To say that Canada is in the midst of opioid crisis is, tragically, a gross understatement. This is an emergency. Some 3,000 people, or about eight a day, are expected to die of opioid overdoses this year in Canada. Another 16 others are hospitalized each day. To put that in perspective, 44 people died in the SARS epidemic of 2003. So Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor's announcement last week listing new measures to fight the opioid crisis could not have come soon enough. But, distressingly, as bold as the new measures are, they don't go far enough to ward off the epidemic of deaths caused by these highly addictive drugs. [continues 587 words]
ALBANY - New Yorkers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder will now be able to use medical marijuana as a form of treatment. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Saturday that added PTSD to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana in New York. "As of today, marijuana will be legalized if a doctor authorizes and finds the condition of PTSD for a veteran, and I think that can help thousands of veterans. It's something that we've been talking about for a long time, and I'm glad we're taking action," Cuomo said. [continues 413 words]
(HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an advisory about harms tied to kratom -- an imported herbal supplement with opioid-like effects that is increasing in popularity. People are taking the unapproved supplement to treat conditions like pain, anxiety and depression -- without medical supervision, FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. Others use kratom for its euphoric effects, or to wean addicts off opioids such as prescription painkillers or heroin, also without medical say-so. [continues 413 words]
In just three years, the number of marijuana arrests in Buffalo dropped by more than half. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of people arrested continued to be people of color. A new study, released Tuesday, found 86 percent of the people arrested for marijuana possession in Buffalo during the five year-period ending last year were black or Hispanic. In Erie County, people of color accounted for 77 percent of all marijuana possession arrests over the same five-year period, according to the study. [continues 587 words]
Federal agents arrested a Philadelphia police officer Tuesday, accusing him of conspiring with officers in Baltimore to sell cocaine and heroin seized from that city's streets. Prosecutors say that Eric Troy Snell, 33, earned thousands of dollars serving as a conduit between corrupt members of a Baltimore police task force who stole the drugs and his brother, who sold them in Philadelphia. Investigators also have accused Snell of threatening the children of a Baltimore officer who pleaded guilty in the case. [continues 362 words]
Nova Scotians thinking that next July they'll be able to nip down to the corner pot shop whenever they want, might want to chill until they see the province's plan. Cannabis will be legal next summer, but the rules and regulations are yet to come and Nova Scotia, along with the other Atlantic Provinces, will create tightly controlled, strictly regulated environments. Last week, the province wrapped up its online survey asking Nova Scotian for opinions on a variety of questions about cannabis control and access. [continues 664 words]
Five of the six marijuana dispensaries located in West Kelowna are defying the city's order to shut down. And, as a result, they are each facing hefty fines that, if left unpaid, could result in court action. A week after the deadline the city gave the dispensaries to wrap up their operations in West Kelowna, only one has complied. So the city has started fining the dispensaries $1,000 a day each for contravening city bylaws. According to the city, West Kelowna bylaw officers visited the six dispensaries Nov. 1 and only one said it has stopped dispensing marijuana. [continues 269 words]
Two former Alberta government cabinet ministers and a police chief are part of a group that is working to promote the legal recreational marijuana industry. Former justice minister Jonathan Denis belongs to an organization called the Canadian Cannabis Chamber that is providing legal, lobbying and security advice to companies as Canada prepares for the legalization of pot next July. Denis said he never dreamed he would be working as an advocate for an industry that will sell a substance that people were arrested for during his years as Alberta's solicitor general. [continues 193 words]
Buyer beware. Nearly 75 percent of CBD marijuana extracts sold online are mislabeled, with many of the products containing little to none of the active ingredient, according to a study led by a University of Pennsylvania researcher. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a molecule found in cannabis believed to have therapeutic properties. Preliminary studies have found it to be effective in treating some forms of intractable seizures, pain and anxiety. It does not deliver the high associated with the better known psychoactive molecule, THC. CBD products are widely available despite a federal prohibition on their use. The DEA, and the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, consider CBD a Schedule 1 substance without a valid medical use. [continues 100 words]
