Councillor unhappy with way pot proposal dealt with, mayor says proper guidelines followed Residents and councillors should have been given more information about two medical marijuana applications that went before the city's committee of adjustment, says Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni. While public notices were posted about the committee meeting, it was described as being for the consideration of a "nursery for the growing of trees, shrubs and plants." There was no specific mention of medical marijuana, which Ioannoni said was deceiving. [continues 513 words]
This is National Addictions Awareness Week. That itself marks progress in admitting there is a problem. It is up to all of us to help fight the battle. For the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, preventing and reducing harms associated with substance use and abuse by youth is a priority. "Youth 15 to 24 years of age have the highest self-reported past-year use of illicit substances compared to older Canadians, and are approximately five times more likely than adults aged 25 years and older to report harm because of drug use," says the Centre. [continues 239 words]
OTTAWA- The NDP and Liberals say the Conservative-dominated health committee report on marijuana is biased, inherently flawed, and omits evidence that contradicts Conservative ideology. The health committee's report, called "Health Risks and Harms of Marijuana," recommends the government try to prevent marijuana use in Canada as well as raise awareness to the drug's harmful effects. Health committee chairman and Conservative MP Ben Lobb did not return QMI Agency's request for comment on Tuesday. The NDP and Liberals rejected the committee's majority report. New Democrats on the committee said testimony "that did not support (the Conservatives') pre-conceived views about marijuana ... was dismissed and eliminated." [continues 105 words]
OTTAWA - Canada's drug policy is a failure and it is killing people in communities across the country, drug-reform activists said Tuesday in Ottawa. Drug activists, health lobbyists and other leaders in the field, including the Liberal Party's health critic, gathered on Parliament Hill for a press conference to advocate for a fairer drug policy than the current one they say unfairly criminalizes drugs users and leads to the mistreatment of addiction. The speakers on Tuesday all wanted Canada's drug policies reformed, but the divergence in their messages reflected the difficulties in rallying public opinion in favour of changing the way addicts are treated and how drugs are distributed in Canada. [continues 192 words]
Former NRP Investigator Says Cocaine Flowing Over Border The local border between Canada and the U.S. is looked at by those in drug trade as an express lane according to a former Niagara cop. "Around the world we're becoming known as an easy place to get in," said Joe Maggiolo, a retired Niagara Regional Police staff sergeant who spent much of his 37-year policing career investigating drugs and organized crime. "For every shipment that gets caught, there are probably another 20 that get through." [continues 478 words]
The smell emanating from a medicinal marijuana grow-op on Lakeshore Rd. has prompted Niagara-on-the-Lake town council to send another complaint to Health Canada. Coun. Martin Mazza said the crop in the greenhouse at 1651 Lakeshore Rd. near Garrison Village will be harvested soon and already has a bad odour. The operation had been licensed under previous Health Canada regulations before new federal legislation took effect April 1. Since then, the town has passed bylaws that require marijuana greenhouses larger than 10,000 square feet to be subject to site plan controls and located at least 70 metres from sensitive land-use areas, including residential properties. [continues 237 words]
Timothy Lee Felger owned and operated a retail outlet, DaKine Store, in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The store sold marijuana-related products, not that there's anything wrong with that. But the store also had an unusual sign on its front window. It read: "No Police Officers Allowed In The Store Without A Warrant." In addition, Felger's lawyer sent a letter to the chief of the Abbotsford Police Department stating, "This letter serves as formal notification that no member of the Abbotsford Police Department is allowed onto this premise (Felger's store) without a warrant." [continues 572 words]
NDP Leader Says It Doesn't Make Sense To Criminalize Marijuana Users OTTAWA - NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said he believes the decision to smoke weed is a personal one and not something with which the Criminal Code should concern itself. Officially, the NDP's position is in favour of decriminalization, though Mulcair says more stakeholder consultation is needed to understand the implications of changing marijuana laws. Speaking at the Canadian Medical Association's general meeting Wednesday, Mulcair said it doesn't make sense to criminalize weed smokers. [continues 178 words]
