Drug Regulation - The Law And Expectation From A University Student A university campus is a very dynamic place; the mystical force which a university life exerts on a student not only teaches textbook knowledge, but more importantly, also educates about life. During one's university career, he or she is pressed to make independent and wise judgments. The drug issue, posing an ethical dilemma about choosing what is good over what may be pleasant does exactly that. In addition, it would be interesting to observe the existing drug control laws in place and if the government's intervention in such a victimless crime is motivated by a sensed threat that drugs may pose to our nation's intellectual capital. [continues 882 words]
During the brief period between the end of the Spring exam session and the beginning of fall semester, Kitchener-Waterloo is decidedly quieter. So when an international drug fugitive drew a crowd of supporters and passersby at Kitchener City Hall on Monday, August 24 Imprint wanted to find out why he was attracting a crowd. The focal point was Marc Emery, self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot," founder of the British Columbia Marijuana Party, and former publisher of Cannabis Culture magazine, in Kitchener as part of a countrywide "Farewell Tour" that had him visiting nearly 30 cities, from Fort Nelson, BC to St. John's, NL. Emery has been Canada's most vocal advocate for liberalizing its illegal drug laws for nearly two decades now, ever present in the national press and having even drawn attention from CNN and CBS' 60 Minutes. Perhaps then, it will come as no surprise to many readers that Emery is set to begin serving a five-year prison sentence next week for drug related offences. [continues 1576 words]
Canada and the United States are blue pill poppers when it comes to the bedroom, but did you know that other countries and cultures use radically different methods to increase endurance and treat impotence in males? In China, for instance, men look to seahorses to alleviate these sex issues, ingesting the creatures whole in dried form or ground up in capsules, believing it will result in longer, harder erections and moderate impotence. The demand for the creatures in China is so high that, in 2004, the Taipei Times published an article stating that the seahorse population is diminishing, with over 25 million seahorses being traded each year. The interest in seahorses as an impotence drug is as symbolic as it is scientific - seahorses are the only animals where the male carries the babies. Also, male seahorses perform a romantic dance as to woo the object of their affection into mating. [continues 692 words]
The decriminalisation of marijuana is quite easily one of the greatest controversies of our decade. Ever since Ross Rebagliati came so close to losing his gold medal from some misplaced molecules of marijuana in his body, there has been constant clamour, by civil libertarians, individuals and partisan politicians, against the stiff charges that people caught with trivial quantities of marijuana face today. They all have their own takes on the issue, politically motivated as their opinions might be. The truth is, marijuana has never been given a fair treatment by the law. Possession of small amounts of marijuana has received the same punishment by law as possession of hard drugs, while in actual fact these small amounts are only slightly more harmful or intoxicating than a few bars of chocolate. [continues 465 words]
Pot, ganja, hash, kif, mary jane, reefer, bud, weed: whatever you call it and regardless of whether or not you smoke it, everyone has an opinion regarding whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Whether it's an apathetic shrug of the shoulders, a vehement "no" or an enthusiastic "yes," it's an interesting, complex and deeply rooted debate that, while nowhere near over, may soon be forced to come to a head. The myths of B.C. bud surreptitiously supporting the province through American exports always intrigued me; so, months ago when I spotted the book Bud Inc.: Inside Canada's Marijuana Industry I was instantly compelled to buy it. Written by Ian Mulgrew, and a finalist for the National Business Book Award, this is not some stoner manifesto, but a serious, economic and analytical look at the marijuana industry in Canada and the subsequent fight for legalization. [continues 927 words]
This past Wednesday, former Vancouver mayor, Senator Larry Campbell spoke to UW students at a near full BMH auditorium. He was one of the most influential politicians in the decision to build Insite, a pro-social and progressive safe injection site in Vancouver. He began with a description of the four-pillar approach to ending drug abuse employed by so many health facilities, including Insite -- the supervised injection site that opened in September 2003. Campbell explained that "the system is based on treatment, law enforcement, harm reduction and prevention -- which all stem from the basic goals of the facility." As a former Canadian mountie narc, Campbell is no stranger to the severely detrimental effects of drug abuse -- and in particular, injectable drugs like heroin and cocaine. [continues 830 words]
To the Editor, I am writing in response to Mark Johnson's article "Solving the weed crisis." I am surprised at the way people have used the death of four RCMP officers as fuel with which to argue about the pros and cons of marijuana legalization. The fact of the matter is that their deaths were not caused by marijuana laws or lack thereof. They were not even investigating a grow operation as Johnson seems to think. The truth, which has gotten lost in the frenzy of marijuana debate, is that the officers were investigating a theft. They were helping collectors get their money back for a truck that Jim Roszko wasn't paying the lease payments for. It came out after the shooting that he happened to grow weed as well and within minutes the entire tragedy got turned into a debate about legalizing marijuana. Imprint staff should know facts before they write articles and not perpetuate lies. Adrienne Kerson [end]
Canada's respected Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) force was brought to its knees last week with the murder of four officers at the hands of a disturbed sociopath. The tradegy in Alberta conjured up feelings of intense sorrow, anger and a desire for justice. The issue was especially touchy because the officers were investigating a marijuana grow operation. It generated debate across the country with regard to the wisdom of Canada's marijuana policy -- and the Liberal Party of Canada's bi-annual convention held this past weekend was no exception. [continues 487 words]
