No stoned-driving crashes or other incidents prompted pre-hire drug testing for new city employees who operate buses or other heavy equipment, a senior bureaucrat said. Calgary's city manager and six general managers held a private committee meeting Tuesday in which they discussed proposed pre employment drug tests for "safety sensitive" positions in all city departments by 2015. City officials declined to comment after the debate about what they had decided. Mac Logan, the transportation department's GM, said roads officials wanted to explore drug screening as far back as 2005, when private-sector road builders said they were all testing staff or new hires for drugs. [continues 177 words]
Marijuana exists in a funny limbo in this country. Despite a growing number of people who feel it should be decriminalized, or outright legal - and regulated - it remains a controlled substance. And, as such, we have a multibillion-dollar industry in Canada attempting to operate under the radar of the law. Weed is grown covertly on farms, in houses, condos or industrial bays, but is used widely across the country. Often, the grow sites are booby trapped, electricity is stolen, and the property is contaminated, both with chemicals used in growing and mold damage. [continues 513 words]
Urine tests for marijuana or cocaine abuse would become mandatory for new city bus drivers, water treatment plant workers and other heavy machinery operators under a policy top city hall officials will debate this week, the Herald has learned. The city's general managers last year approved a plan in principle to launch pre-employment drug testing starting in 2015 for workers in what the city considers "safety sensitive" jobs. This sort of drug test policy, used mainly as a deterrent to keep drug users from taking dangerous jobs, is common in construction or industrial fields. It's highly rare in the public sector, and large unions were unaware of a program like it existing in Alberta local or provincial governments. [continues 933 words]
There's a wider debate surrounding the legalization of cannabis, but Justice Minister and Solicitor General Jonathan Denis said the province can't ignore the health and safety threat posed by illegal marijuana grow ops in the meantime. The provincial government released a report Friday with 37 recommendations aimed at combating grow ops, including greater public education to help people spot them and the adoption of provincial standards for cleaning up properties contaminated by illegal grows. "The recommendations provide the foundation for a provincial response to govern the inspection and, perhaps more importantly, the remediation of residential grow operations, to ensure that former grow operations are properly reclaimed," Denis said, adding the government has endorsed all 37 recommendations. [continues 402 words]
Re: Canadians smoke marijuana to call for legalization of the drug. Let's get a grip on the legalized drug known as booze and its many woes before we ever think of legalizing another drug in Canada. Donald Munroe (Pot proponents would also point to booze as a reason for legalization.) [end]
Potato chip producers and Grateful Dead fans have always believed, but a desperate mother in Airdrie, Alta., never thought she'd be calling marijuana a miracle. The cries of "mama, mama" from Sarah Wilkinson's living room just north of Calgary are all she needs to believe ─ that, and seeing her disabled eight-year-old daughter Mia going from 100 seizures a day to seven in the past eight months. "Her first seizure was 29 minutes after birth ─ it was absolutely terrifying," said Wilkinson. [continues 647 words]
The tut-tutting going on about a young woman allegedly drinking excessively at 24 Sussex Drive didn't just expose someone's stomach contents all over the prime minister's driveway, but a considerable amount of hypocrisy and faux outrage as well. At about 1 a.m. Sunday morning, an ambulance was called to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's official residence after an 18-year-old woman was found vomiting near the stately old mansion. She had apparently had too much to drink, allegedly at a party being held to mark the 18th birthday of the PM's son, Ben Harper, in which about 20 of his friends hung out by the pool. [continues 230 words]
Charges will affect local Hells Angels: cops Standing between two tables packed with an assortment of Hells Angels gear and bags of marijuana, ALERT Insp. Darcy Strang can't help but feel proud. For the first time in the 28 years the Hells Angels have been operating in the province, organized crime charges have been laid against six prominent members - a feat Strang admits wasn't easy, but is very significant. "They are very organized. It's much like when you break the rules of an organization you're in, there is penalties and sanctions and they certainly have governed themselves accordingly," said Strang. [continues 441 words]
A lot of coughing, a lot of smoke and a lot of tokes. More than 30 people were in attendance for Fort Saskatchewan's first pro-pot protest on the afternoon of April 20. The Erb 4 Herb 420 protest, put on by Erb4Herb and Deviant Fibres, was considered a great success by protestors. A minute of silence was held at 4:19 for the "victims of prohibition and drug war." Protestor Corey McCann said pro-pot events are important to raise awareness to anyone who does not know about the medicinal and recreational properties, as well as the value cannabis has in the hemp industries. [continues 333 words]
Regarding Dave Breakenridge's April 21 column, not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated. Drug policies modelled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy (The present rules around pot aren't working.) [end]
Re: Calgarians smoke marijuana at City Hall to call for legalization of the drug. Let's get a grip on the legalized drug known as booze and its many woes before we ever think of legalizing another drug in Canada. Donald Munroe (Pot proponents would also point to booze as a reason for legalization.) [end]
