(Re: Editorial, "Pot biz must play it straight.") I believe I am part of a majority of Canadians who believe the status quo on marijuana is not acceptable. The Harper government has charged and convicted thousands, many of those for small amounts of marijuana, costing taxpayers millions. The Canadian Police Association has been urging that for minor offences a ticket be issued. That would be in effect de-criminalizing the use of small amounts. That will never happen under the present government. Alan Coulter (Lots for lawmakers to hash out.) [end]
Was the dude who broke into Justin Trudeau's house really drunk or was he stoned on marijuana? That is, after all, Justin's favourite cause. Is that why no charges were laid? (As the Beatles almost sang: "I get high with a little help from Justin, I'm gonna cry cause there's a guy named Justin.") Terry Toll (Ouch!) [end]
Re: "It will take time for smoke to clear on pot debate," Editorial, Aug. 22 Keeping a balance on the marijuana debate is essential; on that we agree. However, it is also essential to differentiate between recreational marijuana and medical marijuana prescribed because other medications do not bring expected results. Unfortunately, society has often confused chronic pain patients taking marijuana for medical reasons with "pot users" using it recreationally. To take a position for or against use of medicinal marijuana, we must know the health risks as well as the benefits. Most people agree that smoke is toxic. We must not focus only on damage caused by smoking it because there are ways of accessing marijuana without smoking. [continues 374 words]
I am certain that a Trudeau-led government will not legalize marijuana if elected. Anyone who does is ignoring Canadian history. In 1970, the Ledain Commission recommended the Liberal government decriminalize marijuana possession. Despite his solid majority, Pierre Trudeau didn't follow through. He didn't do it during his second majority either. In 2003, Jean Chretien's Liberal majority government endorsed the decriminalization of marijuana possession, yet failed to act. It's the same con game Liberals have been using for over 40 years. He knows young voters are not likely to check historical facts when they think the person making the promises is so cool and talks about change. Before you waste something as precious as your right to vote make sure you actually know something about your choice. Don Nich (Pretty sure that's not the only promise that wouldn't be kept.) [end]
City police and the RCMP were enlisted in a dominion-wide fight against a harmless-looking windbreak shrub that had been discovered to be the source of a deadly drug. "Cannabis Indica," commonly known as Indian hemp, was being "methodically and ruthlessly uprooted" on Western Canada farms after serving for many years as an effective windbreak and farmyard adornment, a Journal story said. Its destruction had been ordered by the federal government in its campaign against the use of marijuana - a "loco-weed" which "drives addicts to ruthless murder, hold-up and sex crimes." [continues 203 words]
(Re: Marc Patrone's weed talk article.) Was this supposed to be a satire? I don't even want to start with addressing the specific legalization issue but your "anyone paying attention knows liberals are addicted to controlling us..." Got a big belly laugh in a crowded restaurant. How can you reconcile that slanted view with any factual evidence? Did Ezra write this for you because you couldn't make the deadline? The Harper government is pursuing a campaign of building jails when crime in most parts of the country is the lowest in 50 years! Calgary, for example, has the lowest crime rate since 1966, as per CPS. The Conservative government also created mandatory minimum sentencing. No less than the lawyers of Texas, of all places, sent a missive to the Harper government, decrying this failed policy which has done nothing in the U.S. but create "clients" for privatized prisons and a subclass of felons. Are you ignorant of these things, or willfully blind to them? [continues 276 words]
The stoners are getting creative and we're not so sure that's a good thing. The marijuana industry is attracting a lot of attention these days. Back in March the Financial Post ran an article headlined "Your 5-Step Primer to Investing in Pot." Former Ontario health minister George Smitherman, among others, is currently developing a business to be a licensed medical marijuana producer. In other words, it's big business. But the industry is also pushing the boundaries and expanding in some questionable ways. [continues 287 words]
Re: "Feds blame Trudeau for blowing smoke on marijuana debate," Aug. 19. I agree with Health Minister Rona Ambrose. The part-time drama teacher and also leader of the third party Justin Trudeau, is targeting his marijuana platform strictly to bring out the youth vote. The fact that he shows himself to be cool and with the "in crowd" is exactly why he is doing it. The long-term effects on the body by smoking this drug has actually not yet to be realized, but it will end up costing the taxpayer billions in medical expenses. But hey, let's throw caution to the wind if it means getting elected. Stephen T. Flanagan (Politicians' comments always seem to end up costing the taxpayer in the end.) [end]
A new poll has found that slightly more than half of Albertans support the legalization of marijuana. Seven of 10 people polled don't believe Canada has to wait for other countries to become more bud-friendly before passing legislation of its own. The poll, released Tuesday by Insights West, found that 52 per cent of Alberta residents supported legalization, compared to 42 per cent opposed. By comparison, just five per cent of Albertans would support legalization of ecstasy, heroin or powder cocaine. [continues 104 words]
