Flood of fentanyl and heroin is straining budgets, putting police at risk as drug networks spread During an attempted drug-trafficking bust this spring on Chicago's South Side, police Sgt. James Madden took off running after a young man, chasing him into a darkened yard before losing the trail. Sgt. Madden didn't know where he was going. That's because he works for a sheriff's office 500 miles away, in the northwestern corner of Wisconsin. The officer's work doesn't normally take him so far from his home of Superior, Wis., (population 27,000), but today's drug trade is imposing unprecedented new burdens on small-town law enforcement. He made the eight-hour drive to pursue a Chicagoan who allegedly traveled to Superior to sell large quantities of a dangerous drug called fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times as potent as heroin. is supercharging the longstanding problem of drugs in small towns. Police, forensic labs and prosecutors are struggling to identify and safely intercept new narcotics that can sicken or kill anyone who handles them, and to combat trafficking networks that sometimes extend many hours away. Death rates from overdoses are now higher in rural areas than in big cities, reversing a historical trend. [continues 1970 words]
If you click on Vancouver Coastal Health's running tally of food-establishment closings, you'll find that three Vancouver restaurants have been closed so far this month. One for a day, one for three days, and one, which was closed on Sept. 19, is still listed as "pending." The restaurants were cited for such things as inadequate dishwashing, unsanitary conditions and pest infestation. The names and addresses of the restaurants are there as well, should you want to avoid them. [continues 709 words]
Health Canada has confirmed it reviewed lab reports warning that dangerous chemicals not approved for any human use were found in cannabis sold at dispensaries in Vancouver, but took no action. Health Minster Jane Philpott issued a statement late Friday acknowledging that her staff had discussed the lab results with Tilray, a licensed producer of medical marijuana based in Nanaimo, B.C., that sent the warning to Health Canada. Dr. Philpott's statement comes a day after the Health Minister was unclear about whether she had seen the lab results, telling The Globe and Mail, "I'm not sure what document you are referring to." [continues 664 words]
A Vancouver city councillor says federal Health Minister Jane Philpott's office took no action - and did not warn the city - after receiving lab results showing there were dangerous toxins in marijuana sold at some dispensaries in the city. Kerry Jang, a point person on marijuana issues on Vancouver city council, said the actions of the minister were "irresponsible," and indicate the public was potentially put at risk. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act show that test results from a Health Canada-accredited lab were sent to the federal government nearly a year ago, and revealed that cannabis from several Vancouver dispensaries contained pesticides and fungicides "not approved for any human use." The lab report was sent to Eric Costen, who headed Health Canada's office of medical cannabis, last October, and later sent to Dr. Philpott's chief of staff, Genevieve Hinse, in January. [continues 632 words]
'If these places are not going to be shut down, there should be rules' Some parents in Orleans are furious that an illegal pot shop has opened in the building where their children attend martial-arts classes and after-school tutoring. A marijuana dispensary called CannaGreen opened on Sept. 11 in the front of a small commercial building on St. Joseph Boulevard. The back of the building houses The Edge Taekwon-Do Academy and Kumon Math and Reading Centre. All the businesses share a parking lot in the back. [continues 1439 words]
Health Minister Jane Philpott's office was warned nearly a year ago that dangerous contaminants had been found in retail marijuana sold by unregulated storefront dispensaries, but the federal government appears to have done nothing to act on the concerns. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act show test results from a Health Canada-accredited lab were sent to the government last fall, and to Dr. Philpott's office a few months later, revealed cannabis from several Vancouver dispensaries contained pesticides and fungicides "not approved for any human use." [continues 839 words]
In cities like Seattle and Vancouver, the marijuana icon has become almost as common on storefronts as the Starbucks mermaid. But there's one big difference between the products on offer: A venti latte tastes the same everywhere and provides an identical caffeine rush, while marijuana stores offer the drug's active ingredients in varying combinations, potencies and formats. There is no consistency in testing, standards or labeling. This matters because marijuana's two psychoactive ingredients, tetrohydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have contrasting effects on the brain. "THC makes you feel high," said Catharine Winstanley, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia who does research on marijuana, while CBD "is responsible for its analgesic, antiseizure and purported anticancer effects." [continues 548 words]
Dungeon Raid Shines Light on Concentrated Cannabis Last week's raid of downtown Chico's Dungeon tobacco shop is just the latest event highlighting the proliferation of concentrated marijuana production in the area. In 2015, law enforcement seized 56 butane honey oil (BHO) labs in Butte County and in Chico alone, there were three BHO lab explosions. This past June, the City Council answered the call to do something about it, voting to restrict the sale of butane to 600 mL per person every 30 days. [continues 980 words]
The US State Department's 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says that addiction to shabu ( street name for methamphetamine or meth) is the most significant drug problem of the Philippines, with the narcotic continually growing as the most widely trafficked in the country. A UN World Drug Report also tagged the Philippines as the country having the highest rate of shabu use in the whole of East Asia with even the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) releasing a pastoral letter last year expressing concern about the proliferation of the drug problem in the country and the alleged involvement of government officials. [continues 847 words]
Pot Advocates Decry "Hypocrisy" in Feds' View of Medical Use. It may not have quite the same ring to it as a certain seven-digit phone number made famous by a 1980s pop hit, but 6,630,507 has become internet-famous since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration opted not to reschedule marijuana, leaving it in the category of drugs with no legitimate medical uses. Since then, proponents of legalization have responded with a storm of social-media posts highlighting U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507, granted in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and covering the potential use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to protect the brain from damage or degeneration caused by certain diseases, such as cirrhosis. [continues 1254 words]
