B.C.'s overdose crisis is disproportionately impacting Indigenous people, who are three times more likely than non-First Nations people to die, according to data released Thursday. The preliminary numbers show that 14 per cent of overdoses in B.C. were experienced by First Nations people, who were five times more likely than non-First Nations people to overdose. Ten per cent of overdose deaths in B.C. were First Nations people, who comprise 3.4 per cent of the population. [continues 557 words]
Shirley Jones said she was devastated to learn that three young men in her family from the Tseshaht First Nation in Port Alberni died in recent weeks from suspected fentanyl overdoses. "It's heart-wrenching living this [crisis] at work and then hearing about these young people in my mother's family," said Jones, who is a custodian at Our Place Society on Pandora Avenue. An overdose-prevention site has operated at the site since 2016. "Even here, I've seen young natives who were chronic alcoholics die from overdoses, and I had no idea they even used," she said. "It was hidden." [continues 504 words]
Time to redress the harm done to thousands of Black youth who have life-limiting criminal records because of pot The war on drugs has had a devastating and disproportionate effect on racialized groups, particularly young Black men. While research has shown that Black people partake in recreational pot at the same rates as their white counterparts, it's Black people who have endured the heavy hand of justice. Black people are twice as likely to be taken to a police station after being charged for simple possession of marijuana. They are also twice as likely to be held overnight for a bail hearing. [continues 917 words]
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has compared cannabis to heroin. NEW YORK - In a national vote widely viewed as a victory for conservatives, last year's elections also yielded a win for liberals in eight states that legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. But the growing industry is facing a federal crackdown under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has compared cannabis to heroin. A task force Sessions appointed to, in part, review links between violent crimes and marijuana is scheduled to release its findings by the end of the month. But he has already asked Senate leaders to roll back rules that block the Justice Department from bypassing state laws to enforce a federal ban on medical marijuana. [continues 650 words]
The legalization of cannabis is a move forward for our country and sends a positive message to the rest of the world about a changing tide in the global war on drugs. However, as we progress toward legalization, we must ensure that we work to repair the harms done to those most affected by almost a century of prohibition. Justin Trudeau rose to power based, in part, on a promise to legalize cannabis after having publicly admitted to smoking weed while sitting as a member of Parliament. Trudeau is certainly not alone in his fondness for the drug. Survey data reveals that 11 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and older have used it in the past year and over one-third admit to having done so at least once in their lifetime. [continues 684 words]
Custio Clayton alleges racial profiling by Montreal police A cloud still follows Custio Clayton after one spring night in Montreal. The former Olympian turned professional boxer has been in his hometown of Dartmouth for three weeks now, following his biggest pro victory to date. But this period of rest and relaxation has been sullied for the 29-year-old father of four. Clayton says he was racially profiled by Montreal police during a traffic stop April 4 - during which a veteran officer accused him of being a drug dealer hiding marijuana inside a 2017 Yukon Denali. [continues 677 words]
After a long session in Parliament working hard on legislative affairs, we have finally hit summer weather where the real work begins: reconnecting with constituents that sent me to Ottawa and ensuring that all of your issues are well represented and defended in the House of Commons. I know that in your working and busy lives you cannot possibly follow all the things that have happened in the spring parliamentary session, so I appreciate this opportunity to give an update on some of the highlights. [continues 598 words]
Police stats obtained by the Star show disparity when it comes to marijuana possession charges Black people with no history of criminal convictions have been three times more likely to be arrested by Toronto police for possession of small amounts of marijuana than white people with similar backgrounds, according to a Toronto Star analysis. They've also been more likely to be detained for bail, the data shows. The disparity is largely due to targeting of Black people by Toronto police, according to criminologists and defence lawyers interviewed by the Star, who note that surveys show little difference in marijuana use between Black and white people. [continues 3292 words]
Criminal records that are hard to erase disproportionately affect lives, careers of Black people More than 27,000 people in Toronto were arrested for possessing marijuana from 2003 to 2013, a Star analysis reveals. Nearly one-quarter of them were aged 12 to 18. The data obtained by the Star also indicates that possession arrests and charges rose where the "carding" of residents by police was widespread. And just as this practice of stopping, questioning and documenting affected Black people disproportionately, so did marijuana charges. [continues 1640 words]
A recent letter writer seems to have all the answers regarding pot legalization. I guess, with his criticism of legal marijuana, he feels that booze and cigarettes should be criminalized as well. Or maybe he's a curmudgeon who's bought into the racist propaganda spread by American police activists over the last few decades. Treat drug addiction like the medical problem it is and stop feeding the militaristic mindset of the police "fighting a war on drugs." It has only wasted trillions of dollars and ruined countless lives. Chris Kemp Richmond The fear is that the Liberals are steaming ahead with no idea about the consequences of letting people use this drug. [end]
