No one knows exactly how many people legally smoke marijuana in Nova Scotia anymore under a new system that places doctors as the sole gatekeepers to the drug. Health Canada previously tracked medical marijuana licences across the country. But the federal department stopped on April 1, 2014, when approvals fell into the laps of Canadian doctors. Health Canada said Friday it no longer keeps tabs on the exact number of medical pot users. The Canadian Medical Association and other doctor groups widely opposed the switch. They have developed new rules for prescribing the drug but are not able to track it themselves. [continues 452 words]
OTTAWA - Delays in inspections and approvals to grow medical marijuana are causing shortages, according to some in the industry. This year, Canada transformed its medical marijuana regime by banning small, homegrown outfits and moving to multimillion-dollar industrial producers. Hundreds of companies are waiting to see if they will be licensed to sell pot. But those who have been approved are frequently selling out and have faced delays in expanding production. Tilray has 30 grow rooms ready to go at their 60,000-square-foot facility in Nanaimo, B.C. The rooms represent 80 per cent of their total production. But they've been waiting months for Health Canada to sign off on them. [continues 508 words]
OTTAWA - Teenagers are using electronic cigarettes to discreetly inhale marijuana in front of teachers and parents, a Conservative MP said Thursday. The House of Commons health committee is studying e-cigarettes and how they should be regulated. As the committee met Thursday, James Lunney, Conservative MP for Nanaimo-Alberni, warned that the devices used to inhale nicotine and vapour, a practice commonly known as vaping, could be giving youths cover to use drugs. "Kids are smoking some of these e-cigarettes at home in front of their parents and even in front of teachers because they're not regulated and they're not cigarettes," he said. [continues 426 words]
Medical marijuana users are launching court challenges en masse, arguing Canada's pot laws are unconstitutional. At least five Nova Scotians have filed constitutional challenges in Federal Court in recent weeks. Other than some personal details being changed, the wording of the filings is identical. The applicants are using what's known as a kit. For 15 minutes of paperwork and the $2 online filing fee, anyone can file a claim to be exempted from medical marijuana laws with the Federal Court. [continues 459 words]
OTTAWA - Canadians forfeit their right to privacy when they check their baggage for a flight, a lawyer argued Tuesday as a Halifax man's drug charges were debated before the Supreme Court of Canada. Issues of racial profiling, privacy rights and even whether drug-sniffing dogs should be used in Canada were all raised as lawyers debated whether Mandeep Singh Chehil should face a new trial. In 2005, Chehil walked into Vancouver International Airport and slapped down $700 in cash to catch the red-eye flight to Halifax leaving in just 45 minutes. He checked one bag, a suitcase full of cocaine. [continues 489 words]
Nooks, Crannies Prime for Smuggling Drugs Nova Scotia's vast coastline and relatively small population provide daunting obstacles for those policing drug and human smuggling. Drug seizures in this province make up only a small fraction of the number of busts across Canada. There were just 34 drug busts in Nova Scotia in 2011, out of 10,307 nationally. But while they might be fewer in number, drug busts on Nova Scotia's coastline can be massive in size. Seizures on land might involve whatever drugs can be hidden in the back of a vehicle, but busts along the coast can easily net millions of dollars worth of drugs, police say. [continues 499 words]
Other than taking pot shots at Taliban soldiers, forests of massive marijuana plants are giving Canadian soldiers few options. Afghanistan is known for its poppy trade. But huge fields of marijuana plants, ranging from six to 12 feet high, are causing unique problems. "When we drive through them on a light armoured vehicle, the plants are taller than a vehicle itself," explained Gen. Rick Hillier yesterday. Taliban soldiers have been hiding in the forests, then jumping out to fire rocket-propelled grenades at vehicles. Because the plants retain energy, the insurgents can't be detected. [continues 132 words]
