THE reaction to last Friday's announcement of the Ontario government's plan for sales and regulation of legalized cannabis was, at best, mixed. The document, promoted as "a safe and sensible approach to the retail of recreational cannabis," didn't seem to make all that many people completely happy. At the plan's unveiling in Toronto, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa said marijuana sales will be limited to a monopoly of cannabis stores under the control of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), with 40 free-standing locations slated to open in time for the July 1 pot legalization date and a total of 150 to be established by 2020. [continues 476 words]
OTTAWA - The federal Liberals are refusing a Manitoba MP's request to divulge Ottawa's cost estimates for regulating and policing recreational marijuana, saying they're still working out the details. "The government needs to be more upfront and tell people what it's going to cost," Conservative MP Larry Maguire said. On June 12, Maguire asked the parliamentary budget officer to probe how much money federal departments believe they'll need to enforce new laws that legalize marijuana, and to track associated public-health impacts. [continues 393 words]
THE government of Manitoba wants Ottawa to provide "further clarity" on how it will support provinces in implementing Bill C45, the Cannabis Act. In a Tuesday news release, Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson described cannabis legalization as "a significant shift in public policy with many challenges for the provinces and territories to address." Road safety is an area of particular concern, said Stefanson, who expects that topic to be front and centre when justice ministers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments meet in Vancouver from today to Friday. [continues 272 words]
Government union says public sales model best bet for health and safety CANADA'S most populous province has announced a plan to sell legal marijuana through a publicly owned system, which is music to the ears of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union. MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said she hopes Ontario's plan to sell cannabis separately from alcohol in publicly owned, stand-alone stores will set an example for Manitoba. A public sales model operated by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation would be the best possible option from a public health and safety perspective, she argued. [continues 1189 words]
OTTAWA - The Trudeau government has earmarked just over $274 million to support policing and border efforts associated with the plan to legalize recreational marijuana use. The government said Friday it is committing $161 million of the money to train front-line officers in how to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug-impaired driving, provide access to drug screening devices and educate the public. Some of these funds will help develop policy, bolster research and raise awareness about the dangers of drug-impaired driving. [continues 464 words]
IF Canada's experience with legal recreational marijuana parallels what is taking place in U.S. states, we have much to anticipate in terms of entrepreneurial ferment, job creation, wealth expansion and boosted tax receipts. Legal recreational marijuana has been law in Colorado for three and a half years, and a little more than three years in Washington. Oregon staggered its rollout of recreational marijuana between 2015 and last year, Alaska and Nevada's programs are up and running and soon to follow are Massachusetts, Maine and the cannabis behemoth known as California. [continues 638 words]
Manitobans OK with toking neighbours: survey MOST Manitobans are unfazed by the thought of a pot-smoking neighbour, but are less comfortable with the prospect of drivers under the influence of cannabis - or the idea of selling edible marijuana products in bars, according to a Probe Research poll commissioned by CTV Winnipeg. Sixty-seven per cent of respondents said they wouldn't be bothered to learn their neighbour "was a regular marijuana user as opposed to a regular alcohol drinker," an attitude that was consistent across all age groups. [continues 345 words]
Re: Winnipeg in grips of meth problem, say police (Aug. 27) Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jay Murray is wrong when he says "the majority of property crime in the city is related to the methamphetamine subculture." Drug prohibition is responsible, just as it was when cocaine was the drug de jour in the past. The drug problem boils down to some people want to use those drugs and other people don't want them to. The short of it is that it is none of your business what drugs the next door neighbours are using since none of that use harms you. Repeal drug prohibition and the majority of property crime would end since these drugs that people want could be obtained for cheap and of a known purity at the local pharmacy. Chris Buors Selkirk [end]
