Used needles and syringes thrown into city recycling containers are threatening the health and safety of the workers who sort through the contents. Employees at the Grande Prairie Recycle Plus Depot are finding that recycling is a dangerous business as the needles have been showing up in the plastic containers throughout the city. This is nothing new, says Aquatera's recycling co-ordinator Michelle Lange, who noted used sharps have been showing up in the bins for at least the past four years. [continues 191 words]
Asian gangs are spreading their "tentacles" out from Alberta's major cities and trying to take a piece of Grande Prairie's lucrative drug trade, say law-enforcement officials. A number of "significant" cocaine busts by Mounties in the city over the past few months have been traced back to Asian organized crime groups, said Staff Sgt. Curtis Zablocki of the Grande Prairie RCMP. "Recently we've made some arrests in connection to drug trafficking activity and we've determined these people are from larger centres... and are linked to organized crime in those areas," said Zablocki. [continues 742 words]
Being involved in the process key to making city a safer place Several weeks ago, there was a series of meetings about crime in Grande Prairie that sought input from residents on suggestions about what could be done about the incidence, if not the increasing severity, of criminal acts. There was some dismay when the meetings, while yielding some people's personal experiences of how they were affected and fears for their personal safety, didn't attract as many citizens as was anticipated. [continues 383 words]
A four-month undercover drug sting in the B.C. Peace has ended in the arrest of 63 suspected drug dealers. Mounties said the operation began in February, and involved a team of 10 officers from the Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, Prince George and Vancouver detachments. A large quantity of cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy and high-grade marijuana was seized. One marijuana grow-operation was shut down and an unreleased amount of money and firearms seized. [continues 72 words]
Rapid growth in drug-driven, illegal activity cause for concern As grows the city, so grows a whole bunch of other aspects -- more people, more businesses, more jobs, more schools, more self-help and volunteer programs. More crime. And, as pointed out at two crime prevention meetings in Grande Prairie, more law enforcement personnel is not going to keep a lid on criminal activities or prevent their expansion. Nevertheless, citizen input and the expressed concerns that the city is increasingly less safe, will help devise a strategy against crime. RCMP Insp. Bryon Hodgkin said people's suggestions, coupled with those from social agencies, will help form the basis of a formal crime prevention program that will eventually be put to city council for consideration. [continues 358 words]
EDMONTON (CP) - The spread of methadone clinics in Alberta has helped triple the number of opiate addicts looking to kick the habit over the last three years, say health officials. But that network has to expand beyond the current five to serve addicts outside the Edmonton-Calgary urban corridor, advocates also insist. Grande Prairie or Fort McMurray would be good places for expansion, said Brenda Moore, director of HIV North. The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) says there were 350 methadone clients across Alberta in 2001, when its single clinic existed in Edmonton. [continues 312 words]
EDMONTON - Learning Minister Lyle Oberg is leaving the door open for more school boards to use dogs trained to detect drugs. His department has no authority to enforce a provincewide policy, but he would have no problem with school boards bringing in drug-detecting dogs, he said. ''It can go ahead,'' Oberg said Monday during question period in the legislature. He also said he and Solicitor General Heather Forsyth will take a look at funding drug-sniffing dogs in schools. ''This is one element we can act on,'' said Oberg. [continues 83 words]
Marijuana possession charges may make up the bulk of drug offences in Grande Prairie and across Canada, but local Mounties say they aren't wasting time chasing after recreational pot smokers. Statistics Canada numbers released last week show marijuana charges make up the bulk of drug charges laid in Canada. In 2002 police across the country reported 93,000 drug incidents. Of those, a full 75 per cent were marijuana related. Cocaine incidents came in a distant second at about 12 per cent, with the spectrum of other illegal drugs rounding out the remainder. [continues 429 words]
