Martin Cauchon 1/1/1997 - 31/12/2024
Found: 200Shown: 1-20 Page: 1/10
Detail: Low  Medium  High   Pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  [Next >>]  Sort:Latest

1 CN ON: OPED: Marijuana Should Be Decriminalized NowSat, 03 Feb 2018
Source:Hamilton Spectator (CN ON) Author:Kemeny, Jeremy Area:Ontario Lines:103 Added:02/06/2018

Millions of criminals are Canadians buying pot from Canadians, writes Jeremy Kemeny

Everyone smoking recreational marijuana right now is a criminal.

That is according to Canadian law and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who - planning to legalize this summer - has encouraged authorities to enforce these rules.

There are a lot of criminals. In 2016, an estimated 4.9 million Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 years old spent money on pot, which translates into $5.7 billion according to a new Statistics Canada report. And 94 per cent of that, the agency said, was consumed illegally. Your child, sibling or parent might be guilty. You probably have a cousin that's guilty. Some of your friends are likely guilty. That's millions Canadians guilty of possession of cannabis.

[continues 662 words]

2 Canada: Crime Bill Threatens To Undo Decades Of Reform, FormerWed, 07 Dec 2011
Source:Globe and Mail (Canada) Author:Makin, Kirk Area:Canada Lines:100 Added:12/10/2011

Harsh federal sentencing policies are propelling the country back to a time of massive prison overcrowding and riots, according to a senior Department of Justice adviser who recently retired, David Daubney.

With a government omnibus crime bill on the verge of becoming law, Mr. Daubney said he felt compelled to issue a warning that federal priorities threaten to undo decades of correctional research and reform.

"Overcrowding is already severe at both the federal and provincial levels," Mr. Daubney said in an interview. "It's going to get tougher, and prisons will be more violent places. We may go back to the era of riots in prisons. I'm afraid it is going to get worse before it gets any better."

[continues 586 words]

3 CN ON: Hudak Admits To Smoking PotThu, 18 Aug 2011
Source:Toronto Star (CN ON) Author:Ferguson, Rob Area:Ontario Lines:132 Added:08/19/2011

It's a political rite of passage -- answering the question "did you inhale?"

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak on Thursday admitted to smoking marijuana, joining a long list of high-profile politicians quizzed on their reefer habits, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Premier Dalton McGuinty.

"Yes, I have," Hudak replied Thursday as he reannounced his campaign promise to have a registry of homes once used as grow-ops or crystal meth labs to protect buyers.

"I was wondering if this would come up.

[continues 633 words]

4 CN NK: Edu: Marijuana Legalization: A Threat (or Not)Thu, 25 Mar 2010
Source:Argosy, The (CN NK Edu) Author:Reich, Vivi Area:New Brunswick Lines:119 Added:03/29/2010

The final installment of a three-part series: Cannabis use began thousands of years ago, so why is it an issue now?

For thousands of years, humans have used cannabis for a variety of purposes. Hemp fibres were a source for rope and cloth as long a 10,000 years ago. It has been used to make paper in China starting 2,000 years ago.

All vertebrates, including mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles have naturally co-evolved with cannabis and have receptors for and produce substances called "endocannabinoids," which are "substances that are nearly identical to compounds found in the cannabis plant, hence their name," says Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Harvard and University of Heidelberg School of Medicine-trained physician.

[continues 821 words]

5 Canada: Prime Minister's Tough-On-Crime Agenda Energizes BaseMon, 22 Mar 2010
Source:Hill Times, The (Ottawa, CN ON) Author:MacLeod, Harris Area:Canada Lines:187 Added:03/25/2010

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is expected to reintroduce a slate of justice bills, but experts predict the measures will only increase incarceration rates at great expense to taxpayers.

As crime rates in Canada fall, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is expected to reintroduce a slate of justice bills to beef up sentences and enforcement, but justice experts predict the measures will only increase incarceration rates at great expense to taxpayers, and political observers say the Tories' stance will energize their base and appeal to law-abiding swing voters.

[continues 1506 words]

6 CN ON: Column: Enlightened Pot Laws OverdueSat, 11 Apr 2009
Source:Windsor Star (CN ON) Author:Yaffe, Barbara Area:Ontario Lines:93 Added:04/11/2009

If Vancouver has the equivalent of a public square, it's the fountain outside the old Vancouver Art Gallery downtown where, last week, I smelled an unmistakable aroma coming from the vicinity of two young men rolling white filter papers.

Pot. Right out in the open -- in full view of, well, everybody.

I shouldn't have been taken aback; this same smell can be picked up in any Vancouver park or corner any day of the week. It surprised me when I moved west 20 years ago. These days I'm accustomed to it.

[continues 483 words]

7 CN BC: Column: Change Is in the Wind for the Decriminalization of Marijuana PossTue, 07 Apr 2009
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:Yaffe, Barbara Area:British Columbia Lines:99 Added:04/07/2009

Liberal MP Keith Martin, who introduced a private member's bill this week, rightly maintains that 'the war on drugs has been a complete failure'

If Vancouver has the equivalent of a public square, it's the fountain outside the old Vancouver Art Gallery downtown, where last week, I smelled an unmistakable aroma coming from the vicinity of two young men rolling white filter papers.