Marc Emery may think of himself as a marijuana messiah, leading the long-suffering to deliverance from pot laws they believe unfairly punish them and restrict their freedom to smoke up. No stranger to ego, Emery may even believe he's the chosen cannabis crusader. But Canada's self-styled "Prince of Pot" - just released from a U.S. prison, after doing 4 1/2 years for selling marijuana seeds into the U.S. from Vancouver - makes a poor martyr for the kind of electoral backlash he imagines he will now inspire against the federal Conservative government he vilifies. [continues 290 words]
Wife Says Laws Need to Be Changed WINDSOR, Ont. - Marc Emery, the so-called "Prince of Pot," was greeted with cheers from marijuana activists and a hug and kiss from his wife when he arrived in Canada Tuesday after serving 4 1/2 years in a Louisiana prison. Emery, escorted across the border by U.S. marshals, walked out of the Windsor customs building a free man at 4:10 p.m. "Welcome home," the crowd roared. Emery appeared dazed. "I feel good," he said. Earlier, a crowd gathered outside Windsor City Hall in anticipation of Emery's homecoming. [continues 112 words]
Is Marc Emery a secret agent for the Conservative Party of Canada? It sure looks that way. It's impossible that you have not heard of the World's Most Famous Pothead. But, in the event that you have been in a coma for the past while, consider this a primer, gratis. Marc Emery is from B.C. Presently, he is a guest of the U.S. prison system, but is returning to Canada this month. He got himself in prison by selling drug stuff in the U.S. His business was called Marc Emery Direct Marijuana Seeds, which pretty accurately describes what he does for a living. [continues 563 words]
WASHINGTON - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau might have an ally in Canada's Prince of Pot - whether he likes it or not. Allen St. Pierre - executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the oldest pro-legalization group in the U. S. - knows Marc Emery from their time fighting pot laws. He says Emery's likely itching to return to the fray after serving time in U.S. prison for marijuana distribution. "I dare say that putting him in jail for five years did not reform him in the slightest. It only agitated him to the point where I think getting Mr. Trudeau elected as a reformer is going to be the singular thing he focuses on the most," St. Pierre said. [continues 204 words]
Ottawa has a problem with guns and gangs. Several problems actually. But the biggest one, as usual, is conceptual, because if you don't realize what you're doing wrong you can't change it. On the surface our problem is a spate of people being shot in the legs in public housing. The victims then "refuse to cooperate with the police," sociology-speak for "they won't tell the cops who did it." They know, of course. This is drug trade violence and they are shot by partner-competitors when deals go bad or over turf. But they won't talk partly because they are more afraid of their rivals than of polite society and partly because they are deeply alienated from polite society. [continues 522 words]
My column last Sunday advocating the abolition of civil jury trials caused some confusion. To be clear, I am not advocating the abolition of juries for criminal trials. The right to a jury trial is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for anyone charged with an offence - other than under military law - for which there is a potential sentence of five years or more. More noteworthy is the fact a criminal jury can serve as society's conscience. [continues 566 words]
Good people of Scarborough-Agincourt, we give you Liberal Party candidate Arnold Chan. You should vote for him not so much for what Arnold has done - but for what the Conservative Party hasn't. To be precise, the Conservative Party hasn't behaved itself in the Toronto riding, which was formerly the domain of one Jim Karygiannis. This week, the ruling party circulated noxious flyers all over Scarborough-Agincourt, much in the way the Axis used to drop propaganda leaflets on advancing Allied troops. As in that case, the Tory propaganda is unlikely to defeat the Grit forces. [continues 507 words]
Bylaw changes for medicinal marijuana facilities received preliminary approval from town council this week. The changes would involve site plan controls for greenhouses and their proximity to properties where residents might be adversely affected by the marijuana crop. There were no comments from residents at a public meeting Monday on the proposed amendments to the zoning and site plan bylaws recommended by planning staff. The community and development advisory committee voted to require marijuana greenhouses larger than 10,000 square feet to be subject to site plan control. [continues 217 words]
Allowing marijuana medically was one battle. Allowing it for recreational use is the next one. The 11th annual 420 Rally in Niagara Falls preached one simple message for hours: Stop making criminals of cannabis users. People shouldn't need a prescription or jump through government hoops to enjoy their stash, participants said. As their yearly motto goes, Free the Weed. For head injury survivor Reggie Storm of Ridgeway, life without marijuana would be a "nightmare." Every other drug he tried kept him bedridden and depressed. [continues 455 words]
