A Carlington pot shop won't reopen after a fire now being probed by arson investigators, says a city councillor who's long been opposed to the illicit enterprise. The owners of Ottawa Cannabis Dispensary did not respond to an interview request but Coun. Riley Brockington said that they told him Friday that the Laperriere Avenue shop had closed before it was gutted by an early morning fire and they are no longer in the business. Brockington is disappointed that arson is suspected in the fire, which was near homes and across the street from a Montessori school. Nearby businesses include an auto body shop with a stack of tires, and a chip truck out front with a large propane tank. [continues 409 words]
Legalized marijuana will 'enslave our youth" and turn the federal government into "the new pusher on the block," a Chatham politician says - drawing a rebuke from the community's top publichealth official. Dave Van Kesteren said that nothing about the federal government's Cannabis Act is good, but he's particularly concerned about how it allows youth ages 11 to 17 to carry up to five grams of cannabis. "Doctors have been saying, psychiatrists have been saying, that because the brain is still forming and is not fully formed by the time somebody is 25, somebody below that age should certainly not be using it," the Conservative member said in an interview. [continues 426 words]
Why is Canada being changed for the worse? For example, young peoples' brains are definitely adversely affected by THC in marijuana and yet we are legalizing this garbage? We, soon, will be a nation of idiots. Why is it that our judiciary is letting a convicted murderers out on un-escorted passes i.e. Melissa Todorovic and Tara Sanderson. Are the victims granted life again? NO, but the murderers are not punished. They just get a slap on the wrist and their lives go on. Why is it that I think that Canada's judicial system is a joke? Our bending over backwards to be oh-so accommodating is turning logic and common sense upside-down. Where is this "Oh aren't we so tolerant and accommodating" going to end? We have to get back to logic and common sense. J.R. Baldwin Omemee [end]
Grey-Bruce task force expands mandate from mostly meth to other drugs, substances The Grey Bruce Task Force on Crystal Meth and Other Drugs is expanding its mandate. As part of the expansion, the group, which involves a network of over 30 local partners, has changed its name to the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy. "We recognize there continues to be crystal met husein the community, so we are not saying we have solved the problem and it is time to move on to something else," Alison Govier, coordinator of the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy said Friday. "But we are also seeing a trend in polysubstance use -- dependence on more than one substance at a time -- so we feel as a community our efforts are better spent to expand the mandate to include all substances." [continues 610 words]
It will become legal next year, but the local health unit is grappling with what role it will play in dealing with recreational cannabis. The federal government has laid out the legal framework to legalize recreational cannabis use by June, and the province has already set out how it plans to regulate use throughout Ontario. The sale of marijuana will only be allowed through government-regulated stores overseen by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and the proposed minimum age to use, purchase and possess will be 19. [continues 475 words]
Re: Marijuana legalization I agree with the letter to the editor from Rita Dillon. Don't we have enough situations that degrade we Canadians at this time? Do we have to have marijuana for entertainment purposes? Is there not enough sickness around that cannot be controlled? One day the use or possession of marijuana is against the law of the land, then it's encouraged to be used. Talk about sick. Maybe some of our politicians need a good looking at, starting from the top. Norphy Rosetto Niagara-on-the-Lake [end]
KIRKLAND LAKE - Councillor and Finance Chair Pat Kiely is skeptical municipalities will see extra revenue from an excise tax on cannibis. The Trudeau government says it is willing to give provinces and territories a bigger share of the revenue from a federal excise tax on cannabis, provided that the extra money is devoted to helping municipalities cope with the impact of legalizing recreational pot. The feds have proposed giving provincial and territorial governments half of the estimated $1-billion annual excise tax take once weed becomes legal next July. [continues 792 words]
Two community agencies on hand to lend support for initiative which is expected to be paid for by province The city has endorsed a supervised injection site for downtown Hamilton but it's up to a community agency to step up to run such a facility. The city's board of health endorsed the findings of a long-awaited study Monday that recommend adding at least one permanent site in the core for people to safely inject illegal drugs under the watchful eye of health professionals. [continues 575 words]
Ontario is in the middle of an opioid crisis, Grey Bruce Health Unit program director Lynda Bumstead and Hope Grey Bruce member Dave Roy told Brockton council. Bumstead said one person dies every 10 hours in Ontario from an opioid overdose. In 2016, there were eight deaths in Grey Bruce linked to opioid overdose. "There are many, many more individuals suffering from overdoses and addictions every day in Grey and Bruce," Bumstead told council last week. Overdoses due to opioids killed more people in 2014 than car accidents, and the number of deaths due to opioid overdose continues to rise. [continues 550 words]
