Bud Business Booms. Patients Offered Fast-Track Marijuana Prescriptions "Weed helped me because it heightens my mood, saving me from the harsh reality." Kimberly Baird says that, at one point, she was swallowing 180 pills a day. The 31-year-old suffers from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Her left hand and left ankle are both paralyzed; she relies on a wheelchair to get around. The pain comes in waves but it's debilitating when it hits - Metro's first visit to her Inglewood home had to be cancelled last-minute because Baird couldn't get to the door. [continues 469 words]
Force Hopes Tech Will Be Ready For Use Come 2016 City police say the rollout of a new Breathalyzer for alcohol impairment has been smooth but are still hoping the feds will approve a companion device to help them smoke out stoned drivers. Last year, law enforcement around the province transitioned away from the Intoxylizer 5000C, which was developed in the 1980s, to the Intox EC/IR II. The latter device provides the same level of accuracy when it comes to measuring blood-alcohol level and is a tad more user-friendly, according to Sgt. Rick Butler. [continues 421 words]
Would legalization weed out the black market? Albertans shouldn't be green with envy over Colorado's legalization of marijuana, a high-ranking law-enforcement officer from that state told a Banff conference Thursday. Sgt. Jim Gerhardt, a drug agent operating out of Thornton, Colo., said the number of youth using marijuana recreationally is on the rise, the blackmarket supply of the drug may actually be expanding, and commercial providers are involved in a "parasitic" business model that relies on getting people addicted. [continues 416 words]
Users Urged to Stop. Deaths Elsewhere Should Serve As Warning, Say Top Narcotics Cops Calgary police are reporting a major upswing in seizures of opiates, ecstasy, cocaine and other drugs so far in 2014, but they believe investigative efforts, not a spike in dealers, is likely behind the increase. Seizure files involving meth, and heroin, in particular have nearly doubled from 72 cases to 142 and 25 to 47, said Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson. The data he provided to Metro covered 2014 to the end of July, compared to the same time period in 2013. [continues 228 words]
Oasis Head Hopes to Be a Pot 'Pioneer' In Alberta Months after launching Alberta's only marijuana-prescribing clinic, Oasis Medical Centre hasn't become some hotbed for old-time hippies in tie-dyed shirts. In fact, the data suggests quite the opposite - users are primarily male professionals in their early 40s suffering from everything from cancer to sleep disorders and long-standing pain. The screening process is rigorous, according to doctor-in-training and Oasis partner Miles Nakaska. Patients first fill out a form online detailing their medical and treatment history - one word answers won't do. Next, it's a face-to-face meeting with him that can span nearly an hour. [continues 887 words]
A new poll has found that slightly more than half of Albertans support the legalization of marijuana. Seven of 10 people polled don't believe Canada has to wait for other countries to become more bud-friendly before passing legislation of its own. The poll, released Tuesday by Insights West, found that 52 per cent of Alberta residents supported legalization, compared to 42 per cent opposed. By comparison, just five per cent of Albertans would support legalization of ecstasy, heroin or powder cocaine. [continues 104 words]
A new poll has found that slightly more than half of Albertans support the legalization of marijuana and seven-in-10 don't believe Canada has to wait for other countries to become more bud-friendly before passing legislation of its own. The poll, released Tuesday by Insights West, found that 52 per cent of Albertans supported legalization, compared to 42 per cent opposed. By comparison, just five per cent of Albertans would support legalization of ecstasy, heroin or powder cocaine and four per cent supported legalizing crack cocaine or crystal meth, according to poll results. [continues 205 words]
Neighbours Say They Fear Operation Will Attract Unsavoury 'Segment' Of Population Stealing from Stan Swiatek's marijuana stash is probably a task best left to Tom Cruise. "It's Mission Impossible, pretty much," remarked the founder and president of Sundial Growers on the tail end of a 90-minute tour provided to Metro of his 30,000-square foot covered greenhouse, located just northwest of Airdrie. It's on this land where he hopes to "set the stage" for what some believe will be a lucrative commercial marijuana market. Health Canada has moved away from personal, home-based grow-operations, but believes the need for medicinal marijuana will only bloom like a well-cared for pot plant in the years to come. [continues 516 words]
Pot friendly doctors hard to find. Oasis Clinic believed to be first of its kind in Calgary Graeme Mascuich has been using marijuana to treat symptoms associated with Asperger syndrome for years. But it's just recently that the 29-year-old was able to obtain his supply of the drug through legitimate means, thanks to a Calgary clinic believed be the first in the city to offer patient evaluations for the federal medicinal marijuana program. Oasis Clinic, located in the northeast community of Temple, has seemingly been offering access to the drug since at least late May, according to posts on associated social media accounts. [continues 222 words]
Medical marijuana consumers complaining about Health Canada's attempt to criminalize home grows Few suppliers and a lack of willing doctors are among the concerns being raised by Alberta medical marijuana users testing a new federal system for supplying the drug. Health Canada aimed to criminalize home marijuana grows by April 1, but a court injunction has prevented such measures from being fully implemented for the time being. Edmontonian William Carlson had trashed his plants in advance of the coming legal change, but when the injunction came in, he decided to start another crop. [continues 253 words]
