S. China Sea Gets Brief Mention in His State of the Nation Address Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday defended his deadly anti-crime war even as he enumerated a host of big measures to bring economic relief to wage earners, conclude peace with communist and Muslim rebels, fix infrastructure bottlenecks and improve disbursement of government resources through a shift to federalism. "We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or put behind bars - or below the ground if they so wish," Mr Duterte said in his first State of the Nation Address before Congress. [continues 510 words]
Oroville - Pot proponents lost in the June election, but that hasn't stopped them from getting another initiative before the Butte County Board of Supervisors. The board will have to make a decision on the initiative Tuesday, along with mulling over an extension on a tax in Gridley and Biggs, increasing salaries for position in human resources and providing direction on green waste disposal at the dump. Marijuana activists suffered defeat on two ballot measures in the primary election earlier this year, but after getting nearly double the required signatures, the supervisors have to act on a new proposed initiative to relax growing restrictions, allow commercial growers and return dispensaries to Butte County. [continues 387 words]
Three things that are dead-solid-perfect guaranteed to be Dead On Arrival: The book "The Wit and Wisdom of Melania Trump" Arizona's marijuana legalization initiative that appears to have been written by a committee of stoners while binge-watching a Cheech and Chong Film Festival. My personal choices involving drugs and alcohol have not changed, nor will they ever. I will go my entire life without ever having tasted alcohol or using any drugs. But please know that I sincerely believe that my choices don't make me better than anybody else; they just make me different. And maybe more boring. [continues 826 words]
It would be foolish to expect an addict - straight out of jail, treatment, or both - to find a sober night's sleep under a bridge, said Jared Owen, a man in recovery. With not enough housing options in the state, Owens said recovering addicts are frequently left with the forlorn question, "What now?" On Tuesday, public and private sector leaders from across New England and upstate New York convened in Boston to talk about substance abuse in their states, and how comprehensive housing programs could help curb the crisis. [continues 537 words]
Mark Ware was working with patients suffering from a painful blood disease in the late 1990s when he noticed that many of them were self-medicating. The sickle cell anemia research clinic where he was working was in Jamaica, and the pain reliever of choice for a growing number of his patients was cannabis. The episode put the British-born, Jamaica-raised doctor on the path that has made him a world-renowned expert on the use of cannabis in pain management. [continues 598 words]
Oroville - A new medical marijuana initiative seeking to replace current Butte County marijuana laws with new regulations has gained enough signatures to move forward to the Butte County Board of Supervisors. Proponents for the Medical Cannabis Cultivation and Commerce Measure gathered nearly 12,000 signatures on petitions. The Butte County Clerk-Recorder's Office verified 6,177 signatures, the number required for such an initiative to move forward, on July 11. The measure's proponents seek to repeal the county's current marijuana laws, Chapter 34A of the Butte County code, and establish new regulations. The measure will be addressed at the next board of supervisors meeting July 26, where supervisors will have the option to adopt the measure, or put it before voters in November or in a special election. [continues 263 words]
Re "L.A. County putting pot tax on ballot," July 13 Since the county wants a 10% tax on "medical" and recreational marijuana and related products, then why aren't all prescription and over-the-counter medications also being included? A 10% tax on the gross receipts of the big pharmaceutical companies and retailers would produce a hell of a lot more revenue than just taxing companies that produce and distribute marijuana and "related" products. Jim Skladany San Bernardino [end]
They don't own a car or a computer. They don't even have a phone. But when an Old Order Mennonite couple from northern Huron County, north of London, needed to control seizures in their six-year old daughter, they turned to a form of medical marijuana. When the hard-to-get cannabis oil medication almost ran out, a London clinic scrambled to provide them an alternative supply. Using medical marijuana may seem like a "stretch" for the ultra-traditional religious sect, says one observer at a Mennonite liberal arts college in Southwestern Ontario. [continues 557 words]
Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths this week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting is also an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots. The question of whether as a country we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together. [continues 554 words]
Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths last week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting also is an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots. The question of whether, as a country, we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead, we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together. [continues 546 words]
Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths this week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting is also an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots. The question of whether, as a country, we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead, we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together. [continues 554 words]
Monitoring could boost street markets, says Jordan Westfall. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott unveiled new details of Canada's national drug strategy at the Charting New Futures in Drug Policy conference last Friday in Toronto. Health Canada pledged $40 million to create a national prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) that will increase surveillance on physicians and patients alike. The program is purported to reduce rates of problematic opioid use. However, PDMPs can have the unintended consequence of transitioning prescription opioid patients to illicit street drugs. Their $40-million pledge could mean that rates of overdose deaths for persons who use drugs in some regions of Canada (particularly in B.C.) might actually increase. How? With increased surveillance of prescribing practices will come increased pressure for physicians to stop prescribing opioids to their patients. Patients are cut off, and as a result, seek opioids in an unpredictable street market where fentanyl, a drug 100 times more powerful than heroin, is needlessly killing people every day. [continues 465 words]
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one part of the American people to affirm the political bands which connect them to the other parts, and to assume within the nation, the connected and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of their fellow citizens requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to affirm their connection. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among us, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and, if they choose the path of alteration, to abandon old and institute new legislation, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing the powers of government in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that legislation long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to repudiate the integral connection among Americans, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such legislation, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of African Americans; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to advocate the end of Prohibition. The history of the present War on Drugs is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having as a direct consequence the severing of the connection between African Americans and the rest of the American polity. [continues 755 words]
The federal government is moving toward a restrictive market for recreational marijuana, vowing to impose potency limits, controls on advertising, and strict rules over the production and sale of the drug. Ottawa has unveiled a nine-member panel to draw up Canada's new marijuana framework, sending out the clearest signal to date that it is not bowing to the demands of members of the illegal pot industry that has boomed in recent months. A number of producers and users of marijuana are advocating a liberalized regime, but Ottawa says it will continue to treat marijuana as a dangerous drug, especially for young Canadians and frequent users. [continues 697 words]
With California poised to vote on marijuana legalization in November, some may be asking, "What effect would it have on our youths?" If Colorado is any measure, youth use may not rise. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment surveyed teens about marijuana habits and found that marijuana use has decreased 5 percentage points since 2009. Then, 43 percent said they had used marijuana, while now that number is at 38 percent. Colorado's voters legalized marijuana for adults with a ballot measure in 2012. [continues 278 words]
Keep Up With the Global and Local Medical Marijuana News A new measure has been approved by the U.S. Senate Committee that would allow banking institutions to offer financial services to marijuana businesses. State-legalized marijuana businesses will soon be able to operate as a traditional business with a traditional banking system. Thus far, banking services have not been available to a majority of marijuana businesses due to marijuana's illegal federal status. [continues 490 words]
Re: Marijuana use carries a costly toll - June 23 Regarding Carol Mary Awrey's letter about the legalization of marijuana, I have some thoughts on her points. While I do agree that drug addiction is a real concern facing society today, I for one do not believe that simply legalizing marijuana will produce a whole (pardon the pun) crop of weed addicts. Personally, I have never been a pot smoker nor do I plan on becoming one. Does this writer really believe that, should it be legalized, thousands of people who have never smoked marijuana before are suddenly going to run out and light up? Maybe it's time we stop putting people in jail for smoking a joint on Friday night after work and keep our jails for the real criminals. Dan Boucher Waterloo [end]
