VANCOUVER - Stoner subculture will likely take a hit with the incoming legalization of marijuana in Canada because as the cause vanishes, so will celebration of the drug, say experts. The declaration comes as the federal government announced a spring 2017 deadline for introducing new marijuana laws and while thousands of people gathered across Canada for the annual April 20 'Weed Day' protest, also known as 4-20. Protesting against cannabis prohibition has become a social movement with its own ideology and symbols, but that will likely change with the repeal of criminalization, said Benedikt Fischer, a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. [continues 499 words]
Optimism mixed with thick clouds of pot smoke in downtown Vancouver last year as tens of thousands of people gathered for the annual "4-20" marijuana legalization rally under a massive banner featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's face on a rolling paper. But this year, the event's chief organizer, Jodie Emery, says that "inaction" by the newly elected federal Liberals makes the protest "more necessary than ever." "Last summer, I was joking I'm going to be out of work as an activist because we don't have debates anymore, there's no one fighting to keep it illegal," said Ms. Emery, who is the wife of "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery. "But fast forward to today and the mood is different." [continues 367 words]
VANCOUVER - Prisoners struggling with opiate addictions in British Columbia jails have gained the same right to medical treatment as people outside the corrections system. B.C. Corrections has implemented a new policy after four men who alleged they were denied opiate replacement therapy launched a charter challenge last month. The men, who are addicted to opiates and range in age from their 20s to late 40s, are now under the care of doctors after a settlement that will also give other prisoners access to timely therapy. [continues 374 words]
VANCOUVER - Prisoners struggling with opiate addictions in British Columbia jails have gained the same right to medical treatment as people outside the corrections system. B.C. Corrections has implemented a new policy after four men who alleged they were denied opiate replacement therapy launched a charter challenge last month. The men, who are addicted to opiates and range in age from their 20s to late 40s, are now under the care of doctors after a settlement that will also give other prisoners access to timely therapy. [continues 246 words]
VANCOUVER - Four heroin-addicted inmates in British Columbia jails have launched a charter challenge to gain opiate addiction treatment, arguing they deserve the same health care they could access in the community. The group contends that B.C. Corrections' policies unconstitutionally block them from being prescribed methadone or suboxone if they don't meet specific criteria. "What I know about addiction is people have insight into their condition and they're ready to ask for help when they're ready to change," said their lawyer Adrienne Smith. [continues 393 words]
VANCOUVER - Canadian actress Pamela Anderson prompted laughs from starry-eyed fans when she quipped she would never vote for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. But she quickly switched to a serious tone and said citizens should keep climate change top of mind when they go to the polls on Oct. 19, calling it "the most important issue to anybody in the whole world." "Harper doesn't have a good track record with that (issue)," she said on Friday to explain her opinion. [continues 360 words]
VANCOUVER - Canadian actress Pamela Anderson prompted laughs from starry-eyed fans when she quipped she would never vote for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. But she quickly switched to a serious tone and said citizens should keep climate change top of mind when they go to the polls Oct. 19, calling it "the most important issue to anybody in the whole world." "Harper doesn't have a good track record with that (issue)," she said Friday to explain her opinion. "I think it's our decade's most important issue to deal with, and putting the environment ahead of the economy, I know, is a difficult choice." [continues 361 words]
Surrey School District's Wrap Project began in 2009, especially useful in time of three local shootings SURREY - When Rob Rai and the Surrey School District opened the Wrap Project in 2009, those starting the dedicated anti-gang program plainly acknowledged that groups of local teenagers were committing serious crimes. The launch was progressive action from the city southeast of Vancouver, which had been plagued for decades by drug-related gun violence, Rai said. The need for the unit is especially apparent after a spate of shootings in the last three months in Surrey and neighbouring Delta. One person has been killed and several others have been injured in about three dozen shootings. [continues 713 words]
Surrey crime prevention program a progressive action for a city that has been plagued for decades by drug-related gun violence When Rob Rai and the Surrey School District opened the Wrap Project in 2009, those starting the dedicated anti-gang program plainly acknowledged that groups of local teenagers were committing serious crimes. The launch was progressive action from the city southeast of Vancouver, which had been plagued for decades by drug-related gun violence, Mr. Rai said. The need for the unit is especially apparent after a spate of shootings in the past three months in Surrey, B.C., and neighbouring Delta. One person has been killed and several others have been injured in about three dozen shootings. [continues 865 words]
VANCOUVER - On his average day, athlete Ross Rebagliati rises about 4:30 a.m., brews himself a cup of coffee and then stirs in the ingredient he considers most crucial: honey infused with cannabis. "I just wake up feeling great, looking forward to my workout. And it takes care of any aches and pains from the days before," he said Tuesday, before adding the medical-grade marijuana extract doesn't make him high. The Olympic medallist, who now runs his own medical pot company, said he's convinced that educating citizens about the health benefits of marijuana will make it so mainstream that legalization is inevitable. [continues 505 words]
