A city poppy expert is teaming up with a medicinal marijuana producer in Saskatchewan to develop new health applications for the notorious plants.

University of Calgary biology professor Peter Facchini has received a three-year, $650,000 federal grant to work with plants best known for their illicit derivatives such as heroin.

"As plants, opium poppies and cannabis evoke a lot of emotions," said Facchini. "To me, they're basically lettuce.

"These plants in themselves aren't bad plants. It's a question of understanding the basics of how they produce medicinal products like morphine and codeine."

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Family Services Praises Police For Protecting Kids

More than 60 per cent of all children seized from drug houses in Alberta under the year-old Drug Endangered Children Act were in the Calgary region. Alberta Children's Services figures show 23 of the 38 children apprehended under the act came from the Calgary area, which includes Banff, Cochrane and High River.

The figures show that to Oct. 1, just 39.5 per cent of the children came from elsewhere in Alberta, including Edmonton, rural areas and towns.

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Re: "N.W.T Mountie's slaying even more reason to legalize drugs" by Alan Randell and "Senseless waste of life," by George Kosinski, Letters, Oct. 30.

Reading these letters instantly upset me. Both Randell's and Kosinski's arguments are weak and ultimately quite self-centred.

The audacity to imply that Const. Christopher Worden was murdered because drugs are illegal is unfathomable to me, not to mention the fact that both men took it a step further by suggesting that he would not have died if drugs were legal.

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Dear Editor:

Presenting one side of the argument such as the dangers of crystal meth without balance or perspective is nothing but a good old fashioned witch hunt. Guest speakers Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger would have been invited to present the Hammer of Witches as the last word with every authority at the ready to concur just to give the appearance of official sanction.

What the Crowsnest Pass Block Parents Association did not learn was that "crystal meth" has the brand name of Desoyxn. Desoyxn is prescribed to unruly school children and the obese who do not have to suffer from impurities from paint thinner and brake fluid. Adulterated drugs are a consequence of the political policy of prohibition. Adulterated alcohol was responsible for scores of blinding and deaths when prohibition was the political policy of the day too.

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On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, there is a plaque commemorating 729 police officers who died in the line of duty.

The plaque states, "They are our heroes. We shall not forget them."

It politely refrains from emphasizing that, while they may be heroes, these officers lost their lives doing their job.

Nor does it indicate how many of these officers died trying to prevent someone from using, purchasing, selling, or producing one of the few illegal drugs out of the hundreds or thousands on the market.

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Re: "Mountie's widow begs town to fight drugs: 1,000 people pack arena for memorial," The Journal, Oct. 28

I totally understand Jodie Worden's position.

In the hours following the death of my youngest child in 1993 -- shortly after he ingested some heroin -- I urged the local police to go after those who provided Peter with the drug.

However, as time went by, I realized that Peter was not killed by the drug. Rather, like Const. Christopher Worden, he was a victim of drug prohibition.

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A new awareness campaign aimed at helping farmers, ranchers and others identify methamphetamine labs and related chemical dumpsites is being welcomed in rural communities.

"I think anytime we have more eyes out there to try to identify these dumpsites, that's important," said Al Kemmere, reeve of Mountain View County, north of Calgary.

Through the program, and in conjunction with Alberta Agriculture, the RCMP have conducted awareness training of provincial weed inspectors.

They, in turn, have been handing out thousands of information brochures to farmers, meter readers, oilfield inspectors and rural residents.

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The Harper government wants to make communities safer by locking more criminals in jail and keeping them there longer. Its proposed crackdown on violent crime calls for mandatory five-year jail sentences for gun crimes and prison time for some drunk drivers, for instance.

