Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning a trip to Manitoba, with stops in Winnipeg today and Churchill tomorrow, says a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office. Harper is expected to make an announcement with federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, Treasury Board President Vic Toews and Minister of Health Tony Clement at 2 p.m. today at the Salvation Army at 180 Henry St. A source said Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl may also make the trip. [continues 157 words]
Munchies aren't included with a caffeinated drink a Winnipeg-based company is now distributing. Clarus Canadian Springs is carrying Bong Water Energized Sports Drinks, a line of beverages where references to marijuana and the drug subculture abound. Bong Water is the brainchild of Growth Capital Group. The drinks are made with Clarus's own spring water. Bong Water comes in four versions -- the Original Bong Water 420 Chronic Tonic, Purple Haze, Green Dreams and Rasta Cherry. The drinks are available at stores in Canada and the U.S. [continues 130 words]
EDMONTON -- A man who has admitted stalking his estranged wife, planted drugs in her luggage just before she left for a trip to Thailand and then called police, court documents say. James Stout Green, 44, was ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment after pleading guilty to criminal harassment and a sentencing date is slated to be set tomorrow. Green is being held in custody and also faces further counts of criminal harassment as well as charges of disobeying court orders, uttering death threats and breaching a peace bond and an emergency protection order. [continues 138 words]
Health Minister Admits '90s Stimulant Use TORONTO -- Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman said he hopes the revelation he was addicted to street drugs in the 1990s will help others struggling with substance abuse. "There is something better on the other side," he said. "I hope there are some people out there who can read that story and it can help put their situation in a better perspective and give them a little bit more power to charge through it." Speaking in London yesterday, Smitherman made his first public appearance since revealing he was addicted to illegal drugs for five years and used them regularly in Toronto's party scene. [continues 146 words]
Children under 12 who engage in criminal acts would no longer escape the long arm of the law under a revamped youth justice act. Calling the current legislation a "failure," Conservative Justice Minister Vic Toews said the legal system should have some jurisdiction over even the youngest law-breakers. "I'm not suggesting that we put them in prison or do anything. But the fact that (the courts) have no jurisdiction, the street gangs understand that very clearly," he said in an interview with Sun Media. [continues 154 words]
CALGARY -- Sending a letter proclaiming innocence rather than showing up to answer for her crime earned the ire of a judge poised to consider a woman's sentence. "This is outrageous ... what other spin should I put on it?" provincial court Judge Heather Lamoureux said yesterday. "I've never encountered this situation before." Things got complicated when two people convicted of drug trafficking were no-shows for sentencing submissions. Gianlucia Comesino and Marika Orazio, both of Italy, were charged with importing a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. [continues 205 words]
OTTAWA -- A violent man high on cocaine died in a Kingston hospital yesterday, less than three hours after police used a Taser gun to subdue him. Kingston police said the 43-year-old man died after going into a seizure at the hospital, 2 1/2 hours after being taken into custody after a standoff at a residence about 8:30 a.m. According to police, the man, who was armed with a large knife and baseball bat, had barricaded himself in a bedroom and was threatening to harm himself. [continues 251 words]
TORONTO -- An NDP pharmacare program could pay for prescribed pot, Jack Layton suggested yesterday. The NDP leader said marijuana that's required as medication to help people suffering from AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses might be eligible under his proposed national drug program. "It might fit. That's going to have to be a decision made as we look at the particular medications in consultation with the medical profession," he said. "I've drawn a lot of inspiration from those who are tackling catastrophic illnesses and who are seeking the support for medical use." [continues 89 words]
OTTAWA -- Prison authorities must step up efforts to stem the flow of booze, drugs and weapons inside federal pens to protect staff, visitors and the public at large, critics charge. Sources tell Sun Media that while "official policy" purports to aggressively track dangerous items, staff are also warned not to "upset the apple cart" when cracking down on contraband. "They want you to do your job, but on the other hand they don't want you to stir the pot," said one veteran guard. "When you start tearing ranges apart and searching, that gets them upset. You almost need permission to go into the cells nowadays." [continues 226 words]
BARRIE -- Police say they are overwhelmed by the size of the indoor pot grow operation inside the former Molson's brewery here and believe it's the largest ever found in Ontario. "I can't even begin to describe it," said OPP Supt. Bill Crate, after touring the massive building. "This operation is twice the size we thought it was yesterday." A second huge marijuana grow operation was discovered just north of the city yesterday when police raided a commercial building in Oro-Medonte. [continues 202 words]