A new report on the B.C. marijuana industry indicates that there may be economic benefits to legalizing pot. First of all, think about the policing expenditures the government could save if officers no longer had to arrest people for possession. Based on the number of charges and subsequent jail time estimates multiplied by the cost of jailing offenders, an estimated $1.9 million in Ontario alone could be saved. A "sin tax" added to the cost of producing weed would provide society with enough money to combat the real issue with drugs -- addiction. [continues 332 words]
Today, despite the fact that pot is still mostly illegal, it is true that, except for in some extremely conservative anal-retentive segments of the population, pot smoking is accepted as a lifestyle choice. The sad part is that stereotypes and negative images of pot-smokers as much as 30 years old persist among the general population. The common untruth that pot-smokers are lazy, trouble-making underachievers perpetuates itself through the media and filters into the general public's psyche on a daily basis. That is why I present to you the "Healthy Stoner," a Waterloo honours student/athlete/TA who also happens to smoke up seven to eight times a day. The Healthy Stoner is just one of many habitual pot-smokers who represent a counter-stereotype to the common image of cannabis connoisseurs. He is a man who knows how to use the drug like a Prof. knows how to drink Starbucks coffee. I sat down with The Healthy Stoner to discuss his revealing insights into his usage of the drug, his hints not to fall into the lazy stoner slump and his love of green tea. [continues 654 words]
To the Editor, Gopaul Deosaran does a nice job summarizing the adverse health effects associated with cannabis. Which only makes it doubly unfortunate that he misses the point entirely. No one in the sensible drug law reform movement claims that smoking cannabis is risk free, particularly for children. The point is, prohibition is worse. The greatest danger of using cannabis isn't the physical effects; it's the risk of being dragged through the criminal justice system. Every year hundreds of thousands of otherwise ordinary, non-violent and productive adult citizens are caught up in the dragnet of prohibition, branded for life as criminals. It's not just cannabis users who pay the price. [continues 180 words]
A Retrospective Look At The Marijuana Question Imprint Archives This article first appeared in the Friday, September 15, 1972 issue of the Imprint's predecessor Chevron. It is being reprinted here to give readers yet another perspective on an issue that has been at the forefront of debate in recent weeks: marijuana. Based on recently compiled medical-psychological research, and the informed opinions of authoritative analysts in government, law, finance and the media, the Canadian government has moved with commendable speed and foresight in attacking the nation's latest in a series of "crazes" or fads notable for their ominous implications. Yes, gentle readers, another "alteration of consciousness" phenomenon seems to be about to burst on the scene. [continues 565 words]
Pot, herb, grass, weed, Mary Jane, skunk, boom, gangster, kif and ganja. All of these names describe the greenish-gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant scientifically known as Cannabis sativa, or simply the marijuana plant. Although the slang names for marijuana give an impression of lightheartedness towards its use, research has shown that the effects of marijuana can be harmful and should not be taken lightly. There are about 400 chemicals in the marijuana plant. The one that affects the brain the most and is the main active component of marijuana is THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Researchers have found that THC changes the way that sensory information gets processed in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of the brain crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivations. [continues 430 words]
"Must be 19 years or older. ID required." Such reads the sign on the shelf below the brightly coloured bongs at Shakedown Street, downtown Kitchener's rainbow-coloured wonderland of vibrant glass, hemp clothing and 'tobacco product' paraphernalia. "My name's Peter," introduces the clerk behind the counter. "I've worked here for six years," he elaborates, offering his help. "We're the only [shop] of this size," Peter informs. "There are other smaller ones in the area, but none of this magnitude or variety." [continues 879 words]
Liberals start the long process of decriminalization This week the Canadian government began a process to pass new legislation regarding marijuana use. This new legislation would decriminalize the drug by relaxing punishments for possession of marijuana. Possession of less then 15 grams of the substance would be followed only with a fine of $150. A possession of greater amounts could still result in a court appearance and jail time. However, proposed legislation would strengthen punishments against marijuana suppliers, traffickers and growers. [continues 758 words]
So it looks like pot smokers, those modern day pariahs who are ceaselessly hunted across the nation by a large network of elite and brutal law enforcement officers will finally be able to emerge from their hidden shelters, thanks to our new enlightened policy of marijuana decriminalization. Well, not quite. Despite the publicity that the current legislation has been attracting, it's unlikely that your average tea head will notice much difference whether or not the legislation is passed. Smoking the J has become so widespread and accepted that the laws in place are used more often as an excuse to arrest someone who has caused problems for the police than to act as any type of deterrence. This is good, because all justification for prohibiting the drug has become hopelessly anachronistic. Some will still charge that weed is a 'gateway drug' leading to a coke-addled lifestyle of crime, prostitution and ritual murder. [continues 469 words]
The debate over the decriminalization of cannabis is generally divided between those who feel it would relieve strain from our judicial system and those who believe pot is a grave social threat. One of the underlying issues of this debate begs the question of whether cannabis is addictive, and if so, whether such an addiction is something we should worry about. But how is addiction defined? Webster's defines it as a compulsive need for, and use of, a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal, or a persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful. In general, scientists largely agree that there are two primary types of addiction: psychological and physical. [continues 457 words]
