Province turns to citizens for consultation on how marijuana should be sold in Saskatchewan Love it or hate it, legislation that legalizes pot in Canada is coming. The provincial government launched a survey last week, seeking the public's response to questions ranging from where and how marijuana should be sold, to a minimum age for users, and priorities when it comes to enforcement and education. These are some of the top concerns for users, sellers, legislators, and law enforcement alike. [continues 691 words]
Editor: Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister Don Morgan is the latest provincial politician to say he wants marijuana legalization delayed for at least a year. ............ Why? Trudeau promised his government would legalize marijuana two years ago. Ontario has already announced its plans on how it will integrate legal marijuana into its economy. (Is Morgan insinuating that Ontario is somehow superior to our province?) The only people who could possibly benefit from a delay in marijuana legalization are the organized crime figures who currently control most of the market. Why on earth are Saskatchewan politicians defending the interests of organized crime above that of ordinary, law-abiding citizens? Makes you wonder. Gordon Robert Dumont Prince Albert, Sask [end]
SASKATOON - The provincial government is asking residents for feedback on how it should distribute recreational marijuana. The consultations, which will happen in the form of an online, anonymous survey, were announced the same day the Ontario government rolled out its plan to have a new branch of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario handle its sale of recreational marijuana. The survey will address age limits on cannabis sales, public consumption, cannabis taxation and other issues, including potential retail models, alongside questions about distribution and wholesaling. A news release from the province said information collected through the survey will provide "valuable information to help guide Saskatchewan's ongoing approach to cannabis legalization." [continues 157 words]
No decision yet on whether marijuana sales will be through government outlets Saskatchewan's provincial government wants suggestions from the public on how to regulate recreational marijuana, since legalization appears to be a high priority for the federal government. Residents over the age of 18 are encouraged to take an anonymous survey on the Government of Saskatchewan's website between Sept. 8 and Oct. 6. Provincial attorney general Don Morgan said the federal government's timeline to have a legalized system in place by the end of June 2018 means the provincial government has to act fast. [continues 361 words]
Preparing for the legalization of marijuana nationwide next July, the Government of Saskatchewan is looking to gain public input. The provincial government will be conducting an online consultation survey from Sept. 8 to Oct. 6 with the goal of gauging public opinion on parts of the federal legislation that has been left up to the provinces. "The legalization of cannabis represents a big change," said Don Morgan, justice minister and attorney general. "We want to take the time to listen to and consult with the people of this province to ensure we implement the parts of this legislation that are under our control in a way that works for Saskatchewan." [continues 488 words]
A new online survey allows Saskatchewan residents to weigh in on what the province's marijuana regime should look like Saskatchewan residents can now share their thoughts on who should be able to buy, sell and grow marijuana, with just a few clicks on a government survey. Ottawa plans to legalize marijuana by July of 2018, but is leaving it up to the provinces to design their own regulatory system. The provincial government launched an online survey Friday to solicit public feedback. It's open to any Saskatchewan resident over the age of 18, and is set to run until October 6. [continues 593 words]
Chief says Indigenous people must be given a bigger role in addressing crisis With addictions rates to opioids in First Nations communities above the national average, Isadore Day, chiefs committee chair on health at the Assembly of First Nations, is calling on the federal government to consider a First Nations-specific opioid strategy. The federal government has been working on addressing Canada's opioid crisis over the past year, but Day says Indigenous peoples have not had a big enough role in the discussion. [continues 544 words]
Mayor Dionne says Prince Albert will face costs from marijuana legalization, so the city should get its share of the expected tax revenues Mayor Greg Dionne is joining the chorus of Saskatchewan mayors calling for marijuana revenue to be shared with municipalities. "We know the government is doing this to create revenue," Dionne said. "We believe it's prudent that they share that revenue with us. Because, at the end of the day, who does the enforcement of the laws that they make? Our local police and our local people. So we should be compensated for that." [continues 244 words]
Providing take-home naloxone kits to Saskatchewan federal inmates is a "step in the right direction," addictions expert Dr. Peter Butt said. "Not only is it evidence-based, but it's directed towards the safety of individuals and communities so that we have hopefully fewer opioid overdoses occurring within a population that's already been identified as vulnerable," he said. Naloxone is a drug that can stop an overdose from opioids such as fentanyl, morphine, heroin, methadone and oxycodone. The kits are available in certain pharmacies in Saskatoon, Regina, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Yorkton and Kamsack, according to the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan. [continues 288 words]
