The illicit pot market is no longer dominated by street gangs, outlaw motorcycle clubs and organized crime Meet the boss of Canada's illegal marijuana trade, Don Briere. To police and the criminal courts, he is already a familiar face, a maverick dealer and convicted grower who has served multiple prison sentences for refusing to obey this country's longstanding prohibition on pot. Briere has fought the law and lost, most of the time. And yet, even at an age when most Canadians are entering retirement, this 65-year-old British Columbian is more involved in the underground cannabis business than ever. [continues 3092 words]
Experts agree testing needed on marijuana products sold in storefronts As Canada inches closer to legalized marijuana, safety standards for dispensary-sold medical cannabis are being brought under greater scrutiny. In an investigation done by The Globe and Mail in August, one third of medical marijuana samples collected from Toronto area dispensaries showed the presence of chemicals and mould that could cause a variety of illnesses in users, such as lung infections, particularly in patients with compromised immune systems. One of the Toronto dispensaries whose product failed that test was WeeMedical, a chain that also operates in Powell River on Marine Avenue. [continues 673 words]
Ottawa's move to allow for accredited lab testing would take worry out of the safety of cannabis - and without the sense of guilt When Mandy McKnight's severely epileptic son was four, he suffered as many as 80 seizures a day. After prescription drugs failed, the Ottawa mother turned to cannabis oil, which she had heard could help. The impact was remarkable: Within 24 hours, the seizures subsided and it was 10 days until he had another. But when Ms. McKnight began administering regular doses of cannabis oil to her son, she lived in fear of punishment. Although her son's medical cannabis was obtained legally through a prescription, she had to make the oil herself at home. And having that oil tested at a lab - to ensure its potency and that the dosage was correct - was technically illegal. [continues 1119 words]
Health experts fear toxic carfentanil may already be in circulation in B.C. The extremely toxic drug carfentanil has been linked to two deaths in Alberta and may already be present in B.C.'s illicit-drug supply. Dr. Karen Grimsrud, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, announced in a statement Friday that carfentanil had been detected in the deaths of two men in their 30s, one in the Edmonton area and the other in Calgary. Carfentanil is an analogue of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has been increasingly cut into the illicit drug supply. Fentanyl was detected in 60 per cent of 488 illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. in the first eight months of 2016. [continues 563 words]
The Pill Makers Next Door: How America's Opioid Crisis Is Spreading Ingredients for the deadly synthetic narcotic fentanyl are so easy to obtain that mom-and-pop drug labs are cropping up around the country, Breaking Bad-style SAN FRANCISCO-The married couple living in the third-floor, ocean-view apartment were friendly and ambitious. She explored the city, posting selfies on Facebook. He started a small music label at home. "They were nice people," said Ann McGlenon, their former landlady. "She's very sweet. He's a go-getter." [continues 2156 words]
Vancouver mayor says lack of federal regulation has led to boom in storefront dispensaries, leaving municipalities to deal with fallout The federal government's handling of marijuana legalization has created problems that Canada's cities are unequipped to handle, Vancouver's mayor says. Ottawa's plan to legalize the drug - a key piece of the Liberal election platform last fall - has spawned hundreds of storefront dispensaries across the country ahead of the legislation, although the federal government has taken no responsibility for the boom it has created. [continues 521 words]
Tilray says it wanted to use controversial product in belief it was being employed at non-licensed operations, but later halted its bid One of Canada's largest medical marijuana producers, which raised concerns with Health Canada over harmful chemicals found in cannabis sold at Vancouver dispensaries, sought permission to use a controversial fungicide on its own crops last year, but says it later abandoned the idea. According to the British Columbia Lobbyists Registry, Tilray asked for British Columbia's support in getting federal approval to use Nova 40W, a fungicide that contains myclobutanil - a chemical effective at controlling crop diseases, but one that has been at the centre of controversy. It is banned by several U.S. states for use on cannabis because of concerns it emits hydrogen cyanide when heated. [continues 672 words]
