"Far out, man!" That's likely what teenaged me would have said if a visitor from the future had said Prime Minister Trudeau had legalized marijuana in 2018. Then I might have said "What? Trudeau is still prime minister?" Then, "Wow, this is some boss weed if I'm talking to some dude from the future." I might have added "Hey, visitor, when did the Leafs win their next Cup?" Truth be told, your scribe was not much of stoner in his youth, though he effected some of the look and lifestyle. Long hair. Check. Tie-dyed shirts. Check. Bare-foot summers. Check. But a regular consumer of marijuana products? Pas a mon gout. Didn't really have the mental constitution for it. In fact, it's always been a mystery, and the subject of mountains of research, how people react differently when tetrahydrocannabinol hits their bloodstream. [continues 555 words]
Andre Boisclair has taken a lot of heat for his criminal substance abuse while serving as a minister of the crown. While questions remain about the circumstances of his cocaine consumption - which biker gang was his dealer, for one - some critics are saying the young pretender to the Parti Quebecois throne is just as guilty of lacking substance in terms of policy. He's been called a "cliche factory" by one veteran pundit, a "power junkie" by another sage of journalism. He's been hounding by a salivating media pack for days. Yet it is all like gentle water slipping off the proverbial duck. [continues 626 words]
