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]
Inside Saskatchewan
