Edmonton would have a place where intravenous drug users could legally shoot up cocaine and heroin - if Dr. Reka Gustafson had her way.

Gustafson, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, gave a talk in Edmonton yesterday on North America's only supervised injection site, located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

"I think every city where individuals are suffering the harms associated with their addictions would benefit from such a program," Gustafson said.

Since 2003, the Vancouver site has offered addicts a safe place to inject their drugs under the supervision of medical staff. But Gustafson denies it promotes use.

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Authorities have seized more than 500 kilograms of a legal substance used by criminals to make illegal crystal meth.

Police estimate the ephedrine intercepted at the Vancouver port en route to Calgary could have yielded 350 kilograms of crystal meth worth $1.1 million if sold on the street.

"Definitely, this was an organized crime operation. It's well beyond 'mom and pop,' " RCMP spokesman Sgt. Patrick Webb said.

Two Calgary residents and a Vancouver man are facing charges in connection with the shipment, which police allege was likely destined for meth labs in different parts of Canada and the U.S. "The size (of the shipment) is indicative that it's not going to just one group," said Webb.

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CALGARY (CNS) -- Canada's "Prince of Pot" has joined the ranks of singer Dolly Parton, Prince Philip and Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean.

Arriving at the Calgary airport for a two-day visit Saturday, Canada's best-known marijuana activist, Marc Emery, was white-hatted by the Calgary Airport's official White Hat Volunteers.

Saturday's warm welcome, arranged by Emery's supporters, comes in stark contrast to his visit to Calgary in 2003 when Emery was arrested for marijuana possession. Emery has been arrested 22 times on marijuana-related offences and jailed 17 times. He now faces a U.S. extradition hearing.

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who often gives out white hats to distinguished visitors, said anyone could be white-hatted by any Calgarian if they go out and buy the hat.

[end]

Calgary Airport Volunteers Honour Marijuana Activist

CALGARY -- Canada's "Prince of Pot" has joined the ranks of singer Dolly Parton, Prince Philip and Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean.

Arriving in Calgary for a two-day visit yesterday, Marc Emery, Canada's best-known marijuana activist, was white-hatted by the Calgary airport's official White Hat Volunteers.

"I'm the Prince of Pot," he said. "That's a royalty, a monarchy of sorts, so I guess it fits."

Yesterday's warm welcome, arranged by Emery's supporters, comes in stark contrast to his visit to Calgary in 2003, when he was arrested for marijuana possession.

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Re: "It's for tobacco, really (wink-wink, nudge-nudge)," Sept. 8

Thank you for a sensible look into the irrelevant attempt to control drugs by controlling head shops.

At the risk of stating the obvious, if there was not a single head shop in the world, there'd still be just as many drug users. Head shops are just cool places to buy a pipe instead of making one.

Some people are addicted to gambling, or to food, or to alcohol, or to meth, or to crack, or to sex. Some people are addicted to power.

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Man Accused of Flying Around Globe With Drug

Through at least three airports and over 12,000 kilometres from Sudan, Qatar and Frankfurt, Germany, a Calgary man is accused of travelling freely with thousands of dollars worth of cocaine smuggled inside a false bottom of his luggage.

But under the steely gaze of a Calgary customs officer, the 25-year-old suspect cracked under pressure, stumbling on his travel story, says the agency.

A man was flagged for a secondary inspection at Calgary International Airport on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m.

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Coincidence? Either Way, Nearly 30 Drug Dealers Are Off the Streets at Least for a Day

In case you just made it in from Kelowna, there's a new sheriff coming to town.

Oh, we know this crackdown on the crack dealers doing their dirt in the shadow of the Cecil Hotel wasn't just some overnight stunt.

But cops collar 29 goofs on 81 charges, execute 70 outstanding warrants and the hard work of our constabulary rolls out just 49 hours after city council names Rick Hanson as Calgary's top cop and 48 hours and 55 minutes after the soon-to-be chief uttered the tough words: "People have to feel they're safe and we have to put people in jail. Am I soft on crime? Absolutely not."

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Canada's "Prince of Pot" has joined the ranks of Dolly Parton, Prince Philip and Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean.

Arriving at the Calgary airport for a two-day visit Saturday, Canada's best-known marijuana activist, Marc Emery, was white-hatted by the Calgary airport's official White Hat Volunteers.

"I'm the Prince of Pot," he said.

"That's a royalty, a monarchy of sorts, so I guess it fits."

Saturday's warm welcome, arranged by Emery's supporters, comes in stark contrast to his visit to Calgary in 2003 when Emery was arrested for marijuana possession.

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Province In No Hurry To Implement Recommendations From Klein-Era Task Force

The province is in no hurry to enact recommendations of a crystal meth task force once described as urgent by former premier Ralph Klein's wife Colleen, who co-chaired the panel, a spokesman for Alberta Health said yesterday.

One year after the task force's report was released, Alberta Health and Wellness spokesman Howard May said the government has decided to roll some of the report's 83 recommendations into a broader strategy targeting various drugs.

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Re: "Stockwell Day accused of personal agenda in denying prisoner transfers: Most requests turned down under Tories," The Journal, Sept. 8.