OTTAWA - The plan to legalize marijuana should recognize that the black community has been overly-criminalized for using the drug, says a Liberal MP who is calling on the government to consider that perspective. "We do know that black Canadians have been disproportionately charged with and are imprisoned for possession of small amounts of cannabis," Greg Fergus, a Quebec MP who chairs the Liberal black caucus, said on Tuesday. "I don't think that's because there is a greater propensity in the black community to consume marijuana," he said. [continues 490 words]
THERE are no plans to open a supervised injection site in Winnipeg, a spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said in the wake of Toronto opening its first city-run space for people to inject illegal drugs. Supervised injection sites are legal facilities where drug users are able to use intravenous substances under medical supervision. They have been a controversial harm-reduction strategy since the first North American site opened in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in 2003. Toronto opened its first official site Monday. [continues 416 words]
IN his struggles to come up with a regime to control the sale of recreational marijuana, Premier Brian Pallister may have found a powerful ally. Shoppers Drug Mart. Despite a looming July 1, 2018 deadline to have a system in place, the province has been very reluctant to talk about how it would like to handle the production, distribution and sales of recreational pot. Last month, Justice Minister Heather Stefanson issued an expression of interest to find potential partners and solutions to handle all aspects of legalized marijuana. [continues 869 words]
Add this to the reasons why marijuana should be legalized: more than 100 years ago, the cigarette companies had Congress legalize their products. The only reasons were the farmers who were growing their own tobacco; the government wanted the taxes and still does. Their products are still there today; all of them are the No. 1 cause of lung cancer. It says this on each package, and they are sold everywhere. Marijuana is a green plant not loaded with chemicals to keep it burning, as cigarettes are, and does not cause any kind of cancer. It also has some medical qualities that are useful and some qualities that have to be controlled, (but) not as much as alcohol. Months to "get it right" is not difficult. They should call this "The Marijuana Waltz." Jack Vorauer Winnipeg [end]
MANITOBA RCMP officers are being equipped with special masks and goggles to protect them in the event they're exposed to fentanyl, a potentially deadly synthetic opiate. They will also switch to black latex gloves instead of the standard-issue blue ones to better detect the white powder. Criminals are footing the bill. Justice Minister Heather Stefanson announced on Friday that the provincial government will spend nearly $54,000 from its criminal property forfeiture fund to equip more than 1,000 front-line Mounties with the new gear. Also included will be specialized drums to store evidence. [continues 329 words]
NDP says government-run Liquor Marts best initial option THE Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba will likely be the province's regulator for cannabis, although Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said "nothing is off the table," 11 months before Canadians will be able to legally buy it over the counter. Stefanson spoke with reporters Thursday, shortly after the Conservative government announced it had issued an expression of interest to determine how best to deal with the issues stemming from Ottawa's plan to enact the new law July 1. [continues 568 words]
Judge 'troubled' but forced to lock up single mother of four children PLANS to appeal a mandatory minimum sentence as unconstitutional are on the horizon for a Winnipeg mother who is now behind bars despite the judge's declaration that justice would not be served by locking her up. Sandra Dignard, 37, was taken into custody Wednesday to start serving her two-year federal prison sentence for smuggling drugs into Stony Mountain prison five years ago. She tearfully said goodbye to her young son and pleaded with other relatives to take good care of all four of her children before sheriff's officers led her away, out of view of her family. [continues 833 words]
WILL you partake? That's a reasonable question given the upcoming legalization of marijuana, but it's only one of many questions that will arise. The legalization of a recreational drug is extremely rare and it will challenge both the Pallister government and individual Manitobans with unaccustomed issues. The government is dealing only with legalities, leaving individuals on their own to resolve the personal, family and social issues that will come with legal marijuana. At their meeting in Edmonton last week, the premiers mulled questions such as: where and how will it be sold? What will be the legal age to partake? How will courts prosecute drugged driving, given that breathalyzers don't work with marijuana intoxication? How many plants will gardeners be allowed to grow on their own? [continues 616 words]
Excuse me! As a 64-year-old registered nurse from an RCMP family, if a Canadian citizen is considered old enough to legally put their lives on the line to sign up for military service at the age of 18, then they are plenty mature enough to decide whether or not to consume commonly used drugs such as alcohol or marijuana. To legislators: quit being so hypocritically nanny state and, realistically, get with the program! Liz Stonard Port Alberni, B.C. [end]