Nevada billionaire and Sands Las Vegas CEO Sheldon Adelson once proposed the U.S. nuke Iran, and donates to Republican Party candidates who share his uncritical and unwavering support for Israel. He has lobbied to expand the Interstate Wire Act to outlaw all online gambling instead of just sports betting. He is currently lobbying for a special session of the Nevada Legislature this summer to approve his scheme to bring the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas by an increase in the hotel room tax. If the new Las Vegas football stadium is such a great idea, why doesn't Mr. Adelson use some more of his own considerable fortune to build it? [continues 494 words]
Twelve months after Vancouver city council adopted rules on pot dispensaries, a majority of city residents believe medical marijuana is as safe or safer than alcohol, but most are also concerned about pot use in public, a new poll reports. The poll was conducted this month by Nanos Research, via a random phone survey of 400 adult residents of Vancouver, and was commissioned by cannabis advocacy group Sensible B.C. About nine per cent of respondents reported using medical marijuana, while just over half said they didn't know anyone who uses it. Only 14 per cent supported a complete ban on dispensaries. [continues 338 words]
A new poll commissioned by cannabis-advocacy group Sensible B.C. provides a snapshot of Vancouverites' attitudes on medical pot, 12 months after city council adopted rules on dispensaries. The poll was conducted this month by Nanos Research, via a random phone survey of 400 adult residents. 1 Most see pot as safe or safer than alcohol The Nanos poll found 39 per cent of Vancouverites said medical pot is at least somewhat safer than alcohol, while 26 per cent said it is "just as safe." Younger respondents, aged 18 to 29, were the most likely to view pot as safer than booze, while those over age 60 were least likely to agree. [continues 311 words]
In October 2014, Ashley Cervantes crossed from Nogales, Arizona, to Nogales, Sonora, to have breakfast at one of her favorite restaurants. But on the way back home, the U.S. citizen was confronted at a port of entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who accused her of carrying drugs. Over the next seven hours while in custody of CBP officers, she was handcuffed to a chair, checked by drug-sniffing dogs, asked to squat so a female investigator could visually inspect her, and then taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where a male physician probed her vagina and anus for drugs as part of an unwarranted body-cavity search, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on June 8. [continues 713 words]
More San Diegans are getting high off of spice and causing medical emergencies as a result. Since October, 911 calls relating to spice have been on the rise. In February, there were 200 emergency medical services calls, more than double the previous month, according research by the San Diego Association of Governments. Spice, also known as K-2, is synthetic marijuana made of herbs or some other smokable substance that is sprayed with chemicals that cause a high. Spice is sold with the label "not intended for human consumption," so it isn't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, compounds are often changed, allowing manufacturers to create the drug despite laws attempting to ban it. [continues 234 words]
The Trudeau government's plans to change the legal status of marijuana may have some unintended consequences, including making more potent drugs harder to find. That's according to one former dealer in London who, like the other small-time operators who make up the bulk of the city's underground sales force, sold mostly marijuana for about a year before moving on to legitimate pursuits. "In a sense, it's more of a hobby or a supplementary income," the dealer said. [continues 283 words]
EDITOR'S NOTE: Legalizing recreational marijuana is being considered in New Jersey. The most recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows public support for legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey is 58 percent - the highest it's ever been - with 39 percent opposed. Although Gov. Chris Christie has said he would not sign a bill legalizing recreational marijuana, both the state Senate and Assembly are working on legislation. This is the third in a three-part series that will explore the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana and its potential effects on Sussex County and the surrounding area. The series looks at the economic, public health and criminal justice impact legalization could have. All three parts can be viewed at www.njherald.com. [continues 1781 words]