OTTAWA - The federal government's plan to decriminalize pot possession would free up millions of dollars and thousands of police hours, the latest statistics suggest. Police laid a record number of drug-related charges in 2002 and most offences involved marijuana, Statistics Canada reported Monday. Seventy-five per cent of 93,000 drug-related incidents in 2002 involved pot. Almost three-quarters of those were possession offences, and more than half of those convicted were fined. ''The police-reported drug-crime rate has risen an estimated 42 per cent since the early 1990s and now stands at a 20-year high,'' the agency said. [continues 398 words]
EDMONTON - Mounties busted nine methamphetamine labs in Alberta last year, but didn't lay a single production or trafficking charge against the criminals behind them. Federal regulations mean Canadians can buy and store many of the chemicals used to make the drug without breaking the law, and that makes it difficult for police to lay charges in cases where the finished product isn't found at the scene. ''We haven't had a good year,'' said Sgt. Harold Trupish, who heads up K-Division's clandestine lab investigation service. ''We've taken some serious items away, but we haven't had charges.'' [continues 56 words]
I'm writing to express concerns about the recent Snoop Dogg concert that was held in Grande Prairie last month. What concerns me is this "entertainer" is a known drug advocate, an alleged gang supporter, and has been indicted for major offences. And our community welcomed him with open arms. I heard people saying how great that Grande Prairie finally has a concert for the youth. If these are the ideals that we are trying to promote for our youth, than I think it's time I went somewhere else! [continues 149 words]
VANCOUVER - One of the men connected to a Sunday police raid on the legislature offices of two B.C. cabinet ministers said Monday he's done nothing wrong and expects to be exonerated. David Basi, ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins, said in a statement he was told by RCMP that he ''was not being arrested or charged at this time.'' Basi, who was fired Monday, made the statement after police raided the offices of Collins and Transportation Minister Judith Reid, seizing boxes of files. [continues 227 words]
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Paul Martin will press ahead with legislation, first proposed under Jean Chretien, to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. But he hinted Thursday he'd like to see a new definition of what constitutes a "small amount" and invited a parliamentary committee to consider lowering the limit from the original proposal of 15 grams. Martin told reporters he sees a health risk in pot use and observed that "any doctor will tell you it's far from the best thing for you." [continues 241 words]
A 25-year veteran narcotics officer from Calgary says parents need to be aware of the "red flag indicators" warning them their kids may be using drugs. "Red flag indicators are not in and of themselves 100 per cent determining factors but two or three red flags at least warrant further investigation," Steve Walton said Friday. "I'd be wary of a dramatic drop in grades. I'd be wary of children who are changing their activities ... and they quit - whatever the activity is - and also, because there are powerful drugs being made available today I would look for a change in the appearance of young people who are drug consumers." [continues 465 words]
The "cocaine train" is how the city's top drug cop describes it: A runaway spiral of drugs and crime that's becoming more and more common in Grande Prairie. "When you start using crack cocaine it's a runaway train going down a hill. You're going to end up in a mess at the bottom unless you get off," says Cpl. Grant Bulford, head of the Grande Prairie RCMP's drug section. On an almost daily basis he talks to addicts, dealers and family members torn apart by addiction to hard drugs. [continues 557 words]
Thousands of Canadians facing pot possession charges are getting an early Christmas present from the Canadian government: A stay of criminal proceedings. The Canadian Department of Justice said this week it would be staying all outstanding minor marijuana possession charges laid in Canada between July 31, 2001 and Oct. 7, 2003. "The attorney general of Canada is staying marijuana possession charges across Canada," said Maureen McLellan, Justice Canada's prairies spokeswoman. About 4,000 files could be stayed as a result of the decision. Of those, 1,350 are from Alberta, added McLellan. [continues 345 words]
EDMONTON (CP) - Asking retailers to voluntarily restrict the sale of certain medications likely won't curb an explosion in the illegal production of methamphetamine, the head of the Alberta College of Pharmacists said Sunday. Alberta Solicitor General Heather Forsyth said last week she's hoping pharmacists will prevent customers from bulk-buying cold remedies such as Sudafed which can be used to make methamphetamine, a highly addictive street drug commonly called crystal meth. But Greg Eberhart, registrar of the pharmacists' college, said new provincial legislation is needed to close loopholes in the law. [continues 96 words]
