Regional Officials Predict 300,000 Syringes Will Be Handed Out in 2007

THOROLD -- Public health officials predict they'll hand out more than 300,000 syringes to intravenous drug users in Niagara this year, an all-time high.

But far from contributing to illegal drug use, they say it's a proven way of keeping blood-borne, infectious diseases such as AIDS from sweeping through the drug underworld.

Debate was heated back in 1993 when the region, which is responsible for public health in Niagara, looked at whether to start a needle exchange program. Ultimately, the region opted for the program as part of what officials call "harm reduction." The theory is that by convincing drug users not to share contaminated needles, the spread of diseases with lifelong consequences -- and which can sap the province's health-care system -- are reduced.

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Party Supports View Of Crack Use As Medical, Not Criminal Problem, Leader Says

The Green Party of Ontario has thrown its support behind Ottawa's cancelled crack-pipe program, saying that it will work with the governing party after the election to ensure the program is resumed and expanded.

The city shut down the program in July. However, several community organizations have dug into their own pockets to continue handing out the controversial pipes.

In a release originating from the party's Ottawa Centre constituency association, the Greens called the program a "local example of their provincial policies of preventative health care and harm reduction."

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TORONTO -- Half of the Toronto homeless people surveyed for a health study said they had used crack cocaine regularly in the past year, making the highly addictive drug more popular on the street than marijuana and throwing new obstacles at those trying to get the city's most marginalized residents off the streets.

"It's an important and pretty staggering finding," Erika Khandor, a researcher for Street Health, said after the agency released a report on homeless people's health last week. "We certainly knew that it was a big issue in the homeless community, but we didn't realize the magnitude."

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Area residents rejoiced yesterday as they watched 15 drug addicts being thrown out of two King Edward Ave. crackhouses.

"What a wonderful day. You can see this by the number of people standing on their porches watching," said neighbour Chris Grinham, 35.

An eviction order for 187-189 King Edward Ave. was issued just before 9 a.m. by a sheriff who was accompanied by Ottawa police officers.

Twelve people were booted out of unit 189, a three-bedroom apartment, many of them shouting at the assembled news media.

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Guelph Police were part of a marijuana eradication program that saw 5,552 marijuana plants, weighing approximately 3,140 kilograms (almost 7,000 pounds), seized and destroyed over a six-day period this month.

Police forces from Waterloo Region, Guelph, Stratford, Halton, West Grey, OPP and the Kitchener detachment of the RCMP shared intelligence, technology and manpower in a joint initiative call Project Sabot that took place between Sept. 10 and 17.

Sergeant Cam Croal of the RCMP drug section said the plants had a street value of between $3.5 million and $5 million.

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Carl Garland Calls For Mayor's Task Force

Orillia is drowning in a "sea of crack" and should explore alternatives to combating the problem, says a local criminal lawyer, noting law enforcement and the justice system just aren't working.

"My observations are that we are not having an effect on the problem of crack use in our community," Carl Garland told The Packet & Times on Friday.

"Drug counselling and prevention would be a better way to spend our limited dollars."

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RE Drug ads could trigger tokers (NOW, September 13-19).

Historically speaking, the biggest single cause of drug epidemics among U.S. children is anti-drug campaigns.

The first major teen drug epidemic was alcohol, during Prohibition. Prohibition was passed in response to a campaign to save the children from alcohol. Within five years, record numbers of teens were in hospitals and jails because of alcohol problems.

Schools had to cancel dances because so many kids showed up drunk. Lots of children became couriers for bootleggers. Other examples of drug epidemics triggered by anti-drug campaigns include meth, LSD and cocaine.

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A sheriff's office enforcement officer, accompanied by Ottawa police officers, removed 15 people from two Lowertown apartments yesterday that police say were known for crack cocaine use.

Officers arrived at the two units at 187 and 189 King Edward Ave. at about 8:30 a.m. to remove the people inside after landlord George Taza sought and received an eviction notice last month.

Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Paul Johnston said officers approached Mr. Taza after receiving community complaints about the residences and collected evidence about the ongoing drug activity.

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Homicides, Attempted Murders, Robberies And Sex Assaults Jump In First Six Months

Most categories of violent crime jumped in the first half of 2007, as the city saw more murders, attempted murders, robberies and sexual assaults than for the same period last year.

Even so, Hamilton police are anything but downbeat about the trends, citing drops in assaults, break-ins, stolen vehicles and thefts valued over $5,000.

"As you can see from the report, it's somewhat of a good news story," Deputy Chief Ken Leendertse told members of the police services board in a presentation on Monday.

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Naive Supreme Court Keeps Giving Cops More Search Powers They Can Abuse

The ninth annual hempfest celebrations in the woods outside Sault Ste. Marie from August 23 to 26 attracted the unwanted attention of some special guests: the police.

Although no highway safety problems have been associated with Hempfest in the past, the police set up a RIDE checkpoint staffed by some 20 officers to stop vehicles entering and leaving the festival grounds.

After three days of vehicle stops, no impaired driving charges were laid, but more than 30 minor drug charges were laid against festival-goers who were stopped, questioned and searched.

