Dear Editor, What exactly do the mayor and council have against doctor-approved safe access to medical marijuana in Langley City? We had an excellent facility in Langley City, up to July 19, 2011. It could not have been handled any better. It was safe, efficiently run, reasonably priced, good quality, helpful, and had a knowledgeable staff. It served the sick and injured people in the district exceedingly well. A lot of people needlessly suffered because of the rash actions of the authorities. Keep it open as a pilot project and give the sick and injured a chance. Watch it, keep an eye on it, and make sure it goes by Health Canada guidelines. Lorraine Hubbs Aldergrove [end]
HELENA -- Law enforcement officials and a criminal defense attorney said at a conference Tuesday that they find the Montana medical marijuana law ambiguous and leaving a lot open to legal interpretation because of conflicting federal law. Conference moderator Lee Banville, a University of Montana professor, asked the panelists if law enforcement had the tools "that help you sort of navigate this water between the complicated space between a federally illegal product and a state-sanctioned system." Blue Corneliusen, a deputy Cascade County sheriff and president of the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, said law authorities have tried to figure out how to take Montana voters' mandate to legalize medical marijuana in 2004 and "put it in the scope of still fighting crime." [continues 478 words]
I agree with B.J. Brockett (Your Views, Sept. 7) and his solution to the drug problems. This has been my solution for many years. It's impossible to keep people from using drugs so let them have all they want and they'll take care of the problem by themselves. It would save the lives of people getting killed or injured buying and selling drugs and end robberies of homes of innocent people. There would be no more drug dealers trying to sell drugs at schools and no more pharmacy holdups. Bobbie Turney, Edmond [end]
Patients Suffering From Terminal Illnesses in Some Countries Denied Pain Killer, Ubc Graduate School of Journalism Study Finds A study by University of B. C. journalism students says the global war on illicit drugs is preventing patients suffering terminal illnesses in some countries from having sufficient access to morphine to control their pain. The year-long study done by the UBC Graduate School of Journalism involved teams travelling to India, Ukraine and Uganda to see how those countries manage pain. The results of The Pain Project can be found at www.internationalreporting.org/pain. [continues 321 words]
BC Jail Overload: Incarcerated Weed Offenders to Skyrocket Prime Minister Stephen Harper is getting tougher on pot growers than he is on rapists of children. Under the Tories' omnibus crime legislation tabled Tuesday, a person growing 201 pot plants in a rental unit would receive a longer mandatory sentence than someone who rapes a toddler or forces a five-year-old to have sex with an animal. Producing six to 200 pot plants nets an automatic six-month sentence, with an extra three months if it's done in a rental or is deemed a public-safety hazard. Growing 201 to 500 plants brings a one-year sentence, or 1 1/2 years if it's in a rental or poses a safety risk. [continues 451 words]
JERUSALEM--Marijuana administered in a timely fashion could block the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in rats, a new study conducted at Haifa University has found. The study, conducted by researchers at the university's psychology department and published in the Neuropsychopharmacology journal, found that rats that were treated with marijuana within 24 hours of a traumatic experience, successfully avoided any symptoms of PTSD. "There is a critical 'window of time' after trauma, during which synthetic marijuana can help prevent symptoms similar to PTSD in rats," said Dr. Irit Akirav who led the study. [continues 211 words]
Justice: Crackdown on Crime to Cost Time, Money: Critics OTTAWA -- A sweeping omnibus crime bill tabled Tuesday that seeks to crack down on young offenders, drug dealers and sexual predators is under fire from critics -- who argue it's a waste of time and money since crime rates are on the wane in Canada. The bill, dubbed the "Safe Streets and Communities Act," comprises nine individual justice bills that died during the previous parliamentary session because the then-minority Tory government could not push them through. [continues 383 words]
Stats Show Offences Down, Critics Say A sweeping omnibus crime bill tabled Tuesday that seeks to crack down on young offenders, drug dealers, sexual predators and Canadians in foreign prisons is under fire from critics -- who argue it's a waste of time and money since crime rates are on the wane in Canada. The bill, dubbed the Safe Streets and Communities Act, comprises nine individual justice bills that died during the previous parliamentary session because the then-minority Tory government could not push them through. [continues 707 words]
NDP Say Bill, Focused on Incarceration, Will Cost Provinces A sweeping omnibus crime bill tabled Tuesday that seeks to crack down on young offenders, drug dealers, sexual predators and Canadians in foreign prisons is under fire from critics -- who argue it's a waste of time and money since crime rates are on the wane in Canada. The bill, dubbed the Safe Streets and Communities Act, comprises nine individual justice bills that died during the previous parliamentary session because the then-minority Tory government could not push them through. [continues 398 words]
HELENA -- For medical marijuana to become more accepted by lawmakers, law enforcement, the medical community and the public, the industry needs to be based on based on tight controls, good record keeping and consistent quality, according to a licensed provider in New Jersey. The industry also needs to keep good records and do in-depth research about the effectiveness of marijuana as a medicine, said Webster "Dan" Todd, chairman of the board of Compassionate Sciences, one of the six licensed medical marijuana providers in New Jersey. [continues 520 words]
There are clearly different shades of green on the Richmond City Council. There are those greens who believe global climate change is truly a crisis that we must address at every level of government -- and quickly. Then there are those for whom the green of cannabis eclipses the more global meaning of green. And finally, there is the green of money -- lots of it -- including tens of thousands of dollars from the cannabis industry that has found its way into some council members' campaign coffers. [continues 779 words]
