In many of my previous columns I have been highly critical of the Harper government's tough on crime legislation. Perhaps the country agreed with me by voting in a majority Liberal government for the next four years. This change hopefully will allow the Liberals to reverse much of the damage done to our justice system by the Conservative tough on crime policies. Here are five areas that I hope the Liberals will change or at least go back to our previous system. [continues 737 words]
Liberal government could clear path for Conservative-blocked initiatives such as supervised injection sites and prescription heroin Health and legal experts are cautiously optimistic that a newly elected Liberal government will clear roadblocks to harm-reduction programs, such as supervised injection sites and prescription heroin, which clashed with Conservative ideals and were stymied by Stephen Harper's government. Despite international research that has shown these measures reduce crime and other associated harms, the outgoing Conservative government denounced such programs, maintaining that "harm elimination" should be the goal. In 2013, it banned doctors from prescribing heroin and last year introduced legislation that made it much more difficult for a community service provider to open a harm-reduction site. [continues 516 words]
Re: "Trudeau wrong on marijuana," Oct. 7. Ken Robertson seems to think the best way to protect children from drugs is to abdicate the responsibility of regulating drug sales to organized crime. That's the status quo. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has the right idea with his proposal to tax and regulate marijuana and create age controls. Legally regulating marijuana sales would close the gateway to hard drugs by taking distribution out of the hands of criminals that sell cocaine, meth and heroin. [continues 121 words]
Ken Robertson seems to think the best way to protect children from drugs is to abdicate the responsibility of regulating drug sales to organized crime ("Trudeau wrong on marijuana", Oct. 7). That's the status quo. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has the right idea with his proposal to tax and regulate marijuana and create age controls. Legally regulating marijuana sales would close the gateway to hard drugs by taking distribution out of the hands of criminals that sell cocaine, meth and heroin. It's Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is delusional about marijuana, not Trudeau. Marijuana prohibition is dangerous, but the marijuana plant is less harmful than legal alcohol or tobacco. Former U.S. surgeon general C. Everett Koop famously described tobacco as more addictive than heroin. Thanks to public education, legal tobacco use has declined dramatically, without any need to arrest smokers or imprison tobacco farmers. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy (This idea that legalizing pot is going to be a magical solution is absurd. Ever heard of cigarette smuggling?) [end]
Ken Robertson seems to think the best way to protect children from drugs is to abdicate the responsibility of regulating drug sales to organized crime. That's the status quo. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has the right idea with his proposal to tax and regulate marijuana and create age controls. Legally regulating marijuana sales would close the gateway to hard drugs by taking distribution out of the hands of criminals that sell cocaine, meth and heroin. It's Prime Minister Stephen Harper that is delusion about marijuana, not Trudeau. Marijuana prohibition is dangerous, but the marijuana plant is less harmful than legal alcohol or tobacco. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop famously described tobacco as more addictive than heroin. Thanks to public education, legal tobacco use has declined dramatically, without any need to arrest smokers or imprison tobacco farmers. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Sincerely, Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
Rob Breakenridge is absolutely right about science not supporting Stephen Harper's misinformed views on marijuana. Marijuana prohibition is dangerous because it finances violent drug cartels, but the marijuana plant is easily less harmful than legal alcohol or tobacco. Former U.S. surgeon general C. Everett Koop famously described tobacco as more addictive than heroin. Thanks to public education, legal tobacco use has declined dramatically, without any need to arrest smokers or imprison tobacco farmers. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
Politicians know how to harvest the low hanging fruit at election time. Now, Justin Trudeau has sniffed out the low hanging cannabis on the campaign trail - and promised to legalize it. It's time, long past time. The Liberal leader can make up for the sins - - or omissions - of his father in failing to decriminalize marijuana possession generations ago, when Pierre Trudeau ignored the recommendations of the 1973 Le Dain Royal Commission he created as prime minister. In fairness to Trudeau the elder, it was a different time. In the decades since, Canada has decriminalized homosexuality and legalized gay marriage. [continues 703 words]
