As medical marijuana use becomes a more common treatment for many ailments, employers and supervisors need to be aware of its use among employees. Last week, the Private Motor Truck Council and Wetaskiwin Home Hardware's Western Distribution Centre hosted a seminar with Dr. Barry Kurtzer, medical director and Chief Medical Review Officer of Drivercheck Inc., which provides workplace drug testing and assessments. The Ontario doctor told attendees that society has to change how it views marijuana use, that people who use medical marijuana don't fit the pot head stereotypes of illegal marijuana users. [continues 512 words]
The issue of drugs in smaller communities like Wetaskiwin and drug houses is a reality. It is something that operates in all parts of the province and country and, according to RCMP, in any neighbourhood. Those attending a Wetaskiwin RCMP detachment Crime Prevention Workshop early this month got a look at what are the drugs of choice, and how to spot if they are being produced and sold in you area. Const. Andrea Nadeau from the Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment led the discussion, and she told those in attendance that there are many marijuana grow-ops busted in the province each year, and the pot is grown in everything from apartment closets to farm fields. [continues 513 words]
When it comes to meeting its priorities set for the town of Millet, Wetaskiwin RCMP is far exceeding its expectations. Wetaskiwin Staff Sgt. Gerry Rhodes and Insp. Curtis Zablocki presented their findings at the Millet town council meeting March 10. Rhodes presented the Wetaskiwin RCMP's annual performance plan in regards to policing in Millet. The four priorities designated last year, which remain the same for 2010, were: reduce the availability of drugs and reduce alcohol abuse, reduce graffiti and other vandalism, reduce occurrences of break, enters and thefts, and contribute to community safety. [continues 694 words]
Dear Editor: The time has come to legalize marijuana, tax it, and create a few hundred thousand jobs. Marc Emery is currently waiting to see if we will let the US extradite him, to face a possible life sentence for selling seeds on the internet. Forty-four per cent of Canadians have admitted to smoking weed, leading to the obvious conclusion that millions of Canadians possess marijuana seeds. If you mailed a couple seeds to your friend in the U.S. in a Christmas card, should you face a possible life sentence in prison? [continues 354 words]
There will be a new officer in uniform roaming the halls of Wetaskiwin's schools. Const. Lee Greico-Savoy has been promoted to corporal and has been transferred to the Chestemere RCMP detachment. For the past several years, Greico-Savoy has been the Wetaskiwin RCMP detachment's school resource officer, but her departure comes doesn't mean the position will be left empty. Const. Jonathon Lepine is taking over for Greico-Savoy, after more than two years in the area as a general duty officer. [continues 494 words]
Dear Editor: Vehicles, guns, home and cash seized in the first two months of operation. There is a real concern across Alberta right now about violent crimes and the effect it is having on our communities. Crime touches far too many people in our province. The cost of crime is high and the impact on victims can be devastating. Organized crime is a particular area of concern. The Victim Restitution and Compensation Payment act was passed on Dec. 17, 2008. The act allows for the seizure of the proceeds and instruments of crime and then compensates victims and communities affected by those crimes. [continues 254 words]
Do you really know your neighbours, your children's friends, or your coworkers? At a base level, many of us claim we know our neighbours. We want our residential areas to be safe, secure for our young children, for our seniors, and for ourselves. Do you wonder why excessive traffic happens at odd hours of the day to and from your neighbour's home? Is there a house in your neighbourhood where the residents apparently don't have what we deem regular employment, yet they live lavishly? [continues 433 words]
An e-mail about a powerful drug that smells and apparently tastes like strawberries is circulating in the community and stirring up concern with Wetaskiwin residents, but it appears to be all for not. RCMP Const. Lee Grieco-Savoy, who heads up the community Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program and is also a school liaison officer, said the powerful methamphetamine known as strawberry quick does not exist in Wetaskiwin or Hobbema. "I'm wondering if it's an Internet myth. [continues 418 words]
Safer Communities And Neighborhoods Act Provides Tool To Improve Safety Albertans now have a new tool to combat illegal activities associated with gangs, drugs and prostitution in their neighbourhoods. The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act, which comes into force October 1, creates a new sheriffs' unit to investigate public complaints about properties used for illegal activities and, if necessary, close those properties for up to 90 days. "The SCAN investigative unit gives Albertans another tool to help deal with the crime and disturbances that devastate our neighbourhoods," said Fred Lindsay, Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security. [continues 250 words]
Dear Editor: Mike Ryan is either an idiot or his conflict of interest is so great that he is unable to see how unethical he is in his anti-drug crusade. It is stated that, 90 per cent of robberies are "drug related". This should read "prohibition" related. The only reason people described as addicts commit crimes, is to feed the black market. When Bayer Heroin sold for about the same price as Bayer Aspirin the term "drug-related crime" did not exist. It seems that the most rabid prohibitionists are those that, like Mike, were unable to use drugs or alcohol in a responsible manner. [continues 54 words]