I don't much care for Stockwell Day. However, I applaud his not agreeing to transfer pedophiles and drug dealers to a nice, cushy prison in Canada. Here, the parole board would pat them on the bum and release them.

We need to be as tough as the U.S. on these kinds of criminals. If they can't do the time, they shouldn't do the crime.

Michael Balaski,

Athabasca

[end]

EDMONTON - A city police officer has been charged with unlawful exercise of authority for arresting and strip searching the son of lawyer Tom Engel after evidence of the alleged crime -- a marijuana cigarette -- was thrown away.

Chief Mike Boyd ordered the charge against Sgt. Bill Allen following an internal investigation into a complaint brought by Matt Engel. The chief found there was insufficient evidence to charge three other officers involved in the incident.

In a lawsuit filed in February, Matt Engel, 22, admitted he was smoking a marijuana cigarette in an alley behind the Strathcona Hotel on Feb. 25, 2005, when he was approached by three police officers. Engel said that when an officer asked for the cigarette, he gave it to him and the officer subsequently threw it onto the ground. After discarding the marijuana, one of the officers asked Engel to submit to a search. He initially refused but then relented and emptied his pockets, including his identification.

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A Guardian Angels crime-fighting chapter should be up and running in Red Deer by spring, say local organizers.

Organizer Alaynne West says people in Alberta's third-largest city are tired of drug and violent crime, and starting a local chapter will help address those concerns.

"People are not feeling safe on the streets and we want to help people feel safe," said West, who works in Red Deer and lives in nearby Sylvan Lake. "It was proven to be a help. It's not the total solution, but it can make a difference."

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EDMONTON - A Ponoka RCMP officer was dragged by a moving vehicle last night after he found less than 30 grams of marijuana in a car he pulled over.

RCMP say a 24-year-old Kelowna man was pulled over at about 11 p.m. in Ponoka for speeding. After the officer searched the vehicle and found the drugs, he told the man he was under arrest. The two began to struggle, and the driver got back behind the wheel and started to drive away while holding onto the officer. A short distance away, the officer was released. He went back to his cruiser and called for backup.

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Editor: Re: Tamara Cartwright's letter to the editor, Sept. 6, Herald, which states: "I am a strong advocate for legalization!"

Good for you, Tamara! Science does agree with you 100 per cent. So does common sense.

Thirty-five years ago in 1972, the Le Dain commission and in 2002 the special Senate committee published their drug studies that the Canadian government asked and paid for no less. Both government-funded drug studies stated stop prohibition of cannabis due to the huge increase in the harms caused by prohibition.

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Re: "Growing fears in the inner-city," Editorial, Sept. 8

The editorial says: "The $5 million the mayor wants approved to hire 10 more police officers and 25 bylaw enforcers might be more effective if spent on permanent solutions to end homelessness."

After all these years of historical proof that enforcement is not the only answer, politicians still refuse to take their heads out of the sand and look for better ways of dealing with crime problems. Their answer continues to be: use more enforcement and ignore what might actually work towards reducing homelessness and crimes fuelled by the illegal drug trade.

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PONOKA -- A local Mountie was dragged a short distance by a motorist's vehicle on Monday while trying to make an arrest, according to police.

RCMP say one of their members stopped a driver in Ponoka for speeding at about 11 p.m.

After speaking with him, the officer searched the vehicle and found some marijuana, a police news release said.

A struggle ensued when the Mountie tried to arrest the man. The motorist started to drive away, dragging the officer with him.

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Ponoka police officer suffers minor injuries

A routine speeding stop resulted in multiple charges after a man dragged a Ponoka police officer alongside his car last night. The man's actions caused only minor injuries to the officer, who pulled the vehicle over for speeding around 11 p.m. last night.

A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up marijuana, after which the two got into a struggle, police said.

The 24-year-old driver, from Kelowna, drove off while dragging the officer a short distance.

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Mental health - Re: "Mental health centre set for Calgary; New national body aims to educate public," Sept. 1.

I applaud the establishment of the national Mental Health Commission. I hope its goal will include promoting a change in the provision of health care services in addition to reducing stigma.

The vast majority of mental health care in Canada is provided by GP psychotherapists, family physicians, psychologists, social workers and other counsellors, not psychiatrists. Medical, surgical and psychiatric hospital wards are filled across Canada by patients with complications of substance-related (substance abuse and substance dependence) disorders and addiction-related problems that remain untreated and/or mistreated.

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Suppose we look at the crime statistics between Whistler and Banff and start to feel good about ourselves.

Here we are, two mountain towns where skiing and snowboarding are the favourite winter pastime.

We're both populated with a lot of young service workers here for a season to make money and have fun.

We both attract thousands of tourists on any given day.

But crime wise, Whistler has more of a problem.

They have more violent crime, property crime and drug crime than Banff.

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Until Root Causes Are Dealt With, Symptoms Will Override Solutions

If perception is reality, then downtown is unsafe. The increasing number of vagrants, drug users and street gangs operating in the core has become so visible, it can no longer be ignored. Add to that a recent move by some inner-city businesses to increase security for their staff and customers, and one must ask what is going on down there?

Rest assured, Calgary is still a safe city. According to police, crime in the last year has actually fallen in the downtown core, including the notoriously rough Beltline area. That's in keeping with a general downward trend over the last several years.

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