Ken Robertson, Edmonton Sun, Oct. 7, seems to think the best way to protect children from drugs is to abdicate the responsibility of regulating drug sales to organized crime. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has the right idea with his proposal to tax and regulate marijuana and create age controls. Legally regulating marijuana sales would close the gateway to hard drugs by taking distribution out of the hands of criminals who sell cocaine, meth and heroin. It's Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is delusional about marijuana.Marijuana prohibition is dangerous but the marijuana plant is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop described tobacco as more addictive than heroin. Thanks to public education, tobacco use has declined dramatically, without any need to arrest smokers or imprison tobacco farmers. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not the most cost effective means! of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy (We should all pay close attention to what happens in Colorado) [end]
Canada's three major opposition parties agree: It's time to reform Canada's pot laws - though they all have their own take on how that ought to be done. The federal Liberals were the first to make a declarative stance that Canada needs to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. "We don't think this war on drugs has worked," said Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal candidate for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. A recent World Health Organization report noted that Canada has the highest teen usage of marijuana, something that would likely go down if it were better regulated, Goldsmith-Jones said. "Right now, it's easier to get a hold of marijuana than cigarettes or alcohol for minors," she said. "We're trying to address that because we want to keep young people healthy. We think legalizing marijuana is the best way to keep it out of the hands of children and to keep the proceeds from funding criminal activities." Goldsmith-Jones said the exact model for how marijuana would be sold legally would be determined in consultation with the Canadian people. "We have to have a public debate. Right now, we have not been able to do that," she said The NDP's campaign is promising to decriminalize simple possession of the pot, but their plan stops short of full legalization. "(Decriminalization) is something we can do immediately and we don't have to work with the provinces to do it," said Carol! Baird Ellan, NDP candidate in Burnaby North-Seymour and a former judge. "Our view is no one should be criminalized for simple possession. They shouldn't have a criminal record. ... It's something where the penalty is unnecessary for those kinds of issues." [continues 451 words]
A University of Waterloo researcher is slamming Stephen Harper's assertion that marijuana is "infinitely worse" than tobacco, saying the remark has no basis in scientific fact. The Conservative leader made the comment the morning after the final debate of the election campaign Friday night, during which he criticized Justin Trudeau's proposal to legalize the drug. Asked by a reporter on Saturday why he so strongly objected to the Liberal leader's plan, Harper said there is "overwhelming and growing" evidence of "the bad long-term effects" of marijuana use. Noting that authorities have spent decades trying to discourage Canadians from using tobacco, he said "marijuana is infinitely worse, and is something we do not want to encourage." [continues 336 words]
'No comparison' between harms of marijuana, tobacco, public health experts say Public health experts are slamming Stephen Harper's assertion that marijuana is "infinitely worse" than tobacco, saying the remark has no basis in scientific fact. The Conservative leader made the comment the morning after the final debate of the election campaign Friday night, during which he criticized Justin Trudeau's proposal to legalize the drug. Asked by a reporter on Saturday why he so strongly objected to the Liberal leader's plan, Harper said there is "overwhelming and growing" evidence of "the bad, long-term effects" of marijuana use. Noting that authorities have spent decades trying to discourage tobacco use, he said "marijuana is infinitely worse, and is something we do not want to encourage." [continues 265 words]
The Conservatives Have Set Minimum Sentences but Others Advocate for Tickets Instead of Jail Time Plead guilty or go to jail. Those were Kim Hale's options after police raided his rural property and found 30 marijuana plants hanging in a barn nearly a year ago. After multiple court visits, rather than go to trial and risk jail time, the 56-year-old pleaded guilty to production of marijuana in August. He was hit with a sentence of 18 months probation and a $9,100 fine. [continues 823 words]
Mandatory minimum sentences should be reserved for maximally grave crimes - murder, for example. Parliament should shape criminal law as a matter of well-proportioned policy, and minimums should be unusual. Even so, the courts - not least the Supreme Court of Canada - should give Parliament some leeway to craft laws that sometimes include mandatory minimum sentences. This month, an Ontario Superior Court judge had to decide whether to apply a six-month mandatory sentence for Duc Vu, a participant in a major marijuana grow-op. [continues 287 words]
