Prohibition strikes again (13 pot smokers charged, June 7). The direct cost/ cause of teenage interest in the illicit can be laid at the door of 1900 hysteria-based laws. Schools should be monitoring their own lockers, as they did in my youth, not potentially ruining their students' futures with police searches. No one wants our youths high on anything but life, but we have no one to blame for failure in that goal but ourselves. Maybe we need to learn more about what we are teaching, ie. is marijuana all evil as we have insisted? Maybe the lesson isn't being believed due to booze and tobacco being legal and the lack of protection accorded to their users. Suz Fox Kalispell,Mont. [end]
This is in response to 13 pot smokers charged (June 7). To characterize those kids who were caught smoking marijuana at local schools as "druggies" is beneath contempt. There is no more reason to persecute drug users and distributors today than there was in the past to hang witches, lynch blacks or gas Jews. Are we better than the Nazis because our drug laws threaten an innocent minority with fines or jail rather then with execution? Are we better than Hitler because we persecute an innocent minority because of the drugs they use or the plant they grow rather than because of the religion they follow? I think not. [continues 51 words]
A Waterloo Regional Police initiative against Cambridge high school druggies resulted in 13 students being charged for pot smoking in the first three days. "I'd hope the schools are concerned about kids attending classes while under the influence of drugs or alcohol," said Sergeant Mike Allard, who heads the police/school liaison program in Cambridge. "Look at the number of charges - and that's just in the first three days." The arrests occurred off school property and involved students who were smoking marijuana between classes or during their break, he said. [continues 141 words]
Younger people know over the last 30 years that all the scientific uncertainties about marijuana's safety have been resolved. Marijuana, they know, is a totally harmless herb persecuted by overzealous law enforcement officials. Joseph Leger Toronto [end]
This is in response to Erika Kubassek's April 12 letter (God opposes pot smoking). You obviously missed the passage where God says, "I give man all seed-bearing plants." Marijuana has many benefits and will not pollute the environment. It can be used to make fuel, paper and clothing, which will last longer than today's materials and will cause less contamination then today's products. I have Crohn's disease. I have lost parts of my bowel and 75 per cent of my kidneys because of it. The doctors want me to consume 7,000 pills a year, not including painkillers. Half of the drugs they want me to take have severe side-effects. One drug, Prednisone, causes cataracts, among other symptoms. [continues 341 words]
Not only did God give us the plant cannabis, he told us it was very good. Most people don't realize that in fact this is told to us on the very first page of the Bible. Stan White Dillon, Col. [end]
This is in response to the April 16 letter to the editor Macedonian flag no pot ashtray, by Lois Janoff. One of the reasons that we all ended up in Canada is because we and our ancestors were not allowed to express ourselves fully where we/they came from. Now we are here in Canada and our supreme law says that in God and Canada we have freedom. Our Brother Danny Katsorov, by allowing us to share our sacred herb in his wonderful environment, expressed his belief and ours that this wonderful herb enhances life and that we have a right and freedom to share its benefits which we believe is God-given and that no one can take away. Thank you very much Sister Lois Janoff for bringing to our attention the fact that everyone does not believe in approaching God as we do. We all approach God as we believe and have agreed with God that we should. Be well and prosper. Reverend Brother Walter A. Tucker Reverend Brother Michael J. Baldasaro Hamilton [end]
I am writing this in response to an article that appeared in your paper on April 5: 'Doobie Brothers' keep on smokin'. Not only do I not agree with the "Brothers" but I am appalled by the fact that Danny (The Barber) Katsorov would allow this to happen in his shop. What disgusted me more was seeing the Macedonian flag draped over one participant while he was smoking marijuana. Mr. Katsorov has dishonoured the Macedonian flag. This man is always touting the fact that he is a proud Macedonian; but what does this show? I think Mr. Katsorov owes the Macedonian community a very large apology. Lois Janoff Cambridge [end]
Erika Kubassek is flat out incorrect in the assumption that "God opposes pot smoking." Numerous biblical references abound alluding to "herb-bearing seed" (which cannabis most certainly is) and its references to it "being for meat" and that "God saying that it was good" can in fact be found in the authorized King James version of the Holy Bible. Genesis 1:11-13, Genesis 1:27-31 . . . to name but a few references that stand as testimony to this fact. It is the blatant misconstruing of matters spiritual based on ill-concocted "moral" inventions perpetuated by the likes of the letter writer which in fact contribute to the deluded notion that there is justification for the continuation of cannabis prohibition. And then there are the medicinal considerations. It adds insult to injury to even consider the number of biblical trespasses abhorred by God (including blasphemy) that the letter writer herself has breached in her attempt to vilify cannabis, and the Reverend Brothers Tucker and Baldasaro. Wayne Phillips Hamilton [end]