Health minister rebuffs calls to delay legalization THE federal government will stick with its July 1, 2018, deadline for marijuana legalization despite concerns from Premier Brian Pallister and other premiers. Health Minister Jane Philpott said in Winnipeg on Thursday that civil servants across Canada are already preparing for legalization and there will not be an extension, which was requested by Pallister. He has been adamant Manitoba won't be ready to cover the health, justice, safety, sale and production issues that need to be met by that time. [continues 603 words]
PREMIER Brian Pallister has shown great determination for tightening Manitoba's belt. But he's had less success finding new revenue to fatten the province's wallet. For a premier who has unleashed a wide array of tough-love measures he says are necessary to return Manitoba to fiscal stability, Mr. Pallister has been surprisingly quiet about legalized marijuana as a potentially rich source of new revenue. At a meeting of premiers in Edmonton this week, Pallister repeated his pitch for an extension of the federal government's July 1 deadline for legalization, saying provinces need more time to deal with tricky issues such as distribution, sales, a minimum age and drugged-driving enforcement. [continues 485 words]
Pallister says marijuana legalization makes province a dealer OTTAWA is forcing the provincial government to compete with street gangs in the marijuana business next summer, Premier Brian Pallister said Friday. The federal mandate for provinces to be ready for legal retail cannabis sales is July 1, 2018. That doesn't give Manitoba anywhere near the amount of time it will take to control sales and prepare for legal pot, he told reporters. "There's no way we're going to supply the demand, except in part. It's pretty clearly understood, we don't have enough pot to sell," he said, outlining some of the issues he'll raise at next week's premiers meeting in Edmonton. [continues 584 words]
THE Manitoba government will never have enough time to study and prepare for the impending legalization of marijuana. At least, that's how Canadian cannabis advocate and president of Winnipeg 420's organizing committee, Steven Stairs, sees it. Marijuana is already here, he said, and legalization won't change the fact that for years people have been buying and selling it, smoking and ingesting it. "They're fostering the black market right now," Stairs said of the government's slow response to legalization. [continues 428 words]
FOR the first time, naloxone kits will be available at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Festival spokeswoman Kelly Romas said Thursday any of the event's 60 first-aid volunteers can administer the medication that reverses the effect of an opioid overdose, which can slow down or stop a person's breathing. More than 100 Manitobans die from overdose every year and opioids are most often involved, says Street Connections, the Winnipeg-based health agency that supports harm-reduction and provides health care to people on the street. [continues 379 words]
DRUG bust worth about a quarter of a million dollars has been tossed out of court because city police violated the charter rights of two men they detained and subjected to a warrantless search. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchbery dismissed all drug trafficking charges against Benjamin James White and Jaden Joshua Omeasoo earlier this month, after he ruled officers violated their rights every step of the way. "We will never know how this incident may have evolved if those rights had been provided," Lanchbery said in his decision. "The officers are not permitted [continues 471 words]
Re: Province should control marijuana sales (June 19) Do we need to own a permit to purchase alcohol annually? No. Is there plain packaging for alcohol? No. Does the government only sell two types of alcohol? No. Does the government track everyone who purchases alcohol? No. Do we have a government task force to monitor who has legal alcohol in their homes? No. Does the MLL sell any intoxicating substances other than alcohol? No. Did the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health determine alcohol is one of the greatest public health threats in Canada in 2013? Yes. Alcohol accounts for eight per cent of all deaths for people under 70 years old currently and has a burden of $14.6 billion on our health-care and law enforcement services, according to a 2013 study, Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies. [continues 243 words]
SOME Manitobans might not like it, but at least this province now knows where it stands with its request for an extension of the date when marijuana will be legalized. There will be no extension. Ready or not, Manitobans - like all Canadians - can legally light up on July 1, 2018. Finance Minister Cameron Friesen spoke out this week after returning from a two-day summit of his provincial and federal colleagues, frustrated that his request for a deadline extension was denied by federal finance minister Bill Morneau. [continues 569 words]
