Almost daily, the media is reporting crimes fuelled by drug addiction or reading court reports of someone who is in trouble with the law because of their drug use. One recent report is all the more shocking. Just last month, Prince District Joint Forces Operation Drug Unit arrested a 17-year-old Three Oaks student for drug trafficking as he was entering the Summerside school. The arrest was the result of tips from the community that the teen had been selling drugs both in and outside the school. On the young man, police found 2.5 ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. [continues 333 words]
SUMMERSIDE - A student arrested for drug trafficking at a Summerside school is a not an issue for the English Language School Board to comment on, says board superintendent Cynthia Fleet. In November, a 17- year old city teen was arrested inside Three Oaks Senior High School, found with 2.5 ounces of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. During the arrest, police seized pre-packaged marijuana and the drug in bulk, along with a digital scale used to weigh the drug, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. [continues 257 words]
SUMMERSIDE - A student arrested for drug trafficking at a Summerside school is not an issue for the English Language School Board to comment on, said superintendent Cynthia Fleet. In November, a 17-year old city teen was arrested inside Three Oaks Senior High School, found with 2.5 ounces of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He now faces drug-trafficking charges and a potential two-year prison sentence. During the arrest, police seized prepackaged marijuana and the drug in bulk, along with a digital scale used to weigh the drug, cash, cellphone and packaging supplies. [continues 330 words]
P. E. I..' s Federal Cabinet Minister Criticizes Liberal MPs' Support of Legalization As politicians around the country are being asked if they ever smoked marijuana, P. E. I.' s only representative in cabinet says she has never tried it. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was responding to questions from the media after she released a statement Monday morning in which she criticized the Island's Liberal MPs for supporting Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's stance on marijuana legalization. The statement was a rare criticism of her fellow Island MPs from a cabinet minister who usually stays away from personal attacks on politicians from the opposition parties. [continues 316 words]
Gail Shea says she has never smoked marijuana. As politicians around the country are being asked if they ever smoked marijuana, P.E.I.'s only representative in cabinet says she has never tried it. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was responding to questions from the media after she released a statement Monday morning in which she criticized the Island's Liberal MPs for supporting Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's stance on marijuana legalization. The statement was a rare criticism of her fellow Island MPs from a cabinet minister who usually stays away from personal attacks on politicians from the opposition parties. [continues 317 words]
Justin Trudeau's pot gambit is a calculated and rather clever move. The Liberal leader's revelation that he smoked dope as a sitting MP earned him an expected scolding from the governing Conservatives. But that, surely, was Trudeau's aim. The unexpected decision to highlight marijuana laws is also eerily similar to a strategy that allowed Trudeau's father, Pierre, to be Canada's prime minister for 15 years. In his attempt to outpace Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau has little manoeuvring room. On the economy, the Liberal leader's position differs little from that of Harper. Like the prime minister, Trudeau sees pipelines, resource development and free trade as the keys to Canada's future. [continues 541 words]
DUNDAS - The prohibition of marijuana will eventually come to an end much like the rum in the hold of the Nellie J. Banks, suggests Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay. "It will take it out of the hands of criminals and put it in the hands of government like a bottle of rum," said the Island MP during a visit to the Dundas Plow Match here Friday. "Today, it seems to be available anywhere you go." MacAulay was responding to comments by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau this week that marijuana should be decriminalized and brought into the fold of government controls much like alcohol is currently distributed. The Nellie J. Banks was a famous P.E.I. rum running ship that smuggled spirits from St. Pierre-Miquelon during prohibition in the 1930s. [continues 206 words]
I was confused. The Mount Allison hockey team was on the ice against Universite de Moncton and things were growing rougher by the minute. Fight after fight had broken out. A bench-clearing brawl seemed certain. The violence overwhelmed me. Why couldn't they all just get along? There was only one solution. I turned away from the ice and headed to the canteen. I needed a hot dog. "What would you like on it," said the guy behind the counter. [continues 558 words]
It's an idea that is long overdue. Earlier this week, the City of Charlottetown announced it was reinstating funding to place police officers in Charlottetown Rural and Colonel Gray high schools on a full-time basis from Sept. 3 to Nov. 8. After that, the officers will return on an interim basis, spending about four hours a week for the remainder of the first school term. The program is designed to help improve the school climate dealing with drugs, bullying property damage and mischief. [continues 365 words]
