Is dropping acid a reasonable way to deal with a drinking problem? Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's department of neuroscience think there's some merit to the idea. They've gone through data from experiments conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, and say there is evidence that subjects given LSD were more likely to make progress in dealing with a harmful alcohol habit. Their paper, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, took a broad look at six different experimental trials, including one in Canada in 1966, involving 536 subjects being treated for alcohol problems. [continues 288 words]
LSD Could Treat Addictions, Norwegian Study Suggests Is dropping acid a reasonable way to deal with a drinking problem? Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's department of neuroscience think there's some merit to the idea. They've gone through data from experiments conducted in the 1960s and 1970s and say there is evidence that subjects given LSD were more likely to make progress in dealing with a harmful alcohol habit. Their paper, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, took a broad look at six different experimental trials - including one in Canada in 1966 - involving 536 subjects being treated for alcohol problems. [continues 343 words]
Canada needs to give up the war on drugs and start treating drug use as a health and social issue rather than something for the criminal justice system to deal with, according to a policy group that was formally launched Thursday. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is, among other things, calling for the government to decriminalize drug use and not stand in the way of harm-reduction programs, such as safe-injection sites. "In western legal systems, the criminal law has long been seen as the instrument of last resort to be used when other means of social control has failed," Eugene Oscapella, a University of Ottawa criminology professor and member of the group's policy committee, said. "Unfortunately, in the case of certain drugs - cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and hundreds of other substances for that matter - it has been used as the principal vehicle of social control." [continues 306 words]
It's A Social Issue, Not Criminal, Group Says Canada needs to give up the war on drugs and start treating drug use as a health and social issue rather than something for the criminal justice system to deal with, according to a policy group formally launched Thursday. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is, among other things, calling for the government to decriminalize drug use and not stand in the way of harm-reduction programs, such as safe-injection sites. "In western legal systems, the criminal law has long been seen as the instrument of last resort to be used when other means of social control has failed," Eugene Oscapella, a University of Ottawa criminology professor and member of the group's policy committee, said at a news conference on Parliament Hill. "Unfortunately, in the case of certain drugs -- cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and hundreds of other substances for that matter -- it has been used as the principal vehicle of social control." [continues 367 words]
Tougher Laws Won't Reduce Problem but Rather Create a Lucrative Black Market, Group Says OTTAWA -- Canada needs to give up the war on drugs and start treating drug use as a health and social issue rather than something for the criminal justice system to deal with, according to a policy group that was formally launched Thursday. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is, among other things, calling for the government to decriminalize drug use and not stand in the way of harm-reduction programs, such as safe-injection sites. [continues 485 words]
Group Argues Reality Is That Safe Injection Sites Save Lives Canada needs to give up the war on drugs and start treating drug use as a health and social issue rather than something for the criminal justice system to deal with, according to a policy group that was formally launched Thursday. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is, among other things, calling for the government to decriminalize drug use and not stand in the way of harm-reduction programs, such as safe-injection sites. [continues 324 words]
Canada needs to give up the war on drugs and start treating drug use as a health and social issue rather than something for the criminal justice system to deal with, according to a policy group that was formally launched Thursday. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is, among other things, calling for the government to decriminalize drug use and not stand in the way of harm-reduction programs, such as safe-injection sites. "In western legal systems, the criminal law has long been seen as the instrument of last resort to be used when other means of social control has failed," Eugene Oscapella, a University of Ottawa criminology professor and member of the group's policy committee, said at a news conference on Parliament Hill. "Unfortunately, in the case of certain drugs -- cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and hundreds of other substances for that matter -- it has been used as the principal vehicle of social control." [continues 163 words]
Light to moderate marijuana smokers show no signs of lung damage, in contrast to cigarette smokers, according to results of a study conducted in the United States. A report to be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that, over a 20-year period, pot smokers generally did not experience a loss in lung functioning. Many actually had enhanced lung capacity, which one researcher involved in the study speculated might come from the common practice of holding one's breath after inhaling cannabis smoke to maximize its intoxicating effects. [continues 296 words]
