47% Of Edmontonians Think They're A Good Idea: Survey Nearly half of Edmontonians support the idea of establishing a safe-injection site for intravenous drug users in the city, according to a new survey. It comes at a time when park rangers are picking up three times the number of discarded syringes in the river valley compared to just a few years ago -- suggesting the problem is getting worse. "Addiction is not going to go away," Roy Aldridge, a recovering heroin and speed addict, who's been clean for about a year, told Sun Media today. [continues 333 words]
A group keen on busting marijuana grow ops wants you to narc on your neighbours. The Edmonton Stop Marijuana Grow Ops Coalition yesterday released a brochure designed to help people spot potential pot factories. The coalition - whose partners include city hall, cops, Capital Health and others - is asking Edmontonians to report suspected drug dens to police. "They don't have to know, or be 100% sure there's a grow-op," said Edmonton Det. Darren Derko, a member of the combined Edmonton Police Service and RCMP drug-busting Green Team. "All they're doing is reporting suspicious activity. From there police are going to have to conduct their own investigations." [continues 260 words]
Working Together To Battle Scourge Manitoba Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh says he wants in on a pilot project that would give cops new tools to literally sniff out meth labs. "If there's any developed technology that can be useful for police here, I think it's our duty to try to find out more about it," Mackintosh told The Sun. Mackintosh's comments came after learning Alberta is reportedly working with Ottawa on a jointly funded pilot project to use technology that would detect crystal methamphetamine labs by scent. [continues 249 words]
Free Crack-Pipe Program Recognized Sometimes it's enough of an honour just being nominated. The free crack-pipe program run by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority was a runner-up in the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's Teddy awards, which were presented yesterday. The seventh annual spoof of the Oscars targets irresponsible and extravagant government spending. 'SO MUCH DEMAND' "With so much demand put upon the health-care system, the CTF questions to this day why the health authority is handing out free crack pipes," said Adrienne Batra, Manitoba director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. [continues 311 words]
Wants Drug Punishments On Par Ottawa should raise the maximum sentence for producing or trafficking crystal meth to life in prison, says Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh. "We have to do what we can to put in place a legal regime so there are serious consequences for those who destroy our communities and Canadians with meth," he said yesterday. It doesn't make sense that the maximum prison term for meth dealers under the federal Criminal Code is 10 years, while those convicted of selling cocaine and heroin can face life behind bars, said Mackintosh. [continues 224 words]
WRHA Resumes Handing Out Of Crack Kits Crack kits are back. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has resumed distributing taxpayer-funded "safer crack use kits" to addicts after pulling the packages off the street in early October. "We're back to where we wanted to be," said Dr. Margaret Fast, a medical officer of health with the WRHA. Officials in October said the glass crack pipes included in the kits weren't up to snuff because they had a tendency to shatter when they hit concrete. [continues 335 words]
Criminal Code too soft: justice minister Ottawa must toughen up the Criminal Code to crack down on illegal grow operations, says provincial Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh. "There has to be tougher penalties for large-scale grow ops," Mackintosh said yesterday. "And where organized crime is connected to it, I think there has to be a stronger Criminal Code response. "This serious concern is shared by many of my colleagues across Canada." The maximum penalty under the federal Criminal Code for running a grow op is seven years. [continues 190 words]
The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba has seen a startling increase in the number of crack-cocaine addicts it treats. In 1999, 35% of people admitted to the AFM reported they were cocaine or crack-cocaine users. Three years later, that jumped to 45%, according to figures released yesterday by the Opposition Tories. Conservative Leader Stuart Murray said the NDP government should reverse a recent decision to cut funding to the not-for-profit treatment centre given the high numbers. Budget Cuts [continues 334 words]
Seen As Fueling Addiction Former crack addicts charge a program to provide users with pipes and other accessories will fuel the use of the highly addictive drug in Winnipeg. "It's bulls--t, man" said Debbie, a 38-year-old former crack-cocaine addict who asked only to be identified by her first name. "They're crazy, they're stupid," she said of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, which is handing out kits to addicts with sores and burns on their lips in an effort to stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. [continues 386 words]
Treatment Cut Back Drug addicts and alcoholics will have to wait longer for treatment because of provincial budget cuts, says the head of the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. John Borody said yesterday the foundation will be closing its 14-bed primary-care unit in September because of provincial government cutbacks. The unit treated people going through low-level withdrawal from alcohol and drugs such as crack cocaine. Borody said patients with more serious addictions will be admitted to Health Sciences Centre, while others will be observed in another 28-bed unit contained within the AFM's facility on Portage Avenue. The 28-bed unit already has a waiting list of between two and three months, he said. [continues 132 words]