Hoffman Is Just the Latest Celebrity to Die Because of Addiction Celebrities are public figures who generally work hard to maintain a private life, but death tends to slam all the public doors shut. It's strictly a private affair for the friends and family left behind. Philip Seymour Hoffman was a hugely successful actor, and as such, was public property - for better or worse. Thanks to his work, a large audience of followers developed feelings of attachment and ownership about him. Double that for New York City, where people could see him on stage at the theatre or stand next to him in the grocery store. Now, since death belongs to the private realm, that's left a lot of people on the public side wondering what to do with their emotions. They tweet condolences. They write letters. They bring flowers and gifts to a makeshift shrine outside the building where Hoffman lived. [continues 527 words]
MP Sends Flier to Constituents Slamming Trudeau's Plan to Legalize Pot OTTAWA - The Tories are trying to smoke out some details about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's promise to legalize marijuana if his party forms government. Conservative MP John Williamson has sent constituents in his New Brunswick riding a flyer that slams Trudeau's policy, saying the "Liberals plan to sell marijuana in N.B. stores." "I'm trying to take Trudeau's argument to its logical conclusion," Williamson said Monday. "If the point is not to make marijuana available in stores, what's the point of legalizing it?" [continues 189 words]
Having a marijuana grow up in her basement resulted in a $30,000 fine against a Niagara Falls homeowner. The local woman was found guilty before Justice of the Peace Ronald Whalen in Niagara Falls provincial offences court earlier this month to four charges under the Ontario Fire Code. The charges, laid in June 2012, included operating a heating and ventilation system in a way that created a hazard. "People who operate grow ops in their houses are running additional power supplies that aren't to code and that poses a risk not only to occupants but also to first responders that might have to attend that property for a fire," said Ben Trendle, captain of fire prevention at the Niagara Falls Fire Department. [continues 263 words]
Shortly after being elected about 2 1/2 years ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his cabinet that "Conservative values are Canadian values" and that the "Conservative party is Canada's party." You'd be hard pressed to see that in recent developments around social issues. Developments over same-sex marriage, safe injection sites, marijuana and most recently prostitution are moving towards progressive positions in the courts and in public opinion. The Conservatives, however, are fighting these developments. Harper's election platform in 2006 promised to revisit the legalization of same-sex marriage that was made legal under Prime Minister Paul Martin. A free vote in Parliament put an end to Harper's agenda, and today civil unions among same-sex partners remain a Canadian right. Canadian attitudes have long favoured this. [continues 437 words]
Cannabis prohibition is one of North America's worst policy failures in history (Canada's Pot Luck, Jan. 6); there's no legitimate reason for Canada to continue it for another day. Prohibition produces underground markets, cartels, increased hard drug addiction rates, contempt for drug laws, eroded constitutional rights, loss of freedom, escalated prison populations, corrupt politicians, race discrimination, trillions of dollars in wasted taxes and the list is growing faster than the plant itself. The sooner Canada ends cannabis prohibition the sooner the sky will stop falling in. A sane argument to continue cannabis prohibition doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Learning from new U.S. laws Canadian policy-makers should keep a close eye on the recent legalizing of marijuana in two U.S. states before deciding on a direction in the pot debate now raging north of the border, a prominent American drug-policy expert says. Mark Kleiman, a professor with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and an adviser to Washington State on the recent loosening of its pot laws, says it will be to Canada's "advantage" to take note of how Washington and Colorado deal with the legalization of marijuana - a recreational drug many consider to be potentially addictive and a health hazard - and to take note of the successes and the challenges experienced by both states. [continues 545 words]
Uh-oh, does someone have some 'splainin' to do? Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay is hinting the Conservative government might consider modernizing Canada's marijuana laws when it comes to possession of small amounts of pot. He told QMI Agency so in an exclusive interview this week. "That doesn't mean decriminalizing or legalizing," he said, "but it does mean giving police options, for example, to issue fines in addition to any other sanctions, or as a substitute for other sanctions," the nation's top justice official said. So far, so good- except ... Except, the same Conservative government, in a widely aired radio attack ad, made political hay this fall out of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau for promoting legalizing and taxing pot. Listen, and you can still hear the worried-sounding parent in the ad- a school bell ringing in the background- as she wonders about the Grit leader's judgment. [continues 228 words]