'We Are Absolutely Philosophically Committed to It,' Says PM Despite another legal setback, the Conservatives remain committed to mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug traffickers and other serious criminals, Stephen Harper says. The Ontario Superior Court struck down a mandatory six-month minimum sentence for growing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, a decision Harper said his government would study. "We think it is important that those who traffic drugs, who destroy lives, face sufficient penalty under the law," Harper said Tuesday. "A mandatory minimum is a mandatory prison sentence for certain types of crime - drug trafficking, murder, other acts of violence. We think there are situations where it is inconceivable that a court would deliver a verdict that does not involve a penalty of time in prison." [continues 232 words]
An Ontario judge has struck down one of the Conservative government's signature drug laws - a six-month minimum jail term for growing between six and 200 marijuana plants for the purpose of trafficking. The ruling came after a constitutional challenge brought by a man who had pleaded guilty to working in a grow-op. The man, Duc Vu, 42, of Brampton, Ont., called the minimum sentences for growing marijuana"cruel and unusual punishment" under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And the judge agreed. [continues 749 words]
'We are absolutely philosophically committed to it,' says PM Despite another legal setback, the Conservatives remain committed to mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug traffickers and other serious criminals, Stephen Harper says. The Ontario Superior Court struck down a mandatory six-month minimum sentence for growing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, a decision Harper said his government would study. "We think it is important that those who traffic drugs, who destroy lives, face sufficient penalty under the law," Harper said Tuesday. "A mandatory minimum is a mandatory prison sentence for certain types of crime - drug trafficking, murder, other acts of violence. We think there are situations where it is inconceivable that a court would deliver a verdict that does not involve a penalty of time in prison." [continues 231 words]
Michael Swan was watching Canada play the United States for Olympic hockey gold while the three young men who would kill him were driving to Ottawa down a dark highway. The "Toronto three", as they would come to be known, had a plan to make some easy money: They were going to steal Swan's marijuana. Swan was murdered later that night on Feb. 21 2010 -- killed by a single bullet that pierced his lung and tore apart his heart. Swan's life was taken for a small amount of marijuana; as were the lives of Travis Votour and Amanda Trottier -- killed in January 2014, allegedly in a marijuana drug rip, as was the life of Yazdan Ghiasvand Ghiasi, who apparently died over a bag of weed in 2010. [continues 531 words]
Two of Toronto's former police chiefs squared off over the imposition of mandatory prison sentences on criminals. Conservative cabinet minister Julian Fantino and Liberal candidate Bill Blair - both former Toronto police chiefs - exchanged fire Sunday about Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's declaration that he would repeal some mandatory minimum prison sentences if he wins the Oct. 19 election. Fantino, who is seeking re-election in the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, argued that repealing the laws would put the rights of criminals above those of victims. [continues 463 words]
Crime and security issues are proving to be some of the most divisive in this election. Should police be granted expanded powers to stop terrorists, or should privacy be paramount? Should we legalize pot? What about Canada's record on missing and murdered aboriginal women? Here are four things you should know about crime and security to help you decide how to cast your ballot. Bill C-51 The Conservatives' controversial bill has become a lightning rod, dividing the Canadian public. It proposes to expand police and spy powers in an effort to protect Canada from potential terrorist threats. Critics like Tom Mulcair's NDP say the bill tramples on Charter protections, gives spies and police too much power, and constitutes an invasion of privacy. [continues 427 words]
Organization Calls for Voters to Back Politicians Whose Parties Support Relaxed Marijuana Laws Next month's federal election could be historic for proponents of marijuana legalization. With the country's three main political parties all taking distinct positions, which party forms the next government could determine what happens to the nation's marijuana laws. "This is our election, this is the most important election on this topic in recent memory," said Craig Jones, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Canada. [continues 489 words]
