If you sell iodine, rock salt, aluminum foil, coffee filters, starter fluid, lithium batteries or drain cleaner, you could be providing someone with the ingredients to make a meth lab. It's a harsh reality in the world we live in today, and now the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Langley Merchants Association, in partnership with RCMP, have created the Meth Watch Program that will deliver posters, brochures and 'shelf talkers,' advising employees and customers about what to look out for and how to curb the bulk sale of these items. [continues 403 words]
How many people you know have used marijuana in the past year? Would you consider them criminals? The number is probably a lot higher than you think. Some five million Canadians smoked marijuana in 2004, according to a United Nations report on drug use around the world. That's about one in six people. With B.C. being known for its particular fondness for cannabis, the ratio is probably higher here. Perhaps much higher. So, perhaps one in five of the people you know between the ages of 15 and retirement has used marijuana in the past year. [continues 166 words]
Editor: Re: "40 grow-ops pinpointed" (The Times, July 11). In this article, reporter Natasha Jones refers to an operation that was carried out by the Township's Public Safety Inspection Team, which is comprised of firefighters, bylaw enforcement officers, municipal staff, RCMP and BC Hydro. According to provincial legislation, they can enter premises without a search warrant. This makes me wonder who is next on the list to join the team -- the postman? What is our mayor and council trying to do, create a police state within a democracy? Or does this just provide ammunition for snitches, who reside in all local neighbourhoods? Or is it a way to justify expanding their powers? [continues 180 words]
Editor: Please consider publishing the following letter in response to Tom Fletcher's column (The Times, July 4). For non-violent offenders with chronic substance abuse problems, community courts are a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. I just hope Canada's community courts aren't misused for political purposes the way they are here in the United States. Record numbers of U.S. citizens arrested for marijuana possession have been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting distortion of treatment statistics is used by U.S. Drug Czar John Walters to make the claim that marijuana is "addictive." [continues 122 words]
B.C.'S Cities No Closer To Solving Social Problems The "honour system" has finally been abandoned on the Greater Vancouver buses. The establishment of "fare paid zones" beyond the driver's seat and at least the theoretical appearance of someone to check tickets is an effort to stem the problem of people refusing to pay and assaulting drivers who remind them the ride isn't quite free. It seems that once a city reaches a certain size, it doesn't have enough honour left for honour systems. Surveys indicated that Ottawa doesn't yet have bus anarchy, but Toronto does. [continues 836 words]
Grow-ops may not be candidates for membership in the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce but those indoor marijuana farms, located in homes all over the region, could qualify as the one of the city's largest industries. Until now. A $1.3 million co-operative project between the city, BC Hydro and Coquitlam RCMP seems to be nipping these illegal businesses in the bud. Since the Public Safety Inspection Program began a month ago, 23 properties have been inspected for excessive power use and 21 homeowners were fined $5,000 for a follow-up inspection. [continues 206 words]
Drug dealing, intoxicated violent fights, prostitution, open domestic abuse, loud late-night parties, littered drug and sex paraphernalia, overflowing garbage and intimidation from tenants will all be a thing of the past this summer for neighbours of the Tourist Inn on 200 Street. To the sounds of cheers and applause from residents and business owners who live and work near the Tourist Inn, Langley City council unanimously revoked the motel's business licence on Monday night. Residents of Glenwood Manor packed into the City Hall chambers well past midnight to hear the outcome of the lengthy hearing into whether Tourist Inn would be shut down by the City. [continues 1114 words]
Editor: I would like to clarify a few points concerning A. Brown's "Wake Up Call" to the parents of Langley teens (The Times, June 20). I will work through the letter chronologically for the sake of logic, something I believe was sorely missing from the letter. One of the most commonly used arguments for marijuana prohibition is that marijuana use causes paranoid behaviour. The remedy offered is that parents drive by to stalk their children. For the record, it is prohibition that causes paranoia, not THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). As for the generic, unspecific claim of laced marijuana, I would like to put this issue to rest once and for all. There is nothing to gain for dealers lacing their pot with other more expensive, rarer substances. Again, logic can go a long way. [continues 236 words]