Erika Kubassek states flatly "God does not approve of (pot smokers') drug habit." Well, that may or may not be, but if she believes that God forbids pot smoking, I'd advise she not smoke it. There are many things God opposes or prohibits for His people, but where many people of various religions err is trying to force their beliefs on others. Many religions believe eating pork is a sin, but should we outlaw it? Using God's standard is great for personal living, but we should not use anyone's religious ideology for setting the standard of law. Even if God opposes pot smoking we should not lock people up for it. God can take care of His own, He doesn't need us to punish people for Him. Richard W. Jones, Jackson, Miss. [end]
An Australian man of Vietnamese descent, who has already spent four months in jail, was sentenced Friday to a further 15 days in jail to deter others from coming to Canada and illegally growing marijuana. In sentencing Hau Van Do, Justice Colin Westman gave him credit for four months of pretrial custody said the additional time in jail would bring the total sentence to one year, drug prosecutor Justin Heimpel said in an interview. Westman also advised the 47-year-old man that when he returns to Australia to tell people that this offence is not tolerated in this community and, if caught, normally results in a sentence of between 12 and 15 months, Heimpel said. [continues 144 words]
As an Orthodox Christian whose church has been around for 2,000 years, I am always disturbed when people like Erika Kubassek (God Opposes Pot Smoking, April 12) claim to speak God's word in order to justify their own intolerance. Yes, those pseudo-clerics she talked about could have refrained from using the words "comfort of God" but it still remains that the cannabis plant is a creation of God. Is Kubassek saying that God made an error when He created the plant? [continues 318 words]
Re: Cop gives anti-drug lecture tomorrow (Reporter, April 9). In publishing propaganda such as this, your publication continues to be a vital cog in the state's brutal campaign to persecute a minority of innocent people. Whatever will you tell your grandchildren? Let me to explain. The growth of democracy was supposed to ensure that governments would remain the servant of the people rather than their master and that the rights of the minorities would be protected. Unfortunately the development of high-circulation newspapers enabled democratic governments to do as Hitler did: [continues 268 words]
Thank you for the article about The Reverend Walter Tucker. I have been a happy member of the Church of the Universe for many years now, ever since I read their wonderful Web page at www.iamm.com I love my marijuana and I live by the church credo: "Don't hurt yourself or anyone else." Canadians ought to be proud that religious freedom is still respected in at least one North American country. Darral Good Seattle [end]
The April 9 article on Staff Sergeant Ray Massicotte's anti-drug lecture claimed that marijuana is more potent these days. Both weak and strong marijuana will yield the desired result, only the potent pot requires significantly less smoke inhalation. It's actually less harmful than weak marijuana. Misleading claims are great for scaring parents into supporting a punitive drug war, but they can cause teenagers to question the credibility of anti-drug messages. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but that's not the point. Teenagers who realize they are being lied to about marijuana often make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs are relatively harmless as well. [continues 91 words]
Apparently Staff Sergeant Ray Massicotte said that he's "heard all the arguments" and "yet to hear one good reason" why cannabis should be legalized. Perhaps, as head of the Waterloo Regional Police drug squad, there is one compelling reason in his mind as to why drug prohibition should continue: Massicotte keeps his job. Science certainly is not on his side: Staff Sergeant Massicotte's ridiculous claims, namely regarding the gateway theory and increased potency, have long ago been disproved. Timothy Meehan Vancouver [end]
I'm responding to Clyde Warrington's April 5 article, 'Doobie Brothers' keep on smokin'. Clearly, smoking is hazardous to people's health. Smoking pot is dangerous to body, mind and spirit. Contrary to new-agers Tucker and Baldasaro, God does not approve of their drug habit. Drugs, cigarettes and alcohol destroy the God-given bodies and minds of people. Therefore, to call pot the "comfort of God" amounts to blasphemy. God's holy spirit is the comforter to those who believe. Erika Kubassek Cambridge [end]