To The Editor, There are lots of reasons to use drugs! Increased creativity, spiritual expansion not least of them. Recent science out of Germany even shows how cannabinoids (the active ingredients in marijuana) stimulate the body's production of TIMP-1, a substance which helps healthy cells resist cancer invasion. This might explain why chronic pot smokers have lower, not higher, rates of cancer than tobacco smokers (as a recent California study showed). There is also a misconception in our society that suggests that only drug-abstinence is to be encouraged and admired. [continues 102 words]
Members of the Falun Rural Crime Watch (FRCW) were astounded by the startling revelations told to them by a former drug dealer and trafficker. Mike Ryan, program director of Clean Scene Network for Youth Society, lectured a group of 50 people April 3, about the culture of drugs in which we live. At the heart of the Clean Scene group is their desire to do more drug education in schools, a goal which the FRCW strongly supports. "Some schools don't even get drug. Some are lucky to get an hour's worth of education during their whole school careers. [continues 599 words]
It starts out like many other weekend party nights, but can result in some pretty hefty consequences. You have been drinking alcohol or smoking pot and while driving home, you are stopped by the police. If you are charged with impaired driving, do you realize that even before you go to court, you automatically lose your license for three months? The fingerprints and photographs the police take will be retained in their computers for anyone to access. Your car insurance rates will skyrocket and your employment may be jeopardized. If you are a first time offender, and you are convicted of impaired driving you automatically lose your license for a period of one year. You will also have to pay a fine of anywhere from six hundred to a thousand dollars. If this is your second, third or subsequent conviction, you will lose your license for anywhere from three years to life. Minimal mandatory jail time of anywhere from fourteen to ninety days is also imposed. [continues 171 words]
Standing Strong Against Drugs -- Wetaskiwin A First Nations phrase, "It takes a whole village to raise a child" is an appropriate paradigm to believe in when working with drug prevention and drug education. Our children know about playing safely and bicycle safety. As well, there are home alone and after school clubs and programs for latch key children. What about drug education and drug safety? The television bombards us with anti-drug messages, our own community supports anti drug campaigns, but what really is getting done to street proof our children, or further to enhance our children's education about drug abuse and drug safety? [continues 311 words]
"Our strategies are focused to combat gang problems and violence related to gangs " ~Sgt. Dennis Fraser, CRU team NCO The signing of the Community Tripartite Agreement in Hobbema began a new era leading to CRU. The Community Response Unit is a pilot project initiated to combat gang and drug issues in and around Hobbema. "As a result, it injected 12 additional (RCMP) resources and three public servants (into the detachment)," said Sgt. Dennis Fraser, the officer in charge of the CRU team. [continues 505 words]
New Phone Number 310-Cops Created To Stop Drug Trafficking In The Community Reporting drug-related crime is as easy as picking up the phone. The RCMP launched a new phone number, 310-COPS (2677), so citizens can report a drug house if they suspect one. "Drug trafficking has become a major community concern," said Wetaskiwin RCMP Staff Sgt. Tim Ashmore. "It's important community members partner with RCMP to combat illegal drug activity to make our communities safer." Under the name Report a Drug House, this crime-reporting mechanism has seen much success in other communities, such as Edmonton's south division. [continues 323 words]
Wetaskiwin Community Solutions hosts Standing Strong Against Drugs conference "I'm not here to tell you drugs and alcohol are bad and you should never take them, but I want you to know you have a choice." Jenn Beaupre, one of the wild card contestants on the first series of Canadian Idol, told youth her stand against drugs and alcohol at the Standing Strong Against Drugs conference, Oct. 20 and 21. The conference, hosted by Wetaskiwin Community Solutions Substance Abuse Awareness committee, played to both adults and youth. [continues 564 words]
A comprehensive, ground-breaking blueprint for a strategy to battle the scourge of crystal methamphetamine has been received by the government of Alberta. Following consultations with Albertans, the Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth has presented government with a comprehensive strategy to fight the growing problem of crystal methamphetamine in communities across the province. The report contains 83 recommendations in three predominant themes: prevention, healing and treatment and getting tough. Additional recommendations include taking a province-wide approach, supporting Aboriginal communities and improving services and assessing results [continues 347 words]
Drug houses are no match for knowledge-sharing neighbours. So said two members of the Edmonton Police Service who spoke at the Wetaskiwin Moose Hall during a special seminar introducing an innovative program, Keeping Drug Dealers on the Run: A Quality of Life Initiative. The program, which started in September 2005, was a response to residents feeling hopeless in the face of drug houses in their neighbourhoods. "In the city, they're tired of calling the Tips (Crime Stoppers) line," said Const. David Woudstra. [continues 592 words]
Times Staff -- The Conference Is Almost Free. All Residents Have To Do Is Show Up. Members of Community Solutions are hoping parents, kids and business people do show up to the upcoming Standing Strong Against Drugs conference, Oct. 20 and 21, at the Drill Hall. "All it's costing people really is their time," noted Community Solutions co-ordinator Lisa Wojna. "This is not just for service people, but for family members as well." Speakers have been chosen with special consideration for the needs of this community and those of the surrounding area. [continues 647 words]