Marijuana growing operators will have to worry about more than police starting this month. The Public Safety Inspection Team are ready to set out, going to homes that have been shown to consume an unusually large amount of electricity. The team will be made up of Township electrical safety inspectors, a bylaw officer and RCMP members who will post notices on the doors of homes that B.C.Hydro has shown to consume abnormal levels of electricity. The home owner then has 48 hours to allow an inspection. If the owner refuses, the power to the home will be shut off, said police spokesperson Cpl. Diane Blain. [continues 228 words]
Editor: I got a kick out of the letter by Travis Erbacher (The Times, April 20). In my view, our society has been quite tolerant of those who choose to smoke pot. I agree adults should be able to enjoy this "escape" in the comfort of their homes, but I ask that you keep it away from youngsters until they are old enough to make their own decisions. Persecution? I don't think so. Cloverdale [end]
Editor: As the "Million Marijuana March" on May 5 approaches, so does the greatest injustice thus far in the war on drugs. Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams (the "B.C. three") are set to face extradition to the United States in hearings beginning on May 28 in the B.C. Supreme Court. They face 10 years to life imprisonment for selling marijuana seeds, should they be extradited. The Canadian government has knowingly taxed these sales for the past decade, while Mr. Emery has used all of his income fighting prohibition. [continues 54 words]
Another dangerous incident involving a fire at a drug production house illustrates the wisdom of Langley Township council's adoption of the Controlled Substance Property Bylaw. On Saturday, Coquitlam firefighters were called to a small fire in the basement of a residence on a quiet residential street. They saw several barrels of chemicals. Police, and a hazardous materials team fully outfitted in protective clothing were required, and the home is suspected of being a lab producing the drug ecstasy. Firefighters and police have a dangerous enough job as it is, without running the risk of encountering toxic and/or flammable or explosive chemicals; illegal electrical bypasses or exposed wiring, in pleasant residential neighbourhood. Neighours, and people like utility workers or inspectors attending to legitimate business, are not exempt, and fire, toxic fumes, or electrocution aren't the only dangers. Grow ops and drug labs are often targeted by other criminals, bringing the potential of violence to the quietest neighbourhood. [continues 154 words]
An amendment to Langley Township's controlled substance property bylaw has been adopted by Township council. The amended bylaw creates a shorter notice period to property owners or occupants of property suspected of housing drug production facilities. Now, with 24 hours notice, Langley fire and bylaw officials, with Langley RCMP assistance, will be authorized to enter into suspected premises, to check for fire and electrical safety violations. Fees to the owner of a home found in violation will be $3,500 at minimum. [continues 264 words]
A $7,500 provincial government grant will assist Langley School District teach Grade 7 students drug awareness. Langley Township Mayor Kurt Alberts on Monday presented the cheque to Leslie Klein, program co-ordinator for the school district's Community Methamphetamine Response Funding Program. The grant will pay in part for the drug and alcohol worker who will teach students about the dangers of methamphetamine. Alberts said the Grade 7s were felt to be the most vulnerable, since they were making the transition from elementary school to high school. [continues 143 words]
Marijuana grow-ops are no joke in the Tri-Cities, where hardly a week goes by without a bust or a raid. And area residents are increasingly at risk of being in the line of fire when criminals try to steal from criminals. Sadder still is the plight of children living in homes that house grow-ops, who must be shunted off to foster care when their parents are charged while their homes, hard-wired to suck up electricity, make for dangerous living conditions for both the inhabitants and their neighbours. [continues 255 words]
Drug production in Langley Township homes and buildings will be targeted by a special team of fire, police and bylaw officers. Fees to the owner of a home found in violation will be $3,500 at minimum. Township Fire Chief Doug Wade says controlled-substance, fire services and electrical safety laws provide ample authority for safety inspections of suspected marijuana grow operations or drug production facilities. Authorities would be able, under an amended controlled-substance property bylaw, to serve 24 hours notice of a safety inspection, to the occupants of a Township premise. [continues 534 words]
