It's no news that health care in B.C. is undergoing a radical change. Believe it or not, the move towards a sustainable health care system began under the former NDP provincial government with the Liberals continuing and accelerating that trend. Today's health authorities are demanding evidence that they are getting the best bang for their buck, be it in acute care, mental health or long-term care. As they should. The days when there was enough government money to run a wasteful system are long since over, if they ever really were here. [continues 365 words]
Editor: It is encouraging to read Chuck Beyer's letter, "MP misses point on pot legalization", Oct. 8 and Alan Randell's letter "War on drugs a manipulative ruse", Oct. 8, because it's time to end this embarrassing part of North American history. The original prohibition on a national scale was worse than the booze prohibited and the sequel, now, on an international scale is worse. At the very minimum, North America must re-legalize cannabis, especially when you consider the worst side effects of cannabis are police inflicted. Caging humans for using cannabis, is so mean spirited, vile and repulsive, that it should be asked if cannabis prohibitionists really even comprehend that they're admitting, a desire to cage humans for using a plant? Stan White Dillon, Co [end]
Election Day Draws Nigh, But We Still Hold 13 People From Tulia in Texas Prisons Unjustly Some of us were reminded of the Tulia 13 a few days ago when a judge ordered the release of one of the Dallas Sheetrock bust victims, Jaime Chavez. He lost more than two years of his freedom because of false testimony. Candidates running for governor and U.S. senator have told Texas voters that the Tulia drug bust mess is not a campaign issue. They have avoided taking any stand. They don't mention this festering boil in their speeches. [continues 588 words]
The Bush administration is waving a big diplomatic stick at Canada. White House drug "czar" John P. Walters says U.S. border agents will intensify routine searches of people and goods entering the U.S. if Canada follows through on recent proposals to end criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. This U.S. threat is designed to get our attention, indeed, to scare us. "Ensuring access to the U.S. market is, arguably, the single most important policy consideration facing Canada in the coming decade," says Anne Golden, president and CEO of the Conference Board of Canada, reflecting a consensus among business groups. [continues 316 words]
How about the agony inflicted on a lot of innocent people by the war on drugs, by SWAT teams busting down doors, by the carnage on our streets in turf wars, by the killing of good police officers in shootouts with dealers, by the corruption of once good police officers and civil servants here and in Mexico, by the fact that young black kids are sucked out of school and into the streets by the profits that can be made selling drugs, and by the sight of U.S. helicopters flying around Colombia trying to suppress guerrillas supported by the illegal profits the war creates. [continues 129 words]
You conclude that because a new study has shown ecstasy to have long- term side effects it supports the position that drugs should not be legalized in a regulated market. You are buying the unproven assumption that if something is legal its use will increase. But when alcohol was prohibited in the U.S., the use of alcohol among teenagers increased dramatically; some reports indicate a tenfold increase during this period. Alcohol prohibition was repealed "to save the children from prohibition." [continues 65 words]
COLD LAKE - Julian Madigan did drugs. Weed, coke, speed, crystal meth, acid, angel dust, Ecstasy, you name it. He admitted to trying pretty much every narcotic, save for heroin. He's not proud of this facet of his past, but by sharing his past with others he hopes to sway them from making the same mistakes. Madigan, 27, said that his life before drugs was excellent, a life of family, friends, school and competitive swimming. "Every (swimming) competition I won. I had boxes and boxes of trophies and gold medals," said Madigan, who as a teen dreamt of making it as a swimmer in the Olympics. [continues 422 words]
Breckenridge ski area is catching heat again for language in its ads. Last month, community folks in Breckenridge assailed the resort's use of offensive language, prompting an apology and removal of the ads from niche magazines. This time, a handful of locals is outraged at what they see as drug references found on Breckenridge's website. The text, which changes daily, on Monday read: "At Breck, everyone has a stash. And if you're lucky, you might just get someone to reveal their favorite line to you." [continues 368 words]
Nevadans To Vote On Legalizing Marijuana. LAS VEGAS - The dawn sky above Sin City was streaked with pink as John Walters' bodyguards scanned the street for marijuana terrorists. Satisfied that the perimeter was secure, they put the federal drug czar in his van. They were just being careful, an aide said. Their intelligence indicates that some Nevada freedom-lovers don't appreciate Walters' coming out here to inveigh against the current movement to legalize marijuana. But because Nevadans might soon try to end pot prohibition - something that has never happened in America, not in 30 years of sporadic drug reform - Walters says that "it's my responsibility to push back. We can't allow major government institutions to become facilitators for drug-dealing and drug addiction." [continues 1261 words]
There are a number of controversial ballot questions in this year's general election. Today the Sun offers its recommendations on the initiatives dealing with marriage, marijuana legalization, money for roads, and the power company. Later this week the Sun will provide its views on the other ballot questions. (snip) Question 9 would amend the Nevada Constitution so that marijuana is legalized. If that happens, Nevada would be the first state to do so -- and become a laughingstock. The number of people who go to work impaired would rise and it certainly would result in more people driving while they're high. One of our colleagues, Sandy Thompson, was killed in August after a speeding driver, who police say had marijuana in his system, crashed into her car as she waited at a stop light. We don't need more tragedies like that. Nevada already has a constitutional amendment allowing marijuana's use for medical reasons -- there's no reason to go further. We urge a no vote on Question 9. (snip) [end]
The Mukilteo School District is using specially trained drug-detection dogs to sniff the lockers, classrooms, common areas and cars at the district's middle and high schools. "I'd rather not be doing this," said Rick Robbins, executive director of secondary education for Mukilteo schools. "I'd like to say that we don't have a drug problem, but that's not true." The district is contracting with a Mount Vernon company called Washington Tactical K-9, which is state-licensed and authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct the searches. [continues 758 words]