EDITOR'S NOTE: Legalizing recreational marijuana is being seriously considered in New Jersey. The most recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows public support for legalizing recreational marijuana in New Jersey is 58 percent -- the highest it's ever been -- with 39 percent opposed. Although Gov. Chris Christie has said he would not sign a bill legalizing recreational marijuana, both the state Senate and Assembly are working on legislation. This is the second in a three-part series that will explore the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana and its potential effects on Sussex County and the surrounding area. The series will look at the economic, public health and criminal justice impact legalization could have. [continues 2557 words]
EDITOR'S NOTE: A bill has been introduced in the New Jersey Assembly to legalize recreational marijuana, allowing adults over the age of 21 to possess, use and grow marijuana. The state Senate had a bill in the last legislative session that never advanced. The bill's primary sponsor, state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-22nd Dist., has said he will reintroduce legislation soon. A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held in November 2015 offered advocates of legalization a chance to present their side and another hearing will be held for those opposed. [continues 2174 words]
N.S. Marijuana Seller Says Weed Shall Overcome Halifax's best known marijuana business operator Mal McMeekin says it won't be long before the need for medical marijuana overcomes the stigma and legal biases against it. McMeekin isn't rattled by last week's Toronto raids of 43 marijuana dispensaries. "I knew the risks and I knew what could happen," said McMeekin following the raids. He acknowledges his business operates in a legal grey area and spoke to the Chronicle Herald last month about the confusing and conflicting politics of medical marijuana sales. [continues 1064 words]
The Liberal government is sending further signals it plans a strict regime for recreational marijuana by hiring former public safety minister Anne McLellan to develop plans to legalize the drug. Sources confirmed that Ms. McLellan will head a federal-provincial task force that will report to Bill Blair, the Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary for justice who is in charge of the file. Mr. Blair, a former Toronto police chief, has denounced the growing number of unregulated pot dispensaries across the country. [continues 541 words]
A group Saturday ended its effort to put a medical marijuana issue on Ohio's general election ballot. The Ohioans for Medical Marijuana announced that organizers decided with "a heavy heart" to halt collection of signatures to get on the November ballot in the aftermath of passage this past week by state lawmakers of a medical marijuana legalization bill. The proposal would bar patients from smoking marijuana or growing it at home, but it would allow its use in vapor form for certain chronic health conditions. It still requires Gov. John Kasich's signature. [continues 333 words]
If Successful, It Would Allow Only Personal-Use Cultivation Proponents of banning commercial marijuana production in Calaveras County on Monday gathered signatures at grocery stores and other locations in hopes of placing its proposal on the ballot in November. Bill McManus, a volunteer with the campaign, said he got about 25 signatures during two hours parked near Vista Del Lago Drive and Highway 26 near Valley Springs. In late morning he moved to the MarVal grocery parking lot at the Valley Oaks Center in Valley Springs, where his first signature came from Hershall Roberts, 66, of Valley Springs. [continues 762 words]
DENVER - Congress is showing an increased willingness to let VA doctors talk to veterans about medical marijuana in states where it's legal, although final approval is far from certain. The House approved a measure last week that would let Veterans Affairs Department doctors help their patients sign up for state medical marijuana programs, something the VA now prohibits. "I'm certainly open to it," Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican and former Marine from pot-friendly Colorado, said Friday. A Senate committee approved a similar measure last month but the full Senate hasn't voted. [continues 248 words]
The three sons of a woman shot to death in 2014 have filed what appears to be the country's first wrongful-death lawsuit against the recreational marijuana industry. The lawsuit claims that the company that made the marijuana edible and the store that sold the candy to Richard Kirk recklessly and purposefully failed to warn him about the bite-sized candy's potency and possible side effects - including hallucinations and other psychotic behaviors. Hours after Kirk purchased the marijuana candy April 14, 2014, Kristine Kirk, 44, called 911 terrified of her husband, who was ranting about the end of the world and jumping in and out of windows. All three of the couple's young sons heard the gunshot that killed their mother. Their youngest son, who was 7 at the time, watched his mother die, according to an amended complaint filed Monday night. [continues 1068 words]