Editor: In response to the letters published on Feb. 14 about "legalizing meth," I just have to ask: Have any of the letter writers who think that legalizing meth is necessary ever known someone who has used meth? Do they know how hard it is to watch someone you love being killed by that crap? I have known a few people who were caught up in that world, and the one thing that they had in common was the knowledge that they are killing themselves, and they don't know how to stop. [continues 332 words]
Editor: This is a response to the letters in the Feb. 14 issue of The Times. They call for legalizing meth. Are these letter writers serious? I suppose then, if we are to consider legalizing this destructive drug, we may as well throw in all the other highly addictive, dangerous and deadly drugs as well. Heroin should probably get thrown in there -- so many people use it and are addicted to it now -- let's just make it that much easier for people to get hooked. [continues 280 words]
Marijuana A Strategic Priority For Police This Year Langley RCMP cut the heart out of a large, sophisticated marijuana grow operation on Valentine's day, seizing 3,000 plants and arresting two Langley men. Acting on a tip, drug officers searched an outbuilding in the 3100 block of 216 Street that appeared to have been modified to conceal the operation. The building was equipped with security cameras, an alarm system, and all interior and exterior doors were of reinforced steel and locked with high-security padlocks, said RCMP Cpl. Diane Blain. [continues 242 words]
Editor: In response to your editorial (The Times, Feb. 11), this is an open letter to Solicitor General John Les. Making ingredients illegal won't make crystal meth go away. It will only become more toxic, and lead to more violence. There are good reasons to legalize, then regulate and even tax crystal meth. Foolishly, our present government policy of drug prohibition is injecting price increases and violence into the black market, and then abdicating the right to decide the following: [continues 401 words]
Editor: Re: Destructive practices (The Times, Feb. 11). The problem of meth lab waste being dumped in public areas is caused by the fact that meth is an illegal drug and not, as you imply, because meth producers are careless and/or stupid. If the drug were legal and produced in government-regulated facilities as beer and wine are, any waste products would be safely taken care of. Alan Randell, Victoria [end]
The dangers of meth labs are becoming more apparent to people, following a couple of high-profile meth dumps in the eastern portion of Surrey. One is just two blocks from the Langley border, in an area of rapid development and construction activity in both Surrey and Langley. It appears that meth lab operators are disposing of their excess materials by dumping these materials in a sufficiently remote location. Just a few weeks ago, a dump of chemicals was found outside Williams Park. [continues 269 words]
A person out for an early morning walk at Williams Park stumbled upon 13 pails of extremely toxic sludge last Wednesday (Jan. 17). Around 6:30 a.m., Township firefighters and Langley RCMP were called out to the area of 70A Avenue and 234 Street, to deal with the dumped pails of brown liquid. "It was quickly determined that the brown liquid was remnants or byproduct of a meth lab," said police spokesperson Cpl. Diane Blain. A hazardous materials company was called by the fire department to safely remove the pails. The pails haven't been traced back to the meth lab, yet. Langley RCMP's drug section is investigating. [continues 92 words]
Editor: During the late 1960s, a gentleman in our province was sentenced to 15 years in jail for trafficking in heroin. The guilty person thought the punishment was too harsh, and with the aid of a skilled lawyer, he took this decision to the B.C. Court of Appeal for review, with the hope of getting a lesser sentence. After the trial, Justice Angelo Branca, who wrote the main judgment, said "These traffickers know that very few addicts are able to climb back to the sanity of non-addiction, and they know their profits are reaped from an ever-widening number of human wrecks... [continues 84 words]
With 120,000 known alcoholics and 36,000 drug addicts, B.C. has one of the highest rates of drug use in the country. Statistics confirm that drug and alcohol use has infiltrated the workplace, and on Wednesday 80 employers learned what signs of impairment to look for, the effect on the bottom line, and the extent of their liability. The event was Drugs and Addiction in the Workplace, a symposium hosted by the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce. Const. Marianne Farmer, a 20-year veteran of the RCMP, launched the post-breakfast segment of the symposium by saying that children are using stimulants, including tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs at a younger age. Children are beginning to smoke cigarettes around age 11 and 12, and drink alcohol at age 12 and 13. The combination of an increasingly younger work force as the babyboomer generation begins to retire, and more drug use among young people, leaves no doubt that drugs and alcohol exists in the work place. [continues 389 words]