Justin Trudeau may have overplayed his hand this week when he admitted in an interview that he has smoked marijuana since being elected MP. While Canadians' attitudes toward marijuana use have greatly shifted in the past 10 years, with many believing that use should be decriminalized, those same folks may be uncomfortable with the idea that people invested with a measure of authority - surgeons, bankers, judges, school principals and police officers... and perhaps even Members of Parliament - would use marijuana. They'd be even more uncomfortable if that use was publicly admitted. [continues 395 words]
WELLAND - Marijuana is his medicine. Without it, he finds it hard to function. The 38- year-old operations analyst from Welland, who who asked that his name not be used, has struggled with severe anxiety and depression since he was a teenager and pot is the only thing that provides relief. He has used several different medications to try to control his condition including Ativan, but found that left his head in a fog. "I have a job where I need to think and string together a conversation without being all stoned," he said. [continues 878 words]
After four years spent investigating marijuana grow operations, not much surprises Luigi Greco anymore. "There's no rhyme or reason," said Greco, a detective sergeant with the Niagara Regional Police. "They can pop up in small crescents, on major streets, in apartment buildings. Whoever has the desire to do it and wherever they have the opportunity, they do it." It has been a busy couple of weeks for the NRP's drug enforcement officers working in the Guns, Gangs and Grows Unit. [continues 489 words]
Kelly "Kush" Kirby sees it as a holiday. April 20, also known as 4/20 among pro-marijuana enthusiasts, isn't just a day to toke up, she said. "We have to get the word out about marijuana," she said. "It's not just about getting high. It's medication for a lot of people." Saturday marked the 10th annual anti-prohibition rally in Niagara Falls. Despite cold temperatures, about 50 people marched from Victoria Ave., near the overpass for Niagara Memorial Veterans' Highway (formerly Highway 420) and down Clifton Hill before holding a rally at Queen Victoria Park. They showed their support for pot by waving flags, smoking joints and chanting, "Free the weed!" [continues 355 words]
Nobody cares if you inhaled or not. The "have you ever?" marijuana question used to be a third rail of political campaigns -- touch it and die. But not anymore. Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak acknowledged Thursday that yes, he, too, had dabbled in the doobies. "Listen, I lived a pretty normal life growing up as a kid," Hudak told reporters when he was asked the "gotcha" question that 20 years ago could have derailed a campaign. He was speaking on how a Conservative government would protect home buyers by creating a registry of homes that had been used as marijuana grow ops or meth labs. [continues 645 words]
Grow-Op Charges Stayed by Justice A judge has stayed charges against two men who were accused in Niagara's largest-ever pot bust, and has blasted senior Niagara Regional Police officers -- including Chief Wendy Southall -- for doing nothing about what he called misconduct by three cops. In a scathing written decision Tuesday, Judge Peter Hambly maintained the three officers who spearheaded a May 2008 grow op bust that netted $16 million in marijuana and eight suspects deliberately hid the name of a tipster who led them to the illegal enterprise from the courts. [continues 557 words]
Local Marijuana Smokers Call for Legalization The weather was a bummer for the pot smokers who marched down Clifton Hill Wednesday. "You can't even roll the weed because it's blowing away," said Pavel Braun, 21, who was one of about 75 smokers and advocates who turned up to the 8th annual Niagara Falls 420 rally Wednesday. "It's being difficult," Braun said as he and some friends tried unsuccessfully to light up a joint as the wind whipped around them. "I've had a hard time the whole day." [continues 305 words]
Annual 420 Pot March Set for Next Week Regent Labbe "most definitely" wants federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson to show up at next week's pro-marijuana 420 Rally 2011 march in Niagara Falls. "If he wants to come and defend his position on the matter, he's more than welcome," said Labbe, the organizer for this year's rally, set to take place Wednesday at the corner of Hwy. 420 and Victoria Ave. Reached by phone, Nicholson said the pro-pot rally isn't high on his list of priorities. [continues 452 words]
The man in the middle of a court case that could see Canada's pot laws go up in smoke celebrated the landmark ruling by turning his green thumbs back to cultivating medical marijuana. St. Catharines native Matthew Mernagh said he planted some germinated marijuana seeds Tuesday night, hours after learning a judge threw out pot production and possession charges against him and deemed the federal medical marijuana program unconstitutional. "I'm starting already," Mernagh said Wednesday morning. "There's no reason for me to wait. I'm exempt from the marijuana law. I'm not going to wait." [continues 773 words]