A vegetable farmer looking to sell a piece of land has been put in a bind as Norfolk council looks at rules for marijuana grow operations. Bill Nightingale Jr. of Nightingale Farms, a large scale producer of asparagus, beans, peppers among other crops, built a greenhouse on 215 Windham Road 10 North, Delhi last year with the aim of growing organic cucumbers. Hydro prices increased to the point the facility was no longer viable so the operation applied for a farm split that would allow the sale of 7.9 acres of land, which includes the new 2.9-acre greenhouse and a single-detached dwelling. The package is listed for $3 million. [continues 476 words]
To: Mayor and Council of the City of West Kelowna I find myself writing this in support of the cannabis dispensaries in West Kelowna which have either been closed or are threatened to be closed by this current council. Over the past one-and-a-half years I have been a regular customer of a number of those businesses. They have become an important part of our daily lives dealing with arthritis, achy backs, anxiety, stomach issues, restless leg syndrome, etc. etc. The cannabis products provided by these businesses have been instrumental in helping us enjoy our time at this point in our lives. We (my wife and I ) are in our late 50s and have found that we prefer to use more natural methods to tend to our more minor health issues if possible and these dispensaries provide this for us and thousands of others in your community. [continues 380 words]
Kelowna city staff say cannabis should only be sold from storefront dispensaries licenced by the provincial government and under rules similar to existing liquor stores. And their locations and operations should be controlled by municipal land use zoning and bylaws. Those are the key recommendations in a report to go to city council Monday morning after the province asked municipalities across the B.C. for input about how marijuana and cannabis products should be distributed once the federal government makes them legal next July. [continues 586 words]
Many Canadians can hardly wait for the day that the recreational use of marijuanabecomes legal. As a medical doctor, I'm far less enthusiastic. I worry about two things: The experimental nature of marijuana in medical practice and the public health consequences of legalized marijuana. Before you write me off as overly prudish or an anti-marijuana conservative, let me say out of the gate that I'm not opposed to legalized marijuana in principle - I'm just paying attention to the evidence, or rather, the lack of it. My concern is that as marijuanabecomes more easily available, Canadians may become more inclined to self-medicate with this so-called "miracle drug." [continues 638 words]
Ed Secondiak began his Friday lecture on cannabis in the workplace by cautioning against potential dangers of the soon-to-be-legalized substance. "We would consider marijuana a dangerous drug simply because impairment is not recognized by the individual or perhaps the person (working) with them," said Secondiak, a former drug enforcement RCMP officer who now works with ECS Safety. The talk at Medicine Hat College was organized by APEX and intended for local employers, whom Secondiak encouraged to ask questions at any time. [continues 382 words]
To the editor: Monday's editorial about PM Justin Trudeau facing an "uphill battle" in respect to pushing through cannabis legislation next summer seems to coincide with the recent discovery of a magazine I found in my doctor's waiting room. It is called "Drug Facts For Young People" and is a free publication by Regional Maple Leaf Communications Inc., of Edmonton. A copy should be placed in every politician's briefcase and every student's backpack. Here are a few excerpts: [continues 160 words]
Recommendations to province include municipalities sharing in cannabis economy Local municipalities should share in the revenues of a legal recreational marijuana economy and should retain the authority to regulate retailers and suppliers in their communities. Those were among the recommendations approved by Parksville city council Monday, Oct. 23, in response to a request for input by the provincial government into provincial regulation of marijuana beginning in July of 2018. The non-binding recommendations followed a report from Keeva Kehler, the city's director of administrative services. [continues 499 words]
Mayors call for more support for cannabis legalization New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks was one of a group of Atlantic mayors who want a stronger voice when it comes to decisions around the legalization of marijuana. She and the other community leaders associated with the Atlantic Mayors' Congress believe municipalities in the region need more support and information as the legalization of marijuana in Canada approaches. While attending the Atlantic Mayors' Congress meeting from Oct. 18 to 20, Dicks signed a joint resolution requesting that the provincial and federal governments co-operate with municipalities in Atlantic Canada to prepare for the legalization of marijuana. [continues 372 words]