Flood of fentanyl and heroin is straining budgets, putting police at risk as drug networks spread During an attempted drug-trafficking bust this spring on Chicago's South Side, police Sgt. James Madden took off running after a young man, chasing him into a darkened yard before losing the trail. Sgt. Madden didn't know where he was going. That's because he works for a sheriff's office 500 miles away, in the northwestern corner of Wisconsin. The officer's work doesn't normally take him so far from his home of Superior, Wis., (population 27,000), but today's drug trade is imposing unprecedented new burdens on small-town law enforcement. He made the eight-hour drive to pursue a Chicagoan who allegedly traveled to Superior to sell large quantities of a dangerous drug called fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times as potent as heroin. is supercharging the longstanding problem of drugs in small towns. Police, forensic labs and prosecutors are struggling to identify and safely intercept new narcotics that can sicken or kill anyone who handles them, and to combat trafficking networks that sometimes extend many hours away. Death rates from overdoses are now higher in rural areas than in big cities, reversing a historical trend. [continues 1970 words]
If you click on Vancouver Coastal Health's running tally of food-establishment closings, you'll find that three Vancouver restaurants have been closed so far this month. One for a day, one for three days, and one, which was closed on Sept. 19, is still listed as "pending." The restaurants were cited for such things as inadequate dishwashing, unsanitary conditions and pest infestation. The names and addresses of the restaurants are there as well, should you want to avoid them. [continues 709 words]
Health Canada has confirmed it reviewed lab reports warning that dangerous chemicals not approved for any human use were found in cannabis sold at dispensaries in Vancouver, but took no action. Health Minster Jane Philpott issued a statement late Friday acknowledging that her staff had discussed the lab results with Tilray, a licensed producer of medical marijuana based in Nanaimo, B.C., that sent the warning to Health Canada. Dr. Philpott's statement comes a day after the Health Minister was unclear about whether she had seen the lab results, telling The Globe and Mail, "I'm not sure what document you are referring to." [continues 664 words]
A Vancouver city councillor says federal Health Minister Jane Philpott's office took no action - and did not warn the city - after receiving lab results showing there were dangerous toxins in marijuana sold at some dispensaries in the city. Kerry Jang, a point person on marijuana issues on Vancouver city council, said the actions of the minister were "irresponsible," and indicate the public was potentially put at risk. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act show that test results from a Health Canada-accredited lab were sent to the federal government nearly a year ago, and revealed that cannabis from several Vancouver dispensaries contained pesticides and fungicides "not approved for any human use." The lab report was sent to Eric Costen, who headed Health Canada's office of medical cannabis, last October, and later sent to Dr. Philpott's chief of staff, Genevieve Hinse, in January. [continues 632 words]
'If these places are not going to be shut down, there should be rules' Some parents in Orleans are furious that an illegal pot shop has opened in the building where their children attend martial-arts classes and after-school tutoring. A marijuana dispensary called CannaGreen opened on Sept. 11 in the front of a small commercial building on St. Joseph Boulevard. The back of the building houses The Edge Taekwon-Do Academy and Kumon Math and Reading Centre. All the businesses share a parking lot in the back. [continues 1439 words]
Health Minister Jane Philpott's office was warned nearly a year ago that dangerous contaminants had been found in retail marijuana sold by unregulated storefront dispensaries, but the federal government appears to have done nothing to act on the concerns. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act show test results from a Health Canada-accredited lab were sent to the government last fall, and to Dr. Philpott's office a few months later, revealed cannabis from several Vancouver dispensaries contained pesticides and fungicides "not approved for any human use." [continues 839 words]
In cities like Seattle and Vancouver, the marijuana icon has become almost as common on storefronts as the Starbucks mermaid. But there's one big difference between the products on offer: A venti latte tastes the same everywhere and provides an identical caffeine rush, while marijuana stores offer the drug's active ingredients in varying combinations, potencies and formats. There is no consistency in testing, standards or labeling. This matters because marijuana's two psychoactive ingredients, tetrohydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have contrasting effects on the brain. "THC makes you feel high," said Catharine Winstanley, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia who does research on marijuana, while CBD "is responsible for its analgesic, antiseizure and purported anticancer effects." [continues 548 words]
