Trudeau Likes Legalizing Pot, but Hasn't Answered the Hard Questions I have peered into the future and Justin Trudeau was nowhere in sight. Not true. I could make him out vaguely through a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke. He seemed relaxed. The good news is he wasn't at 24 Sussex Drive. The bad news is I only looked ahead a month. If I'm a mystic, I'm a minor mystic. I have weak and unreliable powers but occasionally I guess correctly; kind of like a pollster but without the appearance of being scientific. But let's start by predicting the past. We know Justin has famously called for the full legalization of marijuana. [continues 444 words]
OTTAWA -- A woman who's been waiting five months for an updated licence to use medical marijuana says the situation for patients is getting worse. Marie Tripp filed an application in August to change her licence after her doctor doubled her prescription for cannabis, and spoke to QMI Agency at the end of September about previous delays she suffered while getting renewals and changes for her licence. Tripp suffers from fibro myalgia, chronic fatigue and osteoarthritis, but doesn't use any painkillers other than marijuana. [continues 259 words]
OTTAWA -- Criminals running marijuana grow-ops in their homes should have no expectation of privacy, according to a Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday morning. The case, involving Calgary resident Daniel Gomboc, split the highest court three ways as justices argued over privacy rights. Police attached a digital recording ammeter, or DRA, to Gomboc's home in 2007. The DRA provided police with a pattern of electricity use consistent with a grow-op. Combined with other observations police made of Gomboc's home, they obtained a search warrant and found hundreds of marijuana plants. [continues 269 words]
The four-year jail sentence imposed on former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage by Justice Alexander Sosna and upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal last week is evidence some judges do treat impaired driving cases seriously. That's in sharp contrast to judges who don't seem capable of applying simple impaired driving laws as mentioned in last week's column. Many readers shared their theories on why some judges don't follow appellate directions or the law in impaired cases. Many speculated about the drinking habits of judges. One reader made the argument: "Lawyers and judges are some of the worst drinking and driving offenders anywhere. Alcoholism runs rampant in these professions due to the enormous demands and stress of the jobs. In fact, Osgoode Hall has one of the most impressive and well-stocked bars in the province - -if not the country -so it should come as no surprise that those who so frequently and freely imbibe often deliver verdicts that are lenient, outrageous, and in some cases even criminal (pardon the expression)." [continues 497 words]
One day after drawing the ire of Conservatives for tinkering with government justice legislation, Liberal senators are now picking apart another crime bill that cracks down on drug traffickers. Political wrangling over the bills raged yesterday, with Justice Minister Rob Nicholson fuming over proposed amendments and delays. He called on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff to "show leadership" and urge his caucus members from the red chamber to pass the bill. "I've heard that again, they're playing games with this. These people are soft on crime and this is a huge mistake," Nicholson said. [continues 230 words]
LAURENTIAN VALLEY - After decades of being misinterpreted, industrial hemp is staging a comeback in Renfrew County. Municipal leaders and county officials saw firsthand some of the byproducts and benefits that can be yielded from a hemp plant during a demonstration at a township farm near Micksburg this week. Farmer and entrepreneur Reuben Stone saw the opportunity after being approached by the Ontario Hemp Alliance to become a major grower of commercial hemp grain. He is currently growing 100 acres making him the largest single grower in Ontario. [continues 616 words]
One Pill, Two Pill, Three Pill, Four, Five Pill, Six Pill, Seven Pill, Floor." Turn to page 372 in The Concise Oxford Dictionary and there it is, sandwiched somewhere between 'economy' and 'ecstatic' - the word 'ecstasy'. The wordsmiths who laboured over definitions added this behind the seven-lettered word -1. An overwhelming feeling of joy and rapture. 2. A trancelike state. 3.Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a powerful stimulant and hallucinatory drug (MDMA). On the streets of our cities, kids and dealers label the drug 'E' or XTC, some call it euphoria or love doves. [continues 666 words]
Addicted: 1. Dependent on as a habit; unable to do without. (addicted to heroin, addicted to smoking). The Oxford Dictionary In early February the Medigas company went to the Ottawa home of a 56-year-old man and seized his oxygen tanks. They had reason to believe that the occupant of the home was smoking while taking oxygen and acted before a tragedy occurred. Wise, eh? What company wants to see anybody become a human torch, blow up an apartment building, and be served a liability suit into the bargain. Yet time and again people with chronic respiratory problems dependent on in-house oxygen therapy smoke while taking oxygen. Steve Armstrong, division chief of fire prevention in Ottawa says that smokers have been known to lay the oxygen tubes from their nostrils on their shoulder while taking their next puff. As a result we have about three or four deaths each year in Canada from such accidents. [continues 759 words]
The Parks and Recreation department have recently found more drug paraphenalia on the grounds of the town's parks and playgrounds than in the past. However, facilities manager Mark Reinert is not about to say substance abuse is happening on a regular basis in Petawawa's parks. So far, they've recovered only marijuana pipes and glass bongs from three of the town's 14 parks, namely the Millennium Trail, Kiddie Land park and Nature's Acre park. To date, no syringes or traces of illegal substances have turned up. [continues 285 words]