Re: Random job-site testing idea worries union, human rights body, Nov. 10 Herald-Tribune: I, for one, would not mind being tested for drugs just the same as I would not mind not having to worry about some drunk idiot driving a truck or a coke head running the fork lift or a meth addict doing surgery. It is silly to protect the rights of people to violate our rights for safety on the job. Not just silly -- outrageous. Margo Hannah Dawson Creek [end]
A central Alberta woman suffering from multiple sclerosis fears her marijuana plants will die because her power was partially cut off. Wanda Nelson, 42, of Erskine, received authorization from her family physician in Stettler to grow and process medicinal marijuana about two years ago. Nelson grows 15 plants under bright bulbs as powerful as 1,000 watts. The plants are regularly harvested and rolled into joints for smoking. Nelson, who is bedridden, said the pot helps reduce her muscle spasms and soothe discomforts caused by MS. [continues 367 words]
EDMONTON (CP) - The concept of random drug testing of employees in some industries could be running into opposition from organized labour and the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Cabinet and caucus will review a report this month from a committee developing options for dealing with impairment from alcohol and drugs on job sites. Les Steel, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said the government shouldn't even be considering allowing companies to conduct random tests. ''We think it's just an infringement on people's rights,'' Steel said. [continues 147 words]
Barb was only 14 years old the first time she smoked d-methamphetamine with friends in her rural home town. The euphoria was so intense her life soon revolved around getting high on the powerful and highly addictive drug that is sweeping into Alberta's small towns and cities. But soon the euphoria was replaced with delusions, hallucinations and paranoia. Eventually Barb (not her real name) became alienated from her family, left school and began questioning her sanity. ''I kind of knew right away that I was addicted to it. It made me really happy,'' said Barb, now 17, who eventually received psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation. [continues 355 words]
Landmark Ontario Ruling Has Prosectors Examining Options Chill out, lawyer dude. Federal Crown attorneys in Alberta and throughout Canada are taking a relaxed approach to prosecuting cases of possession of small amounts of marijuana until uncertainty surrounding an Ontario case is settled. Justice Canada spokeswoman Pascale Boulay said prosecutors have been told to consent to adjournment requests for cases of people charged with simple possession. An Ontario appeals court ruled that the law making possession of small amounts of weed illegal was unconstitutional because it didn't contain an exemption for valid medical use. The ruling means anyone caught with pot in Ontario between July 31, 2001 and Oct. 7, 2003, wasn't breaking the law. [continues 276 words]
Alberta students are less likely than their national counterparts to abuse alcohol and drugs but that doesn't mean it's not happening, says a new survey released by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. Last fall, AADAC conducted a survey of Grade 7-12 students in 39 school divisions in the province - including the Grande Prairie Catholic School District and the Peace Wapiti School Board. The provincial results, which were presented to the Catholic school board this week, were not a surprise to AADAC representatives who see the struggles of local kids nearly every day. [continues 476 words]
EDMONTON - Mayors from across northern Alberta rallied Friday behind a call from Edmonton's mayor to launch a fierce campaign to eradicate the province's illegal drug trade. The unanimous support from the group of more than 30 mayors came one day after Edmonton Mayor Bill Smith warned drug dealers and their clients to get out of town and challenged all Edmontonians to take an active role in the fight against illegal drugs. ''It's an Alberta problem, it's not just an Edmonton problem,'' Smith said. ''Drugs are very transportable. They move across all kinds of boundaries.'' [continues 196 words]
Manuela Campbell (letter, Sept. 30) can be guaranteed gang-like activity will follow crystal meth into Grande Prairie. Enterprising ruffians are always quick to profit when the state enacts foolish prohibitions. Manuela needs a short lesson in the immutable laws of supply and demand. Any time a product is in high demand and black market profits are available, somebody will decide the risk is worth it. It sounds counterintuitive, but no amount of demonization has ever saved one single kid from drugs. Making drugs the forbidden fruit in fact has consequences. It works in inverse proportion; the worse you say the side effects are the sooner some kids want to give them a try. Kids know the government has lied about marijuana for over hundred years. Why would school children or anybody else believe them now? [continues 155 words]