A pilot project was launched Tuesday to provide the first outdoor after-hours needle disposable drop box, with the aim of curbing the high rate of hepatitis C, locally. The sharp disposal kiosk is located on the property of AIDS Support Chatham-Kent at 67 Adelaide St. S. in Chatham, which has partnered with the ChathamKent Public Health Unit to provide a safe place to dispose of needles. When looking at best practices of other communities where these types of sharp disposal kiosks are available, it's a program that's been tested, said Steve Pratt, harm reduction program manager with AIDS Support C-K. [continues 284 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "This bud's for you?" Feature, Oct. 20. With money laundering being "uncovered" at our largest casino, a burgeoning birth tourism industry displacing tax-paying Canadians requiring a hospital bed and the expanding opiate (fentanyl) addiction crisis, this "Marijuana Legalization Concern Group" and the city councillors who support them (Mr. Au and Mr. McNulty), all need a reality check as to what the real issues are today within Richmond. Their list of demands to the federal government regarding cannabis legalization demonstrate a collective ignorance towards addiction, the negative effects prohibition has had on society, and the root causes of criminality. [continues 75 words]
This post to the Richmond News Facebook received a large number of "likes." Re: "This bud's for you?" Feature, Oct. 20. This honestly makes me laugh. We're OK with corruption, illegal money laundering, buildings built without proper zoning, misuse of our ALR, shootings of gang members, birthing "hotels" in residential and agricultural lands, passport babies, etc. Yet, some are overly concerned about the legalization of marijuana? Council should be protecting our citizens from the illegal things going on in Richmond, and prepare properly for the eventuality of the legalization of pot because it will no longer be the 'underground' activity it has been for decades. Debra 'Dee' Wells [end]
Dear Editor, Re: "This bud's for you?" Feature, Oct. 20. I'm surprised Coun. Chak Au is so worried about marijuana legislation, when the proposed legislation is designed to regulate marijuana, not encourage its use. Right now, marijuana is an unregulated seven billion dollar industry, much of it in the hands of criminals, and the government is right to seek to regulate and control the sale of it. Washington State has not seen a dramatic increase of use in marijuana amongst youth since legalization, nor has crime increased, which seems to be the main fear for Chak Au and his "concerned" group. [continues 60 words]
Marijuana will cause problems: Mayor Brodie Richmond city council voted unanimously to oppose marijuana legalization and send a letter to the provincial and federal governments expressing its concerns and requesting "proper" regulations. In the letter, the city will ask for the right to regulate cannabis at the municipal level, should it become legalized. This would enable the city to impose stricter rules and regulate it through land-use bylaws. "If you legalize it, then it's really like saying it doesn't cause problems when it really does," Mayor Malcolm Brodie told the Richmond News. [continues 445 words]
KL municipal officials have mixed views on proposed Crown corporation to manage marijuana sales in Ontario KIRKLAND LAKE - The province's proposal to create a Crown corporation to manage the sale of marijuana in Ontario has received a mixed review from Kirkland Lake's top elected municipal officials. Ontario Minister of Finance has written a letter to mayors and councillors across the province in regards to cannabis legislation. In the letter Charles Sousa states "our government is proposing to retail cannabis through a government-operated Crown Corporation, as a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). This approach would meet the standards of control and social responsibility that Ontarians expect, while responding to consumer demand and displacing the illegal market." [continues 807 words]
It must have been a busy meeting. A couple of weeks ago, Canada's federal and provincial justice and public safety ministers met in Vancouver for two days of meetings. They talked about delays in the criminal system and reforms to the Criminal Code over mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. About changes to the bail system and simpler and faster court proceedings. They talked about national security legislation and the safety of Canadians, about the legalization of marijuana and the nuances of home cultivation, and the health and safety effects of the drug, both on adults and the particular risks for young people. There was discussion about changing the rules on drunk driving to make it easier for police officers to require drivers to submit to breath testing, and on and on. [continues 361 words]