Pot. Right out there in the open -- in full view of, well, everybody.

I shouldn't have been taken aback; this same smell can be picked up in any Vancouver park or on a corner any day of the week. It once surprised me when I moved west 20 years ago. These days I'm accustomed to it.

[continues 486 words]

8 CN AB Edu: OPED: Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk...Thu, 11 Oct 2007
Source:Gauntlet, The (CN AB Edu) Author:Kelly, Ryan        Lines:195 Added:10/12/2007

Conservative Government's Recent Anti-Pot Efforts Misplaced

The other night, some close friends of mine were smoking a marijuana joint outside of a bar. A plainclothes bouncer outside tipped off another bouncer inside and my friends were informed that the bar has a strict anti-drug policy. They weren't allowed back inside to finish their drinks.

All of this is a bit surprising. These days, it's common in Western Canada to see folks smoking joints outside pubs and clubs with the cigarette smokers. And an establishment promoting and selling liquor is hardly anti-drug.

[continues 1447 words]

9 Canada: Sorry to Harsh Your BuzzTue, 31 Jul 2007
Source:Maclean's Magazine (Canada) Author:Gohier, Philippe Area:Canada Lines:160 Added:08/01/2007

It sounded like a cool idea at the time, but were we ever really going to decriminalize marijuana?

Is pot legal? The answer to that seems as cloudy as, well, you know.

Responding to the complaint of a Toronto man charged with possession, the Ontario Court recently found Canada's marijuana laws to be without merit. "The government told the public not to worry about access to marijuana," said Judge Howard Borenstein.

"They have a policy but not law.. In my view that is unconstitutional."

[continues 1136 words]

10 CN ON: Editorial: Legal MadnessThu, 12 Jul 2007
Source:Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)          Area:Ontario Lines:48 Added:07/12/2007

In August 2002, then-federal justice minister Martin Cauchon, in a speech to the Canadian Bar Association, asked why our society devoted so many of our legal resources to the prosecution of cannabis offences and whether these prosecutions actually improved the safety of our communities.

The question remains valid because of the failure of the former Liberal government to move ahead with the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The result is that police are once again arresting scores of Canadians on a criminal charge that was within days of being removed from the Criminal Code.

[continues 162 words]

11 CN BC: Column: Cotler Caught In A Web Of HempSat, 10 Sep 2005
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:McKnight, Peter Area:British Columbia Lines:176 Added:09/10/2005

The U.S. 'Persecution' Of Marc Emery Leaves The Justice Minister With Few Choices, Most Of Them Invidious

Say what you will about Marc Emery, but in getting himself indicted on marijuana charges by a United States grand jury, the Prince of Pot might well achieve what he's failed to realize through decades of activism -- his life ambition of legalizing marijuana.

This summer, Emery was indicted on charges of conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana seeds and to engage in money laundering. He's now on bail awaiting an extradition hearing and, if extradited and convicted, Emery will face anywhere from 10 years to life in a U.S. prison.

[continues 1278 words]

12 Canada: Cotler Loses Human Rights Hero StatusSun, 04 Sep 2005
Source:Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Author:Schmitz, Cristin Area:Canada Lines:157 Added:09/04/2005

The Once-Outspoken Lawyer Is Now Criticized For His Support Of Initiatives That Impinge Free Speech And Other Civil Liberties

As a law professor and MP, Irwin Cotler was well known as a human rights champion, but civil libertarians say the justice minister's halo has been slipping since he joined the federal cabinet 20 months ago.

Human rights advocates say the once-outspoken lawyer who fought for the release of Nelson Mandela and other prisoners of conscience has become a major player and apologist for a raft of government initiatives that impinge on Canadians' privacy, free speech and other liberties.

[continues 962 words]

13 CN BC: Editorial: Canada Can And Should Find Alternatives ToSat, 25 Jun 2005
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC)          Area:British Columbia Lines:158 Added:06/25/2005

The City of Vancouver has delivered the latest salvo in the war on the war on marijuana, and the city's position falls neatly in line with that of many drug-war critics, including the Senate committee on marijuana and, indeed, The Vancouver Sun. (The Sun called for marijuana legalization as far back as 2000.)

The city's report, Preventing Harm from Psychoactive Substance Use, recommends that the federal government legalize both the possession of, and trade, in marijuana. This is a far cry from Ottawa's proposed legislation, which would decriminalize possession, but leave trafficking offences as they are and actually increase penalties for marijuana cultivation.

[continues 1098 words]

14 CN NS: NB Judge Out Of TouchSat, 11 Jun 2005
Source:Chronicle Herald (CN NS) Author:Cameron, Donald Silver Area:Nova Scotia Lines:113 Added:06/16/2005

Let's send Judge Murray Cain a large anchor. Somehow we have to bring him back to earth.

Cain is the Saint John, N.B., judge who recently sentenced a pregnant woman named Lynn Wood, 32, to a year in jail. Her crime? Selling marijuana to an undercover officer.

Cain's action is a good deal more reprehensible than Wood's.

