Politicians here haven't said anything blatantly insane, uninformed or stupid. That's a win As Canada hurtles towards the legalization of marijuana next year, the provinces and territories have begun outlining their regulations for the drug. So far, the regimes we know about have been a decidedly mixed bag. Ontario and Quebec have gone full narc. Quebec is flat-out banning home-grown plants - even though federal rules allow for four per person. Ontario is planning absurdly harsh punishments for any lingering grey-market dispensaries that might compete with its government retail monopoly, which will only see 40 stores to start. [continues 946 words]
A significant majority of Yukoners are behind the federal government's plan to legalize marijuana for recreational use A significant majority of Yukoners are behind the federal government's plan to legalize marijuana for recreational use and believe it's acceptable to occasionally use the drug for exactly that reason. Those findings are in the results from the Yukon government's most successful survey ever in terms of participation numbers. Nearly 3,200 responses to the introductory section of a YG public engagement survey on cannabis legalization were filed. [continues 686 words]
Territorial government still deciding between private, public, hybrid models, Silver says The Yukon's premier says he is confident the territory will have at least one brick-and-mortar shop selling cannabis when the drug becomes legal across Canada in July. "There will be, in the Yukon, your ability to at least go into the liquor store here in Whitehorse - at the bare minimum," Silver said Oct. 4 after returning from the first ministers' meeting in Ottawa. "We believe as we move forward we will have some kind of distribution ready to go at that time." [continues 774 words]
Territory will likely have 'phased-in approach' to new weed laws The territorial government wants to know what the public is looking for in upcoming marijuana legislation. In an online survey, open until Sept. 30, the government is asking Yukoners to answer questions about where cannabis could be consumed in public, how it will be sold, the legal age for consumption, and whether any changes need to happen to the territory's occupational health and safety or driving laws. It's all being done in anticipation of the federal legalization of recreational cannabis on July 1, 2018. [continues 535 words]
The Yukon government plans to have its own cannabis legislation in place when marijuana becomes legal across Canada in July 2018. The territorial law could pave the way for a retail weed market in the territory, though the justice minister said it's too early to confirm whether the Yukon legislation will support brick-and-mortar dispensaries. The purpose of the Yukon's legislation will be "to keep Yukoners safe, to restrict access to cannabis to youth, and remove profits that are related to organized crime," said minister Tracy-Anne McPhee. [continues 452 words]
The Yukon and British Columbia experienced the highest rates of apparent opioid-related deaths in Canada last year. According to a new national report from the federal government, the territory and province had a rate of over 15 deaths per 100,000 population compared to a national rate of 8.8 in 2016. "I don't think it's a surprise," Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon's chief medical officer, told the Star of the findings this morning. He noted that the territory's high rates are driven by the five deaths officially linked to fentanyl since April 2016. [continues 624 words]
Legal weed may not be the "revenue cash cow" provinces and territories were hoping for, says the Yukon's assistant deputy minister of justice. Legal weed may not be the "revenue cash cow" provinces and territories were hoping for, says the Yukon's assistant deputy minister of justice. While the recreational marijuana market will open up new revenue streams, said Al Lucier, those dollars, at least in the early days, will be funneled into awareness and education campaigns, research and policy enforcement. [continues 851 words]
Provincial Leaders Call on Ottawa to Deliver Plan Soon So They Can Build Framework Canada's premiers are signaling they need swift action from Ottawa on recreational marijuana legalization to keep cannabis away from kids, motorists and criminals. With a federal panel set to deliver a report this November that will be the blueprint for legislation next spring, the provincial leaders say time is of the essence. "There's real concerns, there's concerns on so many levels," Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday at the annual Council of the Federation meeting. [continues 586 words]
Provincial leaders call on Ottawa to deliver plan soon so they can build framework WHITEHORSE- Canada's premiers are signalling they need swift action from Ottawa on recreational marijuana legalization to keep cannabis away from kids, motorists and criminals. With a federal panel set to deliver a report this November that will be the blueprint for legislation next spring, the provincial leaders say time is of the essence. "There's real concerns, there's concerns on so many levels," Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday at the annual Council of the Federation meeting. [continues 585 words]
