An illegal west-end pot shop has not let a recent string of robberies run it out of business. The CannaGreen shop at 102 McEwen Ave., off Richmond Road, was robbed for the third time in two months this past weekend. Late Monday morning, the front glass door of the business remained shattered, evidence of a Saturday night smash and grab. The vandalized door was propped open, allowing for the scent of pot to emanate from the store that appeared to have patrons coming and going. Two employees - one behind a glass display case and the other behind a wall with a service window where customers receive product from the back room - would not comment on the incident. [continues 243 words]
Police believe incidents of driving while drugged will rise once marijuana is legalized, writes Paula McCooey As pot dispensaries become more prevalent in Ottawa, there is growing concern about people driving while high. In May, Canada's leading drive-safe group held a series of meetings with new members of Parliament to discuss what it calls the need to implement better roadside-testing technology before legislation to legalize marijuana is passed. Mothers Against Drunk Driving appealed to the government to do away with current drug-recognition evaluations, and implement "drug wipe" roadside saliva tests, similar to breathalyzer tests that detect alcohol, to tell on the spot whether a driver is impaired by drugs. [continues 850 words]
As pot dispensaries become more prevalent in Ottawa, there is growing concern about people driving while high. In May, Canada's leading drive-safe group held a series of meetings with new MPs to discuss what it calls the need to implement better roadside testing technology, before legislation to legalize marijuana is passed. Mothers Against Drunk Driving appealed to the government to do away with current drug-recognition evaluations, and implement "drug wipe" roadside saliva tests, similar to the Breathalyzer tests, to tell on the spot whether a person is impaired by drugs. [continues 859 words]
As the provincial government prepares for legal marijuana sales, pharmacists say they welcome the opportunity to dispense the drug for medicinal purposes - just don't get them into the recreational market. The Canadian Pharmacists Association released its position on medical marijuana in April, stating that, given that there is a growing number of Canadians obtaining medical marijuana licences with minimal oversight by healthcare professionals, it's important pharmacists play a front-line role in patient management and dispensing of medical marijuana. [continues 359 words]
When Gillian FitzGibbon's doctor suggested she try cannabis to reduce her chronic knee, hip and ankle pain, she figured anything was better than the cocktail of opioids she had been prescribed for years, medication that she said left her in an "abyss." As health-care providers sound the alarm over rising opioid addiction and the lack of available pain management alternatives, some patients like FitzGibbon - along with their physicians - are turning to cannabis derivatives for relief. Ottawa physician Hillel Finestone co-authored an article published on June 14 in the journal Canadian Family Physician that calls opioid use in Canada an epidemic and links it to the lack of options offered by doctors for pain management. The authors say this is happening, in part, because non-medical pain management services - like physiotherapy to address physical tension and psychologists and social workers to address stress - are not covered by government health insurance plans, and therefore typically not considered part of a pain management plan. [continues 512 words]
But They Don't Want to Be Involved in Recreational Market As the provincial government prepares for legal marijuana sales, pharmacists say they welcome the opportunity to dispense the drug for medicinal purposes - just don't get them into the recreational market. The Canadian Pharmacists Association released its position on medical marijuana in April, stating that, given that there is a growing number of Canadians obtaining medical marijuana licences with minimal oversight by health-care professionals, it's important pharmacists play a front-line role in patient management and dispensing of medical marijuana. [continues 363 words]
Pot Has Helped Gillian Fitzgibbon Find Relief and Kick Opioid Use When Gillian FitzGibbon's doctor suggested she try cannabis to reduce her chronic knee, hip and ankle pain, she figured anything was better than the cocktail of opioids she had been prescribed for years, medication that she said left her in an "abyss". As health-care providers sound the alarm over rising opioid addiction and the lack of available pain management alternatives, some patients like FitzGibbon - along with their physicians - are turning to cannabis derivatives for relief. [continues 892 words]
Police will need better tools to catch impaired drivers if Parliament is going to legalize marijuana, the country's leading safe-driving group said Tuesday. MADD Canada had a series of meetings with new members of Parliament to discuss what it calls the need to implement better roadside testing technology, before legislation to legalize is passed. National president Angeliki Souranis told a news conference at the Radisson Hotel on Queen Street the organization would like to see the government implement "drug wipe" roadside saliva tests, similar to the breathalyzer tests that detect alcohol, because they are more effective. [continues 403 words]
Former Mountie on the cusp of marijuana industry As he sits in the sleek, modern waiting room of National Access Cannabis, Derek Ogden can envision what his quiet education clinic in Hintonburg might some day become: A bustling dispensary for medical marijuana. For the moment, Ogden's Ottawa operation is a membership - and information - based business. Its services include connecting clients to a network of physicians for a medical assessment, helping them to navigate the paperwork to obtain a medical cannabis card, and going as far as offering cooking-with-cannabis classes. [continues 647 words]
As medical pot sits on the cusp of legalization, dispensaries could be the model of the future As he sits in the sleek, modern waiting room of National Access Cannabis, Derek Ogden can envision what his quiet education clinic in Hintonburg might some day become: a bustling dispensary for medical marijuana. For the moment, Ogden's Ottawa operation is a membership- and information-based business. Its services include connecting clients to a network of physicians for a medical assessment, helping them navigate the paperwork to obtain a medical cannabis card, and go as far as offering cooking-with-cannabis classes. [continues 596 words]