While there's a philosophical debate to be had over whether this approach will actually reduce crime, there's also an urgent practical question to be considered. Can the country's jails handle and deal with an influx of additional prisoners? A surprisingly tough report from federal prison ombudsman Howard Sapers says the prison system is already falling badly behind in its capacity to deliver correctional programs or court-ordered rehabilitation measures. Some inmates don't start rehab programs until they are out on parole and "as a result more offenders will return unprepared to the community." Two serious trouble spots are evident in Sapers' report: an increase in prisoners with mental-health problems and an alarming rise in the number of aboriginal inmates, especially women. There's a chronic shortage of programs in both areas.

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No Boom In Labs In City, But Cops Now Deal With Toxic Soup Dumped At Rural Sites

The crystal methamphetamine crisis that cops feared would overtake the city never fully materialized, says a city cop.

"Meth hasn't grown to the state we were scared it might," said Staff Sgt. Darcy Strang of the Edmonton Police Service drug section.

Strang credited education and awareness programs for a decline in meth use - and production - in the city.

"The meth labs that were in Edmonton aren't in Edmonton any more," he said.

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Freedom of the press and upholding the openness of the Canadian court system has trumped the privacy issues of a cocaine-addicted former undercover RCMP officer.

An Edmonton judge today vacated a publication ban issued in an ongoing drug trafficking case and granted Sun Media access to exhibits in the proceeding.

Included in the court documents was information confirming former RCMP Const. Steve Gillespie was addicted to crack cocaine while working as an undercover officer for the Integrated Response to Organized Crime unit.

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Judge Throws Out Charges Against Accused Drug Dealer

An accused drug dealer had his charges tossed after a judge accepted his evidence over that of a city police officer, who was criticized for his inconsistent testimony.

"The constable's evidence proved inaccurate at best and completely false at worst," said Court of Queen's Bench Justice Eric Macklin in the case of [name redacted], 20.

The judge dismissed the 2005 charges at the Crown's request following an Oct. 9 ruling that police had conducted an "abusive, unlawful and unreasonable" search.

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Booze Has Killed More People Than Illicit Drugs, but Society Has a Blindspot

OTTAWA - A glossy brochure recently dropped out of my newspaper: "Discover your taste for whisky," it advised.

As it happens, I discovered my taste for whisky long ago and so was not in need of this advice. But it struck me as surpassingly odd that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is spending a considerable amount of money to convince the uninitiated to try potent forms of a psychoactive drug whose known risks include addiction, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, liver cirrhosis, several types of cancer, fetal alcohol syndrome and fatal overdose.

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Unique Program Cranks Up The Heat

The police car slows as it rolls past the house, which from the street is utterly unremarkable. It's a standard, three-bedroom bungalow on a street full of bungalows.

But looks can be deceiving.

"This place has been a nightmare to the neighbourhood for years," explains Sgt. Maurice Brodeur.

"We're making a difference, though. He's still there, but we've pretty much shut down the drug activity."

The owner of the house is known to cops as a wife-beating drug addict and small-time dealer.

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EDMONTON - Police are entitled to search through curbside garbage for clues of criminal behaviour, Alberta's top court says.

The Alberta Court of Appeal ruled this week RCMP did not breach a suspected drug dealer's privacy when they seized his curbside garbage for clues that he was producing ecstasy in his Calgary home.

Russell Stephen Patrick was convicted in June 2006 of unlawfully producing, possessing and trafficking a controlled substance. On six separate occasions, police seized garbage bags placed inside garbage cans at the back of Patrick's property in southeast Calgary.

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Police are entitled to search through curbside garbage for clues to possible criminal behaviour, says the province's top court.

The Alberta Court of Appeal ruled RCMP did not breach a suspected drug dealer's privacy when they seized his curbside garbage for clues he was producing ecstasy in his Calgary home.

Russell Stephen Patrick was convicted in June 2006 of unlawfully producing, possessing and trafficking in a controlled substance. On six separate occasions, police seized bags placed inside garbage cans at the back of Patrick's property in southeast Calgary.

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EDMONTON - More work needs to be done to make sure people with mental illnesses have access to addictions counselling, the Mental Health Commission of Canada heard Tuesday during public consultations in Edmonton.

