KAWARTHA LAKES - Individuals vying to address growing drug concerns in the City of Kawartha Lakes were welcomed by an encouraging amount of support at Tuesday night's first information session for a group which will attack the issue. "I'm extremely pleased with the turnout and the cross section of agencies in the municipality," said Ward 9 Coun. Sal Polito, who has spearheaded the effort with longtime Lindsay resident and RCMP Cpl. John Green. The informal meeting was a chance for those interested in joining the effort to learn more about the issue and have their voice heard, how to move it forward and what they can bring to the table. [continues 225 words]
The ideas are there. The funding is not. That seemed to be gist of information coming out of a substance abuse networking session held Wednesday. Organized as part of Drug Awareness Week, about 20 people who work in substance abuse treatment and education gathered at the Lindsay office of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit to discuss strategies, trends and solutions to substance abuse problems. Needle and condom exchange programs and how to facilitate them were discussed, as was how to reach at-risk children and their parents through the school system. [continues 769 words]
Wendy Little and Eric Nash are not your typical marijuana growers. They're both UVic grads in their 40s. In fact, Little is a teacher, while Nash is a web designer and horticulturist. Little got into the marijuana business after wanting to find information on medicinal marijuana for a relative suffering from arthritis and Parkinson's disease. "We went on to the Internet and discovered there was a need for the information to get out into the broader community," she recalls, "so we designed our website." [continues 476 words]
Studies Show More Absenteeism, Injuries On Job OTTAWA - Canada's largest and most influential business group is urging the federal government to delay passage of legislation to decriminalize marijuana until a thorough study has been conducted of its impact on the workplace. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents 150 major multinational corporations, warns that pushing ahead with the pot law could harm the economy through a higher number of injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance. Executive vice-president David Stewart-Patterson said it is estimated that substance abuse in the workplace costs the economy at least $18.4 billion annually and that is likely to be exacerbated by the relaxation of the cannabis law. [continues 462 words]
Attentive neighbours are being credited with alerting police to two marijuana grow operations worth $2 million. It's believed the homes were being raided in what police describe as "grow rips" when area residents called 911 to report break-ins, said Insp. Rene Bailly. Grow rips are becoming more common, with rival gangs attempting to steal other groups' marijuana. One of the homes stormed by police Saturday night had its front door left open after the thieves fled without the crop. [continues 236 words]
Canada's largest and most influential business group is urging the federal government to delay passage of legislation to decriminalize marijuana until a study has been conducted of its impact on the workplace. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents 150 major multinational corporations, warns that pushing ahead with the pot law could harm the economy through a higher number of injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance. Executive vice-president David Stewart-Patterson said it's estimated substance abuse costs businesses at least $18.4 billion annually. [end]
OTTAWA -- Canada's largest and most influential business group is urging the federal government to delay passage of legislation to decriminalize marijuana until a thorough study has been conducted of its impact on the workplace. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents 150 major multinational corporations, warns that pushing ahead with the pot law could harm the economy through a higher number of injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance. Executive vice-president David Stewart-Patterson said it's estimated that substance abuse in the workplace costs the economy at least $18.4 billion annually and that is likely to be exacerbated by the relaxation of the cannabis law. [continues 408 words]
Decriminalizing Marijuana Could Reduce Job Performance: Canadian Council Of Chief Executives OTTAWA -- Canada's largest and most influential business group is urging the federal government to delay passage of legislation to decriminalize marijuana until a thorough study has been conducted of its impact on the workplace. The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents 150 major multinational corporations, warns that pushing ahead with the pot law could harm the economy through a higher number of injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance. [continues 392 words]
Former Drug Dealers, Users Discover That They Can Put Mistakes And Bad Choices Behind Patrick Thomas said he was raised in church but did most of his learning on the streets. For nearly 20 years, Thomas said he sold marijuana and crack cocaine. He carried a gun and served time for the crimes he committed. This past weekend, Thomas was one of many former drug dealers and users who worked together with Union Baptist Church to hold the four-day Corner to Corner conference. It drew former drug users and dealers, families affected by drugs and other substance-abuse problems, and those who simply wanted to show support for people looking to change the direction of their lives. [continues 854 words]
Sen. Steve Cohen's attempt to authorize the use of marijuana for medical use should be viewed with open minds, and we hope that our legislators are willing to listen to all sides of the argument concerning this issue. While the general consensus is that there is not enough knowledge on the subject to make a conclusive decision either way, the National Institute of Medicine concluded differently. While there are certainly other pain medications on the market that alleviate suffering associated with cancer and other chronic or simply painful conditions, some have responded well to these medicines, and some have not. The same is true with marijuana. Both have side effects that are considered undesirable by some, such as disorientation. [continues 249 words]
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- A school board in B.C.'s Fraser Valley will likely approve a controversial draft drug policy today to bring drug dogs into schools despite outrage by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. Abbotsford trustee and policy committee chairman Don Szostak said the board has studied the policy carefully and will likely approve it in principle today. "The plan is to vote to approve it in principle and then go out for stakeholder input," Szostak said yesterday. Usually, stakeholder input is sought before a policy is approved in principle, but Szostak said board members wanted to get moving. [continues 122 words]