Re: "High time to talk about pot, " Letters, The Leader, Sept. 2. The Huffington Post reports that in Canada, mandatory minimum sentences range from six months to three years, depending on the severity of the offence. Under the law passed in 2012, someone who grows six plants "for the purpose of trafficking" is automatically sentenced to six months in jail. In the same year the mandatory minimums were introduced here, a U.S. panel of former and current police officials warned the Conservative government about the consequences of launching a war on drugs. [continues 119 words]
In Canada, mandatory minimum sentences range from six months to three years depending on the severity of the offence. Under the law passed in 2012, someone who grows six pot plants - for the purpose of trafficking, the law dictates at that point - is automatically sentenced to six months in jail. In the same year the mandatory minimums were introduced here, a U.S. panel of former and current police officials warned the Conservative government about the consequences of ratcheting up a war on drugs. [continues 107 words]
When asked about doobies during his VanCity whistle stop, the NDP leader didn't bring up legalization, but Toronto candidates assure that it's party policy Thomas Mulcair has promised to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana "the minute we form government." He made the announcement during a campaign stop in Vancouver on August 20. But the NDP brain trust is not going to dirty its hands with the weedy subject of outright marijuana legalization, which the Liberals have pledged. [continues 680 words]
Three charged after dispensary raided by city police ALERT squad More than 1,000 patients suffering from chronic pain, cancer or epilepsy are without their medicine of choice after police shut down an Edmonton medical marijuana dispensary. The Mobile Access Compassionate Resources Organization Society (MACROS) was shut down Wednesday and its president and two founders were arrested and charged. Ryan Wolff, who suffers from epididymitis - chronic pain in his testicles - and a nerve condition that affects previous injuries, is "devastated." Wol obtained a medical marijuana licence from a doctor last December and said the concentrated form of marijuana he gets from MACROS is the only thing that has helped him with his pain. [continues 406 words]
Kirk Tousaw has always been a thorn in the side of authority when it comes to the laws surrounding marijuana. His interest in the legal position of the drug dates back a long time. As a 15-year-old, he was busted for possession in his home state of Michigan. "I thought it was completely unjust," says Tousaw. Soon after, a visit to his high school from the state governor provided the perfect vehicle for Tousaw to take his protest to the highest levels of the Michigan establishment. [continues 1262 words]
At the end of last year the British government Home Office released an in-depth study "Drugs: International Comparators "comparing the drug laws in 11 different countries ranging from Portugal where small amounts of any drugs are legal, to Japan which has a zero tolerance position on possession of even the smallest amount of drugs. The purpose of this study was to not only take a realistic look at their own drug laws but to determine whether there was a direct link to being "tough on drugs" and actually tackling the drug problem. [continues 543 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada decided Thursday it will hear an appeal of mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offences in a Vancouver case, which could provide clarity on how sentencing policy fits in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It's the first challenge under the Safe Streets and Communities Act of 2012 brought in by the Stephen Harper government requiring one-year mandatory minimum jail terms for drug convictions. Downtown Eastside resident Joseph Lloyd was 25 when he was caught carrying less than 10 grams of heroin, crack cocaine, and crystal meth. When he was sentenced, he told the court he was addicted to all three drugs. [continues 166 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday it will hear the appeal of mandatory minimum sentencing for a Vancouver drug dealer. Joseph Lloyd was convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking after he was arrested by police two years ago for carrying fewer than 10 grams of heroin, crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine. The amount of drugs considered possession for the purpose of trafficking is more than six grams. At sentencing, Lloyd told the court he was addicted to all three drugs, according to the Pivot Legal Society which intervened in the case at a B.C. Court of Appeal hearing. [continues 258 words]
Restorative justice advocates say alternative to incarceration is more effective for addicts Most of Kathy Middleton's interactions with police have taken place in cheap motels and crack houses.. At the height of her addiction, Middleton, 57, spent days on end scoring and smoking crack in the Kingston Rd. area of Scarborough. In the process, she racked up at least 17 charges for prostitution, theft and other crimes she committed to feed her habit. "The police did not like me at all," says Middleton from a Starbucks, in Queen West where she now resides. It's all the more remarkable then, when she pulls a glowing reference letter from Toronto Police Service from her pocket and smoothes it out on the table. [continues 912 words]
