Unreasonable retail prices will not drive people to buy legally As Canadians prepare to celebrate the New Year, the country's provincial and federal governments continue to work on legalizing cannabis. Provided everything comes together according to initial plans, the monumental policy failure that has for decades treated a health issue as a criminal one - otherwise known as prohibition - will finally be over this summer. But a growing question looms as leaders attempt to legislate the substance. At a proposed price point that does not even make the slightest attempt to compete seriously with rates available on the black market, will people actually be convinced to ditch their dealers and do business with legal, regulated retailers? [continues 531 words]
Lives with potential continue to be ruined over charges of mere possession of a substance the federal government is working to regulate and legalize The Liberal government does not seem to be taking too seriously its promise to regulate and legalize marijuana. Sure, the federal party is looking at ways to reform obsolete and arguably draconian drug laws. After all, a permanent criminal record and jail time is rather heavy handed for a non-violent act and use of a substance that indigenous cultures around the world have used for millennia. [continues 427 words]
Surely Canada realizes that the negative consequences of perpetuating cannabis (marijuana) prohibition are greater than breaking UN treaties (re: Trudeau should put progressive policy ahead of flawed international laws, Feb. 2, 2016), which are not supported by citizens. To think nations must continue caging responsible adults who choose to use a relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant (as described on literally the very first page of the Bible) is antiquated, luciferous and vulgar. Discredited international treaties regarding cannabis be damned. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
The Sundre RCMP detachment will continue to make drug enforcement one of its priority initiatives over the next months, detachment commander Percy Leipnitz told town council. Leipnitz presented his detachment's third quarter statistics during last week's council meeting, saying proactive drug enforcement is the first initiative of officers. "We are still out there seeking information," he said. So far this year the detachment has answered 61 drug related calls for service, including 30 in town. That compared to 19 in town in the same period in 2009. [continues 418 words]
A former Central Alberta drug addict and drug dealer brought his story and his message of hope to a public meeting at the West County Centre last week, telling guests that parents can play a key role in keeping kids off drugs. Tom Barthel is known across the province for his work with parents and kids through his Streetsmart Counselling program. His information lecture and meeting in Sundre on Jan. 26 was sponsored by Greenwood Neighbourhood Place. (Due to privacy concerns from some of the people in the audience, Barthel requested that portions of last week's lecture not be made public). [continues 550 words]
Parents who want to save their children from becoming victims of drug addiction need to get involved and stay involved in the prevention process, according to Tom Barthel, a former drug addict and drug dealer. Barthel will be speaking to parents and others at the West County Centre on January 26. The information lecture and meeting is being sponsored by Greenwood Neighborhood Place. "I've been succeeding in getting kids off drugs by going though their parents," said Barthel. "I don't mean to sound opinionated, but a lot of what is being done simply isn't working. It is kind of in the box and where I'm coming from is outside the box and with the most amount of credibility a person can have in talking about this particular issue." [continues 397 words]
Re: Editorial headlined "Drug impaired driving good for no one", on page 4 of the October 20, 2009 Sundre Round Up. A law that allows invasive and inconclusive drug testing for drivers suspected of impairment has no place in a free and open society. We're watching the slow insidious rise of a narco-police state. People are being led by the nose by liars in politics who will sacrifice any civil liberties for their brand of social order. The current puppet government wants to spend $20,000,000,000 on prisons when the overall crime rate has been going down since 1992.Meanwhile, arrests for Cannabis are at an all-time high. Cannabis is Earth's best medicine, but governments for decades have kept it illegal for the benefit of the corporate elite.Denial is the most powerful coping mechanism. So while a gullible public will believe their best interest is being served, what is really happening is we are all losing freedom and rights.The roots of the word government mean to control the mind. People get the government they deserve. Bruce Codere Fox Creek, Alberta [end]
A new rule that allows police officers to suspend the licences of suspected drug-impaired drivers for 90 days is a good step in keeping Alberta's roads and streets safe. The Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension program (AALS) already imposes a minimum three-month suspension or disqualification on drivers who are charged with driving with a blood alcohol level greater than 80 mg per cent or refusing to provide either a breath or blood sample. Now the same program has been expanded to apply to motorists suspected of being impaired by drugs. [continues 357 words]
The Harper government has introduced legislation that, if passed, will impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for serious drug crimes committed in west central Alberta and everywhere else in Canada. By putting more drug offenders in jail and keeping them there longer, the government hopes to make communities safer while deterring young people from getting involved with illegal drugs in the first place. "These measures are a proportionate and measured response designed to disrupt criminal enterprise; drug producers and dealers who threaten the safety of our communities must face tougher penalties," said federal justice minister Rob Nicholson. [continues 343 words]