Chalk up another victory in the war against drugs. Last week our highest court ruled the use of electricity-consumption data from a Calgary power supplier obtained without a search warrant did not constitute a violation of the Charter privacy right to be free from unreasonable searches. The immediate result of this ruling is the conviction of Daniel James Gomboc of Calgary on charges of producing marijuana and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Police suspected a grow-op in Gomboc's home after receiving an anonymous tip, speaking with neighbours, and conducting surveillance of the house. Thinking they didn't have enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, police sought information from the local electricity supplier, Enmax. They received information showing cyclical patterns of electricity use indicative of a grow-op of some sort. [continues 486 words]
Two protesters were arrested during a small demonstration outside the constituency offices of Justice Minister Rob Nicholson on Thursday. The incident happened around 1:12 p.m. Niagara Regional Police say they attended the protest after receiving a call from Nicholson's staff. Police allege one of their officers was assaulted. Charged with assaulting a peace officer is Robert Hunter, 28, of Vancouver, B.C. Charged with obstructing a peace officer is Eric Compton, 20, of Toronto. According to a statement from a group called the Beyond Prohibition Foundation, the protest was one of a series of rallies held at offices of Conservative members of parliament by supporters of marijuana activist Marc Emery. Emery was recently extradited to the United States to serve a five-year prison term for selling marijuana seeds. [end]
Allow me to stir the pot over this next problem. Months ago, I was assured by the owner of the Valley Way Motel in Niagara Falls that this problem was solved, but the red and white flag with the large marijuana leaf in the centre keeps appearing. It goes up for awhile, it gets taken down and then a short time later it makes another appearance. Just above it, on the same pole, is the Canadian flag. This matter was first brought to my attention months ago by some residents who live in the area. Not only is it in bad taste to have it flying in front of a local business, on a busy street close to an elementary school and close to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 51, but it's an insult and shows disrespect to have it flying under our national flag. [continues 465 words]
Approximately 50 people marched down Clifton Hill Saturday to protest marijuana laws. The supporters of cannabis law reform chanted "Free the Weed" as they walked to bring attention to the Bill C-15 which calls for a mandatory prison sentence for growing a single cannabis plant. The protesters said the government wastes millions of taxpayers' dollars by waging a war against people who insist the drug eases their pain. "Calling us criminals is a complete waste," said Welland resident Regent Labbe. Labbe has attended the annual 420 Rally for the past three years. [continues 82 words]
It Appears Police Want to Avoid Any Trouble Out of This Perennial Event What do you have to do to get arrested in this town? Light up a joint on Victoria Avenue this afternoon, no problem. But phone a friend while you drive by the annual pro-pot rally in Niagara Falls and be prepared for the police to lighten your wallet by $155. This is the reality in Niagara Falls today where talking on a cellphone while driving can net you a fine under Ontario's new law against "distracted driving," but lighting up a doobie in a crowd probably won't even get you a scolding. [continues 688 words]
The Valley Way Motel in Niagara Falls is back to flying only one flag on its front lawn - the Canadian flag. For now, the second flag that was just below it, which was also red and white and looked similar to the Canadian flag - except that it had a marijuana leaf instead of the traditional maple leaf - has been taken down. I noticed the marijuana flag some time ago and so did some of our readers, who asked that we look into the problem. They thought it was an insult to have the marijuana flag flying below our national flag. [continues 471 words]
One day after drawing the ire of Conservatives for tinkering with government justice legislation Liberal senators are now picking apart another crime bill that cracks down on drug traffickers. Political wrangling over the bills raged Thursday, with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson fuming over proposed amendments and delays. He called on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff to "show leadership" and urge his caucus members from the red chamber to pass the bill. "I've heard that again, they're playing games with this. These people are soft on crime and this is a huge mistake," Nicholson said. [continues 322 words]
City residents will get a chance to select the new name for Highway 420, the provincial highway that runs between Stanley Avenue and the Queen Elizabeth Way. Niagara Falls council voted Monday to narrow the list to three names and to get the public's opinion, especially from the Royal Canadian Legions and other veterans groups. "We're all going to be driving this highway. Why not let everyone be a part of what the name is going to be," said Coun. Victor Pietrangelo, who launched a search for a new name for the highway in March. The names under consideration are: [continues 496 words]