What is the minimum punishment for a person, with no previous criminal record, who is convicted of growing six marijuana plants in their basement? What about for an otherwise responsible gun owner who stores her unloaded firearm safely with ammunition nearby, but who makes a mistake as to where it can be stored? Over the past few years, the federal government has been amending the Criminal Code so as to create an ever growing list of offences for which there is a mandatory minimum sentence. [continues 486 words]
Canadian conservatives who have launched a cheeky new billboard campaign in Ottawa are urging Tories to embrace their libertarian roots and legalize marijuana. A group called Canadian Conservatives for Legal Marijuana put up the billboards, which parody the familiar federal Conservative party branding but feature a few more hints of green. One is at the corner of Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue, and the second has gone up near King Edward Avenue and York Street. Former Conservative MP Inky Mark has lent his name to the campaign. He says it makes perfect sense for someone with conservative leanings to be in favour of legalizing marijuana because that would be in line with a policy that provides less government intrusion into the lives of people. [continues 350 words]
What is the minimum punishment for a person, with no previous criminal record, who is convicted of growing six marijuana plants in their basement? What about for an otherwise responsible gun owner who stores her unloaded firearm safely with ammunition nearby, but who makes a mistake as to where it can be stored? Over the past few years, the federal government has been amending the Criminal Code so as to create an ever-growing list of offences for which there is a mandatory minimum sentence. [continues 486 words]
I will resist the temptation to return fire on Nancy Driscoll's letter on safe injection sites and follow Premier MacLauchlan's lead and call on my better nature. I will, however, address the inaccuracies in Ms. Driscoll's letter. Liberals believe in evidencebased policy and programs that prevent crimes and reduce harm. Safe injection sites decrease the risk of death and disease for those living with addiction and mental illness. They form an integral part of a broader, evidence-based national drug policy that promotes public health and decreases crime and public nuisance. The Conservatives' answer to creating safer streets is mandatory minimum prison sentences. There is no evidence that this works - in fact, there is strong evidence to the contrary. [continues 185 words]
Lawyers Point Out Mistake in Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Leading to Sarnia Man's Freedom Call it trial by Facebook. When justice wasn't served inside a Sarnia courtroom this month, an unconventional appeal was spontaneously mounted in a much less hallowed hall: an online comment thread. On Jan. 15, James Trevor Munroe, 23, was slapped with a year in jail after pleading guilty to possessing just over three ounces of marijuana for trafficking, a relatively small amount that typically garners a 30- or 60-day sentence. [continues 732 words]
Harper's Approach To Crime Is Tough On Human Lives Despite falling crime rates across the country, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been pushing a "tough on crime" agenda since the last election. This was most poignantly emphasized in his government's omnibus crime bill, the Safe Streets and Communities Act. This sweet-sounding bill packed a lot of punches: minimum and extended sentences for drug convictions, the potential to charge youth with adult sentences, a shift toward prison sentences over house arrest, and the denial of work visas to people considered vulnerable to crime. [continues 535 words]
With a federal election on the horizon, it's worth taking a look at what the parties are saying about justice policy. Given their record in power over the last nine years, it's clear the Conservatives are likely to continue on the track they've set. While the government's approach has morphed from introducing major crime legislation to more targeted private member's bills aimed at very specific issues - such as the recent bill C-639 that sets mandatory minimums for offences involving critical infrastructure - it's likely to maintain its vow to get tough on crime as a signature policy. [continues 284 words]
Wife Of 'Prince of Pot' Marc Emery Doesn't Like Being Called A One-issue Candidate The old building is like a marijuana super store, without marijuana for sale. There's a large retail shop on the ground level that offers old-school pipes and papers and bongs, and pricey high-tech vaporizers for the modern, more health-conscious crowd. Upstairs there's a comfortable, if malodorous, lounge where bring-your-own cannabis products are openly consumed. Tobacco smoking is not allowed. [continues 712 words]
