Believe me, if I thought for a second that prohibition worked I would be the first to call for an outright ban, enforced by the full weight of the law. I would campaign for zero tolerance and mandatory minimum sentences. I would contribute money to the cause and even stand on a street corner with a tambourine and a bullhorn if that's what it took to get legislation passed. Unfortunately, prohibition doesn't work and so I'm afraid we're going to have our ears bleed to the shrill squawk of the bagpipes for the foreseeable future. [continues 560 words]
Directors with the Regional District of Nanaimo are aware that the rules around legal marijuana grow operations have changed, but they're still unclear on what that will mean for them - and they're looking for answers. The issue arose at the regular board meeting Tuesday when a Cedar resident complained about the smell from a legal grow-op next door to her home. Kathryn Seymour said in her presentation that she lives in an area where there are many such operations. [continues 250 words]
Halloween is far behind us and Remembrance Day is just a memory, so I guess now it's time for the next big thing. No, not Christmas. That's not until what, the end of December? I'm talking about the next big thing - Drug Awareness Week. Now just chill before you haul out that spliff or start honking a gagger in celebration. That's not what this is about and besides, the herb is not yet legal in British Columbia and the federal Tories are - - as usual - moving in the exact opposite direction from common sense and decency on the issue. [continues 511 words]
'The drug laws do far more harm than the drugs themselves' Allan Boisvert doesn't think a person caught smoking a joint should have it dog them for the rest of their lives. Because of this, the Parksville resident and marijuana activist is organizing two public forums on the marijuana issue, featuring former NDP leadership contender and decriminalization promoter Dana Larsen. The first of these is slated to be held at the Qualicum Beach Library on Friday, Dec. 7, from noon to 1 p.m., with a second event at the Parksville Civic Centre from 7 - 9 p.m. [continues 346 words]
When delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities voted to call for the decriminalization of marijuana on Wednesday, Regional District of Nanaimo chair Joe Stanhope didn't cast a ballot. That doesn't mean however that he is neutral about the idea. "I did not vote on the issue because at that time I was conducting the resolutions and so I didn't have to vote and I didn't vote," he said. "I said that the nomination committee's recommendation was no recommendation. The nomination committee was neutral." [continues 158 words]
What would be the real health impacts, were marijuana to be legalized? That question was raised at Tuesday night's Regional District of Nanaimo committee of the whole meeting when Vancouver Island medical health officer Dr. Paul Hasselback gave a talk about his role. City of Nanaimo director John Ruttan brought up the subject in light of a call by mayors at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention. "One of the issues that is very topical is the legalization of marijuana," Ruttan said. "I don't know much about the product, except by hearsay, but is there a position that VIHA has on the product from a medical standpoint? [continues 292 words]
My friend beckoned me over. "Hey Neil, check these out," he said, "They're pretty strong, but you might like them. Tell me what you think. Don't worry about the price. It's on me, the first time anyway, but I bet you'll be back." I was sceptical; as anyone might be when made such an offer, but I like to live large when I can and so I try the odd experiment, take the occasional chance. Sure, I replied. I'll take a dozen. [continues 629 words]
Despite four former mayors of Vancouver and the current one, all calling for the decriminalization of marijuana, Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney isn't impressed. Sam Sullivan, Larry Campbell, Mike Harcourt and Philip Owen all called for the legalization of marijuana in a joint statement recently, citing growing gang violence related to the drug's prohibition. They were later joined in the call by current mayor Gregor Robertson. In their letter, the quartet of former mayors said marijuana prohibition "is creating violent, gang-related crime in our communities and fear among our citizens, and adding financial costs for all levels of government at a time when we can least afford them," the letter said. "Politicians cannot ignore the status quo any longer, and must develop and deliver alternative marijuana policies that avoid the social and criminal harms that stem directly from cannabis prohibition." [continues 71 words]
When it comes to crime, it can be extremely difficult to take people's motivations into account. If you have had your home broken into or you are the subject of a sexual assault, the motivations don't usually come into it. However, there are times when motivation can be crucial to actualy solving or at least reducing a criminal issue. When we know why people do things we don't like, this gives us a tool we can use to get them to stop. [continues 212 words]
The man is in his late 20s, thin, with a soul patch and moustache, a leather jacket with his cap facing back. He was just about shaking with rage and there were times during the interview when I wondered if he was going to come across the table at me. Walking home from the pub at 3 a.m., he had been stopped by the cops, he said, arrested for public intoxication and left to stew in the squad car before being taken to the drunk tank. [continues 504 words]
When police act on a hot tip and bust a marijuana grow show, there's a whole lot more to deal with than plants, pots and people. There can also be some pretty scary animals on site, too - and they can't be stored in an evidence locker or thrown in the regular lockup. Guard animals - and they're not just dogs anymore - have become an increasingly perplexing issue for those swooping in to make the collar. Speaking at an appreciation luncheon for SPCA donors in Parksville Tuesday, chief executive officer Craig Daniell said large, aggressive dogs are often used by pot growers to discourage unwanted visitors. These dogs, he added, are usually taken in by the SPCA. [continues 171 words]