Province Bucks Drug-Use Trend The country may be going to pot, but Manitoba isn't. A Statistics Canada report released yesterday found marijuana use is up everywhere across the country except in the Keystone province. In fact, there are fewer pot smokers per capita in Manitoba than anywhere else in the country. And no one can really explain why. "I'm not really sure, but it did stick out," said Michael Tjepkema, who authored the StatsCan report. In 1994, the government agency found 7.4% of Canadians over 15 reported using cannabis within 12 months of being surveyed. [continues 273 words]
Proceeds of crime law introduced Proposed gang-busting legislation will take the profit out of crime, vows Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh. Yesterday, Mackintosh introduced the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. The proposed NDP legislation would give cops the power to apply for a court order to seize property either bought with profits from crime or used to commit crime. Mackintosh said the property could include real estate, cash, cars, boats or equipment used for drug operations. "Manitoba has been recognized as having the toughest anti-gang legislation," Mackintosh said. "This is an add-on." [continues 196 words]
If Ottawa's Pot Plan Proceeds If Ottawa plans to decriminalize pot, it should also clamp down on stoned drivers, says Manitoba's justice minister. Gord Mackintosh yesterday urged the feds to quickly approve proposed changes to the Criminal Code that would allow police to test drivers for drugs. "I have made it very clear that if indeed the federal government was proceeding with the decriminalization of certain amounts of marijuana, for goodness sake, they have to fast-track legislation to deal more effectively with drug-impaired driving," Mackintosh told The Sun. [continues 153 words]
A rural Manitoba school division has just said no to drug testing. Trustees in the Garden Valley School Division in Winkler unanimously voted Tuesday night against a plan to force student athletes as young as 13 to submit to random drug tests. The controversial policy would have been a first in Canada. "At this point in time, we will not introduce the drug testing program," Garden Valley superintendent Dom Wilkins told The Sun yesterday. Privacy concerns Trustees approved in principle the drug policy last year but did not implement it then because of privacy concerns. [continues 243 words]
Mandatory In School? A rural Manitoba school division was expected to decide as early as last night whether it would begin forcing students as young as 13 to submit to mandatory alcohol and drug testing. The Garden Valley School Division wants to begin randomly conducting drug tests on about 250 students between grades 9 and 12 who play extracurricular sports at Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler. The controversial policy, which made headlines across the country, would be a first of a kind in Canada. [continues 263 words]
Quality reaches research standards For the first time, grown-in-Canada marijuana is being offered to researchers for use in clinical trials. Some 320 kilograms of pot grown in Northern Manitoba under the watchful eye of the federal government has met strict quality standards and will be made available immediately to researchers, Health Canada confirmed yesterday. "If a clinical trial was approved tomorrow, we could make the material available within probably a week or 10 days," Cindy Cripps-Prawak, director of the country's Office of Cannabis Medical Access, told The Sun. [continues 275 words]
WINNIPEG -- Psssst -- want some government-sanctioned bud? Health Canada officials believe for the first time they've harvested at least two batches of research-grade marijuana from deep within the country's only official pot mine, located in Flin Flon, about 650 km northwest of Winnipeg. Final tests are being done on the cannabis before it's offered to scientists for clinical research trials. "The reality is, a researcher in the near future will not only be able access the product from the United States, but they will be able to access a product made available by Health Canada," said Cindy Cripps-Prawak, director of the country's Office of Cannabis Medical Access. [continues 338 words]
WINNIPEG -- Psssst -- want some government-sanctioned bud? Health Canada officials believe for the first time they've harvested at least two batches of research-grade marijuana from deep within the country's only official pot mine, located in Flin Flon, about 650 km northwest of Winnipeg. Final tests are being done on the cannabis before it's offered to scientists for clinical research trials. "The reality is, a researcher in the near future will not only be able access the product from the United States, but they will be able to access a product made available by Health Canada," said Cindy Cripps-Prawak, director of the country's Office of Cannabis Medical Access. [continues 335 words]
Psssst -- want some government-sanctioned bud? Health Canada officials believe for the first time they've harvested at least two batches of research-grade marijuana from deep within the country's only official pot mine, located in Flin Flon, about 650 km northwest of Winnipeg. Final tests are being done on the cannabis before it's offered to scientists for clinical research trials. "The reality is, a researcher in the near future will not only be able to access the product from the United States, but they will be able to access a product made available by Health Canada," said Cindy Cripps-Prawak, director of the country's Office of Cannabis Medical Access. [continues 335 words]
WINNIPEG -- Psssst - Want Some Government-Sanctioned Bud? Health Canada officials believe for the first time they've harvested at least two batches of research-grade marijuana from deep within the country's only official pot mine, located in Flin Flon, about 650 km northwest of Winnipeg. Final tests are being done on the cannabis before it's offered to scientists for clinical research trials. "The reality is, a researcher in the near future will not only be able to access the product from the United States, they will be able to access a product made available by Health Canada," said Cindy Cripps-Prawak, director of Canada's Office of Cannabis Medical Access. [continues 335 words]
