Last Thursday we published a column by Danielle Marr advocating a rethink of Canada's pot laws. Here, the case for keeping the leaf off limits. People smoke recreational pot for one reason: to affect their judgment. People do not smoke white pot to go with fish, red pot to go with meat or foamy pot to cool off while mowing the yard. They smoke pot to affect judgment. Period. It makes such concepts as "socks smell funny" funny. The active principal in pot is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is detectable in the urine six months after ingestion. This means judgment is affected for six months. This is significantly different than wine or beer. I know the dopers will poo-poo (spelling intended) this fact, but they are relating to a buzz they identify as "high." The body adjusts to the buzz, but the THC remains, as does the judgment effect. For reference, watch an old Cheech and Chong bit. A stoner is a stoner, night and day, sleeping or driving, working or not. Maaahhhn. [continues 264 words]
Colorado is raking in the taxes from its recreational marijuana industry, meanwhile Canada spends millions criminalizing it The Canadian government's marijuana rules make me dizzy. Take last week in Caledon, for instance. On Wednesday, it emerged that we are about to get our first regulated medical marijuana clinic. The next day, Caledon OPP sent out a press release announcing it had arrested and charged a 17-year-old with possession for the purpose of trafficking of a schedule II substance =C2=85 that's pot, for anyone who doesn't speak cop. [continues 476 words]
A medical marijuana clinic is preparing to open its doors in Caledon East. Caledon Medical Cannabinoid Clinic will be run by Andrew Cooper, an anaesthesiologist with William Osler Health System, and will be located in the same Airport Road building as the Yoga Shala studio, which is owned by his wife, Indra. The clinic will provide cannabinoid-based therapies for pain relief to patients who either do not want to use conventional opioid pain management medications or for whom they are not suitable. [continues 284 words]
Medical marijuana is on the table, but will wait for a decision in Caledon. Caledon's council debated the rezoning of lands to allow the establishment of medical marijuana production facilities on Tuesday. Town staff recommended the production facilities be allowed in lands zoned for prestige industrial and service industrial. But the growers wanted councillors to see that outside of stigmas and a little fear, they are just farmers and want council to consider zoning laws that would allow medical marijuana production facilities on agricultural land. [continues 704 words]
You may not have tuned into the popular television/musical show 'Glee' every week, but chances are your children have. Which is why it's important for parents to talk to their teens and tweens about the sudden death of Canadian actor Cory Monteith who lost his battle with drug and alcohol addiction on Saturday. The 31-year-old actor was found dead in a Vancouver hotel after overdosing on a mix of alcohol and heroin. His death has left both children and adult viewers of the show shocked and saddened, and parents wondering how to talk to their young kids not only about death, but addiction and overdose as well. [continues 246 words]
Some Caledon students were left uncharacteristically quiet during Retro Bill's debut Canadian tour, but only between the fits of laughter. Retro Bill, cited as the most sought after motivational speaker for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, is the official D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) "Safety Buddy", among many other things. During his career, he has been a writer, director, producer, actor and artist. He currently performs more than 300 shows a year, but until now has never brought his lessons to Canada. [continues 1074 words]
Parents and students at Humberview Secondary School had the opportunity to learn about drugs and some of the dangers they pose during a presentation recently. Caledon OPP Constable Sherry Thompson and Nicole Classen, youth substance abuse counsellor with the Brampton YMCA, met with the group of parents and students after school hours to present information about drugs, as well as answer some questions. The first slide was an attention grabber, laying out statistics like 14 per cent of students have driven drunk and 29 per cent have been a passenger in the car of a drunk driver. [continues 736 words]
Criminals don't stop. They don't stop for constitutional emergencies. They don't stop for presidential visits. They certainly don't stop during global economic crises. For a while, the media focus was off crime and onto the challenges facing Canada during these troubling economic times. Recent examples of extreme gang violence in British Columbia are a stark reminder, if one was needed, that the safety of Canadian families requires constant vigilance. We cannot afford to take the security of law-abiding citizens for granted. [continues 443 words]
For several years now, Grade 6 students in Halton have been taking part in the D.A.R.E. program, (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which gives students the information and skills to avoid involvement with drugs. When students make it to Grade 8, they sometimes need a refresher to remind them of the many perils in society, again, mostly related to illegal drugs. The Motive 8 program is a follow-up to D.A.R.E., addressing drug abuse prevention at the Grade 8 level. The program was developed to support students at a time in their lives when they are vulnerable to negative influences. [continues 411 words]
Dear Editor: In a recent issue, The Enterprise (Business Matters feature section) reported glowingly on the success of a local farmer/entrepreneur who had opened a winery in our area. I have visited that winery and enjoyed its products. In another section of the paper, you reported not so glowingly on another local farmer/entrepreneur who had opened a marijuana grow-op in our area and subsequently was arrested. I have not visited that establishment, nor do I use the products. [continues 318 words]
Daring to resist drugs and violence, Grade 6 students at several Caledon schools celebrated the completion of a 10-week anti-drug and violence education series during D.A.R.E. graduation ceremonies last week. Donning black T-shirts with the letters D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Training) scrolled across the front, 34 Macville Public School students performed skits and songs in front of parents, teachers and special guests including Caledon OPP Detachment Commander Inspector Andy Karski on December 13. [continues 351 words]
Peel Public Health introduced a new website for parents looking to obtain information and resources for talking to children about drugs. The website www.talkaboutdrugs.ca/ provides information that could only previously be obtained in print form. "With many Peel students admitting to have tried marijuana before entering high school, we realize how important it is to equip parents with the tools to communicate with teens about substance abuse as early as they see fit," explained Elizabeth Amorim, supervisor of the Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions team. "Parents asked us for quick and easy access to information. They want information they can trust at their fingertips. This website enables us to provide that." [continues 81 words]
The Number of Cocaine Busts in Caledon Has More Than Tripled Since Last Year. "Charges for cocaine possession have increased substantially," Inspector Andy Karski, Caledon's OPP detachment commander, told Town officials during his quarterly police report to council on Tuesday. Seventeen people were charged for possessing cocaine between January and June of this year, said Karski, up from just four during the first six months of 2005. The number of people charged with the more serious offence of trafficking during this period has also gone up to eight, from just one last year. [continues 262 words]