Foothills: Open Houses Planned On New Land Use Bylaw Medical marijuana producers looking to set up shop in the foothills could be restricted to locations in the Aldersyde Industrial corridor. The proposal is part of a major revamp of the MD of Foothills' land use bylaw, which will also see the number of residential land use areas expanded and new rules to discourage development in flood areas. Under the proposed changes, medical marijuana producers will only be allowed as a discretionary use in areas zoned as Direct Control #2. [continues 832 words]
Pot smokers converge on Parliament Hill, April 21. A recent study stated unequivocally that young people who use pot on a fairly regular basis drastically increase their risk of suffering from psychosis and other mental issues later in life. Many other previous studies came to the same conclusion. Margaret Trudeau said the best thing she ever did to cope with her own mental issues was to quit smoking pot. I doubt if Canadian health services, already at the breaking point, is ready to deal with the mental and health issues if pot is legalized. Furthermore, adding thousands more intoxicated drivers to our roads, with no test for marijuana use, certainly will cause major problems and more deaths. Yet thousands want to follow Justin Trudeau down the legalization road without ever examining the downside of such a move. Larry Comeau (We don't think the time is right to legalize pot.) [end]
Stavely Town council passed a motion to amend a land-use bylaw to include medical marijuana production facilities in the industrial use. The motion was passed unanimously at the Stavely Town council meeting April 14, following a public hearing. Independent businessman Joel Manorek outlined the project that he plans to build in Stavely. The proposed medical marijuana production facility will be a large scale, hydroponic facility that would produce medical-grade marijuana for distribution to approved users. When the facility is operating at full capacity, it would employ 20-25 people, mostly for horticultural positions that would be trainable positions. [continues 485 words]
When the clock hit 4:20 p.m. Sunday afternoon, local marijuana enthusiasts took notice. As it was April 20, or 4/20 on the calendar, which has become a counterculture holiday in North America, about 30 local ralliers gathered outside Lethbridge City Hall to promote their beliefs of legalizing the drug. They then began marching through downtown carrying signs such as "Get Educated, Not Opinionated" and "Keep Calm, Blaze On." The Lethbridge rally was part of the national "Erb 4 Herb" event dedicated to longtime cannabis activist Bob Herb, who channelled his earnings from a B.C. lottery victory towards marijuana legalization. [continues 212 words]
Law enforcement officials have changed the locks and boarded up the windows and doors on a "problem property" in Forest Lawn. The duplex in the 2000 block of 41 Street SE has allegedly plagued the neighbourhood with drug activity for years. It was vacated on Tuesday morning following an investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams. Officials began investigating the residence in September 2012 after police responded to the home more than 12 times for various disturbances. Investigators witnessed behaviour consistent with drug trafficking and prostitution and applied for a Community Safety Order to close the home. [continues 82 words]
Stand up, but don't light up, say organizers of Alberta's largest pro pot celebration. Alberta 420 director Keith Fagin says some younger participants in the annual Edmonton 420 Rally, set to take place at the legislature grounds Sunday afternoon, have a misconception that smoking up in public is legal on April 20. "We never encourage people to consume publicly in the open. But we know and the police know there are going to be people who will spark up at 4:20 p.m.," Fagin said. [continues 239 words]
For many, Sunday marked the observance of Easter, the most important holiday in the Christian calendar, and an excuse for the less faithful to enjoy a visit from everyone's favourite bunny. For many others, this Easter was also cause to spark up a fat one, as they marked 4/20, the most important holiday in the marijuana calendar. Either way, it meant a lot of chocolate was consumed. The goal of the 4/20 movement is to advocate for pot legalization, but in the absence of serious movement on that file (Justin Trudeau's vague promises aside), it can also serve as a reminder that there is still a struggle for people who are using weed to treat chronic pain, glaucoma, seizures and a host of other ailments. [continues 495 words]
Annual Marijuana Celebration Battles Weather, Permit Issues No amount of Mother Nature can snuff out the enthusiasm of local pot smokers. Hundreds of peaceful Edmonton pot smokers occupied the Alberta Legislature grounds on Sunday for the 2014 4-20 Rally - Alberta's largest pro-cannabis gathering. The event - which saw close to 8,000 people attend in 2012 - was temporarily hijacked by a flash rain storm which forced attendees to take cover under the tress, seemingly taking the wind out of the sails of the event. But as the clouds moved out, the crowd came tumbling in and the number of attendees swelled to just under 1,000. [continues 378 words]
Marijuana Users Gather To Support Legalization A light rain and the lure of an Easter Sunday supper didn't stop thousands of cannabis users from taking a group hit at the annual Alberta 420 rally at the legislature grounds. The peaceful gathering - with blankets, bongo drums and spontaneous hackey sack games - looked more like a day at the folk festival instead of a protest rally. Edmonton police were on hand making foot patrols and constables on bicycles dotted the perimeter of the legislature to make sure the communal pot-smoking event remained trouble-free. [continues 180 words]
Inside Alberta