Re: Gangs cost everyone, Crystal meth has come to Grande Prairie. I believe it could easily lead to gang like behaviour. Anyone willing to mix the explosive poison together and heat it until it forms crystals in his or her home could become a dealer. But the people who are addicted to it become very desperate and resort to stealing to pay for their habit. When they are very addicted they become paranoid, staying awake for days at a time. Brain damage occurs. [continues 163 words]
Warning Comes That We Need To Pull Our Heads Out Of The Sand If we all get together and pretend that there isn't a new and ominous illicit drug problem in our society, perhaps it will just go away. Really? Well, as we progress technically with all sorts of cybergizmos and gadgets designed to make our lives easier and increase our profits at the same time, guess what? Drug dealers are too. The supply and use of synthetic drugs such as Ecstasy and amphetamines is soaring worldwide in part because the public doesn't realize how dangerous they can be, a UN report said Tuesday. [continues 296 words]
EDMONTON (CP) - An HIV-positive construction worker who smokes marijuana to combat nausea has won a hearing before a human rights panel after he was denied a job for failing a drug test. A Court of Queen's Bench justice ruled the hearing can go ahead because it's important to decide when restrictions on drugs or alcohol are legitimate job requirements. ''Frankly, I am at a loss to understand why the (company) would not wish to have this issue examined,'' Justice Alan Cooke wrote. An Alberta Human Rights Commission officer had already concluded that North American Construction Group Inc.'s policy requiring pre-employment drug-screening violates provincial legislation. [end]
VANCOUVER - A B.C. provincial court decriminalized possession of marijuana Monday. In a ruling, the court said "there is no offence known to law at this time for simple possession of marijuana." The decision follows similar rulings in Ontario, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia. It relies on an July 2000 decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal in which the judge declared the law prohibiting simple possession to be constitutionally invalid because it did not have an exemption for medical use. [continues 92 words]
EDMONTON (CP) - Aboriginal gangs that were once mainly in Prairie prisons are now thriving outside, armed and trafficking hard drugs, a national policing agency says The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada says in a report that native gangs are particularly active in cities such as Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg. ''Aboriginal-based gangs that once existed primarily in prisons for protection purposes have now recognized the financial benefit of trafficking hard drugs (such as cocaine) on reserves," the agency says. ''Many of the gangs have ready access to weapons, including firearms, that has resulted in a number of incidents of violence.'' Native gangs have a smaller presence outside the Prairies, but their numbers will increase nationally as they become more entrenched in urban areas and on reserves, actively recruiting new members and associates among native youth, the agency says. [continues 85 words]
Nobody will be going to jail over a pair of huge Peace Country drug busts that resulted in the seizure of at least $1 million worth of pot last week, said Mounties. Peace River RCMP, aided by the joint Edmonton Police-RCMP ''Green Team'', raided two large grow operations Aug. 7. The first grow-op netted over 2,500 mature marijuana plants as well as a large amount that had already been harvested. The second raid of the day brought in more than 1,000 marijuana plants in various stages of growth. [continues 453 words]
CALGARY - The Alberta government is creating a provincewide police unit to battle organized crime by gangs that have infiltrated cities throughout the province, Solicitor General Heather Forsyth announced Thursday. ''This is a dark day for members of organized crime in our province,'' Forsyth said. ''We will not put up with another drive-by shooting, another child hooked on meth or another senior victimized by fraud. ''We are going to keep our communities safe.'' She said the province will more than double the $2.4 million it now spends each year to fight organized crime and street gangs because the problem has spread beyond Calgary and Edmonton to smaller cities, including Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie. [continues 126 words]
Hidden drug labs are springing up all over Alberta, and police forces throughout the province are stepping up efforts to identify and shut down these clandestine narcotics breweries. But in many cases, the first authorities to find the lab aren't officers with search warrants in hand - they're firefighters or paramedics called when the volatile chemicals used to make the drugs explode or burst into flames. "It is very much a problem in northern Alberta right now. And it's in small towns," said RCMP drug lab specialist Cpl. Harold Trupish in a presentation to the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association conference hosted this week in Grande Prairie. [continues 404 words]