Many of the severely mentally ill also have addictions to drugs and alcohol, but the two issues are often dealt with as separate specialties.

Brenda Desjarlais, executive director at Poundmakers Lodge in St. Albert, said 75 per cent of her clients who come for addictions treatment also have mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression or anxiety disorders. Yet the 52-bed lodge doesn't have a full-time mental health therapist on site, because there isn't enough funding for that position on top of the addictions counsellors and a native elder to help with spiritual and cultural healing, Desjarlais told the commission.

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A drug dog demonstration and a presentation about nut allergies highlighted the October 9 Prairie Rose School Board general meeting.

"The Medicine Hat Police Department made a presentation to us. The officer then gave us an overview of the drug awareness program and how the dog actually makes a connection with the students," said PRRD Superintendent, Doug Nicholls.

During the demonstration, the police planted three or four stashes around the conference room for the dog to sniff out.

"When the dog discovers the stash, he simply sits there. The handler can then direct him in a particular area. The general idea of course is to keep drugs out of our schools. They choose a chocolate lab a pup and they train it as a drug dog starting at six or eight weeks old. The dog is around the police 24 hours a day and it becomes his pet," said Nicholls.

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After Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled his new drug policy this month, I was appalled at the narrow-mindedness and naivete that our dear leader displayed.

I've always been skeptical of Harper's political agenda, but when I find out that his son is learning the majority of his drug references from Beatles albums, it's time for somebody to intervene.

I mean, Jesus, this boy is eleven. He should be educated about drugs the proper way for elementary students: with his parents sitting him down, telling him that they just want to talk, then making him listen to the Velvet Underground's Heroin.

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OTTAWA -- Peace River Member of Parliament Chris Warkentin believes the new National Anti-Drug Strategy unveiled Oct. 4 will will foster healthy communities in the Peace Country. "Our government has made fighting crime and building safer communities one of our top priorities," says Warkentin. "This measure and others such as my Private Member's Bill, C- 428, to combat Crystal Meth production, ensures that our communities and our families will be safer and increasingly protected from illicit drug use and related crimes." Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joined by Health Minister Tony Clement, and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day unveil Canada's new National Anti-Drug Strategy. The strategy will provide $63.8 million over two years to prevent illegal drug use in young people, treat people who have drug addictions and fight illegal drug crime. "Our two-track approach will be tough on drug crime and compassionate for victims," says Prime Minister Harper. "We'! re simply not going to throw in the towel when the health and safety of our communities is at risk." "Tackling the problem of drug use is going to take all of us. Breaking Canada's drug habit will require a huge effort," says Prime Minister Harper. The new strategy, which builds on and refocuses current programs, includes a focused public awareness campaign aimed at educating youth on the negative effects of illicit drug use. Studies have shown that a growing number of Canadian youth are becoming involved with drugs at younger and younger ages. Combatting their exposure to highly addictive drugs is increasingly a challenge for many communities. The National Anti-Drug Strategy is a collaborative effort involving the Department of Justice, Public Safety Canada and Health Canada and includes three action plans: preventing illicit drug use; treating those with illicit drug dependencies; and combatting the production and distribution of illicit drugs. Reduceds! peed limit Motorists who frequent the highway are reminded to! pay close attention to reduced speed limit construction signs and slow down when approaching Watino from either side of the roadway. "We're requesting the cooperation of drivers to help ensure the safety of construction workers and the traveling public," Saunders says. The existing bridge -- completed in 1950 at a cost of $841,000 -- will be disassembled and removed from the site by Sept. 15 of 2010.

[end]

Here we go again with the heavy hand of prohibition slammed down by the federal government.

Stephen Harper's new $64-million dollar war on drugs - otherwise known as the National Anti-Drug Strategy - is having a hard time slipping quietly under the radar.

But with an exorbitant price tag and an undeniably similar crackdown to our neighbour, the United States, it feels like the feds' new anti-drug strategy is more of a political nod to the south than an actual campaign for change.

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