Here's A Few Headlines You Won't See Any Time Soon: . Coors kingpin held in murder of Molson's godfather . Police blame massacre on whiskey dealers . Tobacco pusher gunned down in drive-by . New strain of booze kills addicts We don't see headlines like this because the drugs involved, alcohol and nicotine, are legally available. You can follow government guidelines to make them, sell them, ingest them and even commit slow suicide, if that's your pleasure. And they will indeed kill you. Alcoholism can destroy relationships, job opportunities, and futures, not to mention the damage it does to the body. The mayhem a drunk driver can cause behind the wheel is apparent every day. [continues 493 words]
A business partnership between two Langley organizations hopes to curb meth use and labs in the Langley area. On your next trip to the local hardware or grocery store you may notice something that wasn't there last time you checked out. Educational posters and pamphlets on Methamphetamine (crystal meth) will be highly visible at local retailers who sell materials that are used to produce the drug. The Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Downtown Langley Merchants Association (DLMA) contributed $2,000 to the RCMP's Meth Watch Program in Langley. [continues 404 words]
A Drug Case That Began At The Aldergrove Border Crossing Has Foundered On Constitutional Grounds. In a ruling that cuts to the heart of how Canadian border guards do their jobs, a provincial court judge has ruled that the rights of a man charged with smuggling 50 kilograms of cocaine into the country were violated when he was searched at the Aldergrove border crossing. Justice Ellen Gordon ruled Friday that border officers - who routinely question travellers and search their vehicles - violated three sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when they interrogated Ajitpal Singh Sekhon and dismantled the truck he was driving without a search warrant. [continues 275 words]
Odd Thoughts Phhhffffssssssssst! Just a biddit... phhhffffooouh. Yeah, dude. Like, you can't BUY that kind of advertising, eh? Like, the United Nations, dude. The United Nations is telling the whole world. Like, anybody who didn't know it, like, knows it now, eh? Like, the whole world. The best pot in the whole world comes from right here in Canada, eh? And dude... Phhhffffssssssssst! You ad I bode doe that thuh bess id Cadada cubs frob ride ear idda good ole Bee of Cee, eh? [continues 488 words]
B.C. produces 40 per cent of Canada's pot, according to the World Drug Report 2007, released this week by the United Nations. In 2005, most of the world's pot was grown in the Americas (23 per cent in North America and 23 per cent in Central and South America and the Caribbean). While Canada ranked behind the U.S. and Mexico - which "may be the world's largest cannabis herb producers," according to the report - we're still known around the world for our B.C. bud. And with just 13.1 per cent of Canada's population, according to 2004 figures, British Columbia's 40 per cent share of the nation's pot production adds up to a lot of grow ops per capita. [continues 191 words]
Langley RCMP will keep up the pressure on a home that has its Brookswood neighbours worried. One of the biggest problems for Langley RCMP officers recently has been a house on a quiet street in Brookswood. Neighbours, who say the home is a drug house, were glad to see a Township bylaws crew arrive Tuesday morning to clean up a pile of junk on the front lawn. The home, in the 20400-block of 37B Avenue, stands out from its neighbours. Where they have well-manicured lawns, this has an overgrown patch of weeds. [continues 421 words]
Infants addicted to drugs and alcohol are getting fleece blankets from Langley students. Every year babies are born to mothers who struggle with addictions and who have used drugs or alcohol during their pregnancy. A group of Langley students are hoping to bring a little bit of love to these precious beings. King's School participates in several outreach programs. In the past they have done Adopt a Street missionary work, cleaned houses for the less able, and yard work. This time they thought they'd try something different. [continues 408 words]
A new team will be active within Langley Township within a month, their job to detect and clamp down on marijuana grow operations. Within the month, Langley crime- and firefighters will have a bigger arsenal in their battle to rid this town of marijuana grow operations. Grow-ops are prolific throughout B.C., and Langley is no exception, said Supt. Janice Armstrong, commanding officer of the Langley RCMP. Following the example of neighbouring law enforcement in Surrey and Abbotsford, Langley police, fire and bylaw officers have rallied together to create the Public Safety Inspection Team. [continues 798 words]
Gangs in Aldergrove are just one issue the RCMP wants to attack this year. uth gangs are a problem in Langley, and the RCMP is looking to tackle them, the detachment's top officer told Township council. "It's primarily localized in the Aldergrove area," said Supt. Janice Armstrong. The head of the detachment gave her quarterly public report to the mayor and council last Monday, capping it with a brief sketch of gang activity. The gangs are involved in strong arm tactics and intimidation, Armstrong said, but the public rarely complains about them unless there is a major investigation underway. [continues 370 words]
Parents and kids learn about a killer drug. Addiction doesn't discriminate - especially addiction to methamphetamine, otherwise known as crystal meth. The highly addictive drug was the topic of discussion at a forum on Tuesday night. Several concerned parents came to Betty Gilbert Elementary hoping for answers. The crystal meth education series snowballed from a initiative taken by Langley City and Township. Langley School District partnered with the two municipalities and came up with Project Resiliency, a drug awareness program. Facilitator Cindy Pettit designed the presentation and now travels to Langley schools, educating students, parents, and the community at large. [continues 330 words]
