A Brock University professor says Canada's provincial governments should consider distributing marijuana through public liquor stores as a way to change people's perspective on the drug following the federal Liberals' 2015 election promise to legalize it. Dan Malleck, an associate professor of health sciences, is among the panellists scheduled to speak at a symposium on marijuana legalization at the University of Saskatchewan this week. Malleck, who has studied the history of liquor control and drug prohibition, said provincial governments sold alcohol in the past not to perpetuate prohibition principles, but rather to normalize alcohol use for the public. [continues 418 words]
Lane Britnell says the Saskatoon police ruined $2,000 worth of his legally obtained marijuana extracts following a raid of they city's only medical marijuana dispensary. The former employee of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club says when police returned cannabis extracts that were seized from his home during raids last October, he found that most of the cannabis products were ruined. "I would say 80 per cent of it was destroyed or rendered unusable," Britnell said. His lawyer successfully applied to have a judge order police to return the cannabis seized from his home during the Oct. 29 raids, he said. [continues 330 words]
Employers may ask for drug tests Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has promised to legalize recreational marijuana use, but anyone thinking about sparking a joint before starting a new job could be in for a rude surprise, according to one legal expert. "In the grand scheme of things, I don't think this is really going to change the landscape that much in terms of the law in the workplace," said Keir Vallance, who practised labour and employment law before joining the University of Saskatchewan's College of Law. [continues 327 words]
Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has promised to legalize recreational marijuana use, but anyone thinking about sparking a joint before starting a new job could be in for a rude surprise, according to one legal expert. "In the grand scheme of things, I don't think this is really going to change the landscape that much in terms of the law in the workplace," said Keir Vallance, who practised labour and employment law before joining the University of Saskatchewan's College of Law. [continues 329 words]
Saskatoon's police chief says the Liberal government needs to clarify Canada's marijuana laws to combat serious misunderstandings about the legality of the drug. "The police aren't anti-marijuana," Chief Clive Weighill said. "But we are in a situation right now that is a very grey zone." Weighill said despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's election promise that pot will be legalized for personal use, smoking, growing and selling weed in Canada is still against the law. Weighill, who is also president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said the government needs to offer clarity to people - especially those who believe that because of the election promise, the drug is already legal. [continues 421 words]
Medical Marijuana Store Owner Says Users Suffer Without Access to Weed Pleas from the owner of Saskatoon's now-shuttered medical marijuana dispensary that he be allowed to operate in the grey area of the law fell on deaf ears at a council committee meeting. Mark Hauk, founder of the Saskatoon Compassion Club, closed the dispensary's doors after he was charged last fall with trafficking, production and possessing the proceeds of crime. He told council's planning committee on Monday that the closure means many people who relied on medical marijuana are now suffering. He asked that his business be allowed to operate despite the fact that it is presently considered illegal under federal law. [continues 355 words]
I wrote last week a column about marijuana that contained bad information. I had heard complaints from three different people that they could not find a doctor in Saskatoon to prescribe medical marijuana. I have since learned that maybe they weren't seeing the right doctors. Some doctors still will not write prescriptions for the once-forbidden herb, but plenty of others have come around. Saskatoon-based supplier CanniMed alone has filled prescriptions written by 290 Saskatchewan doctors, 136 of them in Saskatoon, at last count. This would not include doctors whose prescriptions are filled by other licensed suppliers, of which there are more than 20. So, medical marijuana is far from impossible to get here, as I incorrectly reported. [continues 606 words]
Re: Why is marijuana legal in Vancouver and not Saskatoon (Feb. 4). CanniMed has 290 prescribing physicians in Saskatchewan with 136 physicians in Saskatoon alone, who have authorized patients to access medical marijuana through the legal Health Canada sanctioned Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations system. More are becoming familiar with the value of cannabis as a medicine every day. General practitioners, family medicine specialists, oncologists, rheumatologists and hundreds of other doctors should be seen as the gateway to this valuable medicine. None of them prescribe medical advice through a Skype format. There is enough confusion within the medical marijuana program in Canada without columnists like Les MacPherson failing to do their research. Brent Zettl, president & CEO, CanniMed Ltd. [end]