Meanwhile, City of Richmond is concerned over regulatory framework for weed legalization Legalized recreational marijuana is coming to Richmond, but the city's not ready, according to a new group led by Coun. Chak Au. The "2018 Marijuana Legalization Concern Group" has asked the federal government to postpone or suspend the July, 2018 deadline for pot legalization until all regulations are in place. "Once the gate of legalization is opened, it cannot be reverted back," said Au at the group's press conference held Oct. 13. [continues 1055 words]
A new school year is underway and the race is on to deliver a drug and alcohol-free message to children in Cumberland County. Grade 5 students attending Springhill's two elementary schools, schools in Amherst and neighbouring Northport joined forces to participate in this year's Racing Against Drugs. Sponsored by the Amherst Lions and Lioness Clubs and Amherst Police, community partners like Maggie's Place, Amherst Restorative Justice and many more delivered healthy living messages while empowering students with knowledge through fun. [continues 344 words]
Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley has announced the first details of Alberta's plans for selling marijuana once the product is legalized across the nation in July. This makes Alberta the third province, after Ontario and New Brunswick, to show its hand. Ganley announced enough details to satisfy those who want to know Alberta's broader approach to legalization, while keeping more contentious details, like who gets to sell it, for a later date. Although Alberta Health Services recommended making the legal age 21 for pot consumption and raising the alcohol and tobacco ages from 18 to match it, Alberta's government is sensibly and simply making 18 the legal age for weed. [continues 460 words]
Nova Scotia will be launching its public consultations for marijuana legalization within days, with results expected to be compiled and released before the end of the year, the premier's office has confirmed. Of the Atlantic provinces, Nova Scotia is the last to launch its consultations, which will include telephone and online surveys. P.E.I. just completed an online consultation, garnering around 3,000 responses, Newfoundland released a report of its consultation period in August, and New Brunswick - the furthest along - last month announced its framework for legalization, including plans to follow Ontario in creating a Crown corporation to oversee all pot sales. [continues 231 words]
Norfolk police board, county seek answers on personal grow-ops Health Canada is handing out licences for people to grow marijuana for personal use, but the question of who will be monitoring that growth has stymied both the Norfolk police board and council. "The federal government allows the licence but who's following up on this?" asked Mayor Charlie Luke at last week's police board meeting. "Who's checking to see that they're abiding by the licence? Is it the feds? The OPP? Certainly it's not the county and I'm thinking these personal grow operations are going to be way out of control." [continues 542 words]
Mothers galvanize regional politicians with powerful stories of loss of kids to overdoses NIAGARA - Wilma Thompson was hearing about the horrific death toll the opioid crisis sweeping across the country was having, so she pulled her daughter Jaena, age 19, aside last year. "I said please don't ever try this stuff: it will kill you," the St. Catharines mom said. "She said 'mom, I would never do that.' " Two months later, Jaena didn't answer repeated calls to her phone. Her family called 911 and emergency responders found her dead in her apartment. Of an opioid overdose. [continues 1052 words]
They're still dealing with crushing grief barely contained, but a group of Niagara mothers who lost children in the prime of their lives to overdoses from opioids delivered a powerful message to regional politicians last week on the desperate need to deal with the opioid crisis sweeping like a freight train across the country. The powerful drugs such as fentanyl have left a trail of destruction starting on the West Coast and moving east, with soaring numbers of emergency rooms visits due to overdoses in Ontario now. [continues 418 words]
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN is reported to have said, "Every 19 minutes somebody dies of a prescription drug overdose. It doesn't happen with marijuana." In the past Gupta was against legalising medical marijuana in the U.S. but now he is in favour of it. He sees some benefit for certain types of illnesses. The use of medical marijuana (medical cannabis) as a medicine has not been rigorously tested due to several restrictions. But there is some evidence to suggest cannabis can reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and reduce chronic pain and muscle spasm. [continues 417 words]
Territorial government still deciding between private, public, hybrid models, Silver says The Yukon's premier says he is confident the territory will have at least one brick-and-mortar shop selling cannabis when the drug becomes legal across Canada in July. "There will be, in the Yukon, your ability to at least go into the liquor store here in Whitehorse - at the bare minimum," Silver said Oct. 4 after returning from the first ministers' meeting in Ottawa. "We believe as we move forward we will have some kind of distribution ready to go at that time." [continues 774 words]