Pot Growers And Meth Makers Will Be The Targets Of A New Bylaw From The Township Council. The Township will have a new tool to crack down on the owners of homes where drugs are illicitly being produced. On Monday, council gave authorization for a pilot program that will use special safety inspections to recover costs from marijuana grow homes. The $250,000 project includes a number of changes to Township bylaws. Existing bylaws will be augmented by giving the Township the power to cut off water to properties used to produce drugs, giving Township workers the power to conduct repairs if owners don't comply, and turning any expenses into a debt of the owners. [continues 120 words]
Containers containing dangerous chemicals broke open in the Cloverdale area on Thursday. Environment protection agencies are assessing the impact two meth lab dumps are having on nearby land and water, after they were discovered in the Cloverdale area last week. Authorities cancelled plans to evacuate up to 200 homes Thursday night after the Surrey fire department and HAZCO Environmental conducted air quality and other tests at the sites and deemed them "safe and secure." Barrels, buckets and garbage bags containing dangerous chemicals like hydriodic, caustic and muriatic acid, red phosphorus and sodium hydroxide were found on a residential development site on the northwest corner of 182nd Street and 70th Avenue on Tuesday. The containers broke open after being pushed around with a backhoe, releasing a gaseous cloud that made the machine operator's tongue numb and caused quite a scare in the neighbourhood. [continues 216 words]
Dear Editor, As a retired New Jersey state trooper with 12 years as an undercover drug narc, I concur with letter-writer Ken Marsh that, on many topics related to public drug policy, police officers have strong credibility. So with regard to discussion of the proposed legislation in Canada to arrest anyone with even a hint of marijuana metabolites in their system, I submit this would be a ridiculous overkill and a tremendous waste of valuable police resources. It is reasonable and perhaps even urgent that we, as police, support efforts to reduce the number of drivers who are operating their vehicles while demonstrably and measurably impaired by any drugs. [continues 154 words]
Dear Editor, Unfortunately the media are all to willing to cite the police on matters where they have no training or knowledge [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance]. The worst cases pertain the war on drugs, in which the police have an inherent conflict of interest to maintain their funding. The police are not trained in social science or public policy. Since they spend most of their time dealing with criminals, they have a distorted view of society and are not a reliable source of information outside of their narrow area of expertise. David Lane Santa Cruz, California, USA [end]
Dear Editor, Ken J. Marsh [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance] just proves the old saying, "There is a sucker born every minute." I use marijuana for medical reasons, not to "escape reality." By that, I mean I use marijuana to deal with the reality of a chronic pain and depression condition, and my wife uses it to escape violent epileptic seizures. But on the subject of police credibility, one must look at history. Just because a cop says something is dangerous, doesn't make it so. [continues 141 words]
Dear Editor, Ken Marsh ought to consider the Orwellian notion of the bought mind before he makes a blanket statement concerning believing police over a cannabis user on the ideological issue of liberty [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance]. "The bought mind- is a spoiled mind," said Orwell. Even more Orwellian is the notion of the police expressing political opinions. The constitution gives Canadians freedom of thought, yet the state has controlled the dialog on drugs for about 100 years. [continues 64 words]
Dear Editor, Ken J. Marsh said the police carried more weight in the battle in the war on drugs than someone who chooses, for whatever reason, to imbibe in cannabis [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance]. I am a legal medical marijuana patient in Canada. I am also a retired law enforcement officer and a leading Canadian speaker for LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Does that make me credible in Mr. Marsh's eyes? He could stop by our website at www.leap.cc to see just what utter nonsense he speaks. Alison Myrden, Burlington, Ont. [end]
Langley taxpayers are paying a high price as the Township becomes known as the Lower Mainland's meth waste dump. Without even taking detox, lab dismantling and preventive education costs into account, Langley taxpayers are forking out more than $120,000 a year just to dispose of meth lab waste. While Lower Mainland residents are increasingly aware of how prolific crystal methamphetamine use has become in today's society, and how highly addictive and horrifyingly toxic the drug is, its producers continued to make and sell the hallucinogenic drug in mass quantities. [continues 922 words]
Dear Editor, In reply to Ken J. Marsh [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance] there have been extensive studies of marijuana and both driving and flying by the British government. The driving reports should be available from official U.K. sources on the Internet, but the military study was leaked. They were used in their decision to decriminalize marijuana about three years ago. First, groups of motorists with and without marijuana were observed as they drove around a figure-eight road course with a light at the intersection. No essential differences in driving skills were noted between the marijuana and non-marijuana groups. [continues 187 words]
Dear Editor, For Ken Marsh, who would believe a policeman over a regular citizen [Police officers easier to believe, Jan. 9 Letters, Langley Advance], I have some prime waterfront property he can buy for a reasonable price, in Florida. Bruce Symington Medicine Hat, Alberta [end]