Encroaching surveillance of citizens, by bylaw, the subject of a letter to Township council from the privacy commissioner, has been referred to staff for a presentation. Information and Privacy Commission David Loukidelis in a letter "strongly urges" council to consider repealing any existing bylaws which require local businesses to report personal information on customers, to the municipality or the police. Loukidelis makes an exception for pawnbroker and secondhand dealer bylaws. Loukidelis says that as bylaws forcing businesses to act as data collection agencies for government proliferated, he became concerned that their privacy implications weren't being considered. [continues 230 words]
Once again, the issue of panhandling and drug dealing on the streets of downtown Vancouver is becoming an issue. Big hotels are speaking out more, and some of their more vocal guests are saying they will not return. This problem is not just a Vancouver one, although it is at its worst there. More and more often, the people who cause a lot of these problems are showing up on the streets here. Thus far, panhandlers are not hitting up pedestrians in Langley City or Langley Township a great deal. But we have no shortage of homeless people here, and there are plenty of drug addicts and prostitiutes as well. [continues 413 words]
Tackling the Greater Vancouver drug problem requires a regional approach, a GVRD-led forum on drugs and crime heard Monday. Tom Hetherington, addiction services manager for the Pacific Community Resources Society, was among the presenters who says local plans are often unco-ordinated. "Problematic substance use crosses municipal boundaries -- all people are impacted by it," he said in an interview. "If one was to put a lot of pressure on the Downtown Eastside, those people will move somewhere --- they may move to New Westminster or Burnaby or Surrey." [continues 336 words]
Ecstasy smuggling across the B.C. border has exploded, according to a cross-border team of law enforcers. "Blaine is a hotspot for ecstasy smuggling," said Roy Hoffman, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant special agent in charge. "We're seeing a huge amount of ecstasy heading for points in the U.S." He was among the officers who briefed the Cascadia Mayors Council meeting earlier this summer in Surrey on the work of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET), which pools policing efforts from both sides of the border to bust smugglers. [continues 283 words]
Editor: Driving while smoking pot should not be advised, but trying to turn the issue into a political football does visibly display that Conservatives really do pander to a lot of ignorance. In regards to pot smokers as drivers, there have been very recent studies conducted in Australia, by the University of Adelaide's pharmacology department and Transport SA, which found that cannabis was the only drug tested that decreased the relative risk of having an accident. If that that is not enough, readers should look to the recent studies which have embarrassed the British government. The British Transport Research Laboratory began with preconceptions, built primarily around the legal status of this plant, reasoning that if it is illegal it must be as intoxicating as alcohol. [continues 127 words]
Those who choose to get high and drive may no longer be getting a free ride in Canada. The federal Conservatives are looking at ways to combat drug-impaired driving through stronger enforcement legislation that can lead to prosecution. "Department of Justice lawyers are working on legislation which will help police deal with drug-impaired drivers," said Langley MP Mark Warawa on Wednesday. He made the announcement at a press conference organized by the Langley RCMP on the issue of teens' lax attitudes toward smoking pot and getting behind the wheel of a car. Politicians, police and youth counsellors joined forces to say this is a problem that should be taken seriously. [continues 561 words]
The three Surrey men who dug a drug smuggling tunnel beneath the Canada-U.S. border have been sentenced to nine years in jail. Francis Devandra Raj, 30, Timothy Woo, 43, and Johnathan Valenzuela, 27, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenou in Seattle Friday morning. "This is not a good way to make money," Judge Coughenou said, after observing he had the impression Canadians tend to view marijuana-related crimes in a less serious light than Americans. Their lawyers said the trio are hoping to serve their sentences in a Canadian jail. They must spend at least a year in U.S. jails before applying to be transferred to Canada. [continues 359 words]
Ecstasy smuggling across the B.C. border has exploded, according to a cross-border team of law enforcers. "Blaine is a hotspot for ecstasy smuggling," said Roy Hoffman, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant special agent in charge. "We're seeing a huge amount of ecstasy heading for points in the U.S." He was among the officers who briefed the Cascadia Mayors Council meeting June 30 in Surrey on the work of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET), which pools policing efforts from both sides of the border to bust smugglers. [continues 312 words]
