The startling story in The Vancouver Sun Wednesday of a Coquitlam landlord who incurred $135,000 in damages to her property as a result of a medical marijuana grow-op licensed by Health Canada raises a host of concerns about the federal government's new regulations. Under the new rules, patients who use pot can register with a licensed producer, grow their own or designate someone to grow it for them. No doubt, the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes regulations make it easier for those who use the drug to obtain it. [continues 315 words]
Woman Claims Property Damage Left by State-Sanctioned Grow-Op It seems to me there are valid concerns on the part of the owners and tenant-patients in the current market. A Coquitlam woman says she has incurred $135,000 in damage to her rental property due to a medical marijuana grow-op licensed by Health Canada without her knowledge or consent. And she says the federal government's new regulations leave the door wide open to continued abuses, especially in B.C. where the number of state-sanctioned grow-ops has increased exponentially. [continues 712 words]
There are many big decisions to be made, Neil Boyd writes. I first encountered cannabis in the spring of 1970 at the tender age of 18, inhaling what was said to be blond Lebanese hashish at my friend John's home (his parents were out of town). I definitely noticed an impact, but decided the next morning that I didn't like the effect - it was all a huge mistake, and I would never go down that road again. I became something of a teenage proselytizer, even urging my sisters to divest themselves of all music that appeared to celebrate this pernicious conduct. [continues 655 words]
Fraser Health has recently opened 50 new substance use recovery beds - - including a dozen for pregnant women - and will today launch a pair of new posters in a bid to reach specific users at risk in B.C.'s ongoing overdose crisis. The new treatment and prevention measures were designed after looking closely at overdose data and finding support gaps, said Victoria Lee, the chief medical health officer and vice-president for population health at Fraser Health. Lee said that while the data shows men aged 30-49 tend to overdose at greater numbers than do other groups, teens, seniors and women can be counted among the hundreds dead so far this year. [continues 289 words]
Ex-premier with unique perspective says Ottawa's finally on the right road Former premier-turned-pot-proponent Mike Harcourt couldn't have sounded happier and more optimistic than if he just blew a big blunt. "I did use marijuana in the '60s and early '70s but haven't used it since," he laughed. "I'm into wine - and a beer after a good tennis match. But from my experience of the last 13 years as a partial quadriplegic - 20 per cent of my body is still paralyzed - and I work with Rick Hansen and the disabled community, so I've seen the suffering and the pain that people with spinal-cord injuries and other disabled people go through, and I think there are real benefits to cannabis." [continues 648 words]
B.C. municipalities are appealing for a share of future taxes to help cover the costs of regulating pot dispensaries as marijuana appears set to become legal in Canada by next spring. The cities of Duncan, Nelson and Prince George have each put forward resolutions to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention next month, suggesting the UBCM petition the federal government to provide local governments with a portion of future federal or provincial taxes collected through marijuana sales and distribution. [continues 514 words]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked doctors for their opinions on the Liberals' promised legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. He's about to hear an earful from them. At one of the final sessions of the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Vancouver on Wednesday, delegates aired concerns that a psychoactive drug that affects brain development is being legitimized to the point the public thinks it's a benign substance, along with other objections. Marijuana can be prescribed for medical purposes in Canada, but it is still illegal for recreational use - although numerous doctors attending the conference commented on the ubiquitous smell of cannabis every time they went outside the Westin Bayshore, where the annual meeting has been held. [continues 240 words]
The B.C. Supreme Court says that a marijuana shop in Delta is in violation of local bylaws and has ordered it shut down. In her ruling granting the Corporation of Delta a permanent injunction against the WeeMedical Dispensary Society, Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick found that the store lacked a business licence and contravened zoning bylaws. The judge noted that although the federal government has indicated that it intends to bring in new marijuana laws, the operation of a medical marijuana retail dispensary as run by WeeMedical is currently not allowed under the criminal law. "I have no idea where the federal government is in that process," said the judge. "It appears to be moving in that direction, but when it might get to that point is anyone's guess. Further, it is as yet unknown what any new legal regime will look like." [continues 174 words]
Around-The-Clock Service Offered in Bid to Curb City's Overdose Crisis Health officials will offer around-the-clock service on certain days at Vancouver's safe injection site in response to the city's overdose crisis. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority said Friday it is launching a pilot project to keep Insite open 24 hours a day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the weeks that social assistance cheques are distributed. The project will begin Aug. 24-26, and continue for up to six months. At that time, health officials will evaluate whether the extended hours are having any effect. [continues 220 words]
Youth representative says B.C. failed to provide necessary treatment B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth says the suspected overdose death last weekend of a Coquitlam teenager was a "tragedy that could have been prevented." Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said her office worked with 16-year-old Gwynevere Staddon's family to try and find her treatment, and said her father did everything possible to properly navigate the system and ask for help. She called the family's case "a heartbreaking nightmare" that was completely preventable. [continues 1028 words]