James Lunney says he expects a hectic schedule as a prorogued parliament resumes If opposition parties don't vote down the coming budget and force an election, MP James Lunney and his Conservative colleagues will have a busy time of it once Parliament resumes Wednesday. The Nanaimo-Alberni MP said he's expecting a hectic schedule, starting with the Speech from the Throne on Wednesday, the budget Thursday and then several days of hard, slogging debate. "It will be a really busy time when we head back, really hectic," he said. "We have four days of debate before we go into a vote. I've asked for a slot to address that issue." [continues 466 words]
The methamphetamine problem in Oceanside has subsided, although it hasn't completely gone away. RCMP Const. Stewart Masi said he has been involved in getting the message out to teens about how dangerous the drug is. "A lot of my involvement is in the schools, doing student presentations on different drugs, and what we are hearing is that meth is essentially, very much on the outs of popularity," Masi said. "This, to us, is a very good thing, because it's well documented how dangerous it is, how awful it is." [continues 156 words]
There was a time when students caught with drugs or alcohol at school were automatically told they were not welcome at their school for several days. This sort of automatic out-of-school suspension is fast becoming a thing of the past in School District 69 (Qualicum) however, as Ballenas Secondary principal Rollie Koop and colleague Gillian Wilson from the District Drug and Alcohol Review Committee explained Tuesday night. Speaking at the regular board meeting, the pair detailed the new approach to drug and alcohol incidents in the district, noting the old, punishment-based model did little more than put the students behind in their work and expose them to the risk of further substance abuse. [continues 513 words]
Don't bother looking for Eucalyptus Bay on a map. You won't find it. But that's where we are, high up on a hill on an island somewhere in the Strait of Georgia, crouched down in the salal and broom. Somewhere overhead, an airplane drones. "When there are planes around it drowns out the sound of the cars and the joggers," explains my companion, I'll call him Steve - although, like Eucalyptus Bay, it's not his real name. "This next part's kind of exposed to the road, so we need to know if someone's coming." [continues 892 words]
A small knot of protesters gathered outside Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney's office Monday to protest the federal government's proposed anti-drug law. The protest, organized by former Marijuana Party candidate Mick Mann, drew about a dozen people. However, the small turnout didn't discourage Mann, who noted the action was part of a nation-wide protest against Bill C-26, which would impose minimum sentences for people who grow marijuana. "This was part of a Canada-wide day of action," Mann said. "This bill will mean six-month, mandatory sentences for growing a single marijuana plant. It's only going to completely fill up our prisons with non-violent offenders." [continues 473 words]
I never thought I would say it, but hats off to the federal Conservative government. They saw a problem and took bold steps to tackle it. Regardless of how I feel about Stephen Harper and his crew, I have to respect that. Harper's new anti-drug bill is going to handle an increasingly serious problem - probably very effectively For some time now, Vancouver Island pot growers have been growing concerned about the price of their product. A crackdown at the U.S. border has made it tough to get B.C.'s major export crop to market, leading to a glut this side of the border. [continues 650 words]
The aerial search for marijuana plantations has ended for the year, but that doesn't mean pot growers can rest easy, say police. RCMP Corporal Greg Cox said Vancouver Island police officers wrapped up their nine-day air and land operation on Wednesday and reported a mind-alteringly large bumper crop was seized. Most of the 19,000 pot plants, he said, were found in the northern part of Vancouver Island. "In the local area, Lasqueti was visited, but most of the concentrations were north of Campbell River and Sayward area," Cox said. "There were little pockets across Vancouver Island, but most of it was in the northern area. I would be guessing, but I would say that's because it's less populated and more secluded." [continues 155 words]
Thieves once again attempted to make off with a large, industrial generator from a facility in Oceanside, and police suspect the incident is related to marijuana production. Constable Jeff Scott says police received a report of thieves having tried to make off with a large generator from the Rogers cell phone tower site on Horne Lake Road on Feb. 9. "They broke into the access door to the generator and tried to steal the generator," says Constable Jeff Scott. The generators are a favourite target of people running the grow operations, he says, as they can be used to mask the telltale spike in electricity consumption. [continues 85 words]
If Central Island Compassion Club founder Mark Russell ends up going to court to face charges of trafficking in marijuana, Chuck Beyer says he should opt for a jury trial. That's because, says Beyer, one of the founders of the B.C. Marijuana Party, a jury can opt not to convict, regardless of what happens in court. The Port Alberni realtor describes himself as a jury activist and longtime supporter of the medical marijuana movement. He learned about a concept he calls jury nullification, and he's made it his mission to spread the word about the concept, particularly in cases of compassion club busts. [continues 299 words]