Langley's new RCMP Supt. Janice Armstrong provided City council with a quarterly policing update during Monday evening's meeting, receiving positive feedback from councillors. "I've only been in the community for five months and must say that I am very impressed with the members we have here on the force," said Armstrong. She presented a list of five items which she is working on, including a strategic plan, a crime reduction strategy, a master plan, improved communication and enhanced visibility. [continues 338 words]
Editor: I'm writing about Frank Bucholtz's thoughtful editorial: "Legalization an option" (The Times, July 2). Certainly some now-illegal drugs are very dangerous. This is why they should be regulated, controlled and taxed -- for the sake of the children. Only legal products of any kind can be regulated, controlled and taxed by any government. Kirk Muse, Mesa, Arizona [end]
Editor: LEAP is an organization of serving and retired law enforcement personnel, who believe that not only are present drug policies ineffective, but they lead to extensive criminal activities by addicts to support their addictions. These policies also make criminal gangs very rich and powerful, and have led to easy availability of drugs to even primary school students. Today it is much easier for children to obtain drugs than to obtain alcohol. These same dealers are entirely motivated by profit, and often rather than only selling the less harmful soft drugs to their clients, they will offer them highly-addictive substances in order to up their profits. [continues 496 words]
Members of the community joined politicians, police officers, and experts at a special forum on crystal meth Wednesday. Crystal meth is not a policing problem. It is not a parenting problem. It is a community problem. And the community will have to work together to prevent the drug from ruining lives and taking a further toll on Langley, the forum was told. "The key to building safer communities is working together," said Langley Township Councilor Mel Kositsky, who helped organize the forum, held at the Township of Langley's Civic Facility on Wednesday, June 28. [continues 543 words]
The arrest of two men in a scheme which saw marijuana hauled into the U.S. by helicopter is being hailed by law enforcement officials on both sides of the border. They say the helicopter was hauling cocaine back into Canada, after dropping off marijuana in remote areas that were accessible by helicopter. This is just another indication of the massive scale of drug smuggling that goes on in this area. In addition to marijuana being traded for cocaine, it is often used to purchase handguns. These guns are then distributed among people involved with the drug trade, and this has led to many murders throughout the Lower Mainland. [continues 241 words]
Landlords will be required to make mandatory inspections of their rental properties every three months, if a proposed anti-drug bylaw is adopted by Langley Township council. Property owners who breach the provisions of the Controlled Substance Property Bylaw, which was given three readings on June 26, face a maximum fine of $10,000. If an infraction is a continuing offence, every day that the offence carries on will constitute a separate and distinct offence. The bylaw is the municipality's get-tough response to the crime of manufacturing drugs and growing marijuana, particularly in residential homes. [continues 394 words]
Langley still has its fair share of marijuana grow ops, with the local drug section carting away 1,000 plants from two homes on Tuesday, one in a new Willoughby subdivision. A fire that started in a B.C. Hydro meter box attached to a house uncovered a marijuana grow operation. The neighbourhood is part of a new development of homes where several grow ops have been busted, said police. Langley Mounties are concerned when electricity is stolen, as it was in this case, because fires can spread from the hydro meter to neighbouring houses. [continues 459 words]
By all accounts, Brian Abrosimo, 43, suffered a miserable childhood. Marginally mentally retarded and afflicted with an attention deficit disorder, he was severely picked on at school and accepted by none of his peers. His lawyer, David Karp, told his sentencing hearing in April that Abrosimo was sent to a specialized school in Victoria when he was a young boy. It was a horrible experience in which the boy was ostracized, and verbally, physically and sexually abused, Karp said. In a statement dictated after he was sentenced last Friday to 18 years in prison, Abrosimo shed light on another aspect of his life, that of a man hooked on cocaine and crystal meth. [continues 396 words]