Dungeon Raid Shines Light on Concentrated Cannabis Last week's raid of downtown Chico's Dungeon tobacco shop is just the latest event highlighting the proliferation of concentrated marijuana production in the area. In 2015, law enforcement seized 56 butane honey oil (BHO) labs in Butte County and in Chico alone, there were three BHO lab explosions. This past June, the City Council answered the call to do something about it, voting to restrict the sale of butane to 600 mL per person every 30 days. [continues 980 words]
The US State Department's 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says that addiction to shabu ( street name for methamphetamine or meth) is the most significant drug problem of the Philippines, with the narcotic continually growing as the most widely trafficked in the country. A UN World Drug Report also tagged the Philippines as the country having the highest rate of shabu use in the whole of East Asia with even the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) releasing a pastoral letter last year expressing concern about the proliferation of the drug problem in the country and the alleged involvement of government officials. [continues 847 words]
Pot Advocates Decry "Hypocrisy" in Feds' View of Medical Use. It may not have quite the same ring to it as a certain seven-digit phone number made famous by a 1980s pop hit, but 6,630,507 has become internet-famous since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration opted not to reschedule marijuana, leaving it in the category of drugs with no legitimate medical uses. Since then, proponents of legalization have responded with a storm of social-media posts highlighting U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507, granted in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and covering the potential use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to protect the brain from damage or degeneration caused by certain diseases, such as cirrhosis. [continues 1254 words]
A Mother Risks Prison and Splits Up Her Family in a Desperate Attempt to Rid Her Son of Cancer. The Rockies unfurled outside Kristen Yeckley's passenger window, but she kept her eyes on the speedometer. No more than 5 mph over the limit, she urged her mother. Hands at 10 and 2. She had stayed up past 3 a.m., sobbing, praying, plotting the route back to Pinellas Park. The drive meant committing a federal crime with her 5-year-old son in the backseat. Kristen kept imagining handcuffs, the fear on Tyler's trusting face. If they were pulled over, she would use his medical records to plead for sympathy. She and her husband, Joe, had saved up for their dream home with a backyard pool. They had comfortable jobs, poker nights, a college fund in their son's name. Then came Tyler's diagnosis. When doctors said he was out of options, Kristen and Joe vowed to do anything, even split up their family, to give Tyler a chance with a treatment Florida doesn't allow. That brought Kristen to the sloping road out of Colorado last summer, 2,000 miles from home - with vials of liquid medical marijuana buried in her mother's suitcase. Worry first tugged at Kristen in the line to see Santa Claus. [continues 4161 words]
Many Glowing Remarks Come From the Same Ip Address, a Software Flaw Shows. Millions of consumers treat Weedmaps like the Yelp for pot, relying on the Irvine company as their definitive guide to marijuana dispensaries, varieties and doctors. But a key feature - user reviews of pot businesses - may be tainted by thousands of potentially fraudulent comments, a flaw in the company's software revealed. Reviews on the site are pseudonymous, and visitors reasonably expect that each is written by a unique customer. But data that Weedmaps mistakenly leaked suggests that a large proportion of glowing remarks come from individual users leaving multiple reviews of a single business. [continues 1094 words]
The DEA announces it will keep marijuana on the list of most dangerous drugs. In the eyes of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, marijuana is still considered dangerous enough to remain among the likes of heroin, LSD, and ecstasy as a Schedule I drug. Ever since The Controlled Substances Act became law in 1970, marijuana has been deemed to have no medicinal benefits and a high likelihood of abuse. And despite over half the states in the U.S. legalizing medical or recreational marijuana in some form, the DEA announced this month that marijuana wouldn't be declassified. [continues 693 words]
