Arthur Black is to be commended for raising awareness of the ugly truth behind marijuana prohibition. If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Early 20th century warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages in dark-skinned minorities have been counterproductive. White North Americans did not even begin to smoke marijuana until government bureaucracies began funding reefer madness propaganda. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers will continue to come into contact with addictive drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC [end]
I love the concept of the tipping point - the idea that there can be a single moment in time when one last critical molecule of resistance crumbles and the whole damn mountainside comes down. Egypt recently found its political tipping point. Rosa Parks was a tipping point for racial discrimination in America. That first third-period Russian goal against our Canadian Juniors (cruising, at the time, to an easy, predicted 3-0 victory) was a sports tipping point. The Russians poured in four more unanswered goals to trounce the Canucks and take the title. [continues 696 words]
January is time of new starts and resolutions for the New Year. If you are a young person struggling with substance use or a parent concerned about your teen's substance use, Youth and Family Substance Use Services (YFSUS) counsellors at The John Howard Society of the North Island are available to help. The YFSUS program will launch two new groups early in the New Year. REACH is for youth who are either moving past a difficult relationship with drugs or alcohol or are struggling with someone else's using. [continues 287 words]
A dope grinder/replica hand grenade shut down the Campbell River Airport for four hours Wednesday morning when it was found in baggage checked for an outbound flight. Police and city officials are praising the response to the incident, but the intelligence of owner was also called into question. "The item is metal, so it was very visible on the x-ray, to security personnel," said Campbell River RCMP Cst. Alexa Blacklock. "They took the steps immediately to ensure the safety of everyone else in the airport at the time." But she said the incident led to "a tremendous, unnecessary use of resources, both financially and personnel-wise, the inconvenience to travellers at the airport missing their flights and connecting flights, for no reason." [continues 646 words]
A woman who spent months in jail fighting Canada's pot laws has been released after being found guilty of growing and trafficking marijuana. Edith Noreen Evers, founder of the North Island Compassion Club, was sentenced to time served after spending a total of about five months in pre-trial custody, some of it in hospital, as her case wound its way through the court system. Evers was arrested in the fall of 2006, after Comox Valley RCMP raided her Black Creek farm and chopped down dozens of marijuana plants that ranged in height from four to seven feet. [continues 160 words]
The RCMP have seized two notorious drug houses in Campbell River and Port Hardy, the culmination of an investigation that lasted several years. RCMP said the drug house in Campbell River has been a "landmark" in the drug world for 20 years and the subject of at least 14 search warrants in the last decade. The home in the 1900-block of 19th Avenue in Campbellton has attracted prostitution and crime to the residential area, said Cpl. Brian Brown of the Campbell River RCMP. [continues 316 words]
Addicted individuals who use needle exchange services will have more and greater access to clean supplies as the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) expands the distribution methods and venues for needle exchange services on Vancouver Island. "Needle exchange services - as part of an overall harm reduction strategy - are key to preventing the spread of infectious disease," said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Health Officer for VIHA. "An effective and accessible distribution system for clean needles is essential to further reducing Hepatitis C and HIV infection rates on Vancouver Island." [continues 253 words]
RE: York Rd. grow-op busted The people happiest about these busts are the 90-95 per cent of growers who will never be caught. This colossal waste of time and money is not only failing to fix things, it is, in fact outrageously counterproductive. Think about that: If the police busted twice as many grows this year as last year, they would still only get about 20 per cent of them. One fifth! - Probably less. And every time they bust one grow - indoor, outdoor, small or big - all they do is make the ones they don't catch that much more valuable! Not only is the illegality of pot the very thing that makes growing it so lucrative, the police are subsidizing the entire industry by busting a minority of them. [continues 199 words]
Vancouver Island Police Officers have wrapped up a six-day air and land operation, which resulted in the eradication of over 23,000 marijuana plants from across Vancouver Island. In total, officers visited 222 sites where marijuana was being illegally cultivated on Crown Lands. The aerial phase of this project commenced on Aug. 21, 2008. An integrated team of police officers from the RCMP, Saanich Police Department and Victoria Police Department, with the support of the Canadian Military, took to the skies over Vancouver Island. The Canadian Military offered transport assistance to the police officers, in accessing remote and challenging locations. [continues 94 words]
The federal Conservatives seem set on confirming many people's worst fears with their sleazy, dishonest and just plain stupid direct mail pieces to millions of Canada homes. And at the same time, they're playing fast and loose with taxpayers' money, pretending that partisan promotional material is legitimate communication between MPs and the public. You've seen them. The flyers are cheap looking single sheets, with a picture or two of Steven Harper and a headline on some issue. Then there's a ballot, with an arrow aimed at Harper's name. [continues 626 words]
The City of Courtenay, in partnership with the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) have installed publicly accessible Needle Disposal Boxes at the entrance to the Courtenay Riverway at 6th street and at Standard Park in Courtenay. The Needle Box program - a first on Vancouver Island - is intended to promote the safe disposal of used needles and other "sharps". "Working in partnership with VIHA on this project is a big step to making our City a safer place" said Courtenay Mayor Starr Winchester. [continues 754 words]
Vancouver Island North candidates locked horns on a number of topics during round one of CRTV's all-candidates forum last Thursday. The open format featured several exchanges between candidates as well as moments when all four candidates tried to be heard above each other with varying degrees of success. The conversation ranged from the minimum wage through child care and health care to gun control, drugs and bulk water exports. When asked what the Vancouver Island North Member of Parliament should do to change the direction of drug addiction in the riding, NDP candidate Catherine Bell said programs and services are haphazard because provincial and federal funding is not in place. [continues 550 words]
