Williams Lake, B.C. (CP) -- The B.C. government has made its biggest seizure yet of a property that housed a marijuana grow-op, taking ownership of a pot operation capable of producing 22,000 plants a year. Solicitor-General John van Dongen said the B.C. Supreme Court ordered the property, near Williams Lake, forfeited to the province to be sold. [end]
The Slocan Lake RCMP detachment has engaged a number of government agencies following a March 8 search of a Slocan residence that revealed a marijuana grow operation consisting of over 400 plants. Cpl. Todd Bowden says two Slocan residents are facing charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act following the execution of a search warrant at the residence. The Canada Revenue Agency is currently estimating past revenues from the grow operation to compare with income taxes paid, says Cpl. Bowden. "They will go back and do an assessment of what that person was bringing in, or what they likely brought in, based on [the RCMP's] findings and Canada Revenue Agency's findings and then we'll come up with an estimate of income for the past however long they feel this operation has been operating." [continues 284 words]
A state Health Department proposal that medical-marijuana patients be allowed more than 2 pounds of pot every two months took law enforcement by surprise and prompted the governor to tell health officials to start over. Faced with a legislative mandate to spell out what constitutes a "60-day supply" by July 1, the department in February briefed Gov. Christine Gregoire's office on its recommendation: Patients or caregivers could possess up to 35 ounces of cultivated marijuana and be allowed a plant-growing area of 100 square feet. [continues 1276 words]
As the weather heats up and the Memorial Day weekend fast approaches, representatives of the Mendocino National Forest are warning people to be on the lookout for illegal marijuana gardens in the national forest. "We want the public to be aware that this illegal activity and occupation is taking place if they encounter marijuana gardens on the national forest," said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras. Last year, law enforcement seized more than 220,000 plants from illegal marijuana grows. According to national forest reports, the MNF is becoming an increasingly popular place for illegal marijuana growers to plant their crops because the forest is remote, largely uninhabited and has the proper soil fertility and climate to grow the crop. [continues 295 words]
Smugglers Go To Great Lengths To Hide Stash Secretly stashed in a transport truck hauling lettuce and lemons, stowed in the hidden panel of an elderly couple's car, buried in a mail shipment of children's toys. Sneaky drug smugglers have tried every trick of the trade to move cocaine, marijuana, opium, heroin, ecstasy and most other narcotics across the border into Canada -- using everything from hollowed-out hockey sticks and bottles of booze to a wheelchair and commercial hot dog stand to hide their stash. [continues 1042 words]
A war on drugs blighting communities is being waged this week on every level. A police purge on drug dealers and the work of agencies helping addicts will be highlighted in the Tackling Drugs campaign. Northumbria Police is backing the Home Office in a national drugs awareness drive. Enforcers are not only taking on the drug barons and breaking up distribution networks, but also helping users live a drug-free life. Northumbria Police's Det Insp Mandy Shea, of the force intelligence department's drug section, said: "We are committed to disrupting the supply of drugs, closing crack houses and cannabis farms, and reducing drug-related crime. [continues 576 words]
Researcher Hopes To Pinpoint Drugs' Specific Risks When Mark Asbridge came across surveys indicating driving under the influence of drugs such as cannabis has surpassed the rate of driving under the influence of alcohol, it stirred his interest in exploring the precise effect of cannabis on drivers. "People are quite concerned about this issue," says Asbridge, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at Dalhousie University. Cannabis affects drivers differently than alcohol. It distorts the user's perception of space, rather than slowing down reaction time as is the case with alcohol, Asbridge said. [continues 174 words]
'Technical Breach' Of Marijuana Law Turns Into Constitutional Case A Meaford man and woman will fight drug charges - laid one month before he received licences to possess and grow marijuana for medicinal purposes - by arguing Canada's marijuana possession law is unconstitutional. "The Charter of Rights, that's what this whole thing is about," James Kerr said after a court appearance last week. He believes it has been unconstitutional to be charged with a marijuana crime since an Ontario Court of Appeal decision in 2001. [continues 502 words]
COLUMBUS -- State Sen. Tom Roberts wants Ohioans to be able to smoke marijuana legally to ease their pain. Roberts, D-Trotwood, is to unveil details of his proposed Ohio Medical Compassion Act at a press conference here on Wednesday, May 21. "Our laws should reflect the latest in medical research, which has shown that medical cannabis has a variety of benefits for treating pain, nausea and other symptoms related to a wide range of disease," Roberts said in a prepared statement. [continues 190 words]
Re: OHIP to cover sex change, May 16 OHIP will cover sex changes and the Ontario Disability Support Program will cover most prescriptions, but we still can't get decent medical marijuana at an affordable price. Gotta love this country. Russell Barth, Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis, Nepean, Ont. [end]
VICTORIA-More than one in 20 Canadian soldiers and sailors in non-combat roles tested positive for illicit drug use in random tests conducted on more than 3,000 military personnel from coast to coast. The results provided to The Canadian Press show that over a four-month period, 1,392 sailors in the navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets and 1,673 soldiers in the army's four regions and training branch were subjected to blind drug testing. Averaged out, 6.5 per cent of those tested in the navy and 5 per cent in the army indicated positive results, almost entirely for marijuana. [continues 137 words]
Protect the children Re "Remove pot prohibition" (Guest comment, April 19): Regarding JR Reynolds' thoughtful column, drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like meth, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 65 words]