Solicitor says storefront operations not permitted to dispense marijuana The owner of a Saskatoon marijuana dispensary has shuttered his storefront due to the financial burden associated with drug trafficking charges levelled against him, but he says he plans to continue helping people get medical marijuana licences through a newly founded organization. "All things put together, unfortunately we had to move from that spot," said Mark Hauk, owner of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club. Hauk closed the dispensary, which was located in the 200 block of Second Avenue North in Saskatoon, on Feb. 1. [continues 382 words]
Seamus John Neary, the ex-Huskie footballer caught with 9.5 kilograms of marijuana, intends to argue the sentencing rules for marijuana trafficking aren't constitutional. Neary was convicted in November of trafficking marijuana and possessing the proceeds of crime. On Friday in Saskatoon Court of Queen's Bench, his sentencing hearing was adjourned to May 31, when constitutional arguments will be heard. Under the law, trafficking-related charges where the amount of marijuana is more than three kilograms are not eligible for community-based jail sentences, or conditional sentence orders. [continues 93 words]
Canada is a country, right? Canadian law is supposed to apply equally, everywhere, to all of us, right? So why is marijuana openly for sale by retailers all over Vancouver and Victoria, while elsewhere in the country, people still are getting busted for a lousy joint? That's more like two different countries than one country. In Vancouver and Victoria, the retail business operates under the rubric of medical marijuana. Hardly anyone takes this medical aspect seriously. To buy a sack of weed, you need only present a prescription or facsimile thereof. It doesn't even have to be a prescription for medical marijuana. Show a prescription for anything - - an antibiotic for a sinus infection, an anti-inflammatory for a sprained ankle, ointment for a rash ... anything - and they will sell you a sack of weed. You can show them an old prescription pill bottle or even a picture on your iPhone of an old pill bottle and they will sell you a sack of weed. [continues 535 words]
Saskatoon's drug trade helped boost property crimes in 2015, according to city police. Acting police chief Bernie Pannell said Tuesday that increases in crimes like break-and-enters, thefts over $5,000 and possession of stolen property in 2015 compared to 2014 can be linked to the drug trade. It's part of an ongoing trend of several years, Pannell added in an interview. "There's an awful lot of opportunistic theft that is occurring and we believe it's connected to our drug trade," Pannell said. "We're seeing it increasing." [continues 428 words]
Distribution of kits encouraged to help deal with opioid overdoses The College of Physicians and Surgeons council has given its blessing for doctors to prescribe naloxone to people other than the drug users who need it. "This could be parents; it could be other family members; it could be associates; it could be shelters or police detention," said addictions specialist Peter Butt. He's overseeing a pilot project to distribute naloxone kits and had asked the college for its support. "It's not unregulated in any way, but rather is part of an integrated approach to preventing opioid overdose deaths." [continues 168 words]
An addictions specialist wants Saskatchewan doctors to be able to prescribe naloxone to family and agencies close to the patients who need the life-saving drug. "In order to be in-line with the evidence and actually to be more effective in terms of treating opioid overdoses and preventing overdose deaths, we would like to be able to prescribe it to people associated with users in a more evidence-based and practical approach," Dr. Peter Butt said. He has asked the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan to support the idea, which the college will consider at its Friday meeting. This would allow doctors, and perhaps nurse practitioners, to prescribe with a clear conscience, Butt said. [continues 339 words]
Marijuana has been in the news ever since the Liberal government made promises to make "real changes" towards legalization of the controversial drug. Stated on the Liberal website, the official party position is that "Canada's current system of marijuana prohibition does not work." While recreational use of marijuana is still strictly prohibited, doctors have prescribed medical marijuana for some time. Recently, and contrary to federal law, medical marijuana dispensaries have been popping up across the country. This past summer, Vancouver was the first city in Canada to regulate medical dispensaries in the city, despite being technically illegal and drawing criticism from former health minister and interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. [continues 917 words]