Hilborn Avenue, home to $300,000 homes and manicured yards, has been busted again. The ritzy street south of Saginaw Parkway was the focus of its third pot bust in nine months on Wednesday. This time, however, police were a mite late in cleaning out a pot grow operation. Police, acting on a tip from Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc., found vestiges of a homegrow operation at 8 Hilborn Ave., seizing about $2,000 in growing equipment and a small amount of marijuana. [continues 203 words]
As long as police such as Staff Sergeant Ray Massicotte continue to promote ignorance on drug abuse, nothing will change. In the April 9 Reporter, he states "I've not met one heroin addict, one crack addict that didn't start with marijuana." That may be true but the only connection is the prohibition of the drugs themselves. Where you can buy marijuana, you can buy cocaine or heroin as well. What he promotes puts the drugs in the schools. How does Staff Sergeant Massicotte explain alcohol addicts and gasoline sniffers? How does he explain that 10 per cent of police who are regular users of the drug alcohol (the drug with the highest intoxication) are alcohol addicts ? [continues 183 words]
Head of Police Drug Branch Speaks at Monsignor Doyle Legalize pot? Forget about it, says Staff Sergeant Ray Massicotte, head of Waterloo Regional Police's drug squad. "I've heard all the arguments," says Massicotte, "but I've yet to hear one good reason why marijuana should be decriminalized or legalized." Marijuana may not be as bad as some drugs, an admission that is a lot different than saying it's good for anybody. A lot of kids are under the impression that pot is harmless, a notion Massicotte will be taking to task tomorrow when he hosts a community anti-drug presentation at Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary School. [continues 296 words]
Tucker, Baldasaro Oppose Growers Stealing Hydro But Still Want Marijuana Legalized The Reverend Walter Tucker glances idly at a blue plume of pot smoke that's slowly spiralling to the ceiling in Danny's Barber Shop on Ainslie Street. "This is marijuana we're talking about - hardly grounds for a police state," he says. Tucker is commenting on never-ending merry-go-round between police and pot growers. There seems no end to these homegrow operations. His constant sidekick, Michael Baldasaro gets reflective while savouring his doobie. [continues 719 words]
Utility Recovers About $70,000 from Power-stealing Pot Growers Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc. is working to recover thousands in lost revenue from marijuana growers stealing hydro for homegrow operations. And it is paying off. In the last year, the utility has backbilled for $140,000 in stolen electricity from busted pot homegrowers, collecting just about half of the amount. "Our success rate is very nearly 50 per cent," said Barb Shortreed, communications officer at Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro. [continues 432 words]
Re: Hydro bypass leads cops to pot house (Reporter, March 5): If marijuana were legalized, marijuana grow operations would pose no more danger to the public or steal no more hydro than the average tomato grow operation does today. Besides, why should the cops get their marijuana free of charge while the rest of us have to pay for it? I suppose we should be grateful the police are not pushing for the prohibition of alcohol and tobacco too so they can help themselves to free booze and smokes. Alan Randell Victoria, B.C. [end]
ST. GEORGE - St. George's clean-living image was tarnished Friday when Brant County OPP busted a major pot-growing operation in an upscale neighbourhood. It was the first home grow bust in the village, said OPP Constable Tom Reansbury. "I guess you can say these things are growing everywhere," he said. The bust was little different than many others in Waterloo Region to the north. OPP said they were drawn to 1 Highgate Dr., St. George, when an illegal hydro bypass was detected. That's usually found at home grows, because it hides the huge amount of electricity used for fans and lights needed to grow the plants. With a bypass, energy consumption isn't tracked by the electricity meter at the house. No one was in the house at the time and police would not disclose a description of the suspects. Two marijuana growing rooms were flourishing in the house. An undisclosed quantity of plants and hydroponic growing equipment was seized, police said. [end]
Re: Hilborn Pot Bust no Surprise to Her, Feb. 19. Why do governments prohibit certain drugs? Is it to protect users from harm? No, that can't be the reason because users suffer more (adulterated drugs and jail time) when a drug is banned as compared to when it is legally available, and besides, the most dangerous drugs of all, alcohol and tobacco, are legal. Is it to reduce the crime associated with illegal drugs? No, that can't be the reason because banning a drug always gives rise to more crime (drug cartels, petty crime by users as prohibition makes drug prices much higher, violent disputes between dealers) than when the drug is legally available. [continues 198 words]