RED DEER (CP) - RCMP are probing the death of an 18-year-old woman after she took two ecstasy pills Saturday night. The woman and three friends took the popular party drug at the Euphoria dance club Saturday night, police said Tuesday. The woman, whose name has not been released, became ill. "She wasn't doing well with it. They said she seemed to be having a bad trip," said Cpl. Bucky Buchanan. The woman went home at about 6 a.m. and fell asleep. Her boyfriend and another friend said they checked on her every half hour. [continues 120 words]
As a high school teacher I work with young people who are receiving a clear endorsement on the use of pot because of a reluctance to enforce the present marijuana laws. Anne McLellan's statements that use would go up following the weakening of our drug laws are already coming true. It is now not uncommon to have students arrive to an 8:30 a.m. class smelling like pot. When this first started, the administration tried to do something, but the students said they were victims of second -hand smoke and were not actually smoking it themselves. [continues 179 words]
LETHBRIDGE (CP) - Alberta police chiefs meeting in Lethbridge this week aren't fans of a looser pot possession law proposed by the federal government. ''We are absolutely against decriminalization,'' said Camrose police Chief Marshall Chalmers, president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police. ''We believe it's absolutely sending the wrong message.'' Lethbridge police are co-hosting the three-day conference which brings together top officers from the province's seven municipal and tribal police services as well as RCMP officials. [continues 78 words]
VANCOUVER (CP) - Michael Patriquen may be in a jail cell, but he believes he still has the right to eat marijuana cookies there to ease the pain of injuries he suffered in a car accident four years ago. While Patriquen is in prison in New Brunswick, his case has been taken up by B.C. lawyer John Conroy, who specializes in marijuana law and prison reform. Conroy filed an application in federal court here last week seeking to compel Health Minister Anne McLellan to provide prison officials with an adequate supply of marijuana for Patriquen's pain relief. [continues 337 words]
OTTAWA - The Liberal government is promising to rewrite the law on marijuana use, but the Supreme Court of Canada faces a more pressing question - what to do with the law as it is, not as it may be. In a trio of cases to be heard today, the high court is being asked to throw out criminal penalties for simple possession of small amounts of pot on the grounds that they violate the Charter of Rights. Government lawyers will be arguing the present law should be upheld, even as Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Justice Minister Martin Cauchon prepare to change it. [continues 537 words]
I am sickened by the failure of the RCMP in Red Deer to enforce the laws as they are written (250 toke up for 4:20, April 21 Herald-Tribune). They stood by and witnessed 250 people commit a criminal act at Red Deer City Hall park, without arresting any of those involved. I charge the RCMP with failing to uphold their duty. Every one of those officers who saw a person smoking the banned marijuana should be reprimanded for failing in their duties. If the Mounties don't want to enforce the law then they should be pushing for it to be changed, not standing idly by while it is violated. Chris Hagglund Toronto [end]
RED DEER (CP) - Young people came with their slushes, skateboards and some marijuana for a group toke at Red Deer City Hall park Sunday. While Mounties watched, a crowd of about 250 people gathered in the spring sunshine to smoke weed in celebration of ''4-20'' - a police radio code for smoking pot. While police frowned at the event, no charges were laid. ''We are here to observe and as far as enforcement decisions, those are made on an individual basis,'' said Sgt. Gord Glasgow. ''Possession of marijuana is still against the law." He added police try to encourage youth to make positive lifestyle choices. ''Using drugs isn't one of them,'' he said. [end]
RED DEER (CP) - Policies that prevent sweeping pre-employment drug and alcohol testing are causing problems for oil and gas companies that want to ensure safe worksites, says an industry spokesman. ''It's becoming very frustrating for us,'' said Patrick Delaney, director of health, safety and government relations for the Petroleum Services Association of Canada. ''I think for a lot of us, we'll take our lumps with wrongful dismissals.'' Delaney told an association conference this week that without such testing, employees and the public are at risk from potential accidents. [continues 268 words]