The lethal danger of fentanyl is becoming well-known. No one knows precisely how many people die per year in Canada from opioid overdoses. Last year, there were 922 opioid overdose deaths in B.C. alone, and more than 340 overdose deaths in Alberta were specifically from fentanyl. While Saskatchewan numbers are much smaller and their official count is unclear at this point, the drug's lethal toll may well be on the rise in this province as well; it is clearing coming east from the coast and from Alberta. [continues 576 words]
This lethal drug makes a discussion urgent, writes Dr. Richard Thatcher. The dangers of fentanyl as a frequently used mood-modifying, recreational drug, on its own or laced into other opiates are gradually becoming well known. The substance has recently gained a reputation as the Grim Reaper of illicit drugs. The number of deaths and near deaths originating with fentanyl use is simply shocking. Surely parents must initiate a serious discussion with their children and teens about this and other drug use. In this case, talk is, arguably, the primary preventive measure. [continues 595 words]
MJPS call recent arrests a success, but more work still to be done Crystal methamphetamine isn't a newcomer to the Friendly City, but it does seem to be getting better acquainted with it. "It's a drug that's much more available than it was even five years ago," Cpl. Kevin Pilsworth of the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) said on Thursday. "In the past few years, we've really seen it make its way onto the map in Moose Jaw." [continues 478 words]
City starts preparing for marijuana laws, which are likely to change in 2018. The federal government is one year away from legalizing marijuana, but city council is already taking steps to prepare for the change. On Tuesday, Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards brought forward a motion asking for city administrators to submit a report the potential implications of the new law. The report will cover issues like business licenses, grow-ops, operating hours and business locations. Edwards says he's already fielding calls from residents inquiring about business licenses for when marijuana becomes legal, and he wants the city to be prepared when the day comes. [continues 381 words]
"'It's a try-and-die drug': Fentanyl is suspected in weekend overdose death" (SP, May 9) documents our cruel and ineffective drug policy. Overdose deaths are completely avoidable, as is the spread of AIDS and hepatitis C through drug use. These problems are caused by prohibition of drugs, not the drugs themselves. Drug policies other than prohibition have been tried, studied, and shown to have great success, if success means fewer addicts and far less crime and corruption. When prescription heroin was provided in Manchester, England, crime fell in some neighbourhoods by 80 per cent. [continues 98 words]
The era of legal weed will require broad investments in public health, according to the Saskatchewan Medical Association. Legislation alone is inadequate, president Dr. Intheran Pillay said. "I think expanding the access to support services such as mental health and substance use services would be important. I think it would be important to expand access to training programs in addiction medicine and I think it's important to make extensive educational resources on the risks of harm to youth and others available, as well." [continues 213 words]
It's been a long time coming and it's not here yet, but like the rest of the country, Moose Jaw is getting ready for the rollout of legalized marijuana. "We were invited to provide input and participate in discussions," said Moose Jaw Police Chief Rick Bourassa, who has been representing Moose Jaw and Saskatchewan on committees in Ottawa on this issue. "We'll see as this goes through Parliament, and when the laws are proclaimed, we'll be having more discussions about it." [continues 237 words]
Minister says Ottawa has no plans for weed amnesty or freeze on enforcement Saskatchewan pot smokers who get busted over the next 14 months aren't likely to receive much sympathy from the federal government, which maintains that the "law is the law until it's changed" on Canada's birthday next year. The Liberal government won't offer amnesty to people convicted of simple possession of marijuana or encourage police departments to stop enforcing the law until the drug becomes legal, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Friday. [continues 323 words]
Dear editor, If your objectives are to protect public health and safety, keep marijuana out of the hands of minors and cut illegal profits flowing to organized crime-then the law as it stands today has been an abject failure. Law enforcement agencies in Canada spend an estimated $2-3 billion a year trying to fight pot, yet Canadian teenagers are among the heaviest users in the western world. And criminals walk away with $7-8 billion every year in illicit proceeds. We have to do better. [continues 689 words]
Canadians will be able to celebrate this country's 151st birthday by legally lighting up a joint. The federal government has introduced legislation to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018, fulfilling one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's election campaign promises. But there are still a lot of questions regarding the details of a legal pot industry. Canada doesn't have a lot of international precedent to guide it. We will be just the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to fully legalize marijuana. It's decriminalized in some parts of the world, and legal in some American states, but countries as a whole have been leery about legalizing marijuana. [continues 438 words]