THE Trudeau government is set on legalizing marijuana by the summer of 2018. While they will enjoy the political payoff of appearing progressive on this matter, all of the associated problems and the logistics of doing so will fall on the shoulders of the provincial governments and their civic counterparts. I suggest the Manitoba provincial government draw lessons from the last time an illegal substance was legalized following Prohibition in the late 1920s, as well as from the current public health efforts to eliminate tobacco use in Canada as a means to guide their policy on marijuana. [continues 927 words]
Friesen says feds are ignoring important questions about pot rollout OTTAWA - One way or another, Manitobans will have legal access to marijuana after July 1, 2018. The federal government says it's prepared to roll out mail-order marijuana if Manitoba can't update its laws by Ottawa's 2018 deadline for legalized pot. That's left Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen with "a sense of frustration" as he left a two-day summit of his provincial and federal colleagues. Friesen accused Ottawa of ignoring unanswered questions on issues such as public safety, enforcement and finding legal supplies of marijuana. He said federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau "seemed firm" against Friesen's request for an unspecified extension. [continues 581 words]
Gives mom convicted of drug smuggling time to arrange child care ahead of mandatory prison term In a case that has raised questions about the effect of mandatory minimum sentences, a Manitoba judge has taken pity on a woman he convicted by agreeing to give her more freedom before he sends her to prison. In a likely unprecedented move, Justice Sheldon Lanchbery reserved his decision and delayed the sentencing of 37-year-old Sandra Dignard by about two months. That will allow the mother of four time to make child-care arrangements before she is placed in custody. The judge said he has no choice but to sentence Dignard to two years in prison for drug trafficking, despite his belief she should not be locked up. [continues 654 words]
WHEN marijuana is legalized in Canada, it should be sold in standalone publicly operated stores, the head of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU) says. Michelle Gawronsky said the union believes that Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp. should be responsible for selling cannabis products, but that marijuana not be marketed in booze stores. "You don't want to be selling the two together. You want to be socially responsible. That's the whole idea here," she said following a public hearing on Bill 25, The Cannabis Harm Protection Act. [continues 524 words]
NDP leader accuses Trudeau of having double standard on marijuana OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smoked marijuana as an MP but he has not suffered the same consequences as Canadians who are slapped with simple pot charges, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said Tuesday - an example, he says, of "abject hypocrisy." Mulcair took aim at Trudeau for his assertion that he wants to make things fairer for those facing pot-possession charges once marijuana becomes legal - a comment he made during a segment with Vice Canada on Monday. [continues 509 words]
Marijuana enthusiasts gather to celebrate annual holiday in haze of smoke THE rain may have thinned the crowds - and clouds of smoke - at the Winnipeg 4/20 celebration Thursday, but cannabis supporters still kept their spirits high and their joints lit. People gathered together on the lawn and sidewalks outside of the Manitoba legislature for the event held every April 20. More planning went into this year's festivities than ever before, with vendors and food trucks lining the street. This year was a bit different than it has been in the past. Now that the federal Liberal government has tabled a bill to make marijuana legal by Canada Day in 2018, there is cause for celebration - and some frustration. [continues 601 words]
JUSTICE Minister Heather Stefanson looked out her legislature building window Thursday with dismay at how many young people were on the lawn smoking up. "It does disturb me how many young people were out there today," Stefanson told reporters. She didn't go outside and she kept her window closed, Stefanson said with a smile. But Stefanson was all seriousness when she reiterated her fears that federal legislation shows no signs of educating young people about the dangers of marijuana, especially of driving after using pot. [continues 173 words]
This time next year will be the last 4/20 - the unofficial cannabis holiday known by its numeric calendar date - when possessing weed for personal use will be a crime. Legalization is coming to Canada in the summer of 2018. So far, reactions to legalized cannabis have ranged from healthy concern to outright fearmongering. Some people have claimed it will lead the youth astray, make our roads less safe and harm our overall health. Legalizing cannabis is not without risk. But legalization can also address how risky our current approach, the so-called War On Drugs, has been. [continues 461 words]
