As painful as it is to be addicted to drugs, it's also agonizing to be the parent/family/friends of an addict. Watching a loved one self-destruct, hurting those they love while doing so, is extremely difficult to endure. The following was sent to me by a dad who loves his addicted son, but doesn't know where to turn. Hoping to help his son, he penned the following piece, which he sent to me earlier this week, prefaced by his reasons for doing so. [continues 456 words]
Sure, it was a big sendoff with officials, plaques, praise and plenty of patting, but all Jake the detector dog could think about yesterday was cake. It was his cake, after all. The occasion? Seven-year-old Jake, a very handsome black Labrador retriever, has decided to retire his sniffer and head for the couch after six hard years on the job with the Canada Border Services Agency. He'll be living a life of leisure at home with his handler of many years, Connie, his customs agent partner. [continues 486 words]
First of all, I want to thank all of you who wrote in support of illegal drug use. I have turned your names over to the police for investigation and I am spending the reward. Kidding. It was interesting to see the support for marijuana use out there, although that's not what my Monday comment was about. Actually, I'm more in favour of legalizing or decriminalizing the use of marijuana than not, but that's a conversation for another day. [continues 193 words]
I keep hearing talk about what lessons the police are going to take away from last week's RCMP massacre, but probably the most valuable lesson applies to the general public: when you buy illegal drugs you finance cop killers. Is it a stretch to say that every time you buy illegal drugs, somewhere you put more police at risk, put more in the line of fire? Probably not. Regarding the international war on drugs, is it possible to use organized crime as your pharmacy without becoming an accomplice in all they do to get those drugs into your hands? Absolutely not. Those who truly want to help save police lives, can do so by not buying illegal drugs. A small sacrifice by comparison. How could anyone professing to have a conscience make any other choice? [end]
"Pssst ... hey, Buddy, got a drug test you wanna beat? "Wanna buy some urine? Pristine stuff?" A couple of weeks ago, the Supreme Court in Washington refused to review Kenneth Curtis's challenge of a 1999 South Carolina law that made urine sales illegal. His appeal asked for permission to sell his own urine as part of a business that caters to people who are trying to beat drug tests. Yup, for just $69 US (sigh), you get this guy's drug-free urine, along with a small pouch, tubing and a warming packet. [continues 251 words]
G'day. Some thoughts on drug abuse by teenagers. As described in yesterday's Winnipeg Sun, the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM) earlier this week released a survey of substance abuse among high school students in the province. Of the 4,680 students from 32 schools throughout Manitoba who responded to the survey, 40% said they used drugs in the last year. The AFM says they don't think students see drug use as immoral, and in fact the study revealed that 49% of the students surveyed think its OK for people to use drugs as long as they are in control of their use. [continues 546 words]
After reading in Friday's Sun that toxicology tests have confirmed Becky Ducharme, 16, died from an ecstasy overdose, I tried to imagine what conversation a parent could have with a teenager that might prevent them from ever taking ecstasy and killer drugs like it, or help those who are already using decide to stop. Not sure that conversation exists. Maybe the way to begin would be to clear up one misunderstanding right off the top. Parents want their kids to avoid drugs like ecstasy for only one reason, and it's not because they want to wreck their fun or control them. [continues 528 words]