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]
It was a miscarriage of dust-ice. A handyman spent three months behind bars after cops believed they'd found cocaine sprinkled around his car -- until test results later proved it was clean, according to reports. Karlos Cash, 57, says the white powder was actually drywall -- just as he'd been telling them all along. "I know for a fact (that) it's drywall because I'm a handyman," he told WFTV Orlando. "I said that continuously during the arrest stop." [continues 164 words]
In fact, since decriminalization took effect, police have cited 73 percent fewer people than they arrested for possessing weed during the same time period in the year prior to decriminalization. And if mayoral candidate Jim Kenney has his way, citations for marijuana users may become a thing of the past, too. "I'm not interested in issuing citations, either. We'll get to that conversation at the appropriate time next year," Kenney told the Daily News. "As time goes on, I don't know if there's going to be a need for any kind of punishment." [continues 1129 words]
Drug policy experts often say that the health risks of marijuana use are relatively minor compared to the steep costs of marijuana enforcement: expensive policing, disrupted lives, violence and even death. Law enforcement agencies, however, have often been at the forefront of opposition to marijuana legalization. One reason is that the drug, with its pungent, long-lasting aroma, is relatively easy to detect in the course of a traffic stop or other routine interaction. It's an ideal pretext for initiating a search that otherwise wouldn't be justified -- even if that search only turns up evidence of marijuana use and nothing more. [continues 354 words]
New Jersey is gearing up for an intense campaign for marijuana legalization. Senate Bill 3195 and Assembly Bill 4872, which would legalize marijuana in New Jersey, have been introduced by state Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer. The Drug Policy Alliance commends the sponsors for their leadership on this issue and we will be working with them to ensure that the final legislation contains provisions missing from the bill that are essential to establishing a fair and equitable marijuana market and repairing the disproportionate harm that marijuana prohibition has inflicted on communities of color. To highlight the need for these provisions, the Drug Policy Alliance is releasing a short video, made in collaboration with Brave New Films, which explores the current and historical impacts of marijuana prohibition on communities of color. The video features racial and social justice advocates from across New Jersey. [continues 575 words]
Protesters take issue with concentration of proposed sites within Edmonton's core Nearly 200 protestors gathered outside of the Alberta Legislature on Saturday to speak out against a concentration of safe injection sites in the Boyle, McCauley and Central McDougall neighbourhoods that they say is part of a larger issue of "systemic ghettoization." "We know the situation is dire, and we do not minimize the issue, but Chinatown and the surrounding communities are already saturated with all shelter beds and over 60 social agencies that contribute to chaos, disorder and crime because the homeless and vulnerable are drawn to our communities by these agencies," said Georgina Fiddler, a resident of McCauley for seven years, addressing the rally. [continues 401 words]
The legalization of small amounts of marijuana for people 21 and over came before the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday as the committee considers abill introduced by Sen. Nicolas Scutari, D-Union. According to Scutari's office, no vote was taken. (To listen to the hearing, click here.) In the bill, Scutari mentions the cost to New Jersey for enforcement. Marijuana possession arrests made up three out of every five drug arrests in New Jersey in 2012. The state shells out about $127 million per year on marijuana possession enforcement efforts. [continues 809 words]
It's long been apparent that the Liberal legalization of marijuana in this country is not going to provide the mellow buzz the government had sought. We're more than a year out from promised legislation, but there's smoke on the horizon. The Canadian Medical Association has condemned the legal age of 18 being set by the federal Liberals, citing data that shows early marijuana use leads to everything from depression and anxiety to a lifetime dependency rate of 17 per cent for those who start smoking as teenagers. That's almost double the rate of those who begin use after their brains mature at age 25. [continues 630 words]
Mandatory Minimums Don't Deserve Your Ire Jeff Sessions's policy won't lock up harmless stoners, but it will help dismantle drug-trafficking networks. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being tarred as a racist-again-for bringing the law fully to bear on illegal drug traffickers. Mr. Sessions has instructed federal prosecutors to disclose in court the actual amount of drugs that trafficking defendants possessed at the time of arrest. That disclosure will trigger the mandatory penalties set by Congress for large-scale dealers. [continues 796 words]
OTTAWA * Demanding a breath sample from a motorist is no different than asking for their licence and registration, Canada's justice minister argued Thursday as the federal government defended its proposed crackdown on impaired driving. Jody Wilson-Raybould tabled a "charter statement" in the House of Commons comprising the arguments why the government believes the new measures are permissible under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. "The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized as reasonable the authority, under provincial law and common law, of police officers to stop vehicles at random to ensure that drivers are licensed and insured, that the vehicle is mechanically fit, and to check for sobriety," Wilson-Raybould's statement says. "The information revealed from a breath sample is, like the production of a driver's licence, simply information about whether a driver is complying with one of the conditions imposed in the highly regulated contexts of driving." [continues 439 words]