Residents speak of need for local marijuana shop For some Qualicum Beach residents, medical marijuana is part of their everyday lives. But they will still have to go out of town for remedies for their ailments. At Monday's (Oct. 2) regular council meeting a motion to issue a temporary-use permit for a medical marijuana dispensary on Fir Street failed. Only councillors Bill Luchtmeijer and Neil Horner voted in favour of issuing the temporary-use permit. While discussing the permit later in the meeting, Luchtmeijer said Qualicum Beach is probably a very appropriate place for a medical marijuana dispensary. [continues 440 words]
Ontario has already decided how it will distribute recreational marijuana once it's legal next summer. But many other provinces are in differing stages of identifying how this shift in federal drug policies and policing will be handled. In B.C., consultation started Monday - with a reportedly swift and massive response - while municipalities are wondering how they will manage this change, especially in the area of zoning, policing and managing costs. Others wonder how potent the pot strains will be and if there will even be enough supply to meet demand. [continues 88 words]
DUTTON DUNWICH - Dutton Dunwich council may want no part of a provincial pot shop, but it's a different story on the rural municipality's main street. As councillors forged ahead Wednesday on a path that could make Dutton Dunwich the first municipality in the province to declare it doesn't want the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to sell marijuana in a local outlet, several residents said they wouldn't mind if pot was on the shelves. "I don't think I would have a problem with that," Jenna Lynch said. [continues 328 words]
A lot of sides want a piece of the action - not surprising considering the high hopes many have for profits in selling legal marijuana. What provinces decide about the matter is coming very much under scrutiny these days, particularly after Ontario announced rules that put sales entirely in government hands - much to the chagrin of the private sector. The province will sell the product, when legal as of next July, through the corporation that sells liquor, the LCBO, although in separate outlets. [continues 498 words]
Convicted Chatham man may have qualified for conditional sentence if legislation hadn't changed Steven Wheeler will serve a sixmonth jail sentence for being in possession of 11.2 kilograms - 24 pounds of marijuana - for the purpose of trafficking. However, the support received by his employer along with family and friends may have enabled him to serve a conditional sentence - house arrest - if changes had not been brought in under Bill C-10, in March 2012, to limit when the court can impose conditional sentences. [continues 427 words]
With the nation-wide legalization of recreational marijuana coming up in July 2018, the clock is ticking for Alberta to put in place its own set of regulations. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is essentially legalizing weed while dumping the logistics of its distribution on the provinces. If anything goes wrong, he can blame the provincial governments and will still have kept his original election promise. Alberta is not alone without a plan. Of the 10 provinces and three territories, only Ontario and New Brunswick have come forward with their regulation methods, providing a study in contrasts for the other provinces' reference. [continues 460 words]
When it comes to two of the big policy battles that loom as the fall sitting of Parliament gets underway this week, prudence dictates that a journalist keeps his or her powder dry. In the debate over the government's proposed tax changes for people with private corporations, as in the case of the Liberal plan to legalize marijuana, what we have so far seen are just the opening manoeuvres in a tug-of-war, the outcome of which in the court of public opinion is far from decided. [continues 667 words]
To combat organized crime on pot sales in Ontario, legal marijuana is going to have to be competitive with the black market on price, availability, quality and variety. With legal pot coming July 1 - unless Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delays the law - Premier Kathleen Wynne's provincial government already appears to have conceded the field on price and availability. Finance Minister Charles Sousa said this week Ontario is looking at selling legal pot for about $10 per gram. That compares to an average street price in Ontario of about $8.64 per gram, according to a report by the federal parliamentary budget officer late last year. [continues 276 words]
Pot shops that have opened in North Vancouver are hoping to stay when the province creates regulations about how marijuana should be sold when it's legalized next year. "Obviously we're hoping we'll still play a part in the whole thing. It sounds like there's room," said Michael Wuest, owner of the Weeds store at 991 Marine Dr. Wuest's was the first storefront to open up on the North Shore, in April 2015. Six storefront "dispensaries" currently operate in North Vancouver, five of those within city boundaries. [continues 531 words]