With legalization on the horizon, today's 4/20 gathering will be a celebration For as long as anyone can remember, the annual 4/20 gathering at the Manitoba legislature grounds was about protesting the country's harsh marijuana laws. Police would be out in force to keep an eye on a rag-tag group of stoners, rarely arresting anyone unless things got out of hand. This year's event, which begins at noon today, has a much more celebratory tone since legislation is in the works to legalize the recreational use of pot. [continues 703 words]
Province has concerns about pot legalization but next moves remain unknown MANITOBA - Justice Minister Heather Stefanson says she has "lots of concerns" with the federal government's new legalized marijuana legislation tabled Thursday, but won't speculate publicly what Manitoba's next move will be. "We want to listen to Manitobans and consult on that," she told reporters Thursday. The federal government's proposed law, which sets the minimum age to purchase marijuana at 18, gives provinces some latitude to increase that age, but Stefanson declined to say whether she believes 18 is too young to buy marijuana. [continues 621 words]
PARTICIPANTS in the annual 4/20 event at the Manitoba Legislative Building are likely to be in an even more celebratory mood this year as the federal Liberal government is poised to introduce legislation to make good on its promise to legalize pot. The April 20 bash, which extols the consumption of cannabis - especially the smoking of it - may also have a more political undertone as local medical marijuana advocates protest a lack of consultation by the Pallister government before introducing a bill last week setting out new rules to deal with cannabis when legalization occurs. [continues 816 words]
IT'S only a matter of time before marijuana sales will be legalized in our country and that means the Pallister government has some important decisions to make. This past week, the Manitoba government tabled the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act. We are very pleased the government is talking about the legalization of marijuana and taking steps to ensure public safety is kept in the highest regard. The legislation is focused on ensuring Manitobans are not allowed to smoke marijuana in public places, indoors or in vehicles. As well, it addresses the issue of driving while high. These are fundamental matters of public safety, but if the government truly wants to ensure social responsibly, it has to recognize the need to keep the sale of this controlled substance public. [continues 515 words]
OTTAWA - Expert testimony can be admitted in drugged-driving trials without preliminary examination of evidence, the Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision that could expedite the judicial process in the legalized-marijuana era. The 5-2 court decision on the case of an Ottawa motorist comes as the federal Liberal government prepares to introduce long-promised legislation to legalize the recreational use of pot. "Driving while impaired by drugs is a dangerous and, sadly, common activity, prohibited by the Criminal Code," Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin wrote in her reasons for the majority decision. [continues 370 words]
TORONTO - The number of Canadians registered to purchase medical marijuana from licensed producers has exploded since the federal commercial-access program was introduced almost four years ago, reaching nearly 130,000 by the end of last year, the most recent Heath Canada figures show. As of Dec. 31, 129,876 Canadians had signed up with the country's cannabis producers, a 32 per cent jump from the 98,460 registered at the end of September and a whopping 1,544 per cent increase from the 7,900 granted access to medicinal cannabis in mid 2014. [continues 574 words]
Re: Thoughts on pot (Letters, Jan. 5) Letter-writer James Teller misinterpreted statistics from Washington state on cannabis and driving. The cited report states "results of this study do not indicate that drivers with detectable THC in their blood at the time of the crash were necessarily impaired by THC or that they were at fault for the crash; the data available cannot be used to assess whether a given driver was actually impaired, and examination of fault in individual crashes was beyond the scope of this study." [continues 213 words]
Some facts that bear on legalizing marijuana are important to consider. Everyone agrees smoking cigarettes is bad for your health and causes many deaths each year even when the smoke is second-hand. We have laws restricting cigarette smoking, and cigarette packages warn us of the dangers. Why add another smoking risk? Statistics in Washington state show a twofold increase in highway deaths related to marijuana, and they now make up 17 per cent of the total, so why pass legislation in Canada that will increase deaths? To put this another way: if we could reduce highway deaths by five to 10 per cent (by prohibiting marijuana use), wouldn't this be good? [continues 222 words]
Pamela McColl is guilty of some backwards thinking. Eight decades of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition has proven to be "experimenting with dangerous drug policies" and "risky public-health policy," not the other way around. Insinuating cannabis laws involve "evidence-based drug policy" could not be farther from the truth. Cannabis prohibition and persecution was orchestrated from the beginning out of greed and racism. If cannabis were discovered today for the first time, it would be hailed as a miracle plant. Stan White Dillon, CO [end]