A new poll has found that slightly more than half of Albertans support the legalization of marijuana and seven-in-10 don't believe Canada has to wait for other countries to become more bud-friendly before passing legislation of its own. The poll, released Tuesday by Insights West, found that 52 per cent of Albertans supported legalization, compared to 42 per cent opposed. By comparison, just five per cent of Albertans would support legalization of ecstasy, heroin or powder cocaine and four per cent supported legalizing crack cocaine or crystal meth, according to poll results. [continues 205 words]
An Edmonton Remand Centre guard who smuggled drugs for inmates is claiming he did it because he was threatened by a big-time drug dealer tied to the Hells Angels. Testifying Monday at his Court of Queen's Bench sentencing hearing, James Johnstone said his ordeal began when he was doing a security check in Jeffrey Caines' cell and the inmate blocked the door and told him he knew his address and phone number and his mother's address. Johnstone said the large and muscular convicted cocaine kingpin then told him that if he didn't bring in a package for him, someone would be "paying my mom and I a visit." [continues 406 words]
Just a quick heads up to Stephen Harper and the federal Conservative party. Marijuana has been directly in the hands of Canadian youth for the last 40 years now, and lo and behold our civilization hasn't gone to pot. In fact many of the hi-tech gadgets and other advances we can't seem to do without these days were the brainchilds of people who occasionally smoke a bit of grass. Isn't it time to focus on truly destructive substances such as crack cocaine, heroin and handguns? Ken Glofcheskie (It's not the end of civilization that's for sure.) [end]
Party Drug. Project Offers Rapid Result For Drug Make-Up After a summer riddled with deaths and overdoses linked to a popular party drug, University of Alberta researchers are hoping to offer local law enforcement rapid results on what the drugs are being laced with. According to the U of A's Dr. Kristopher Wells, recreational drugs, including ecstasy and MDMA, are not only an ongoing concern in Edmonton, but across the country. "What young people don't realize is that these aren't pure substances," said Wells. "They're often cut or mixed with very toxic substances that the body can't process and they have different effects on different people." [continues 277 words]
Re: "Haze of confusion," Editorial, Aug. 20. It has taken so long to educate the public about the dangers of cigarettes, and we have come such a long way in reducing smoking, so why now encourage the smoking of the mind-altering drug marijuana? The facts are that marijuana affects the brain in the short and long term. It contains THC, which is a psychoactive ingredient. Some of the effects are a decrease in IQ , memory loss, poor judgment and loss of coordination. [continues 63 words]
An outsider could be forgiven for seeing Canada's policy on illegal street drugs as somewhat upside down. A disproportionate amount of time, effort and comment is being devoted to marijuana, an illegal drug for the most part, than oxycodone, a legally produced and prescribed drug. What these two drugs have in common is that they are street drugs. In July this year, city police arrested a man with 800 prescription painkillers. One man on one day in one small Canadian city with hundreds of Health Canada certified pills in his possession. [continues 366 words]
PC leadership candidate reacts to opinion poll EDMONTON - Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Jim Prentice says he opposes the decriminalization of marijuana but believes police should use discretion when deciding whether to lay charges. Prentice is the only one of the three Tory candidates running to become the next premier of Alberta to take a position on the issue in the wake of a recent Angus Reid Global poll that found Albertans are fairly split on whether the law should be changed to legalize pot. [continues 393 words]
Talking about pot makes for good politics for politicians who don't want to talk things that matter. For the left, talking about weed is much more fun than talking about say, the economy or terrorism - neither of which they understand. And so they talk about legalizing marijuana, media dutifully picks it up and it's a handy distraction from all that other stuff. I don't care about marijuana. I know people who smoke it and they don't seem to care if it's legal or not. They know where to get it if they want some. [continues 586 words]
You have to give Marc Emery credit: After more than four years in a U.S. prison, he can still draw a crowd. Better yet (from his point of view), he can still wrangle the news media. The "Prince of Pot," as journalists and his disciples have dubbed him, has certainly earned that nickname. A native of London, Ont., he has spent most of his adult life championing the cause of cannabis policy reform. He lit joints on the steps of police stations and city halls across the country. He sold marijuana seeds, home-grow books, bongs and other paraphernalia from storefronts in at least two provinces, encouraging others across Canada to do the same. He launched a cannabis-themed magazine. He founded a legal assistance centre for those seeking to challenge existing drug laws. He started Pot-TV, a video channel devoted to marijuana culture and politics. [continues 665 words]
Inside Alberta