Economic Turmoil, Workplace and Family Demands May Be Behind Trend, Study Official Says People in Canada's most populous province are drinking alcohol more often and smoking dope in larger proportions -and psychological distress is more widespread there, according to the latest data from a long-running study of Ontario residents. These are findings from surveys conducted in 2009, the latest in a series of studies that have been performed since 1977 by the Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. [continues 442 words]
An OPP police officer accused of dealing drugs has been released on bail, with his brother acting as his guarantor, following a court hearing in Brockville yesterday. Kemptville's Maurice Morrissette, a 37-year-old constable, had been in custody since Thursday. He is charged with one count of trafficking a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of obstructing justice. The charges stem from an investigation into drug and contraband-cigarette trade in the Prescott area. Police have said the charges are related to marijuana. His brother, Mike, posted $5,000 bond as a condition of the release. Mr. Morrissette's next court date is April 13. [end]
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation should "strongly consider" mandatory and random drug testing of commercial truck drivers, the coroner's jury into the death of William Stephen Davidson recommended Tuesday. The five-person jury concluded Davidson died accidentally from cocaine-induced excited delirium. The recommendation for drug testing and two others - requiring trucking companies to educate drivers about the dangers of drug abuse and addiction and having the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario "strongly remind its membership" of the legal obligation to inform the Ministry of Transportation if a patient 16 or older has a condition that impairs his driving "with particular emphasis on the issues of drug addiction and substance abuse" - were suggested by David Carruthers, counsel for the coroner's office. [continues 626 words]
Local police leaders say the killing of four police officers in Alberta Thursday is an extreme example of how dangerous marijuana grow operations can be. "It certainly does hit very close to home, especially here in Leeds County," said Inspector Jeroen Meinen, the county's OPP detachment commander. "We've dealt with several grow operations right here in our own backyard. It just shows the potential for violence in these things. "These (grow operations) are really a scourge on the communities that they're in." [continues 641 words]
No Charges for Possession OTTAWA'S police chief has told his officers not to arrest or charge people for possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana. Chief Vince Bevan said in a statement yesterday he has told officers to "not arrest or issue any form of process" on individuals possessing this amount of cannabis for personal use. Bevan's move comes a day after the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police advised police to refrain from laying charges in such cases until the courts clear up possession laws. [continues 338 words]
Says 'Very Rarely ... Stoned' Due To Regular Use A possible precedent-setting trial of a man charged with driving impaired on marijuana is about halfway done following a day of hearings yesterday. Rick Reimer, a retired lawyer living in Wilno, Ont., southwest of Pembroke, is charged even though he is legally permitted to smoke pot because of his multiple sclerosis. He was pulled over by the OPP last February. Police say his car crossed the centre median and he was subsequently charged with impaired driving. [continues 177 words]
It's "unduly dogmatic" that Chris Laurin was suspended based solely on a police dog's judgment the smell of pot was on his jacket, says one activist lawyer. "Canine adjudication has no place in our system," said Alan Borovoy, general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. "Even if we assume for a moment that the dog's instincts are unerring, are infallible, the best that tells you is that youngster may have been exposed to the drug," said Borovoy. "But it doesn't tell you that he dealt in it, that he consumed it, that he possessed it. [continues 156 words]
The use of drugs among young people is a serious issue and it takes serious measures to deal with it, says Stuart Auty, president of the Canadian Safe Schools Network. Auty said periodic checks involving police dogs is a good way to discourage students from bringing drugs to school. "For the student population, it's a wake-up call when they see dogs going through on a lockdown, searching their lockers," he said. "Drugs and drug use in schools is on the increase and I can understand a school principal being concerned about it. I think (the lockdowns are) a statement to the kids and I think it's a statement that says: 'Hey wait a minute. Is this a good idea to be taking drugs?' " [continues 147 words]
There's often more to a student suspension than meets the eye, says a superintendent with the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board. There were many questions being asked after 15-year-old Chris Laurin was given a two-day suspension from St. Matthew High School because a police dog smelled the scent of marijuana on his jacket during a routine check at the school. While refusing to talk specifically about this case, superintendent Mike Baine said principals take many factors into consideration before imposing suspensions and don't treat such punishments "frivolously." [continues 86 words]