SPECIAL REPORT: This is Part I of a three-part series that will delve into one local man's usage of medical marijuana after he sustained serious injuries. It hasn't been an easy road for the husband and father of two over the past couple of years. He has battled a stigma, lost his job and had been popping all kinds of pills until he found medical marijuana. A Moose Jaw man is frustrated with what he claims is an outdated stigma against the medicine he uses - marijuana. [continues 725 words]
This is Part II of a three-part series that will delve into one local man's usage of medical marijuana after he sustained serious injuries. Part I, which was printed in the Jan. 18 edition of the Times-Herald, outlined the plethora of prescription drugs Chris Kuntz was taking before he tried medical marijuana. He has battled stigma and lost his job over the past couple of years, but claimed marijuana has him feeling as close to full health as he has in the past several months. [continues 744 words]
Re: Addiction myths debunked, Opinion, Dec. 29 While Michael Pond supports using one substance to get off another to escape alcoholism or drug addiction, it's worth mentioning how cannabis (marijuana) has historically been used to help people. The plant is not physically addictive, hasn't killed anyone in over 5,000 years of documented use and should be available to citizens trying to get off hard drug addiction and alcoholism. Further, re-legalizing the plant in itself will lower hard drug addiction rates to begin with. Dillon, Colorado [end]
Liberals Clamp Down on Cigarettes but Make It Easier to Smoke Pot Where there's smoke - there's a strange disconnect in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's thinking. Trudeau wants Health Minister Jane Philpott to make it one of her priorities to crack down even further on tobacco companies by mandating plain packaging for cigarettes, hoping to make smoking even less of an enticement for Canadians. Trudeau wants to legalize marijuana, which will make smoking it more of an enticement to those Canadians who may have been previously deterred by its illegal status. [continues 585 words]
The sudden death of Shauna Wolf on Dec. 27 while she was being held on remand at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre raises some troubling questions, starting with the fact that provincial policy still doesn't require justice officials to publicly disclose every such death as soon as practicable. Surely, there's nothing a government in a democratic society does on our behalf that's more serious or sensitive than to deprive people of their freedom. Whenever someone who is taken into custody then dies while in lock-up, the death should become public information as soon as the person's family is notified. [continues 351 words]
The Crown has dropped multiple charges against four Saskatoon residents who were arrested after a high-profile medical marijuana dispensary bust. On Wednesday in Saskatoon provincial court, all charges relating to marijuana derivatives, such as oils, were withdrawn against Mark Phillip Hauk, Lane Anthony Britnell, Jaime Michelle Hagel and Carson Jocelyn Ramsay. Hauk, the owner of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club dispensary, and the three employees were arrested Oct. 29 after Saskatoon police raided the small shop in the 200 block of Second Avenue North. They are out on bail and still face four criminal charges relating to trafficking dried marijuana and possession of the proceeds of crime. [continues 353 words]
The sudden death of Shauna Wolf on Dec. 27 while she was being held on remand at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre raises some troubling questions, starting with the fact that provincial policy still doesn't require justice officials to publicly disclose every such death as soon as practicable. Surely, there's nothing a government in a democratic society does on our behalf that's more serious or sensitive than to deprive people of their freedom. Whenever someone who is taken into custody then dies while in lock-up, the death should become public information as soon as the person's family is notified. [continues 352 words]
Stickers bearing Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison's name and the City of Saskatoon logo are being actively removed from surfaces throughout the city's downtown. Richard Brown, Atchison's spokesman, said there is no connection between the mayor's office and the stickers, which read: "Don Atchison for a drug and gay free Saskatoon," and appear with the green City of Saskatoon logo. Brown would not comment further on the stickers. According to a statement issued by the city, the stickers were first noticed in mid-December and have appeared in the downtown area and on parking pay stations on several occasions. [continues 197 words]
Marijuana users seem to be getting restless for the new legal regime promised by the Liberal party during the federal election. A restless urge to strike down the old prohibitions has been noticeable across Canada. There wasn't a whiff of news about when the air might clear, however, until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Vancouver recently, the most pot friendly city in Canada. Mr. Trudeau confirmed he is still committed to legalization, but it won't come soon, so don't light that joint in public just yet. [continues 515 words]