Re: Ottawa should warn Canadians about the risks of marijuana, Letters, Aug. 9. I have a seizure disorder that has robbed me of almost a decade of my life. After being on a dozen different anti-convulsants with little relief, I turned to cannabis with the hopes of decreasing my seizures and suffering less from the difficult side-effects my previous medications caused. Since beginning to use cannabis five months ago, I am seizure-free and experiencing little to no side-effects, and I am completely off my previous medications. I am the healthiest I have ever been, my family and friends constantly tell me how positively they have seen me change. [continues 84 words]
The online discussion paper in which the Canadian government outlines its rationale for the legalization of marijuana for non-medical purposes fails to offer Canadians critical scientific findings including that phocomelia (malformation of limbs) has been shown in testing in a similar preclinical model to that which revealed the teratogenicity of thalidomide. A Health Canada document lists a plethora of risks, and cites 1,000 references that substantiate claims of harm. A condensed consumer version of this document is required by Health Canada to be sent out with all legally obtained marijuana through the legal MMPR licensees. Of special note is a warning that men planning on starting a family should not use marijuana for medical purposes. This warning is not shared in the public consultation document. [continues 56 words]
Dr. Anke Stallwitz, a German professor of social and community psychology, studied the drug scene of the Downtown Eastside in March. After many interviews and meetings with community groups, she offers her take on how to mitigate the violence, writes Nick Eagland. Stallwitz said she found the violence most prevalent in the East 100-block of Hastings Street, between Columbia and Main, where the dealing hierarchy is disorganized and "sanctions" aren't tied to clearly defined rules. On this block, anyone can sell drugs, unlike other blocks which are tightly controlled by high-level dealers and organizations. "If a dealer is caught selling on a block or hotel run by someone else, they'll be given a lecture," she said. "But if they continue, there's a good chance they'll get beaten up." Stallwitz said interviewees frequently cited organization and trust between dealers as key factors in safety. "If these are big, then the level of violence can be kept very low," she said. [continues 266 words]
Re: Addiction problem requires comprehensive solution, Letter, July 29 Overdoses are managed safely and promptly at our essential Insite, but still, even from a trusted dealer, illicit drugs are often contaminated. Another option exists at Providence Crosstown Clinic. Here, patients attend up to three times daily for treatment that is safe, pharmaceutically prepared under sterile conditions, and monitored by a health-care team. They know exactly what they receive, and while at the clinic can access medical, mental health and substance use supports. [continues 92 words]
Studies show these drugs are effective, writes Heather Palis One-third of Canadians have a chronic health condition. We all know someone living with one and count on our universal health care system to help them. Thousands of Canadians living with chronic opioid use disorder (i.e. injecting street opioids daily), however, are often excluded from universal health care, being denied the treatments they need. In the first half of the year, British Columbia saw 308 illicit drug overdose deaths, and is on track to reach 800 preventable deaths by the end of 2016. Last month, there were 36 overdoses in 48 hours in Surrey. [continues 616 words]
St. Paul's Hospital home to global leaders in research, writes Cheyenne Johnson. Every day in B.C., there is an average of two deaths from preventable drug overdoses. Countless citizens are struggling to use less, to not use or to hide their substance use, whether it is drugs or alcohol, from their families and employers. The prevailing belief in our society has been addiction impacts mainly the disadvantaged and is an issue of morality or values. I can tell you from my experience this is far from true. I am an addiction nurse at St. Paul's Hospital. I see first-hand the impact of addictions on patients, families and the health-care system. [continues 565 words]
The B.C. government has announced it is forming a group of experts to combat the recent rise in illicit drug overdoses in the province. At St. Paul's Hospital on Wednesday, Premier Christy Clark said the task force would be headed by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall and director of police services Clayton Pecknold. The new group will work closely with the B.C. Drug Overdose and Alert Partnership and police agencies to improve practices to prevent overdoses. The premier said the province will act "immediately" on its recommendations. [continues 203 words]
A local pot businessman has filed a constitutional challenge against the City of Vancouver, hoping to keep his dispensaries open. Don Briere of the Weeds Glass and Gifts chain of dispensaries filed a court petition earlier this month, arguing the city's bylaws on dispensary licensing infringe on a constitutional right to access medical marijuana. The challenge was filed July 11 and argues that the city's licensing and zoning bylaws for dispensaries "unduly restrict access to medical marijuana" and infringe on charter rights. It also argues that any bylaw tickets that have been issued to dispensaries remaining open should be voided. [continues 234 words]
Will the number of overdose deaths this year climb to 800 as predicted by Dr. Perry Kendall? According to the B.C. Coroners Service, overdose deaths in the province this year had reached 315 as of May 31. By June 30, that number had risen to 371. Sadly, it appears Dr. Kendall's predictions are on track to reach that unbelievable number of 800. Our drug laws are an integral part of this problem. Prohibition creates a market for illegal, adulterated drugs, easily accessible to those who seek them, whether to support an addiction, or for recreational purposes. No person who uses illegal drugs today is guaranteed a clean, safe product. Using street drugs today is a crap shoot. [continues 53 words]
Official Fears 'Someone's Going to Die' When Addicts Get Welfare Cheques Support workers are bracing for the worst when welfare payments arrive on Wednesday, after a recent rash of drug overdoses in Surrey. On July 17, the Fraser Health Authority issued a warning after there were 36 drug overdoses in Surrey within 48 hours. Many of those who overdosed reported they had used crack cocaine. But some cases turned up traces of fentanyl - a potent, synthetic opioid sometimes added to street drugs and blamed for the surge in deaths that led to the provincial health officer declaring a public health emergency in April. [continues 584 words]