A Kitchener judge last Thursday refused to strike a man's guilty plea in a marijuana home-grow case because of a suggestion the judge may have been influenced by a letter from regional politicians urging stiffer sentences. "I did receive the letter," Justice David Carr told lawyer Hal Mattson, who made the request. "It has not influenced me in any way in the disposition I'm going to make, nor am I biased in any way. I'm not going to strike the plea." [continues 540 words]
As a concerned resident, I am horrified by the number of drug busts going on in all these homes. Do people not know what is going on next door to them or are we simply not aware of signs that this may be going on in our neighbour's home? I have in the past two weeks noticed police in masks on different streets in my neighbourhood. Maybe the paper could give us some tips on what to look out for, as this is becoming a weekly problem. Or possibly the police could help us in identifying problems like these ones and what to watch out for. As a mother of two small children, I am very concerned. Drugs usually escalate to crime and that I want no part of. Maddy Haughey, Cambridge [end]
Cambridge has a right to be pleased about its diversified economy which ranges from fabric manufacturing, trucking and software development to food processing and car making. But we have a new, growth industry that has to be of concern to city residents. That's the proliferation of what's called pot houses or home grows: city residences used for the cultivation of high quality marijuana, not for living in. Over the past two years police have raided 23 Cambridge homes and found hydroponic gardens and crude, illegal bypasses of the hydro system to provide the growers free use of a high volume of electricity needed for the grow lights. The most recent raids were a week ago when two city residences were found by police to be marijuana-growing operations. [continues 219 words]
There seems to be a growing (pardon the pun) industry in our community. It looks like every other day, the police and firefighters are risking who knows what, going into these houses that are growing marijuana! I have read where the local politicians are trying to get the "time to pay the crime." At the same time the judges,who seem to be letting these illegal growers go almost scot-free, are down on the same politicians for interference. I believe these same judges have the power to do some good in this community! They could simply confiscate the houses where the pot is growing, and turn them over to the community, for shelters for the homeless! Look at the tax savings right there. Roy McGuinness Cambridge [end]
Officials for a local agency charged with battling substance abuse hope a record $249,345 grant heralds a new awareness of the scope of Canada's addiction problems. The money, from Human Resources Development Canada, was presented earlier this week. "I'm shocked at hearing the extent of the human cost involved," said Cambridge MP Janko Peric following a press conference at the headquarters of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Association on Cowansview Road. The association, a charitable agency that operates on behalf of organizations that treat addictions, will use the money to establish a Web-based drug counselling certification program to train professionals throughout the country. [continues 304 words]
Drug police shut down six marijuana grow houses in Waterloo Region yesterday, including four in the Hespeler and Galt areas of Cambridge. That brings to six the number of pot houses raided in the city in less than two weeks, netting police about $4-million worth of marijuana. It was a busy day for police services nationwide. In what police have dubbed Operation Green Sweep, more than 500 officers stormed 160 similar marijuana grow operations across the country, seizing $50-million worth of pot. [continues 850 words]
The general manager of Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro Inc. says there is no "sophisticated" system in place to catch individuals who are stealing hydro-electricity - referred to as a hydro bypass - to fuel dangerous pot houses. John Grotheer said home-grow operations continue to be a frustrating problem for the utilities company, especially since it costs as much as $200,000 a year in stolen hydro revenue. "It's a major issue for us," Grotheer said of bypassing hydro and the issue of safety for workers trying to cut power to a house found stealing electricity. [continues 475 words]
Cambridge firefighters are getting an education - a drug education. It's a matter of safety for the 136 members of the Cambridge Fire Department, after the rash of marijuana home grows found in the city brought them face to face with hazards like dangerous amateur wiring and chemical fertilizers that are both toxic and explosive. "We have to change our training," said Deputy Chief Bill Chesney. "What we think is a normal combustible residential fire could have the added risks associated with these grow operations and that changes how we would attack it or conduct search and rescue." [continues 462 words]