With the federal Liberals blazing forward with plans to legalize marijuana, pot advocates gathered in droves Wednesday for the annual 4-20 rally at Parliament Hill. At previous rallies, when the Conservative government was in power, members of the pro-cannabis movement had used the 4-20 event as a platform to voice displeasure with Canada's marijuana laws. However this year's rally took a more relaxed tone. Instead of protesters waving placards, there were clusters of people sitting on the front lawn, quietly using bongs and smoking joints in the name of solidarity. [continues 495 words]
With the imminent legalization of marijuana for recreational use and increasing demand for medicinal cannabis, commercial grower Tweed is more than doubling its production space in Smiths Falls - and its sister company Tweed Farms has been approved to sell product through its Niagra-On-The-Lake location. Bruce Linton, chief executive of Canopy Growth Corp., a $260-million publicly traded company with Tweed, Tweed Farms Inc. and Bedrocan under its umbrella, called the company's new licence a "major milestone" that gives it the green light to produce medical marijuana in what might be - at 350,000 square feet - Canada's largest greenhouse. [continues 434 words]
The fact marijuana law reform was absent from the 2016 federal budget does not diminish Liberals' stance on legalization, a top drug policy expert says. Eugene Oscapella, a University of Ottawa criminal justice professor and lawyer who specializes in social policy development, says, in fact, that the omission of funding to regulate marijuana is actually a good thing given the government should be focused on a health-based approach, rather than viewing it as a major source of tax revenue. "First you have to design the regulatory framework," says Oscapella. "The provinces are going to have to get involved in this, and there are costs and benefits to each side." [continues 66 words]
Shut down in May for code violations Ottawa's first marijuana vapour lounge plans to reopen by Sept. 1, almost four months after city officials shuttered the controversial operation. Staff from the building code services department served BuzzOn lounge co-owner Wayne Robillard with a cease-and-desist order on May 15, citing code violations and safety issues. They also issued a $3,000 fine for operating an unsafe building. The city's actions followed visits by police and fire officials after the lounge opened on April 20 on Montreal Road. BuzzOn does not sell marijuana, but rents vaporizers to customers who bring their own supply. [continues 176 words]
Whether you're a proponent or opponent of medical cannabis, the therapeutic drug is slowly building momentum in the capital with more businesses dedicated to its use. The latest arrival is Canadian Cannabis Clinics. It will be opening an Ottawa clinic at the end of May in a medical building on Montreal Road, the fourth Ontario location to open in a year. The business operates like any other medical clinic where patients see a doctor and use their OHIP card as payment, but these doctors focus on assessing whether medical cannabis should be prescribed. The owners stress no cannabis will be on site. [continues 491 words]
A former Health Canada manager who helped Canadians navigate the sometimes hazy world of medical marijuana access has been appointed CEO of an emerging company that educates patients on its use. Gulwant Bajwa, 53, has taken on the lead role at National Access Cannabis (NAC), an alternative treatment care centre that first opened in Victoria with new locations slated to open across the country this year. The company will open its first Ottawa location in Hintonburg in June. During Bajwa's four years working with Health Canada's medical marijuana program, he investigated its impact on patients suffering with ailments such as fibromyalgia, arthritis and cancer. [continues 155 words]
A woman accused of being the ringleader of an international drug-trafficking and money-laundering operation pleaded guilty to charges laid against her in Canada, including tax evasion, and waived an extradition hearing yesterday. Mai Le, 41, will now travel to the U.S. to face charges against her there. Ms. Le was one of several people arrested in a string of raids on marijuana grow-ops and related sites that involved police forces in cities across North America on March 30, 2004. [continues 353 words]
Jail Not A Substitute For Treatment Centres, Judge Says After Trying To Find Girl A Placement Ontario Court Justice Dianne Nicholas expressed dismay yesterday that a residential treatment centre for young offenders still does not exist within 100 kilometres of Ottawa. "You cannot use jail as a substitute for a drug treatment facility," said Judge Nicholas. "You are not supposed to use incarceration to protect them from themselves." She said she is deeply concerned about a crack-addicted 16-year-old girl who appeared in court yesterday. Judge Nicholas said she believes the girl is deteriorating without the proper care and appeared "psychotic." [continues 457 words]
Man collapsed outside bus depot after beating over missing cocaine Four men admitted yesterday in court to their role in the death of British Columbia native Graeme Ferguson, a 27-year-old hired as a drug mule to transport 17 kilograms of pure Colombian cocaine to Ottawa. Guy Wilson, 38, and Kym Tessier, 20, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lafleche Boucher, 21, pleaded guilty to forcible confinement, extortion and robbery and was sentenced to 48 months for his role in the abduction of Mr. Ferguson who was held and beaten in a Montreal warehouse for five days. [continues 604 words]
People Who Commit Crimes To Feed Addictions Can Get Help, Not Jail Ottawa's new drug treatment court officially opened yesterday at the Elgin Street courthouse, offering a different approach to dealing with chronic drug offenders who commit non-violent crimes to feed their addictions. People who qualify will not serve time in jail but instead will be closely monitored and receive treatment for their addiction. Yesterday, four people were to be considered for the treatment in lieu of jail time. However, only one person applied and was accepted into the program yesterday. Two others chose jail time over the program and another offender has not yet applied. [continues 511 words]