Editor: I was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana recently. It seems the right time to come out publicly for legalization, and I hope to persuade you to do the same. I have been smoking marijuana for 30-plus years. It is my choice for relaxation and enjoyment. I know plenty of people in our town also enjoy this choice. I believe this holds true for millions across our country. Aren't we all tired of having to "hide" and deny our use in public, because of outdated and senseless laws? Surely it is time to bury the b.s. and get marijuana legalized. [continues 382 words]
Whenever The Times publishes anything related to drugs, the e-mails begin to flow from all parts on North America. The flow begins immediately aE" often even before Langley residents receive their copy of The Times. A network of people is plugged into drug-related stories via the Internet, and do not hesitate to share their thoughts with us and (they hope) readers. We publish many of their letters, because they offer a legitimate perspective on an issue of public policy. While most of them advocate legalization or decriminalization of some drugs such as marijuana, others take a different perspective. I've always found it curious that anything positive about drug use (such as support for medicinal use of marijuana, which is legal in Canada) rarely prompts any response. [continues 404 words]
The impact crystal meth has on Langley has been made into a movie. Langley's police officers, firefighters and a local recovered addict appear in the latest crystal meth education video called Cold As Ice, which premiered at Langley City Fire Hall on Thursday. Produced by award-winning director and producer Michael Neitzel, (who created the first crystal meth documentary Death by JIB), Cold As Ice shows the dangers Langley's first responders deal with when encountering addicts high on crystal meth and the environmental and safety impacts meth labs have on the community. [continues 652 words]
Editor: To satisfy J. Beauman's curiosity (The Times, May 7), an SES poll in November 2004 found 57 per cent of Canadians want marijuana users left alone. Furthermore, a February, 2005 poll found that 49 per cent of Canadians thought marijuana was in the process of being legalized. Of course, since marijuana users tend to shun institutions such as organized religion and vice versa, perhaps Beauman should ask in other places -- starting with a local hospice or a palliative care ward at the local hospital -- to get a better picture of Canada's view on marijuana. Tim Meehan Ottawa, Ontario [end]
Editor: Auto theft is linked to marijuana grow-ops, says RCMP Supt. Janice Armstrong (The Times, May 7). That is quite a stretch, without any corroborating figures that the good officer neglected to include in her hysterical accusation. I suppose, given all the activity in the marijuana grow-op industry, that a grower may have felt it necessary to steal a vehicle to hurry over and turn the lights off at the twelfth hour. To say that grow-ops are fuelling auto thefts without any explanation, as Supt. Armstrong has stated, is not essentially true and is meant to mislead the reader. Randall St. Jacques, Windsor West Marijuana Party, Windsor, Ontario [end]
Sell a glass crack pipe or bong in Langley City and you'll have to tell police who you sold it to, including the person's name and address. On Monday night, council passed a motion to prohibit sales of drug paraphernalia to all persons under 19 years of age and require sellers to record and report to RCMP all purchases. Another bylaw that was passed prohibits any new business from selling drug paraphernalia, grandfathering those stores that already sell pipes and bongs. [continues 257 words]
Editor: Re: Chuck Beyer's letter to the editor (The Times, April 26). He states "recent polls show that 50 per cent of Canadians want outright legalization of marijuana. Mmmm, I don't remember any pollster ever asking my opinion on this subject,w so I thought it would be a good idea to do one of my own, you know, just to corroborate Mr. Beyer's stats. The results were amazing, not one of my 10 friends polled at church agreed with legalizing marijuana, and, according the "recent polls" at least five should have been in the affirmative. Maybe my poll was the one that proves the caveat "this poll is correct 19 times out of 20," and Mr. Beyer is correct after all. J. Beauman, Langley [end]
Editor: Randy White (The Times, Apr. 23) claims that various scientific reports back government drug policies. Could Mr. White be persuaded to publicly state exactly which reports he's referring to? George Kosinski, Gibsons [end]
Editor: Re: Randy White applauds drug policy shifts (The Times, April 23). Recent polls show that more than 50 per cent of Canadians want outright legalization of marijuana and far more subscribe to the nebulous concept of decriminalization. In B.C., support for legalization is 60 per cent and growing, so high that the provincial NDP has recently passed a resolution in favour of regulation and taxation. Hopefully, Canada's flirtation with these undemocratic conservatives is merely an aberration caused by the federal sponsorship scandal, and we can get back to running a democracy when this pizza parliament goes to pieces in the next two years. [continues 105 words]