A Mother Risks Prison and Splits Up Her Family in a Desperate Attempt to Rid Her Son of Cancer. The Rockies unfurled outside Kristen Yeckley's passenger window, but she kept her eyes on the speedometer. No more than 5 mph over the limit, she urged her mother. Hands at 10 and 2. She had stayed up past 3 a.m., sobbing, praying, plotting the route back to Pinellas Park. The drive meant committing a federal crime with her 5-year-old son in the backseat. Kristen kept imagining handcuffs, the fear on Tyler's trusting face. If they were pulled over, she would use his medical records to plead for sympathy. She and her husband, Joe, had saved up for their dream home with a backyard pool. They had comfortable jobs, poker nights, a college fund in their son's name. Then came Tyler's diagnosis. When doctors said he was out of options, Kristen and Joe vowed to do anything, even split up their family, to give Tyler a chance with a treatment Florida doesn't allow. That brought Kristen to the sloping road out of Colorado last summer, 2,000 miles from home - with vials of liquid medical marijuana buried in her mother's suitcase. Worry first tugged at Kristen in the line to see Santa Claus. [continues 4161 words]
Many Glowing Remarks Come From the Same Ip Address, a Software Flaw Shows. Millions of consumers treat Weedmaps like the Yelp for pot, relying on the Irvine company as their definitive guide to marijuana dispensaries, varieties and doctors. But a key feature - user reviews of pot businesses - may be tainted by thousands of potentially fraudulent comments, a flaw in the company's software revealed. Reviews on the site are pseudonymous, and visitors reasonably expect that each is written by a unique customer. But data that Weedmaps mistakenly leaked suggests that a large proportion of glowing remarks come from individual users leaving multiple reviews of a single business. [continues 1094 words]
The DEA announces it will keep marijuana on the list of most dangerous drugs. In the eyes of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, marijuana is still considered dangerous enough to remain among the likes of heroin, LSD, and ecstasy as a Schedule I drug. Ever since The Controlled Substances Act became law in 1970, marijuana has been deemed to have no medicinal benefits and a high likelihood of abuse. And despite over half the states in the U.S. legalizing medical or recreational marijuana in some form, the DEA announced this month that marijuana wouldn't be declassified. [continues 693 words]
Colorado legalised marijuana sales two years ago. Ben Hoyle reports on the highs and lows of the decision. The "bud tender" had shoulder-length black hair, a deep well of patience and a connoisseur's pride in his wares as he spread tray after tray of marijuana-based products on the glass counter top. There were fruit gums, chocolate caramels, granola packets, medicated sugar to drop in your coffee or tea in the morning, Rosemary Cheddar Crackers for a savoury taste, a bath soak and even sensual oil for the bedroom, Charles Watson explained. [continues 1041 words]
Gage has a rare and incurable neurological disorder, and the drug has proven to help NAPANEE - A Napanee-area marijuana facility is now able to sell its medical product to patients in need, and a mother says her son is benefitting from the development. Six-year-old Gage is able to sit up by himself, playing with a few coloured balls and his iPad while his mother, Kelly, shares their story. Gage has lissencephaly type 1, a rare and incurable neurological disorder, as well as having a severe, rare, yet unnamed, form of epilepsy. [continues 561 words]
A Napanee-area marijuana facility is now able to sell its medical product to patients in need, and a mother says her son is benefitting from the development. Six-year-old Gage is able to sit up by himself, playing with a few coloured balls and his iPad while his mother, Kelly, shares their story. Gage has lissencephaly type 1, a rare and incurable neurological disorder, as well as having a severe, rare, yet unnamed, form of epilepsy. "They can't even give it a name because he has so many characteristics from other syndromes of epilepsy," Kelly, whose last name is not being released to protect Gage's privacy, said. "And he currently takes cannabis." [continues 641 words]
Mice Given Mushed Cannabis Mixed With Milk - They Won't Be Smoking Any Pot Researchers out of the University of B.C. are feeding lab mice pot and comparing the results to standard painkillers to see if cannabis will be more effective than regular medication in treating cancer-related nausea and pain. The project is headed by Dr. Lui Franciosi, Veritas Pharma Inc. CEO and an adjunct professor in pharmacology at UBC, who is funding a team of seven UBC researchers at Cannevert Therapeutics to test different strains of cannabis. [continues 218 words]
Most scientists don't include personal stories in their research reports, but for John Lilly, personal experiences and science experiments were the same thing. His ears, eyes, mouth, and nose were calibrated probes. His mind was the unbiased observer, the ideal model for dispassionate inquiry. Knowledge and experience led him to new sets of questions, not firmly held beliefs. But as anyone who has traveled into the psychedelic spaces knows, soon after arrival, one quickly finds out that the scientist's tool kit-language-is much too small and inadequate for the job. The scientist's reaction to the psychedelic experience is a set of questions that sound more like a seeker's. This is the crux of the enigma of John Lilly. [continues 5334 words]
At least once a week, Steve McDonald drives from his home in Irvine to an industrial stretch of Santa Ana filled with auto shops and home-improvement wholesalers. Inside a beige storefront, McDonald consults with young budtenders about the jars of raw cannabis flowers and rows of infused edibles that fill the shelves at From the Earth medical marijuana dispensary. The 40-year-old said cannabis products help him avoid prescription medications for pain from severe burns he suffered in a fire two years ago, as well as lingering back trouble and anxiety that plague him from his days as a paratrooper in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. [continues 1823 words]
Larry Schaeffer has grown marijuana in Sonoma County for more than a decade. His Cherry Kola Farms outside Penngrove supplies award-winning strains of pungent pot to one of Sonoma County's largest medical cannabis collectives, as well as discerning dispensaries around the state. But after years of operating in a quasi-legal status as a nonprofit collective, Schaeffer is ready to go legit. He wants to be an above-board business, in an approved location with proper permits, and pay taxes like any other legitimate enterprise. [continues 2814 words]