If marijuana is legalized in this province, nearly one-quarter of Manitoba adults say they're prepared to get some. Rich or poor, NDP or Progressive Conservative, man or woman, young or middle-aged - tens of thousands are likely to try some pot. The Winnipeg Free Press/Probe Research Inc. survey asked, "If marijuana becomes legal in Canada, how likely would you be to use it even just once?" Twenty-four per cent - nearly one-quarter of a million adult Manitobans - said they would be likely to use it. [continues 1028 words]
WINNIPEG School Division is considering stocking its schools with the antidote naloxone in case any student suffers an opioid overdose. "We need to pay attention to it," trustee Lisa Naylor said Thursday. "It may be something we deem as a good idea, as part of a first aid kit." Naylor raised the possibility at a school board meeting earlier this month and was told the WSD administration was already looking into it. Naylor said a parent, who is also a doctor, had told her another unidentified school division is also considering putting naloxone kits in schools. [continues 791 words]
Re: How Canada's legalization of marijuana could change its relations with the U.S. (Dec. 20) Donald Trump is the least of Prime Minister Trudeau's worries. Three international UN drug conventions represent the legal basis of global drug prohibition, restricting nation-states from taking alternative approaches, including moving to the legalization of marijuana products for a domestic market. The prime minister cannot pick and choose what international laws he wishes to uphold. Not only will the new Trump administration in the United States question Trudeau's enthusiasm for risky public-health policy, but Canada will find itself offside of 190 countries that have supported evidence-based drug policy for decades. Canada has the highest rate of use by youth in the industrialized world and is the last country that should be experimenting with dangerous drug policies. Pamela McColl Vancouver [end]
For the past few days I have been listening to, and reading about the 80 recommendations made by the marijuana legalization task force, headed up by Anne McMillan, a former Liberal justice minister. Some of the recommendations include: an age for purchase restriction of not less than 18 (not 21 as recommended by the Canadian Medical Association); separate storefronts for tobacco, alcohol and pot because, according to the committee, one addiction leads to another; two separate bureaucracies for medical and recreational use; and money is to be earmarked to fight addiction, underage use and for harm-reduction strategies. [continues 93 words]
OTTAWA - It seems pretty clear Canada is going to fully legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use in just a matter of months. The marijuana task force reported its findings publicly this week, recommending recreational use be legalized with certain limitations, including how much can be grown or possessed at a time and where it can be sold. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said Tuesday plans are in place to introduce legislation for legalization in spring 2017. There is no indication the government is going to put the train back in the station on this one. [continues 679 words]
Issues 80 recommendations for upcoming Liberal law OTTAWA - A federal task force on legalized recreational marijuana says it should be sold to Canadians over the age of 18 in storefronts or by mail, but not in the same places as liquor or cigarettes. The task force, headed by former Liberal health minister Anne McLellan, was asked to consult with communities and experts and report back to the government with a framework on how pot should be legalized. The government is preparing legislation to be introduced in the spring. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalize pot during the 2015 election. [continues 585 words]
Parents need to realize addiction knows no demographic boundaries THERE are many ways a parent can lose a child to drugs. They might overdose and die. They might get lost to addiction, which is a kind of death. Or they might be killed by drug-related violence - such as Cooper Nemeth, whose body was found in a recycling bin in February, or TJ Wiebe, who was beaten, strangled and left to die in a field in 2003. In February, I sat in Karen Wiebe's living room. We talked about TJ, and what the Nemeth family was going through, trying to grieve while also dealing with the justice system and the media. No one prepares you for what happens when your child becomes a headline. [continues 674 words]
MANITOBA - Premier Brian Pallister said the federal government should delay introducing legislation to legalize marijuana until the provinces are prepared to deal with its legal and social implications, particularly drug-impaired driving. Pallister heads to Ottawa Friday for a first ministers meeting between premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau called the meeting to discuss his climate change plan, and requirement for every province to introduce a price on carbon, and the premiers are hoping to put pressure on Trudeau over health-care transfers. [continues 467 words]