As 2015 draws to a close, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix sat down with police Chief Clive Weighill to talk about everything from the controversies around carding to the possibility of legalized marijuana. Q What was the overall crime picture like in Saskatoon in 2015? A We had a very tough time in March and April. We had about 16 or 17 shootings and a few homicides. The city was really heating up, but things seem to have calmed down and plateaued now. Our guns and gangs unit really made a big difference, I think, doing a lot interventions with the gangs and stopping a lot of the violence as a result. [continues 796 words]
Despite suggestions from two Canadian premiers that legalized weed be sold in provincial liquor stores, Saskatchewan's premier has more pressing concerns than point-of-sale mechanics. "I think there are still questions to ask before we start worrying about where it's sold," Brad Wall told reporters on Monday. Although reports from jurisdictions such as Colorado where recreational marijuana use is legal are "very preliminary," it appears that usage is increasing and users are becoming younger, Wall said. "Our counsel would be, let' s learn as much as we can," he said. "Let's take some time and learn as much as we can from what's going on in Colorado." [continues 292 words]
Touted As Life-Saving Tool, Naxalone May Soon Be Available in Drugstores In principle, I am in favour of increased access, but the devils are in the details. A Saskatoon addictions expert says he is cautiously optimistic after news that a lifesaving anti-overdose drug could be available in Canadian pharmacies without a prescription by early to mid-2016. "In principle, I am in favour of increased access, but the devils are in the details," Dr. Peter Butt said. Naloxone is an "anti-overdose" drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose from drugs like morphine, fentanyl, heroin or methadone. [continues 337 words]
Recreational, medical use raise questions, writes Lucas Richert. The future of medical and recreational marijuana in Canada remains blurry. What is clear is that we're in the midst of a pot predicament, and health authorities, law enforcement officials and politicians, as well as citizens in Saskatchewan and elsewhere, have a lot to contemplate. Public sentiment seems to favour decriminalization or even legalization of marijuana for recreational use. One poll established that two-thirds of Canadians favour altering the law so that people are not given criminal records for minor, non-violent offences, whereas in a recent Leger poll, not only do 86 per cent of Canadians support regulated access to medical cannabis with physician support, but 76 per cent believe that health insurance companies should cover the cost. [continues 560 words]
Potentially life-saving kits that can halt a drug overdose are available in Saskatoon through a new pilot project. Satchels containing two doses of the drug naloxone are available at Mayfair Drugs to people who use opiates such as fentanyl, morphine, heroin, methadone and oxycodone, the Saskatoon Health Region announced Friday. "It's one of those programs you hope you never have to use," said Brenda McAllister, the region's methadone program manager. Close friends and family of people with addictions and people who work in community-based organizations may also qualify for the kits, addictions specialist Dr. Peter Butt said. People suffering an overdose can't inject themselves. [continues 441 words]
Fourth-Year Nursing Students Engage Council on Transit and Needles Discussion Outlining the health concerns related to public transit and the city's needle exchange, fourth-year nursing students engaged city council in debate. Two groups of University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing students spoke at Monday's city council meeting, during which the subject of the city's Straight to the Point Harm Reduction" program sparked the usual council reaction. "I get the brunt of the calls about needles," Mayor Greg Dionne said after the students' presentation. [continues 337 words]
Supporters say police raids on medical marijuana shops stink I don't usually spend my afternoons in marijuana dispensaries but after a recent police raid I went to the Saskatchewan Compassion Club to find out why Kevlar-vested officers stormed through their doors. During the federal election the Liberal Party promised to revisit Canada's marijuana laws and now with a majority government it seems all but inevitable. But that didn't stop around 10 police officers from crashing into the downtown Saskatoon Compassion Club on Oct. 29, leading owner Mark Hauk out in handcuffs. [continues 1070 words]
Drinking a coffee in the Starbucks on College Drive you would not peg Sabra LeTourneau as a user of a deadly and toxic drug. Wearing glasses, a hat and a pair of burgundy pants, the Saskatoon woman has been struggling with addiction for roughly 10 years and for the last five she's been dealing with an addiction to opiates. Her drug of choice: fentanyl. "If you're seeking to just numb-out and put your problems off for another day - yeah, this was my drug of choice," she said. "This was the drug that took me down the furthest, the hardest and the quickest." [continues 718 words]
