Health: Veterinarian speaks out over dangers of drug, signs of intoxication in pets Foothills veterinarians are expressing concerns animals could be exposed to marijuana when the drug is legalized in July. Dr. Tony Gerrow, at the Okotoks Veterinary Clinic, said he's seen several cases of intoxicated dogs over his 35 years and anticipates more with legalization looming. "If there are marijuana products available to the pets, whether it's accidental ingestion or it's second-hand smoke, I'm sure we're going to see more of those cases," said Gerrow. [continues 593 words]
Politics: Liberals say making cannabis legal will reduce drug crime, youth access It won't be long before marijuana could be available for sale next to cigarettes. The Liberal government's task force on marijuana legalization, formed in June, released its report on making cannabis legal in Canada earlier this month. The recommendations in the report include setting the national minimum age to 18, but allowing provinces to harmonize that age with the minimum age to purchase alcohol. In addition, marijuana would fall under restrictions similar to the Tobacco Act, including being packaged with company names, THC levels and warnings like cigarette packages. [continues 634 words]
Education: Detective Doug Hudacin guest speaker at St. John Paul II Collegiate Marijuana, booze and cigarettes aren't the gateway to drug use for teens according to a Calgary Police Service drug expert. The gateway is whom little Jack or Jill hangs with. "It's easy to say marijuana is the gateway drug, but it's not," said Detective Doug Hudacin at St. John Paul Collegiate on Jan. 19. "The gateway is the peer group, not the drugs. So if the kids are running with a group that does dope. Guess what? The kid is going to do dope. [continues 594 words]
Foothills: Open Houses Planned On New Land Use Bylaw Medical marijuana producers looking to set up shop in the foothills could be restricted to locations in the Aldersyde Industrial corridor. The proposal is part of a major revamp of the MD of Foothills' land use bylaw, which will also see the number of residential land use areas expanded and new rules to discourage development in flood areas. Under the proposed changes, medical marijuana producers will only be allowed as a discretionary use in areas zoned as Direct Control #2. [continues 832 words]
Foothills: MD studying how to adapt to changes New federal rules for medical marijuana set to come into effect in the spring have municipalities scrambling to figure out how to manage what could become a new industry within their borders. Under new federal regulations announced earlier this year, after March 2014 people with prescriptions for marijuana will no longer be able to grow their own. This leaves licensed producers as the only legal source of medical marijuana. MD of Foothills Coun. Suzanne Oel said the MD is working on plans to determine how it will regulate legal, licensed medical marijuana growing operations that could start to sprout up. [continues 404 words]
Last week two Okotokians were sentenced for selling cocaine in the community and the sentences were bad optics. One was 16 and the other was 20. One was sentenced to jail for being a drug dealer and the other was sent home. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act it is possible to receive jail time for trafficking in cocaine, but the direction of Parliament is jail is to be a last resort. The number of teens going to jail dropped for the third year in row in 2011. In that year 1,500 youths were in jail, or 10 per cent of youths in the criminal justice system. [continues 280 words]
A move to force prompt clean sweeps of homes ruined by marijuana grow-ops seems like a no-brainer, but may be more complicated than it sounds. Okotoks town councillor Beth Kish has given notice that she intends to introduce a bylaw that would declare grow op houses uninhabitable and require them to be repaired and inspected before anyone can move back in. Fixing the problem is a lot more difficult than creating a bylaw. In B.C. and in Calgary significant changes have been made to their laws to create the ability for officials, other than police, to investigate and react to potential marijuana grow-operations. [continues 1212 words]
An Okotoks town councillor wants to see houses used for drug manufacturing cleaned up and property owners held accountable for the cost. Coun. Beth Kish proposed a controlled substances properties bylaw during town council's June 28 meeting and it will be back in front of council for further discussion at its July 12 meeting. She said the effects of a grow operation or drug manufacturing can linger long after the police have removed the drugs and arrested suspects. "I feel sorry for the people who are neighbours and their property values are jeopardized because all of a sudden next door there's a grow op," she said. [continues 906 words]
A decade of telling youngsters the evils of doing drugs has been the life work of a small group of foothills residents who brought the D.A.R.E. program to local schools. The program is celebrating its 10th year and Jackie Chalmers, who poured her time and effort into getting the program up and running, is thrilled the message is still being heard. The idea of bringing D.A.R.E. (Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education) to the foothills was raised by a group involved in rural crime watch. They had seed money and a vision, but they needed community support to get the program off the ground. [continues 521 words]
Last week the Okotoks community was shocked to learn a local youth died of a drug overdose at an Edmonton rave. Even more upsetting was the fact two other Okotoks youths were arrested the following day on charges of making and trafficking ecstasy. Zachary Lamb, 20, died in an Edmonton hospital on Oct. 12 after collapsing at a party where it is believed he overdosed on ecstasy. Family and friends gathered at a memorial service on Sunday in Okotoks to bid farewell to Lamb, a person many described as being a wonderful young man. [continues 321 words]