Marijuana plants were found in this 25 Anglerock Dr. house yesterday. Reporter Staff, The Cambridge ReporterThe raid of a marijuana home-grow in an upscale Cambridge neighbourhood yesterday is among the largest regional police have found to date. More than 800 plants - worth an estimated $500,000 - were seized, including about 520 that were ready for harvest. A 46-year-old woman was arrested in the morning bust. Waterloo Regional Police entered 25 Anglerock Dr., off Burnett Avenue in north Galt, under the cover of pre-dawn darkness using a theft-of-electricity warrant. While investigators were searching the basement, a light fixture shorted out and started smoking as a result of the tangle of crude wiring used to bypass the electrical meter to avoid detection. [continues 368 words]
Anonymous tipsters were an invaluable source of information to regional police in their war on marijuana grow operations in Waterloo Region last year. Because of Crime Stoppers' anonymity policy and not tracing calls or using call display, residents seem more comfortable sharing information about illegal activity they suspect is happening in their neighbourhoods, said Sergeant Jim Erstad, head of the Waterloo Region Crime Stoppers. "From a policing standpoint, it's been an effective tool because it provides information to police they wouldn't normally get otherwise. It's a starting point, from which investigators can build a case," said Erstad, who before joining Crime Stoppers last January was a member of the regional police drug squad. [continues 582 words]
In your Jan. 4 editorial, you opined that home grow operations pose "a threat to communities that can only be stopped with tough, serious sentencing." I would suggest another way to stop them, and that is, to take out the profit motive. When marijuana is relegalised, the price differential between what the legal suppliers charge, tax and all, and the cost of this type of illegal production, will drop to such an extent that the grow ops will disappear. There will, of course, be small home grows for personal use, but because they will be able to be done legally, there should be little risk from them. Sort of like home brewing of beer, and at the same level of risk to society. Bruce Symington, Medicine Hat, Alta. [end]
55-Year-Old Man Died In Pot House; Body Moved To Parking Lot Two men charged in April for a Cambridge marijuana growing operation are facing more charges after a body found in Richmond Hill Friday led police to another home grow in Markham. On Friday, York Regional Police were called to the parking lot of the Times Square Plaza in Richmond Hill to investigate the death of a 55-year-old man. Police believe the man, who suffered a brain aneurysm, died in a house in Markham and was moved to the Richmond Hill parking lot by colleagues in an attempt to conceal a huge marijuana-growing operation at the residence. York Regional Police went to the house in Markham Saturday with a search warrant and discovered $400,000 worth of marijuana plants. Two men were arrested. [continues 279 words]
I found the Jan. 4 editorial, Little Court Support, to be way off base. The newspaper asserts that pot growers are not being penalized enough for their illegal activities, and until they are, these "villians will continue to elude justice." The fact is that no matter what the penalties, the marijuana will still be grown, sold, and smoked. None of the efforts so have far have refuted this. Instead, far too much money and resources are being spent trying to catch and punish these non-violent offenders. I feel that these resources should be aimed primarily at violent criminals, the types who disrupt society. Maybe we should open our minds and legalize their activities. I'm sure there are better ways to spend tax dollars. Shaun Hittle, Kalamazoo, Mich. [end]
In your Jan. 4 editorial, you concluded that "the proliferation of (cannabis) home grows poses a threat to communities that can only be stopped with tough, serious sentencing." Your theory is not consistent with the available evidence. There is no correlation between sentencing and the proliferation of home grows, much less community safety. The prices, profits and destructive techniques employed to avoid detection rise in tandem with the perceived risks. I do not feel threatened by my neighbour's vegetable garden but electrical fires, home invasions, drive-by shootings and lost SWAT teams make me nervous. Yes, home grows and our futile efforts to stop them pose a threat to communities, but one that can only be reduced by legalizing, taxing and regulating the cannabis trade. Matthew M. Elrod, Victoria, B.C. [end]
Re, Pot operation sparked Galt blackout, Jan. 3: Is it not true that if marijuana were legalized, marijuana grow operations would pose no more danger to the public, steal no more hydro, than the average tomato grow operation does today? Besides, why should police officers get their pot free while the rest of us have to purchase or grow our own? Alan Randell, Victoria, B.C. [end]