The head of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club says the shutting down of his operation has driven sick people to look for marijuana wherever they can find it. "People who have never gone to the streets to buy cannabis before are doing that," Mark Hauk said Saturday at a rally in front of Saskatoon Police Service headquarters in support of the club. "I've had some unbelievable conversations where people have asked me what streets they should drive around." The club, which sold cannabis and marijuana derivatives to people with medical marijuana prescriptions, was raided by police on Oct. 29. Officers seized all the club's products and arrested Hauk and three of his employees. All four are facing charges related to drug trafficking. [continues 266 words]
The before and after pictures in your article Champ charged in pot raid (SP, Nov. 3) tell the story, at least for people with eyes to see. Given conventional medicine's treatment of his Crohn's disease, Lane Britnell was clearly in trouble. After he discovered marijuana as a medicine, however, he was visibly much better - and no longer needing at least some of his approved and certified doctor prescribed medications. Can you imagine how wonderful he must feel? How could he do otherwise than to tell others about his experience? How could he do other than work in a compassion club, helping others like him? [continues 147 words]
SASKATOON - Users of fentanyl and other powerful opiates in Saskatoon will soon have access to anti-overdose kits that could prevent fatal overdoses. Naloxone is a so-called "anti-overdose" drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose from drugs like morphine, fentanyl, heroin or methadone. Marie Agioritis's son Kelly died of a fentanyl overdose in January. While there are no guarantees, she says the kits could have prevented some of the overdose tragedies this city has seen in recent years. [continues 367 words]
Protesters upset over last week's raid of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club have set their sights on Saskatoon's mayor. The group gathered outside city hall Wednesday, many of them holding signs that read "Don Atchison makes me sick." "It's discrimination in every sense of the word," said Kelly Anderson, a compassion club member who is legally prescribed marijuana. Anderson and others say Saskatoon's mayor is out of touch with the rest of the country. Cities in B.C., for example, have issued business licences to marijuana dispensaries that, like the Saskatchewan Compassion Club, operate outside the medical marijuana regulations set up by Health Canada. [continues 268 words]
It was the first time in his life Brad Christianson truly feared going to jail. He was 23 years old on the cold January morning when he walked into court, knowing his fate was sealed. By that time in his young life, Christianson was no stranger to incarceration. He was first locked up when he was 12, after pulling a pocket knife on an older kid. This time around, he was truly frightened. This time, he wouldn't have the protection of his gang to see him through the hard days ahead. [continues 945 words]
The explanation by Saskatoon police of why they had no choice but to raid the Compassion Club is detailed to the point of overstatement and even speculation about imaginary crimes other people might commit. So it's odd they left out one thing: why they never warned or spoke with the accused despite numerous requests to talk. Sure there is the law and there was a written warning from Health Canada that police seem to want to hide behind, but the claim that they have no discretion or responsibility in this case is nonsense. [continues 165 words]
Naloxone Can Reverse Drug Effects Users of fentanyl and other powerful opiates in Saskatoon will soon have access to anti-overdose kits that could prevent fatal overdoses. Naloxone is a so-called "anti-overdose" drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose from drugs like morphine, fentanyl, heroin or methadone. Marie Agioritis's son Kelly died of a fentanyl overdose in January. While there are no guarantees, she says the kits could have prevented some of the overdose tragedies this city has seen in recent years. [continues 368 words]
Need Licence to Sell Pot, Police Stress Side-effects from Saskatoon's Compassion Club drug bust and arrests may include paranoia for Regina medical marijuana users. The non-profit Saskatoon-based dispensary was not licensed by Health Canada, which led to the arrest of its owners, seizure of their stock, and charges of possession and trafficking. "Face it, you're putting people's health at risk here (who) really depend on this cannabis as a medicine. This whole thing's gone way beyond just smoking weed," said Darin Wheatley. [continues 446 words]