Run At Liberal Nomination Aims To Sign Up Smokers The old building at 307 West Hastings St. is like a marijuana superstore, without any marijuana for sale. There's a large retail shop on the ground level that offers old-school pipes and papers and bongs, and pricey high-tech vaporizers for the modern, more health-conscious crowd. Upstairs there's a comfortable if malodorous lounge where bring-your-own cannabis products are openly consumed. Tobacco smoking is not allowed. Everywhere there are illustrations and pictures of this town's patron saint of marijuana, the so-called Prince of Pot, Marc Emery. This is his joint, and on most days since his release last summer from a U.S. prison, where he served a five-year sentence for selling marijuana seeds, he can be found inside his store or in the lounge, getting high and handing out free samples of potent hash oils and what he calls his "8-bud blend." [continues 779 words]
A decades-old double homicide is the backdrop for the Supreme Court's first appeal of 2015. Following that, there will be legal clashes and rulings on assisted suicide, government anti-crime reforms, human smuggling and pot brownies, writes Ian MacLeod. Next week, two Quebecers wanted by police in the United States for the 1988 slayings of a New Hampshire lesbian couple will appeal to the high court to strike down federal extradition orders. Anthony Barnaby stood trial in the U.S. three times in 1989 and 1990 for the crime, but each trial ended in a hung jury. Murder charges were eventually dropped. [continues 1048 words]
Raging Debate Over Marijuana Law Reform Tough for Lawmakers, Leaders to Ignore The battle lines have long been drawn. Factions from either side of the political fence waging full-scale propaganda campaigns and stockpiling ammunition for the unavoidable clash. At stake -- depending on which brand of rhetoric you subscribe to -- is an untapped bounty of tax dollars, a public health crisis-in-waiting, the sanctity of the world's longest unprotected border, the opportunity to purge a prime domain of organized crime, the welfare of the nation's youth, and the rights and freedoms of the Canadian citizen. [continues 1965 words]
Jail Break: A four-part series about recidivism in Ontario Canada's jails are bursting at the seams. Federal and provincial correctional facilities are struggling to meet the rising intake of inmates, the result of federal government tough-on-crime legislation. A Metroland East special report shows rehabilitation and treatment programs have taken a backseat to the push for prison expansion. In the first of a four-part series, we look at how prisoners are struggling to find employment and addiction-treatment support. [continues 2392 words]
Ottawa's push to implement mandatory minimum sentences is potentially adding billions of dollars in costs to the criminal justice system without reducing crime or making the public safer, says a report released Monday by a British Columbia-based rights group. Instead, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association's report says longer prison sentences can actually make inmates more likely to re-offend while disproportionately affecting marginalized groups. The report adds to criticism that has followed the shift to mandatory minimums. The Conservative government has doubled the number of offences that carry compulsory sentences in less than a decade as part of its tough-on-crime agenda. [continues 170 words]
(Re: Marc Patrone's weed talk article.) Was this supposed to be a satire? I don't even want to start with addressing the specific legalization issue but your "anyone paying attention knows liberals are addicted to controlling us..." Got a big belly laugh in a crowded restaurant. How can you reconcile that slanted view with any factual evidence? Did Ezra write this for you because you couldn't make the deadline? The Harper government is pursuing a campaign of building jails when crime in most parts of the country is the lowest in 50 years! Calgary, for example, has the lowest crime rate since 1966, as per CPS. The Conservative government also created mandatory minimum sentencing. No less than the lawyers of Texas, of all places, sent a missive to the Harper government, decrying this failed policy which has done nothing in the U.S. but create "clients" for privatized prisons and a subclass of felons. Are you ignorant of these things, or willfully blind to them? [continues 276 words]
Paul Cherry looks at two sides of Jimmy Cournoyer, the man they call the King of Pot. There are two sides to Jimmy Cournoyer. On one hand is the man described as a considerate person who spared no expense in 2009 when a man, celebrating Cournoyer's 30th birthday with a group of friends on the island of Ibiza, suffered an accident that left him paralyzed for life. Cournoyer spent "tens of thousands" to make sure his friend, a fellow Laval resident who had no travel insurance, was well treated in a hospital for a week and then flown back to Canada by air ambulance. [continues 796 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]
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 562 words]