When Minh Hai Tai's illegal marijuana-growing operation re-sulted in his Hespeler home burning to the ground, it should have signalled a big police crackdown on the unwelcome growth of these "home grow" enterprises. Instead, a year later, it's business as usual, with police estimating - probably on the conservative side - that at least 200 basement pot farmers are probably thriving in the region. Regional police have busted 60 such operations in the past year, but growers continue to thrive because little more than a hand slap awaits them in court. [continues 309 words]
126 East Galt Customers Were Without Power For As Long As 14 Hours It wasn't the Grinch who stole the power in a Cambridge neighbourhood two days before Christmas, it was a sophisticated illegal marijuana growing operation. A total of 126 customers in The Greenway neighbourhood in east Galt were without power, some for 14 hours on a chilly Dec. 23. The blackout led Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro and Waterloo Regional Police to an illegal pot garden inside an upstairs bedroom and basement of a modest three-bedroom bungalow at 66 The Greenway. [continues 1063 words]
Waterloo Regional Police seized a "substantial" amount of cocaine and marijuana Wednesday in a roadside bust that was part of an ongoing investigation into the local drug trade. As a result, two Cambridge residents, a man and a woman, were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. About 1.5 kilograms of cocaine and 2.3 kilograms of marijuana were found hidden in boxes wrapped as Christmas presents and stashed in the trunk of a car heading eastbound on Highway 401 towards Toronto. Information about the intended destination for the drugs was not available yesterday. [continues 564 words]
Bulldozers could raze a local eyesore before the end of the year and city taxpayers won't be on the hook for the bill. The Royal Bank, which holds the deed to 369 Scott Rd. - known locally as the "Pot House" - will be billed $8,900 by the city to demolish the burned-out house in Hespeler's Silverheights neighbourhood. Weather permitting, the building could come down by the end of this month - a year after a fire led to the discovery of a sophisticated indoor marijuana growing operation inside the basement and main floor bedrooms of the raised bungalow located across from Silverheights Public School. [continues 298 words]
Hespeler Councillor Rick Cowsill says he doesn't think home-grow pot operations are epidemic in Cambridge and he wants it to stay that way. Cowsill - whose ward hasn't been immune to home-grow pot operation busts - said the biggest problem they pose are the deterioration of neighbourhoods. "One of the things that worries me is the criminal element is becoming very, very close to the neighbourhood and the character of the neighbourhood is suffering." The Hespeler ward was subject to a major house fire at 369 Scott Rd. on Dec. 27, 2000, as the result of a home-grow pot operation that went wrong. [continues 274 words]
City Councillor Karl Kiefer says every municipality in Waterloo Region must take a stand against dangerous home-grow pot operations to save people from being killed. "It is a concern because people could die," he said. On Monday night, city council will be voting on a motion brought forward by Kiefer first introduced by Kitchener councillors last month, recommending strict penalties against those who operate illegal pot-growing operations out of their homes. Police raids over the past year have shut down more than 60 pot-growing operations across Waterloo Region. While most of them have been in Kitchener, more than a half-dozen have occurred in Cambridge. [continues 273 words]
Tammy's Hemp Castle opened in the midst of the excitement of the Hespeler Christmas Parade on Saturday, offering a variety of products made of hemp. "People know I'm here now and that's the start of the battle," said Tammy Sanders, owner of the 12 Queen St. E. shop. The store sells a variety of hemp items, such as bags, wallets, hammocks, hackey sack balls and clothing. Sanders said there's something for the whole family including pants and T-shirts in several sizes. [continues 186 words]
Waterloo Region's diseased, crack-addicted hookers and the men who pay them for sex will end up costing taxpayers at least $100 million, a researcher warned yesterday. Tim Rafferty, who helped research and write a $15,000 study on the local sex trade, said the cost is a rough estimate provided by health, social service and police officials. Rafferty, speaking to members of the region's community services committee, said a large chunk of the $100 million will be spent providing AIDS treatment and other health services for hundreds of johns who continue to have unprotected sex with 20 to 35 local hookers. [continues 447 words]
Damned if you do, damned if you don't, is an expression tailor-made to describe the dilemma some parents face with wayward children. Although the Harris Tories have talked about implementing a law making parents liable for the illegal actions of their children, the fact is some parents have little or no control over their children. The situation involving 13-year-old Amanda Raymond appears to fall into that category. Raymond is the Kitchener teen who apparently overdosed on illicit prescription barbiturates during an all-night party at a residence on Somme Island in Lake Puslinch. [continues 247 words]