A national champion pole vaulter and former Huskies star living with Crohn's disease was one of the four people arrested during a raid on Saskatoon's only medical marijuana dispensary. Friends and loved ones say Lane Britnell benefited greatly from his prescribed medical marijuana and that he does not deserve to go to jail. "It's done amazing things for him," said Lauren Taylor, a close friend. Britnell was an elite university athlete, but even as he was winning his second consecutive national gold medal at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport track and field championships in 2012, the autoimmune disorder was beginning to take its toll. [continues 396 words]
My ex-wife recently passed away from liver cancer, and the pain of her final weeks was eased with medical marijuana. Thus I was pleased to read of Justin Trudeau's plan to legalize marijuana use. With the recent police raid on Saskatoon's only medical marijuana store, not so much. The officer whom I saw interviewed on TV with his straight-faced, "They were selling drugs," rationale made me wonder at the police's motivation. Certainly, busting a retail store and arresting the sales staff is far safer than the fictional drug raids we see on TV shows, but is there no real crime in Saskatoon anymore? Are all their speed traps broken? Fred Hill Saskatoon [end]
REGINA - Side-effects from Saskatoon's Compassion Club drug bust and arrests may include paranoia for Regina medical marijuana users. The non-profit Saskatoon-based dispensary was not licensed by Health Canada, which led to the arrest of its owner, seizure of the stock, and charges of possession and trafficking for the owner and staff. "Face it, you're putting people's health at risk here (who) really depend on this cannabis as a medicine. This whole thing's gone way beyond just smoking weed," said Darin Wheatley. [continues 404 words]
Chief Clive Weighill's argument that his police service had no option but to crack down on a storefront medical marijuana dispensary has found a ready audience among Saskatoon's law-and-order advocates, while store owner Mark Hauk's supporters argue that he was filling a huge void left by Canada's inadequate pot law. While both sides in the debate that has divided Saskatoon over last week's police raid on the dispensary after a month-long investigation provide some justifiable arguments, it's difficult not to wish a pox on both houses in the context of pending legislative changes that could render the entire issue irrelevant. [continues 410 words]
The recent police raid on the Saskatchewan Compassion Club set off a war of words between the club's operator and police. The case against the dispensary's owner and the club's employees is still before the courts, but on Tuesday Saskatoon police issued a news release in "an attempt to clarify public statements" made by the medical marijuana dispensary owner. The police maintain that Mark Hauk and three others were dealing drugs when they sold marijuana to patients at the unregulated storefront dispensary. [continues 445 words]
Rob Williams was devastated when he learned Saskatoon police raided the Saskatchewan Compassion Club. Williams suffers constant pain from Crohn's Disease and nerve damage stemming from a broken back. After negative experiences with prescription narcotics, he turned to edible marijuana, which he said is remarkably effective. Now, with the city's lone medical marijuana dispensary having been shut down, Williams faces a difficult decision. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess I need to make another doctor's appointment, get my hydromorphone back up and start scratching again," he said. [continues 418 words]
SASKATOON - Police say the people operating Saskatoon's only medical pot dispensary are criminals. "They are drug traffickers," said Saskatoon police Insp. Dave Haye. Police shut down the Saskatoon Compassion Club on Thursday, arresting four people associated with the club. The dispensary had been providing marijuana to people with medical licences since August. Although police maintain the club was acting illegally and selling the drug outside of Health Canada's regulations on medical marijuana, clients who frequented to storefront dispensary were devastated by the news. [continues 606 words]
Four charged with trafficking at store Police say the people operating Saskatoon's only medical pot dispensary are criminals. "They are drug traffickers," said Saskatoon Police Insp. Dave Haye. Police shut down the Saskatoon Compassion Club on Thursday, arresting four people associated with the club. The dispensary had been providing marijuana to people with medical licenses since August. While police maintain the club was acting illegally and selling the drug outside of Health Canada's regulations on medical marijuana, clients who frequented the storefront dispensary were devastated by the news. [continues 599 words]
SASKATOON - With a Liberal government headed to Ottawa, advocates of legalizing marijuana are optimistic it will soon be legal for anyone to fire up a joint in Canada. "I think it really signals a change across Canada," said Ken Sailor, a longtime marijuana advocate in Saskatoon. Justin Trudeau, the country's new Prime Minister-designate, has not yet outlined a specific plan for the legalization of the popular recreational drug, but he ran on a campaign promising to legalize it. The fact that a pledge to legalize weed didn't sink Trudeau's campaign means Canadians are ready for more fair drug laws, Sailor said. [continues 516 words]
Inside Saskatchewan