Re: Criminal profits should be fair games (March 10, P. 4): The U.S. civil asset forfeiture model is certainly lucrative. Police can confiscate cars, cash and homes without bothering to charge owners with a crime. Vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning protectors of the peace into financial predators. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties in America, while failing miserably at preventing drug use. A majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country. Canada's southern neighbor now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large part due to the intergenerational culture war otherwise known as the war on some drugs. Canada should Just Say No to the American Inquisition. Robert Sharpe [end]
If a new law that allows the province to seize property and cash from gangsters works as it should it will make Alberta a lot safer for everyone. Justice Minister Alison Redford says the Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Amendment Act, which has been in effect for the past two months, is already making life more difficult for organized criminals. "I'm confident our new law will have a serious impact on gang activity," said Redford. "This law has real teeth. If you are involved in criminal activity, you need to be aware that we have the power to come and take away your luxury SUV, your home or your bag full of drug money. You will lose that property." [continues 338 words]
During the current session of the Alberta Legislature the provincial government plans to introduce changes to the way legal authorities deal with young people burdened by drug and alcohol addictions. The changes include doubling the amount of time underage persons can be held in confinement while they receive assessment. Under current legislation young people who are abusing drugs or alcohol can be apprehended and taken to a protective safe house for assessment and treatment. Since coming into effect in July 2006, detoxification and assessment services operated under the legislation have been provided to more than 1,500 young people. [continues 341 words]
The Stelmach government has introduced proposed legislation that will give the province more power to seize property that has been used to commit crimes, including drug offences. Under proposed amendments to the Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act, vehicles, weapons, and other property could be seized and sold, with the proceeds going to victims and to programs that support victims and their families. The move is a good step, not only giving victims the support and compensation they need and deserve, but also perhaps acting as a deterrent to young people who may be considering getting involved in criminal activity. [continues 335 words]
To crack down on the drug trade and the gangs who profit from it, Premier Ed Stelmach, announced the addition of 183 new resources that will hit the streets next April. "Our streets, our neighbourhoods and our communities belong to honest, hardworking Albertans," said Premier Stelmach.~ "This infusion of new police resources sends a clear message to criminals and gang members that this government will continue to make it increasingly difficult for you to do business in our province.~ We have made a commitment for safer communities and bolstering front line police is just one way we are taking action to achieve that goal." [continues 249 words]
Tough new penalties for impaired driving are welcome news for a public-at-large that has had quite enough of drunks and drugged up drivers turning the province's roadways into death traps. New provisions of the Tackling Violent Crime Act came into effect on July 2, giving police more tools to detect and investigate drug impaired driving. While drug driving is already a criminal offence, police are now able to demand a suspect driver submit to a roadside sobriety test and to give up bodily fluids for testing for drugs. [continues 357 words]
New Impaired Driving Laws Will Help Crack Down On Those Under The Influence Of Drugs While Driving. Last week, provisions on impaired driving under the federal Tackling Violent Crime Act came into force, giving police better tools to detect and investigate drug impaired driving. It also increased penalties for those under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. "In Alberta, hundreds of people are killed by drunk drivers, so the need has been there for a long time," said Red Deer MP Bob Mills. "I think it'll make a difference." [continues 235 words]
Protecting Sundre and area youth from the illicit drug trade will require input from residents of all ages, according to drug awareness expert Sgt. Donna Hanson. A member of the RCMP's Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Services, Hanson made a presentation to about 60 residents of various ages at the Sundre Community Centre last Tuesday. The lecture was co-sponsored by Greenwood Neighbourhood Place. "There has to be drug enforcement but there also has to be drug education," said Hanson. "You can't work on it from one side only. You can't just work on drug enforcement and think that will solve all the problems. It's got to be everybody working together. [continues 397 words]
An exciting new grass-roots political campaign is beginning to grow across Canada. In response to the Americanization of Canadian drug policy by the Conservative Party of Canada, ordinary Canadians are standing up to ask a simple question: Why? On November 20th, 2007 the Conservative government of Canada introduced Bill C-26, imposing mandatory minimum jail sentences for cannabis (marijuana) offences in an attempt to appear "tough" on crime. In reality, the government's own experts have said time and again - most recently in the Department of Justice analysis accompanying the CPC's other "get tough" crime bill - that these extreme measures simply don't work. [continues 361 words]
After one year in operation, a provincial program that sees youths with drug and alcohol addictions placed in protective custody for treatment has proven to be a useful tool, says Olds-Didsbury-Three Hill MLA Richard Marz. And with the increasing appearance of hard drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine in rural communities, anything that helps confront youth addictions early on is worthwhile, he said. "After a year there's been some really good data collected," said Marz. "I think we have some data that we can evaluate to improve this thing even more. [continues 388 words]
