Victoria-based pro-pot activists and even a local Canadian Alliance MP have been busy, chipping away at the foundation of existing drug laws The past two weeks have been a busy time for those who want to see the federal government throw out the existing laws on illicit drugs. Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Canadian Alliiance MP Keith Martin succeeded in getting his private members bill calling for the decriminalization of marijuana debated in the House of Commons last week. And Ted Smith, a Greater Victoria-based advocate of getting rid of Canada's current drug laws, has also been busy promoting his cause. [continues 555 words]
Keith Martin has his fingers crossed the federal government will eventually throw out the current laws governing marijuana possession. So far, the Canadian Alliance MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca has managed to get his private member's bill - Bill C-344 - ccepted for debate in the House of Commons. The Bill pushes for the decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana a. The debate began last Wednesday and three more sessions will be held in the near future. Martin says his private member's bill stipulates anyone caught with marijuana would not receive a criminal record. Rather, they would be treated in the same way as a driver who commits a traffic violation. A person caught with a small amount of pot would be fined $200 for the first offence, $500 for the second offence and $1,000 for the third. [continues 610 words]
If Keith Martin had his way, anyone caught by the police with a small amount of pot wouldn't have to worry about facing a criminal charge. The Canadian Alliance MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca addressed a House of Commons sub-committee on Oct. 3 and argued to have his Private Members Bill, which pushes for decriminalization of marijuana, voted on in the House of Commons. If everything goes well, Martin will get the opportunity to have his bill debated in the House of Commons. [continues 380 words]
If Brian Johnson had his way, the production of industrial hemp products would become a thriving industry on Vancouver Island. The Head Street resident and president of Transglobal Hemp Products Corp. is in the process - with several partners - of trying to acquire capital. The cash is needed to establish an infrastructure to get the industrial hemp industry up and running on Vancouver Island. Once the infrastructure is in place, says Johnson, it's just a matter of reaching out to any farmer who wants to get in on the action. [continues 1078 words]
As the issue of decriminalizing marijuana makes its way into the federal political arena, Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin is the latest politician to get in on the action. Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark recently said that the time has come to explore the idea of decriminalizing pot. A federal multi-party committee has now been established to determine whether decriminalizing marijuana is the way to go. It's not the first time that Martin has expressed his view that people should not face criminal charges for minor possession of marijuana, as the Canadian Alliance (CA) MP has reintroduced a private member's bill for its second run through the House of Commons. [continues 523 words]
As the ongoing war on drugs is doing nothing to effectively address the problem of drug abuse it's time to try something else. That's the opinion of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin on the issue of drug abuse. And that's why the local Canadian Alliance MP tried to bring in a private member's bill last week in the House of Commons aimed at addressing drug abuse and the illicit drug trade which are showing no signs of going away. [continues 565 words]
Addicts trying to kick their habits should connect with their souls - not their egos - if they want to recover. That's what a local addiction counsellor has to say about the spiritual approach he uses to treat addicts. "What happens with addiction is that it's more of an ego trip than anything else," says Ron Quesnel, who just started up Ron Quesnel Counselling Services in Esquimalt. He says addicts deal with the guilt they have about being dependent on various substances by sabotaging themselves. [continues 425 words]
Most politicians dread the thought of reporters asking them if they've ever smoked marijuana. Former US president Bill Clinton admitted to taking a couple of puffs off a reefer while in university back in the 1960s - but he didn't inhale the stuff. Ya right. Ask the BC Marijuana Party candidate for the Esquimalt-Metchosin riding and you'll get a much more candid answer. "You bet your booties I have, I've smoked marijuana every day since 1967," states Chris Davies, in his Australian accent, during a shift as a dispatcher for Esquimalt Saanich Taxi. [continues 565 words]
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin's trip to Colombia last week was anything but boring. "It's a very dangerous place, we were in a bullet and bomb-proof vehicle the whole time there with armed guards," the Canadian Alliance MP said on the phone from Ottawa about what is was like being escorted around Bogota, Colombia's capital. Martin, who is the Alliance's foreign affairs critic for Africa and Latin America, joined secretary of state and Liberal MP David Kilgour on the trip to Colombia for two days last week where they sat down with Colombian president Andres Pastrana and various other officials and discussed a wide range of topics including foreign trade, the Colombian drug trade and the ongoing conflict between guerrillas and the government in that country. [continues 726 words]