Admittedly, it's not entirely fair to blame a single judge, however dim-witted and dusty, for failing to deal brilliantly with a situation that should make every Canadian ashamed. Our foolish and destructive laws against the sale and use of drugs, particularly marijuana, cannot be enforced because vast numbers of Canadians - about 4.5 million in 2004 - routinely flout them. You can't jail 14 per cent of the population.

[continues 724 words]

15 CN BC: Column: In This Case, Blame a Lone-Wolf Killer, NotSat, 05 Mar 2005
Source:Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Author:Martin, Don Area:British Columbia Lines:116 Added:03/07/2005

OTTAWA - So we're trying to link murdered cops with marijuana grow-ops. It's a very loose connection.

The Mayerthorpe madman who murdered four RCMP officers Thursday was a chronic wingnut, a career criminal who might've shot to kill anyone messing with his dogs just as easily as his dope.

James Roszko had a date with fate coming sooner or later and his four victims, average age 27, were unfortunate enough to have stumbled, and perhaps bumbled, into his line of fire.

[continues 672 words]

16 CN AB: Column: Tragedy Had Little To Do With Pot LawsSat, 05 Mar 2005
Source:Calgary Herald (CN AB) Author:Martin, Don Area:Alberta Lines:116 Added:03/07/2005

So we're trying to link murdered cops with marijuana grow ops. It's a very loose connection.

The Mayerthorpe madman who murdered four RCMP officers Thursday was a chronic wing nut, a career criminal who might've shot to kill anyone messing with his dogs just as easily as his dope.

James Roszko had a date with fate coming sooner or later and his four victims, average age 27, were unfortunate enough to have stumbled, and perhaps bumbled, into his line of fire.

[continues 673 words]

17 Canada: McLellan Presses Judiciary on Pot SentencesSat, 05 Mar 2005
Source:Globe and Mail (Canada) Author:Galloway, Gloria Area:Canada Lines:98 Added:03/05/2005

Grow Operators Deserve Jail Terms, Minister Says

OTTAWA -- Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan warned judges yesterday to take marijuana laws seriously and said they will be held to account if jail terms are not imposed on those who run grow operations.

"We are putting the onus on the courts - the judiciary, in a sense - to take this crime seriously," Ms. McLellan said at a Liberal policy convention in Ottawa. "This is not a victimless crime, and therefore I think the judiciary needs to start to reflect the harsh reality of illegal grow-ops and the consequences for our communities and society in the sentences they hand out."

[continues 550 words]

18 CN ON: OPED: Who's Paranoid?Wed, 12 Jan 2005
Source:Nepean This Week (CN ON) Author:Greenspan, Edward Area:Ontario Lines:119 Added:01/16/2005

Time The Feds Got Off The Pot

Stockwell Day tried it. The former Justice Minister Martin Cauchon used it. I would bet that well over 50 percent of the members of the House of Commons have tried it.

The late Canadian icon Pierre Berton smoked it regularly for the last 45 years. He said it helped him to relax. Last October, Berton appeared on CBC's satire show, Rick Mercer's Monday Report, offering tips on how to roll it and actually recommended his book, The National Dream, as an excellent rolling surface. He had been a recreational user since the 1960s, saying he'd reached a stage in his life where he didn't give a damn what he said or what people thought.

[continues 812 words]

19 Canada: Web: Gov't Reintroduces Pot Decriminalization BillMon, 01 Nov 2004
Source:CTV (Canada Web)          Area:Canada Lines:60 Added:11/02/2004

The federal government has reintroduced a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

It means persons caught with 15 grams of marijuana or less will face a fine rather than a criminal charge.

"Cannabis use is harmful and it will remain illegal in Canada. What would change is the approach to enforcement," said Justice Minister Irwin Cotler in a news release issued Monday. "We are proposing a more consistent application of our cannabis possession laws."

Previous legislation died when Parliament was dissolved for the June federal election. It had previously died during the changeover from former prime minister Jean Chretien to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

[continues 194 words]

20 Canada: Ottawa Promising New Pot LawsThu, 14 Oct 2004
Source:Calgary Herald (CN AB) Author:Thompson, Elizabeth Area:Canada Lines:67 Added:10/14/2004

The federal government is poised to reintroduce controversial legislation to decriminalize marijuana and will accompany it with a bill giving police the power to force drivers to take a test, when warranted, to prove whether they are driving while stoned.

Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said he plans to introduce both pieces of legislation in the next month.

Nor does Cotler have any plans to change the legislation decriminalizing marijuana first introduced by his predecessor, Martin Cauchon. "It might get changed in committee but we are basically reintroducing that legislation."

[continues 317 words]


Detail: Low  Medium  High   Pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  [Next >>]  

Email Address
Check All Check all     Uncheck All Uncheck all

Drugnews Advanced Search
Body Substring
Body
Title
Source
Author
Area     Hide Snipped
Date Range  and 
      
Page Hits/Page
Detail Sort

Quick Links
SectionsHot TopicsAreasIndices

HomeBulletin BoardChat RoomsDrug LinksDrug News
Mailing ListsMedia EmailMedia LinksLettersSearch