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Fear and anger overflowed at a packed public meeting in Cambridge last night, organized by residents who say they feel terrorized by drug dealers in their downtown neighbourhood.

Some women broke into tears and others visibly shook as they described being too scared to leave their Galt apartments for fear of being hurt by addicts or crack sellers.

One woman said she has been threatened and chased down Main Street by drug dealers because she's trying to force them out of her building.

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Belleville Police say they're working on a creating a new city-wide street-crime team.

The issue was raised Tuesday at the regular meeting of the Belleville Police Services Board.

Coun. Jack Miller, who also sits on the Belleville Business Improvement Area board, told Chief Stephen Tanner he continues to hear concerns about the city's downtown. He requested a community meeting on the issue.

"We really need to start showing the stakeholders we are there, we do care, and we want to help them out in as best a way as we can," said Miller.

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I am quite sure your article, or rather, "Drug Report," was an eye opener to some parents. However, I felt that the title was quite misguided. No parent can "protect" his or her child from drugs. It is impossible. There is going to be a moment when they are going to the movies, off to a party, or even maybe having lunch at school where they might have to make a decision. What you made them promise at the dinner table isn't going to be a priority when their two best friends are waving them on. All you, the parent, can do is educate them.

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Two Rooms Full Of Marijuana Plants Found In Vine Street Apartment

ST. CATHARINES -- A marijuana grow-op busted in a St. Catharines high-rise apartment building last week was a serious electrical and fire threat that, in a worst-case scenario, had the potential to leave many families homeless, say Niagara Regional Police.

Marijuana grow-ops have become all too common in Niagara, but until now they've been confined to single family dwellings or townhouse units.

The grow-op discovered at Elizabeth High Towers at 378 Vine St. is the first found within a multi-unit high-rise building, said Staff Sgt. George Ravenek, head of the police intelligence unit, which includes the "guns, gangs and grow" unit established last fall.

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I would like to commend the Ontario Provincial Police for a job well done at the annual Hempfest.

As for all the negative propaganda being spread around by a few people who seem to forget that it is against the law to smoke marijuana, what did they have to hide that made them so afraid of being stopped at a RIDE check?

I was stopped and checked and nothing out of the ordinary was asked or looked for.

Although, I suppose if the OPP stopped a car with glassy-eyed people and a blue haze rolling out of every window, they may have asked some questions and did some looking, which is perfectly legal due to the fact that it is against the law to smoke marijuana.

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An OPP helicopter takes to the sky from the Lindsay airport as a long convoy of police vehicles make their way east towards the rural recesses of the former Emily Township.

Marijuana harvest season is here and it's time to haul in the crop. On this day, OPP officers - some clad in tactical gear and camouflage - would emerge from property on Colony Road just west of Settlement Road with about 75 pot plants.

It was far from the only crop of narcotic-yielding plants that police would cut down this week.

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B.C. Man Brings Powerful Message To Educators, Police, Health-Care Workers

A police officer and politician are doing more than just thinking about the powerful presentation last Friday (Sept. 7) by Mark McLaughlin, president of the Crystal Meth Society of British Columbia.

McLaughlin's information set Oakville Ward 1 Councillor Ralph Robinson on a mission to put in place a bylaw that allows a municipality to shut down suspected clandestine labs.

Halton drug enforcement officer Det.-Sgt. Robert Waller assured McLaughlin he would look into testing future drug seizures for crystal meth content. (It's an inexpensive filler sometimes used to bulk up other drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana).

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Do anti-pot ads just make folks want to spark up? Health Minister Tony Clement better find out before he launches that no-nonsense anti-drug campaign he's been threatening.

"Canada has not run a serious or significant anti-drug campaign for almost 20 years," Clement sniffed at a speech to the Canadian Medical Association last month.

But now he's ready with a multi-departmental two-year $64 mil effort involving Health Canada , the Department of Justice and maybe even the prime minister's office . The multi-pronged initiative includes a crackdown on gangs and illicit drug production as well as money for treatment. And, says Christian Girouard, spokesperson for the Department of Justice , there's $10 million for "preventing illicit drug use." According to Clement, these measures would include public health messages -- namely, an ad blitz, part of the "plain truth" Clement wants young people to hear.

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Cost Recovery At Heart Of Proposed Bylaws

Members of the city's licensing and standards committee are cracking down on property owners who allow their houses to be used for marijuana grow operations.

The committee endorsed two bylaws Tuesday that, if supported by council, will make it an offence to cause, allow or permit a property to be used as a marijuana grow-op and will set out a series of escalating fines and a cost recovery plan whereby the property owner would be charged for any expenses incurred by the city during grow-op investigations.

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To the editor:

Re: Judge tosses out drug charges against Whitby man, Aug. 27.

The documentary, The Corporation, explained how large companies, legally considered persons, routinely behave like psychopaths. I'm reminded of The Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971 and how we know that ordinary people in power in a prison environment can and will run amok, let alone career politicians, Generals and CEO's.

The story mentions six times the name of the innocent man, but not once does it mention the names of the officers who violated his constitutional rights.

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