Prosecutors in New York announced this week that an August drug raid yielded 140 pounds of fentanyl, the most in the city's history and enough to kill 32 million people, they told New York 4. Those numbers underscore the dizzying size of the current opioid crisis, and the report of the New York bust comes the same week as another shocking piece of evidence that America's pill problem has reached a critical milestone: On Tuesday, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an analysis showing the crisis has actually negatively impacted life expectancy in the United States. [continues 325 words]
PATERSON -- About a dozen men and women sat on hard plastic chairs early Wednesday morning inside a conference room at the Well of Hope Drop-In Center on Broadway, where a flat screen television broadcast sports highlights on ESPN. Some came for the free coffee. A sign said the limit was one cup per hour. Others were there to use the showers and toilet facilities. A 57-year-old man who would only give his name as "Julius" was waiting to see a nurse about a blister on his foot. [continues 957 words]
ALBANY -- New York is looking for industrial hemp growers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that an application period is open to participate in the state's Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot Program. The program is open to researchers, farmers and businesses who wish to research, grow, manufacture and produce industrial hemp in New York. "By expanding industrial hemp research, we are opening the doors to innovative ideas that could provide a major boost to our farms and communities, creating new jobs, and laying the foundation for future economic growth," Cuomo said in a statement. [continues 143 words]
The Ontario Liberals, who couldn't organize a pee parade at a beer festival, are going into the retail marijuana business. This means another increase in the size of the already bloated bureaucracy. It also means the province will steamroll over entrepreneurs ready and able to do this right. In addition, Queen's Park is taking a mealy-mouth approach to sales of a legal product. A distribution strategy is not about whether the "Mary Jane" we were warned about in grainy scare films in school in the mid 1900s should or should not be legalized. [continues 477 words]
A pay-to-play system has developed between state-licensed cannabis operators and municipal governments across the country for local zoning. The same model has quickly materialized in Pennsylvania, and now one town has gone too far. Muhlenberg Township in Berks County was trying to squeeze a dispensary - - Franklin Bioscience LLC - for 5 percent of its annual profits. The issue was revealed when the Pennsylvania Department of Health released a letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer from medical-marijuana program director John Collins to the company's CEO, Andrew Weiss, allowing the dispensary to relocate after getting pressured for the cash. Collins wrote: [continues 654 words]
Democrat Larry Krasner, the front-runner to become Philadelphia's next district attorney, says he supports city-sanctioned spaces where people addicted to heroin can inject drugs under medical supervision and access treatment, a move advocates see as a promising step toward making the city the first in the U.S. to open such a site. His Republican opponent, Beth Grossman, says she's open to discussions on the matter. For those on the front lines of the heroin crisis in Philadelphia, both are encouraging stances in a political arena where the idea can still be dismissed out of hand. But recently, cities across the country have begun to consider the possibility of instituting supervised injection sites; several nations, including Canada, have used the approach for years. [continues 898 words]
The Ontario Liberals' plan to sell marijuana in government-operated stores may have provided some clarity on what has been a confusing strategy by the federal Liberals to legalize marijuana. But controlling weed like the province controls alcohol creates more problems than answers to what has been a hands-off approach both levels of government have managed on the issue. The entire roll out of the legalization of marijuana by the federal government has been botched with governments unsure about a distribution network or enforcement strategy. [continues 314 words]
Tony Antoniazzi supports province's stand on marijuana legislation KIRKLAND LAKE - Kirkland Lake Mayor Tony Antoniazzi is in agreement with the provincial government's proposed legisilation. The Mayor stated "the province of Ontario has taken, the right, first steps, as they presented their plan for the sale and distribution of smoked or vaped recreational cannabis. It's a sensible and cautious approach." He adds "Ontarians have a good understanding and respect for our province's liquor laws. Mirroring the sale of pot to the LCBO model is a good first step. Going forward we could see the retail sale and distribution of recreational cannabis extend out to the private sector, just as we see today with liquor allowed to be sold at some highway general stores along major routes." [continues 238 words]