VANCOUVER - On his average day, athlete Ross Rebagliati rises about 4:30 a.m., brews himself a cup of coffee and then stirs in the ingredient he considers most crucial: honey infused with cannabis. "I just wake up feeling great, looking forward to my workout. And it takes care of any aches and pains from the days before," he said Tuesday, before adding the medical-grade marijuana extract doesn't make him high. The Olympic medallist, who now runs his own medical pot company, said he's convinced that educating citizens about the health benefits of marijuana will make it so mainstream that legalization is inevitable. [continues 412 words]
Top B.C. court allows non-smoked forms VANCOUVER - British Columbia's highest court is green-lighting medical marijuana in everything from oils and cookies to teas in a ruling that finds federal health laws limiting weed consumption to the dried variety are unconstitutional. The B.C. Appeal Court released its 2-1 decision on Thursday stating medical-marijuana-access regulations infringe on the charter rights of people requiring other forms of cannabis to treat illnesses. The ruling upheld a decision by a lower-court judge over the case of Owen Smith, a Victoria man who was charged in 2009 with possession for trafficking of THC - marijuana's active compound - while working as head baker for the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada. [continues 452 words]
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's highest court is green-lighting medical marijuana in everything from oils and cookies to teas in a ruling that finds federal health laws limiting weed consumption to the dried variety is unconstitutional. The B.C. Appeal Court released its 2-1 decision on Thursday stating that medical marijuana access regulations infringe on the charter rights of people requiring other forms of cannabis to treat illnesses. The ruling upheld a decision by a lower court judge over the case of Owen Smith, a Victoria man who was charged in 2009 with possession for trafficking of THC - marijuana's active compound - while working as head baker for the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada. [continues 595 words]
Ban Breaks Charter VANCOUVER - British Columbia's highest court is green-lighting medical marijuana in everything from oils and cookies to teas in a ruling that finds federal health laws limiting pot consumption to the dried variety are unconstitutional. The B.C. Appeal Court released a 2-1 decision on Thursday stating that medical marijuana access regulations infringe on the Charter rights of people requiring other forms of cannabis to treat illnesses. The ruling upheld a decision by a lower court judge in the case of Owen Smith, a Victoria man who was charged in 2009 with possession for trafficking of THC - marijuana's active compound - while working as head baker for the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada. [continues 302 words]
Limiting medical marijuana to dried variety violates Charter rights, judges find VANCOUVER- British Columbia's highest court is green-lighting medical marijuana in everything from oils and cookies to teas in a ruling that finds federal health laws limiting weed consumption to the dried variety is unconstitutional. The B.C. Appeal Court released its 2-1 decision on Thursday stating that medical marijuana access regulations infringe on the Charter rights of people requiring other forms of cannabis to treat illnesses. The ruling upheld a decision by a lower court judge over the case of Owen Smith, a Victoria man who was charged in 2009 with possession for trafficking of THC - marijuana's active compound - while working as head baker for the Cannabis Buyers Club of Canada. [continues 268 words]
VANCOUVER - When the poster child for marijuana legalization is released from a U.S. prison later this week, he'll be re-entering a world where many of his ideas have taken root and in some places have sprouted right up. Marc Emery, Canada's self-styled "Prince of Pot," concludes a five-year sentence on Wednesday and will emerge into a lucrative marijuana landscape, where two U.S. states are now issuing recreational pot licences, medical growers are reaping profits and investors aren't hedging on potential opportunities. [continues 647 words]
When the poster child for marijuana legalization is released from a U. S. prison later this week, he'll be re-entering a world where many of his ideas have taken root and in some places have sprouted right up. Marc Emery, Canada's self-styled "Prince of Pot," concludes a five year sentence on Wednesday and will emerge into a lucrative marijuana landscape, where two U. S. states are now issuing recreational pot licences, medical growers are reaping profits and investors aren't hedging on potential opportunities. [continues 291 words]
Only Companies Meeting Security Requirements Can Grow and Sell the Drug Ottawa's decision to snuff its role in dispensing medical marijuana has ignited a debate over how the move will impact public health and safety. A range of groups - including those representing law enforcement officials, physicians and medical cannabis advocates - were reacting Sunday after the federal health ministry announced it will stop producing and distributing medicinal pot in favour of opening the market to private companies. The current program has allowed anyone with a government permit to grow it themselves, including in their own homes. But the Conservatives argue that with 26,000 permits handed out over the past decade, the system has become unwieldy and resulted in "unintended consequences." [continues 336 words]
The future appears hazy for British Columbia's thriving underground pot industry, even as two U. S. states have voted to allow citizens to legally use the drug recreationally. Business consequences could range from mild to sending marijuana producers' livelihoods up in smoke, depending on how much of the estimated $ 6- billion to $ 8- billion annual economy is now being exported south of the border, analysts say. Opinion on the impact of the votes in Colorado and Washington state varies considerably, but those urging Canada to adopt a more evidence- based policy on marijuana say the latest development means Canada is falling behind the U. S. [continues 227 words]