Re: Alberta betting on marijuana boom, Opinion, Nov. 28 I read with interest Gillian Steward's column about the cannabis industry in Alberta. I write to clarify some of her comments. Residential marijuana grow-ops have destroyed houses and injured neighbourhoods. When I had the privilege of serving in office, we sought to address this issue with a task force that focused on what could be done from a provincial level. One of the frequent comments we heard was that the decriminalization of cannabis, a federal issue, would decrease the incentives for such activities. [continues 73 words]
Facing the reality that Hamilton needs at least one supervised injection site is not pleasant. In an ideal world, such a thing might not be needed. People with drug addictions would get counselling and support to break their addiction. Until then, they could ingest drugs in a safe and clean environment. But this isn't an ideal world. We're in a historic and growing street-drug crisis. And those qualities - access to support and a safe environment - are exactly what you get with a supervised injection site (SIS). [continues 410 words]
First co-ordinator of drugs strategy says community role key to success As the first co-ordinator of a plan to address local drug use, Lacey DaSilva knows she has been handed a weighty task. The Brantford-Brant Community Drugs Strategy, officially launched earlier this month, sets out goals to delay or prevent substance abuse and keep those already using safe and healthy. It also aims to ensure residents have timely access to services and to reframe addiction from an issue of criminal justice to one of public health. [continues 701 words]
Far too many young people still think driving while under the influence of drugs is somehow less risky than drinking and driving. So R.I.D.E. Checks - an organization that works with cops to promote road safety - has teamed up with the licensed marijuana producer Beleave Inc. to launch a campaign called, Consequence Strains, to spell out the dangers of driving high. "There still seems to be a common misconception where it's not as bad as having a few drinks and getting behind the wheel. People say, 'Oh, I can focus more,'" Dr. Roger Ferreira, Beleave's chief science officer, said Wednesday at Humber College's Lakeshore campus where police from services across the province gathered to kick off this year's RIDE program. [continues 88 words]
In wiser times, cigarettes were considered poison: protect the kids, reduce health-care expense, ban that toxin almost everywhere. As a result, we all breathe easier. Now it's 2017 - set up shops and fill them with pretty coloured weed balls, like lollipops. Who cares how many more toxins are in those? Huge numbers of young people in their 20s are still in school and still dependent on their parents. Is the medical community thrilled to welcome a new mind-altering drug we can all enjoy? Is there enough paper to list all the side-effects? [continues 212 words]
Province grants cannabis store to Niagara Falls Niagara Falls will receive at least one government-run pot shop when recreational marijuana becomes legal next July. On Tuesday night, Coun. Wayne Thomson read a letter from Ontario Ministry of Finance sent to the city and dated Nov. 28 that the popular tourist destination has been identified "for the location of at least one initial cannabis retail store by July 2018." Thomson, along with Mayor Jim Diodati, voiced their disappointment when the Honeymoon Capital wasn't among the first 14 cities announced earlier this month by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to host a legal pot shop next July. [continues 929 words]
Host's company says event aims to add legitimacy to community What do you do if you're a budding awards show trying to create a buzz around Canada's $8.7-billion cannabis market? First you weed out the best producers from the very large crop of products out there. Then you book a swanky joint and roll out the red carpet for business types looking to get in on the potential pot of gold surrounding legalization next summer. The CEO of Lift Co., the online marketplace for the medical marijuana industry that is holding the event, says it was high time for a grass gala to highlight the fourth annual Canadian Cannabis Awards - previously held only online - in an effort to add some legitimacy to the often stigmatized cannabis community. [continues 389 words]
In wiser times, cigarettes were considered poison: protect the kids, reduce health-care expense, ban that toxin almost everywhere. As a result, we all breathe easier. Now it's 2017 - set up shops and fill them with pretty coloured weed balls, like lollipops. Who cares how many more toxins are in those? Huge numbers of young people in their 20s are still in school and still dependent on their parents. Is the medical community thrilled to welcome a new mind- altering drug we can all enjoy? Is there enough paper to list all the side- effects? [continues 212 words]
Handful in B.C., Alberta permit snorting or orally taking drugs A PROPOSED SITE for supervised illicit drug use in Hamilton's core would only allow for substances to be injected and prohibit snorting, smoking or taking narcotics orally. The Board of Health will decide Dec. 4 if it supports a supervised injection site (SIS) to be located between Queen Street North and Ferguson Avenue North and bordered by Main Street East and Barton Street East. "There have been rising deaths, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and paramedic responses related to drug use," states a needs assessment and feasibility study by Hamilton Public Health Services in partnership with McMaster University. "In particular, harms from opioid use are a growing urgent concern among the community." [continues 800 words]
Inside Ontario