Premiers meeting in the Yukon say they want quick action from the federal government on the legalization of marijuana to prevent a patchwork of enforcement and distribution across the country. "There's real concerns," said Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister before heading into the meeting Thursday in Whitehorse. "It's one of the issues I want to raise today," he said. "I would hope we can develop a national approach, a co-operative approach." British Columbia's Christy Clark echoed Pallister's worries around public health, safety and distribution. [continues 274 words]
Premier Eager to Learn About Strategies of Her Counterparts at Summer Conference WHITEHORSE- As Canada's provincial and territorial leaders gather for their annual summer conference, Premier Kathleen Wynne wants the inside dope from her colleagues about legalized recreational marijuana. "I can tell you I'm going to ask people what they're thinking about it," Wynne told the Star in an interview before the summit begins Wednesday. Her comments come as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government prepares to end the prohibition of marijuana. [continues 638 words]
For years, Michael Dobson has navigated the smoky waters of Canada's medical marijuana system. The 30-year-old Yukoner suffers from grand mal epileptic seizures, which can feature a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. Grand mal seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Dobson smokes medical marijuana with high levels of cannabidiol, or CBD, to help slow down the synapses in his brain. It used to be a lot simpler for Dobson to get access to the drug that makes his life more tolerable. [continues 797 words]
Debt, decreasing job prospects and doobies were on the minds of high school students questioning politicians at Wednesday's federal election forum. The loudest reaction from the crowd at F.H. Collins came when one student asked Conservative incumbent Ryan Leef, Liberal candidate Larry Bagnell, NDP candidate Melissa Atkinson and Green candidate Frank de Jong what their positions were on legalizing marijuana. The biggest surprise of the forum came from Ryan Leef, who appeared, during the 60 seconds he had to answer the question, to support decriminalization. [continues 650 words]
Marijuana found in the car of a former Whitehorse jail guard can't be used as evidence at his upcoming trial after a judge criticized the jail staff for violating his rights. However, Ritalin pills found in his pocket are admissible, the judge said. Michael Gaber is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Prosecutors allege he was smuggling drugs into the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. His trial is scheduled for early November. According to a decision by Justice Ron Veale, Gaber arrived at the jail for a shift on Dec. 23, 2013 at 2:30 p.m. He was met by the jail's deputy superintendent of operations, Geoff Wooding, and brought to a boardroom with superintendent Jayme Curtis. [continues 770 words]
Methadone is once again going to be offered at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. Three years after inmates started being forced off the drug, justice officials say they are now equipped to start offering it again. In March 2012, the department cancelled the program, which started in 2008. That prompted a tongue-lashing from advocates and the president of the Yukon Medical Association, who called the decision "inhumane." At the time, the jail didn't have the means to continue the program safely, spokesperson Caitlin Kerwin said Thursday. [continues 851 words]
"I always thought that hallucinogens would either reveal powerful things about me, or that I would lose my mind completely," says T.J. Dawe in a conversation about Medicine, his upcoming theatre show at the Old Fire Hall. "People would talk about taking mushrooms and getting all giggly, but for me it was never like that." But it's not recreational drug use that drives the plot of Dawe's 12th one-man show. It's the controversial Peruvian shamanistic plant medicine ayahuasca (pronounced "aya-waska"), a kind of tea made by boiling segments of the vine Banisteriopsis with a companion plant. The resulting mixture contains several powerful hallucinogens, including DMT. [continues 732 words]
Lee Goodwin organized Saturday's local 420 marijuana rally to increase awareness about the benefits of medical marijuana. Lee Goodwin organized Saturday's local 420 marijuana rally to increase awareness about the benefits of medical marijuana. While he supports the legalization of marijuana across the board, he said in an interview today, he is particularly interested in assisting Yukoners who have a need but are unfamiliar with what's involved in obtaining a prescription for medicinal marijuana. As a licensed user of medicinal marijuana, Goodwin says he understands how difficult it can be to go through the routine to get approval. [continues 492 words]
Inside Yukon Territory