A number of critical airline staff have tested positive for hardcore drugs and alcohol while on the job, leaving passengers concerned about the protocols in place to keep them safe in the air. At least 14 Australian airline and airport employees operating in 'safety sensitive' roles came to work affected by alcohol and drugs in 2015, according to The Daily Telegraph. Three ground staff were found with traces of cannabis and methamphetamine in their system, an engineer tested positive for cocaine and a student pilot tested positive for cannabis. [continues 408 words]
Colin Barnett has suggested the war on the drug ice is all but unwinnable, saying its supply into the WA market is "not possible" to stop. Speaking at a conference held by the WA Council of Social Services yesterday, the Premier painted a bleak picture of efforts to control the methamphetamine trade. Mr Barnett said that unlike organically derived drugs such as heroin or cannabis that had to be grown as a crop, ice could be manufactured overnight. As a result, he said it was much easier to produce and harder for law enforcement agencies to control. [continues 259 words]
Canada's municipalities are in a tough position when it comes to pot. Faced with a previous federal government that had no interest in legalizing marijuana or modifying its obtuse mail-order medical-marijuana program, Toronto and Vancouver have swiftly become home to more than 250 dispensaries that operate outside the law, with more than 100 now open in Ontario's capital. The rush to open more storefronts appears to be accelerating ahead of the federal government's pledge to introduce a legalization bill next spring, as wannabe entrepreneurs try to cash in before a potentially new regulatory regime comes into force. But cities facing pressure from citizens to crack down on the flourishing businesses are discovering they may lack the legal authority to do so. [continues 546 words]
I'd like to point out some inaccuracies in the April 23 article "Marijuana wax is a rising concern." In the states that have legalized marijuana, what we haven't seen is an increase in crime. We haven't seen an increase in death. We haven't seen any real social problems in these states that stem from legalized marijuana. At the end of the article, Brian Marquardt, statewide gang and drug coordinator for the Department of Public Safety's Office of Justice Programs, states that making marijuana wax is as deadly as smoking it. This is a false statement. While it is true that people can die from explosions from making the wax as mentioned in your article, I don't know of anyone who has ever died directly from ingesting marijuana in any form. It's physically impossible to take as much as you would need to overdose. [continues 159 words]
Defiant Owners: City has ordered all marijuana dispensaries without a licence to shut down by Friday In the final days before the City of Vancouver's deadline for unsuccessful marijuana dispensary applicants to shut down, some rejected shop owners said they plan to stay open and "stick to their guns." B.C. Pain Society owner Chuck Varabioff was one of 176 who applied last year for a dispensary licence. Then, he was one of 62 rejected applicants to appeal to Vancouver's Board of Variance, and in February, his appeal was one of the first heard. [continues 578 words]
Most Vancouver voters - across age groups, income levels and gender lines - approve of marijuana dispensaries, according to a new opinion poll. About two-thirds of Vancouver voters approve of pot shops in the city, said the study, which was independently conducted by Forum Research of Toronto. Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said Monday the results show "widespread acceptance" for dispensaries in Vancouver. About a quarter of respondents oppose dispensaries in Vancouver, while nine per cent said they don't have an opinion. [continues 138 words]
In the final days before the City of Vancouver's deadline for unsuccessful marijuana dispensary applicants to shut down, some rejected shop owners said they plan to stay open and "stick to their guns." B.C. Pain Society owner Chuck Varabioff was one of 176 who applied last year for a dispensary licence. Then, he was one of 62 rejected applicants to appeal to Vancouver's board of variance, and in February, his appeal was one of the first heard. The appeal was unsuccessful, and Varabioff received a 60-day notice from the city advising him to close his Commercial Drive operation by Friday. [continues 704 words]
Communities should be strengthened by "minimizing the economic and social effects of incarceration," the report's authors write. Nearly 6 percent of children in Maryland have a parent in prison or jail, which makes it more likely that they will struggle academically, live in poverty, and have other social or psychological problems that could plague them for life. These are the findings of a new report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation about the damaging ripple effects of incarceration on families. The report, "A Shared Sentence," provides strong evidence of the unintended consequences of imprisoning convicts, and the costs borne by children, families and communities. [continues 713 words]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Dave Napio started doing heroin over four decades ago, at 11 years old. Like many addicts these days, he heads to Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside neighborhood when he