal. Unfortunately, many of them now have criminal records. Considering, therefore, the still-present legal implications of its use, and considering the ever-present health implications of its abuse, I ask, sir, that your government tread carefully so as not to make light of what is a serious issue. [continues 511 words]
Inside Quebec