Order Marijuana, Don't Grow It: Health Canada Few suppliers, shipping dangers and a lack of willing doctors are among the concerns being listed off by Calgary marijuana users who say they're being greatly pained by holes in a new federal system for supplying the controversial drug. Health Canada aimed to criminalize home marijuana grows by April 1, but a court injunction has prevented such measures from being fully implemented for the time being. Even still, many Calgary marijuana users say they've trashed their plants and a handful of entrepreneurs have pressed ahead with plans to establish commercial growing facilities in rural Alberta areas. [continues 321 words]
'Gatekeepers'. Federal reforms spark new rules for province's physicians Patients and experts fear prospective Alberta medicinal marijuana users will have an impossible time acquiring a prescription as new rules turn physicians into the "gatekeepers" of the drug. The concerns stem from new regulations implemented by Health Canada April 1, which have put the onus on doctors across the country to determine who can turn to commercial growers to treat their ailments with cannabis. Previously Health Canada had to approve applications to access the drug. [continues 277 words]
Alberta entrepreneurs say their product will be higher quality New hope has blossomed for home marijuana growers after a federal judge's ruling, but Alberta entrepreneurs believe there will still be a budding commercial market for the drug regardless of the court's ultimate verdict. A group of medicinal marijuana patients were granted an injunction Friday that will allow them to continue growing plants in their abodes pending the outcome of a constitutional challenge of federal reforms set to take effect April 1. [continues 301 words]
Federal Reforms. Decision on Legal Challenge of Marijuana Laws Coming Friday If kitty litter and water won't destroy your medical marijuana, southern Alberta police appear willing to take the drugs off your hands, no questions asked. Federal reforms loom April 1 that will make illegal all home marijuana grow operations. In advance, Health Canada has suggested current patients still sitting on a stock of plants and buds turn to a mixture of kitty litter and water to properly dispose of their stashes. [continues 341 words]
Burning need: Users dread rising costs, while cops worry for the safety of couriers Police and marijuana advocates are sparking up fears that an expected increase in mail-order weed could sprout new issues for ailing users - and new targets for opportunistic criminals. Health Canada is outlawing home marijuana grows for licensed medicinal users effective April 1 and it appears unlikely an approved commercial operation to fill in the gap in product will be up and running by then - - Calgary police expect to go before city council at some point in April to talk about proper zoning for such a facility. [continues 344 words]
Youth outreach workers and counsellors say they aren't surprised an increasing number of young Albertans are seeking help to overcome addictions related to crystal meth. Data provided by Alberta Health Services shows that 1,116 people between the ages of 12-24 sought treatment for meth-related addictions during the 2012-13 reporting period, a spike of 45 per cent over the four-year average. Calgary police, meanwhile, also encountered meth more often in 2013, with 122 cases involving the drug compared to 90 the year prior. [continues 305 words]
Dangerous drug in spotlight after death of Oscar winner Calgary police seized heroin more often in 2013 than the year prior, including some laced with a deadly painkiller known as fentanyl. Use of both drugs have been thrust into the spotlight in recent days following the death of award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. In Calgary, police seized heroin 46 times last year, up from 28 in 2012. Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson said Wednesday his team is concerned by the rise but further investigation is needed to determine a reason for the spike in busts. [continues 202 words]
Drug Dilemma: Community Leader Calls For Better Policies To Use Substance In Public Smoking marijuana on school property would land most high schoolers in the principal's office, but Noah Kirkman is actually encouraged to head there and ingest the drug. The 15-year-old Western Canada High School student is a licensed medicinal marijuana user after finding the drug far more effective than prescription offerings for treating Tourette Syndrome and attention-deficit disorder. "It doesn't have any withdrawal effects and I can't (overdose) on it," explained the confident student, who has aspirations of practicing photojournalism someday. "It helps me keep calm, it helps me keep focused." [continues 489 words]
Marijuana Vaporizer. Noah Kirkman's Device Is No Bigger Than A Walkie-Talkie Smoking marijuana on school property would land most high schoolers in the principal's office, but Noah Kirkman is actually encouraged to head there and ingest the drug. The 15-year-old Western Canada High School student is a licensed medicinal marijuana user after finding the drug far more effective than prescription offerings for treating Tourette Syndrome and attention-deficit disorder. "It doesn't have any withdrawal effects and I can't (overdose) on it," explained the confident student, who has aspirations of practicing photojournalism someday. "It helps me keep calm, it helps me keep focused." [continues 118 words]
Survey Shows Rising Support for Recreational Use of Drug Calgary's police chief is fired up over incoming medicinal marijuana reforms and says the federal government appears to be rushing "head-on" to fully legalize the drug with no rational reason for doing so. Starting in April, Health Canada will mandate that marijuana no longer be grown in homes and instead transferred over to commercial operations. But city drug-unit cops say while they support the safety benefits of mould-free residences and fewer targets for home invaders, they see numerous other issues sprouting up as a result. [continues 279 words]