needs a fix. But instead of seeking out a dealer in a dark alley, Mr. Napio, 55, gets his three daily doses from a nurse at the Crosstown Clinic, the only medical facility in North America permitted to prescribe the narcotic at the center of an epidemic raging across the continent. [continues 1298 words]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Dave Napio started doing heroin over four decades ago, at 11 years old. Like many addicts these days, he heads to Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside neighborhood when he needs a fix. But instead of seeking out a dealer in a dark alley, Napio, 55, gets his three daily doses from a nurse at Crosstown Clinic, the only medical facility in North America permitted to prescribe the narcotic at the center of an epidemic raging across the continent. [continues 927 words]
Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who would oversee regulation of the state's recreational marijuana industry if voters approve a ballot measure this fall, said Wednesday the Legislature should ban home cultivation and delay retail sales of the drug if the proposal passes. She also wants state lawmakers to restrict marijuana edibles such as candy that can be attractive to children and to give her office money to regulate the new industry in the early going. And though she opposes the ballot effort like many other top state politicians, Goldberg said in an interview that she believes her office needs to be prepared for it. [continues 877 words]
So far, just one major statewide business group, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, has decided to oppose the measure. Jon Hurst isn't afraid to take a stand. As president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, it's his job to fight for the interests of the 4,000 businesses he represents. But when it comes to legalizing marijuana, he's torn - as are many leaders of Boston-area business groups. "How can you separate your own personal feelings and experiences from the economic and political concerns?" Hurst said, acknowledging that he indulged a few times as a college student in the 1970s. "It's unlike anything I've dealt with in 25 years in this business." [continues 1112 words]
Proponent Says Group Will File Correct Paperwork Soon Calaveras County Clerk-Recorder Rebecca Turner has rejected the initial paperwork filed by a group proposing a ballot initiative to ban commercial marijuana cultivation in the county. Turner said in a letter dated Tuesday that the notice of intent to circulate petition filed a day earlier didn't meet election code requirements because it failed to include the language of the proposed initiative. Bill McManus, a member of the still-unnamed group advocating for the initiative, said Wednesday morning that group members expect soon to refile the notice with the initiative language. [continues 271 words]
Under current rules, firefighters have to wait for a doctor's permission to administer naloxone Langley City firefighters won't carry the anti-overdose drug naloxone, even though the department is seeing an increase in related medical calls. City Fire Chief Rory Thompson told the April 4 meeting of City council that if the current numbers hold, Langley Fire Rescue will have handled 240 to 260 overdose cases this year, compared to 80 last year. Much of that, Chief Thompson said, is because of fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic painkiller that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine. [continues 273 words]
Leaders Hope to Have It on the November Ballot Anti-marijuana activists on Monday filed notice that they plan to circulate a petition that would place on the ballot in Calaveras County a measure that would ban marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, processing, storage and transportation. "We are looking to have this on the ballot for November for the general election," said Bill McManus of the Calaveras Project. "The process is moving forward. We've filed the notice of intention to circulate or start the petition effort." [continues 188 words]
A Liberal Senate forum held earlier this year signified the Trudeau government taking its first tentative steps down the road to legalization. Yet, many questions remain unanswered as the government contemplates a homegrown solution. Can I smoke it now? The government ultimately is the only body with the power to put laws on moratorium, but Karla O'Regan, a St. Thomas University criminology professor, said some police forces might already be inclined to turn a blind eye to marijuana possession related offences. [continues 855 words]
Safety Push Local officials are showing interest in making Seattle the first U.S. city to offer a medically supervised site for drug use, which advocates say could reduce overdose deaths, disease transmission and discarded needles on the ground. Seattle could become the first city in the U.S. with a public site where users can inject and smoke hard drugs under medical supervision. One local group plans to open a bare-bones safe-consumption site on a shoestring budget as soon as possible, while another group has launched an awareness campaign to build support among politicians and communities. [continues 1238 words]