EDMONTON -- The federal government's controversial marijuana decriminalization bill is coming back to the Commons in 2004 -- and the U.S. ambassador is already warning of reduced border access for Canadian trade and travel. And while U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci acknowledged yesterday Canada has the right to set its own drug policy, he warned Ottawa could be setting the stage for a border crackdown if the bill makes weed easier to get here. "Our concern is the perception of this is that this is a weakening of the law ... that it will be easier to get marijuana in Canada," he said during an Edmonton stopover. [continues 117 words]
OTTAWA -- Canadian police chiefs and officers yesterday joined forces with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to demand the federal government dump its proposed law to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot. "There are too many serious flaws in this bill and the approach advocated by the government to deal with the plague of marijuana is altogether heading in the wrong direction," said Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Professional Police Association. Cannavino said one of the biggest problems with the proposed new law, Bill C-38, is it fails to give police the ability to decide whether or not to lay a charge or issue a ticket. [continues 131 words]
Web Site Invites Tokers North As Fake Refugees; Cops See Red TORONTO -- Organizers of a Canadian pro-marijuana Web site say several Americans have filed refugee claims here because they're being persecuted by police for smoking dope in the U.S. But Canadian cops want a probe into the Underground Reefer Railway site, which they claim urges Americans to file frivolous refugee claims so they can stay in Canada and smoke pot where they won't be penalized as in the U.S. [continues 194 words]
WINNIPEG -- Canada's big city mayors quietly voted Saturday to support the decriminalization of marijuana. "Last year we were against the decriminalization of cannabis, this year we're not," said Toronto city councillor Howard Moscoe. Moscoe said the vote came as a part of a package of motions that were put before delegates at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Winnipeg early Saturday. There didn't appear to be any reporters at the conference at the time, he said. Moscoe said a motion was put forward to affirm the FCM's old policy, which was against decriminalization. But about 70% of the mayors and delegates at the conference voted the motion down. "That means by extension that we support decriminalization," Moscoe said. Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray was unavailable for comment on the issue last night. A spokesman said Murray was not present for the vote. [end]
Angry Liberals Lash Out OTTAWA -- Canada's new pot bill came under continued attack yesterday, with some backbench Liberal MPs questioning their government's priorities. A handful of frustrated Liberals lashed out against the plan to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana -- a move they say sends mixed messages to youth and fails to address the dangers of drug-impaired drivers. A fuming Scarborough Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis suggested the marijuana bill is one more signal that Prime Minister Jean Chretien should vacate his post early -- and "the sooner the better." [continues 279 words]
OTTAWA -- The federal government will create a higher demand and larger black market for pot with its proposed marijuana law, a former lawyer and marijuana activist said yesterday. Rick Reimer, one of 600 Canadians given special status to legally smoke pot, also said the new law gives police too much discretion. Canadian Police Association vice-president Mike Neibudek admits decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot could open the door to similar rules for other drugs. Asked if it's a slippery slope, Neibudek said:"Yes, it is." [end]
OTTAWA -- Canada isn't going soft on recreational use of pot by decriminalizing possession of small amounts of weed, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said yesterday. Cauchon went to Washington yesterday to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Attorney General John Ashcroft, to present Canada's new plan to revamp its pot laws -- a move that drew criticism from the Opposition because MPs haven't seen it. Cauchon said he was going to Washington to inform Ashcroft about the "broad principles of the policy." [continues 76 words]
OTTAWA -- Decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot for personal use has the support of the man most likely to be the next prime minister of Canada. "I think the idea of giving a young person a criminal record because they happened to get caught with a very, very small quantity (five to 30 grams) once in their life -- I don't think that's what we should be doing," Liberal leadership candidate Paul Martin told Sun Media. But he added: "I would not, under any circumstances, make it legal." A Sun-Leger poll found 83% of Canadians who responded want lighter laws for pot possession. Only 14% of respondents believed pot should be illegal in all circumstances. [end]
The status of a government-approved marijuana crop in Flin Flon, Man., is a closely guarded secret, says the city's mayor. Mayor Dennis Ballard said yesterday that Health Canada is reluctant to share any information on the underground pot mine, which is approved by the government for medicinal use. "I don't know much of anything about the mine other than what I've read in the paper," he said yesterday. Health Canada awarded a five-year, $5.7-million contract to Prairie Plant Systems in 2000 to grow 400 kilos of marijuana annually in an underground mine in Flin Flon. In November, a Health Canada official said a second crop was being tested with the hope it would lead to clinical trials. A small amount of the first crop, grown last year, had to be destroyed because it contained spores and fungus. [end]