Small town Alberta is not immune from the trappings of what are often perceived as big city problems, say Turner Valley RCMP, and they want locals to be on the lookout for the signs of drug dealing and manufacturing. Drugs are no stranger to the High Country area, said Sgt. Jim Ross of the Turner Valley RCMP, and if people are doing drugs that means somebody is manufacturing and selling them. "We want to identify drug traffickers," Ross said. He said there are people in the area who are drug users and they must be getting their supply from somewhere. [continues 433 words]
Representatives from the DARE Works Society met with Foothills MD council last week to thank them for the municipality's ongoing support. The local DARE program is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and Cst. Krista Woods, DARE officer, and society president Wayne Meikle visited with council to give them an update and an overview of the program. DARE is funded through a partnership of local municipalities, including the MD of Foothills, and the Foothills School Division. However, one of the questions being raised by some of the partners is whether or not the DARE program needs an RCMP officer overseeing the program. The argument is it would be cheaper if a retired RCMP or even a peace officer was used to run the program instead. [continues 213 words]
A Black Diamond town councillor and former RCMP officer said there are cheaper ways for DARE to run a drug abuse resistance programs in local schools. Coun. Tyler Bray would like the DARE Works Society to look at the possibility of replacing a full-time RCMP constable who organizes and instructs the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program with either a peace officer or possibly a retired RCMP member. The DARE program is a course that helps Grade 6 and Grade 8 students make smart decisions regarding drug, tobacco and alcohol use as well as self-esteem issues and treating students and the community with respect. [continues 381 words]
Calvin, a drug addict from Calgary, is pleading for his life. Calvin spent the weekend smoking crack cocaine and as a result could be tossed out of a drug treatment program that he believed was the road to recovery. "I'm shaking right now," Calvin told the group of people who would decide whether he will remain in jail or return to the Dream Centre, a residential treatment facility in Calgary. The Crown prosecutor stands up and tells Calvin she doesn't understand why he wants to stay in treatment when he made plans to escape the centre and do drugs with friends. [continues 855 words]
Drugs And Crime Go Hand And Hand Say Local Top Cops. Cpl. Ted Baier of the Okotoks RCMP said there is no doubt that in Okotoks police are responding to crimes that are tied into drug addictions and the drug trade. "Most property crime is drug related," Baier said. "Break and enters, thefts from vehicles, even shoplifting can be drug related to support their habit." Baier said the amount of property crime the Okotoks RCMP detachment deals with is significant, but it is unknown how much of it is being done by people who are stealing for drugs. [continues 372 words]
Drivers suspected of being high on drugs could be facing an unwelcome needle at the hands of police. New federal legislation enacted on July 2 allows police to collect blood and fluids from drivers suspected of being high on drugs. However, local officers will not be acting on the new laws for a while. Training to spot the signs of drug impairment is not yet in place in Alberta. A number of officers in each RCMP detachment will also have to be trained to determine what kind of sample will be taken. How drug-related driving investigations are handled is also still undetermined, said RCMP spokesperson Const. Ray Lucko. [continues 388 words]
When an Okotoks couple found out their youngest daughter was hooked on crystal meth their world fell apart. She was in her early 20s, working, living on her own and going to school part-time when a friend suggested she try something to keep her awake. She had no idea what she was taking was the highly addictive and highly toxic drug crystal meth. It took more than a year of being hooked on the drug before her family found out what seemed like only an exaggeration in the woman's usual bubbly personality, was actually a potentially lethal addiction. It took her committing a crime before the truth was found out. After stealing from her employer to feed the addiction, the girl was arrested by RCMP and facing a lengthy court ordeal, she finally turned to her parents. [continues 374 words]
Following is part one of a two-part series on youth crime, its impact on parents and the internet as a tool for criminal activity. The mother of an Okotoks teen, who claims her daughter is addicted to drugs and out of control, said a lack of parental rights has left her powerless to help her child. The mother of the teen and and another 11-year-old daughter said over the past year she has caught her oldest daughter with drugs and attempting to buy drugs over the internet on the social networking website Nexopia. [continues 955 words]
Students in Grades 6 and 8 attending schools across the Foothills this September will be seeing a new face during the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. Following the retirement of Const. Geoff Carpenter, who is now the senior municipal enforcement officer with the MD of Foothills, Const. Krista Woods of the Okotoks RCMP detachment has been appointed to take on the DARE coordinator position. After 19 years of general duty in policing, Woods is looking forward to making a positive change. [continues 397 words]
A new community initiative will help prevent local youth, adults and families that are living in the foothills from falling into the ugly grips of alcohol and drug addiction -- the West Foothills Drug and Alcohol Coalition. Formed in late 2006, the coalition is made up of representatives from Black Diamond, Turner Valley, Longview, Eden Valley and the western region of the MD of Foothills and will be working towards more resilient communities by supporting healthy lifestyle choices for youth, adults and families. [continues 322 words]