About 40 Algonquins of Pikwakanagan took part in a community walk Wednesday to demonstrate solidarity against illicit drug use and trafficking in the community. Organizers said the walk is the first in a series of initiatives organized by the community's relatively new "War of Drugs" Task Force. The community walk's theme was 'protect the next generation -our children, our future.' "What we want to try and do is educate people and draw awareness," said Pikwakanagan Chief Kirby Whiteduck. "As a group of concerned individuals including council, we realize that illicit drug use has a negative impact on families, on individuals and on our community." [continues 335 words]
To The Editor, RE: Editorial: It's All Around Us There are two things wrong with this editorial position. First, "drugs" are the "scourge", prohibition is. If marijuana were legalized and regulated, these clandestine grows would not even exist. The second problem is the notion that we should become a "snitch nation" - a society that sneakily peeks over each others' fences to see what our neighbor is up to, only to rat them out to the police, who, by enforcing these absurd and corrupt prohibition laws, are as much of a problem as the growers. [continues 55 words]
Dear editor, It's disappointing to read that so many mature Cannabis plants have been attacked by gun carrying police officers. I have never know a Cannabis plant to attack a human. Precious few grow ops are booby-trapped, because no wise Cannabis gardener wants these additional charges for growing Earth's most beneficial plant. It is a lie that the average plant is worth $1,000. Plants produce anywhere from only a few ounces each to several pounds, depending on strain and growing conditions. Quality varies. Still, the police repeat ad nauseum the mantra of a grand a plant. [continues 122 words]
"As plain as the nose on your face." "Hidden in plain view." "Can't see for looking." All those sayings might be applicable, in one context or another, to the gigantic marijuana grow-op bust the OPP made at a farm just outside of Pembroke last Thursday. Police have now confirmed this was no run-of-the-mill bust, with about 40,000 plants collected worth a street value of $40 million, making it the largest grow-op bust in Canada. [continues 118 words]
To The Editor, RE: Killaloe OPP lay multiple charges Are police working in cahoots with rival growers? They must be, because they know perfectly well that when they tear out big grows like these, they are actually subsidizing the 90-95% growers that they never catch. Even huge busts have little-to-no effect on the availability of pot in the community - all it does is drive up the profit of the uncaught dealers. So not only is the police's "marijuana is illegal" policy the very thing that is making pot-growing so lucrative, their ongoing enforcement of the policy is increasing the rival gangster's profits. The police are also wasting time, money, and fuel, while failing to solve real crimes. It is all just one big make-work scam for growers and lazy cops! It all leads me to wonder just which side of the law these people are really on! Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis (PAIDOC)www.paidoc.org [end]
The Ontario Provincial Police are calling Thursday's drug bust on B-Line Road near Pembroke the largest ever in Canada. More than 40,000 plants were seized at the farm property at 1970 B-Line Road in Laurentian Valley Township over the weekend, with an estimated street value of $40 million. On Thursday, members of the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP Crime Unit, assisted by the OPP Drug Enforcement Section and the Emergency Response Team, executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act warrant on the 200-acre farm. [continues 331 words]
Editor: I read the article in The Daily Observer on Aug. 22 advising of a methadone clinic opening in Pembroke. As a former resident of Pembroke, this issue concerns me. I have been involved as a volunteer in the inner City of Ottawa for many years and can attest that there are people who have been on methadone, some for over 20 years. Many are poly drug users and still continue taking illegal drugs. They have basically replaced an illegal drug with a legal one but are still not drug-free. [continues 381 words]
Only Facility In Renfrew County To Serve People Fighting Opiate Addiction The imminent opening of a methadone clinic in Pembroke is raising some eyebrows -and some hackles -in the city. The clinic is located at 140 Pembroke Street West, in the former location of Pembroke Jewellers in the middle of downtown. Officially it opens on Monday. The clinic is one of 25 in Ontario operated by Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres (OATC). Rhonda Daiter, director of operations for OATC, said there is a need for a clinic in this area. [continues 1314 words]
Renfrew County Crime Stoppers and the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the OPP would like to remind area land owners that the season has arrived for Outdoor Marijuana Cultivation. Typically marijuana growers will plant in remote areas on Crown land or private property. Land owners should be vigilant of unusual vehicular, ATV, and pedestrian traffic on or near their property. Marijuana growers will require a water source; plants may be planted in close proximity to the water source. Individuals are asked to contact police and not approach suspected outdoor marijuana grow location( s). [continues 91 words]
Drivers Suspected of Drug Use Face Fine for Refusing Test A new federal law that came into effect July 2 seeks to penalize drug impaired and alcohol impaired drivers equally. Bill C-32 puts alcohol and drugs on equal footing for roadside checks for impaired driving by police. Previous to the enactment of Bill C-32, a police officer who suspected a driver of being impaired by drugs could request that the driver undergo voluntary testing to confirm impairment, however, there was no penalty if the driver refused. [continues 593 words]
Starting on Wednesday this week, drivers suspected of being high on drugs will be forced to undergo a mandatory roadside sobriety test. Police will also have the power to take suspected drug-impaired drivers to the police station for a more intensive test or to give a blood, urine or saliva sample. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced this change in procedure late last week and credited lobbying by groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for making this new law a reality. "People who have been victims of impaired driving have been calling for this for quite some time," Nicholson said. [continues 103 words]