Editor, It was a no-brainer for the Liberals to waste $2 billion trying to make criminals out of law biding citizens with their long gun registry. Now, Justin Trudeau supporting legalizing marijuana brings another era of Liberal folly. I support decriminalizing personal possession of marijuana and I support criminal charges for selling marijuana or driving stoned. I don't support the federal government or provinces becoming Canada's drug dealer selling marijuana. Canada legalized tobacco and alcohol it was extremely depressing to watch my father die of cancer. Every Finance minister in Canada is addicted to alcohol and tobacco taxes and revenues. Twenty-one per cent of Islanders smoke cigarettes, what percentage of the Canadian population is Justin Trudeau willing to allow to smoke marijuana? Provinces are suing the tobacco companies but are denying responsibility for the ill health of Canadians. [continues 154 words]
Dr. Don Ling Tells Mlas 60 Per Cent of Those on Program End Up Leading Productive Lives The medical director of the methadone program says the program should be expanded due to high levels of success among patients struggling with opiate addictions. Dr. Don Ling told the Standing Committee on Health and Social Development Tuesday 60 per cent of those on the methadone program end up drug-free and back in the workforce, leading productive lives. "Lives that are in the dumpster all of a sudden are back in a productive way, kids back in mother's care, people back to work or school, it's just powerful stuff," Ling told the MLAs on the committee. "It's very encouraging." Ling appeared before the committee as part of its ongoing consultations regarding the alarming number of Islanders becoming addicted to prescription pills. [continues 495 words]
Panellists Say Island Youths Can Be Better Protected by Everyone Working Together MONTAGUE - Provincial court judges need to get tough on drug dealers and doctors and dentists need to reel in the prescriptions if youth drug use is going to be curtailed, an addiction forum was advised here recently. Drug use will never go away, but a panel of facilitators insisted Island youth could be better protected against the cornucopia of insidious offerings causing even greater addictions. "There was a time when marijuana and alcohol were the greatest concern, and then it grew to cocaine and opiates, and now I'm dealing with students using needles," said Tyler Larter, guidance counsellor at Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown. [continues 578 words]
Three Colonel Gray students came forward to tell their own stories of drug addiction and recovery to a crowd of concerned parents during a presentation panel at the high school Thursday night. The students had experienced addiction issues first-hand, assiting with the goal of the "Making the Connection" panel to provide information to help facilitate parents' discussions with their own children about drug use and the risks associated with it. Although each of three stories were different, they all shared aspects that are common among high school students using drugs. For all of them, using drugs had started as a fun hobby with peers before turning into an addiction that led to dropping out, or being kicked out, of the high school. [continues 496 words]
Federal Liberal Leadership Candidate Speaks About Drugs With Colonel Gray High School Students The student didn't even have to finish his question for Justin Trudeau to know he was about to be asked about decriminalization of marijuana. During a session Tuesday morning with Colonel Gray High School students in Charlottetown, the candidate for the federal Liberal Party leadership came out in support of decriminalizing marijuana and even discussed the possibility of legalization. Trudeau's opinion on the touchy subject was the first thing the Papineau MP was asked during a question-and-answer session with English-speaking students at the school. [continues 432 words]
Many Islanders Interested in Using Drug for Relief of Medical Conditions Calling it the Freedom Tour, a group of more than 20 Islanders gathered in Charlottetown recently to call for the legalization of marijuana. Many were interested in using the drug for relief of medical conditions, a process that is permitted in Canada provided the user complies with a daunting application and usage protocol, the meeting was told. Trevor Leclerc, candidate for the leadership of the NDP on P.E.I., is HIV-positive and takes pharmaceutical, prescribed drugs to stave off AIDS. [continues 850 words]
Work must be done to help addicts before crimes are committed: Richardson Editor's note: This is Part IV in a series by the Journal Pioneer examining drug abuse in western Prince Edward Island. Part V will appear in tomorrow's edition. SUMMERSIDE - There is no easy fix to the underlying problem behind property crime - that of escalating drug use. It's a message touted by police and reiterated by Rev. Andrew Richardson, chair of Summerside's Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee. [continues 1212 words]
Property is being stolen, homes are being broken in to and brazen crimes, including armed robberies, are taking place not only Summerside but across P.E.I. The crimes, said Summerside Police Service Chief David Poirier, are the direct result of increased drug use and desperation by those addicted to get money for their fix. This week, Ryan Wendell Cornish, of Summerside, was sentenced to six months behind bars for breaking into two city homes and stealing more than $10,000 worth of items, from rolled coins and a bicycle to a flat screen television. [continues 773 words]
Inside Prince Edward Island
