Local citizens will have their opportunity to voice their concerns and support for or against the Town of Osoyoos potentially approving a large-scale medical marijuana grow operation (MMGO) at a public hearing scheduled for Monday, Feb. 3. Two weeks ago, town council discussed a formal application to seek a business license from Canna-Pharma Inc. a new business from Vancouver that is interested in opening a large commercial MMGO in the town's industrial park. During that meeting in early December, council directed staff to formulate an approach to processing applications for an MMGO in industrial areas, including rezoning requirements, evaluation criteria and opportunities for public input. [continues 639 words]
Members of Town of Osoyoos council have deferred making a decision on drafting a medical marijuana production and licensing regulation bylaw until the fall in order to conduct some more research and see what other communities are doing as new federal legislation is changing the way municipalities must deal with medical marijuana production in the future. Janette Van Vienen, the town's director of corporate services, told members of council Tuesday that the federal government is changing legislation with regard to medical marijuana access and distribution, effective April 1, 2014. [continues 615 words]
Mayor Stu Wells and every member of Town of Osoyoos council were unanimous in their support of a resolution presented at last week's Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) asking the federal government to decriminalize longstanding legislation for possession of marijuana. The province's municipal politicians voted in favour of a resolution supporting marijuana decriminalization during a vocal debate last Wednesday at the UCBM annual conference in Victoria. UBCM delegates heard health policy advocates, police officers and former B.C. attorney general Geoff Plant call on municipal politicians to lead efforts that could change what they call Canada's outdated pot laws. [continues 623 words]
This past year will be remembered, not so fondly, as one where Greater Sudbury lost its innocence when it came to one of the most destructive illicit drugs. Greater Sudbury Police have admitted crack cocaine has become a very serious problem across this city and many other parts of Northern Ontario. Peter Orsino, head of the joint forces drug unit for Greater Sudbury Police, said within the past two years, crack cocaine has gone from a fringe problem involving a couple dozen addicts to one reaching epidemic proportions. [continues 455 words]
Local police services claimed a small victory in the fight against the scourge of crack cocaine in Greater Sudbury by charging 37 people with trafficking the highly-addictive drug Thursday. The charges stem from an eight-month undercover investigation conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Section and Greater Sudbury Police. The investigation was code-named Project Rocked. "Am I convinced we've stemmed the tide of crack cocaine in this community...no I'm not, but I am confident we've reached deep into the local drug trade," said Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson, at a press conference Thursday afternoon at police headquarters. [continues 442 words]
Crack cocaine is easily scored on the streets of Greater Sudbury. Even high school students are using it. That's frightening, says Peter Orsino, head of the joint forces drug unit for Greater Sudbury Police. This highly addictive drug destroys lives. Crack addicts can go through $100 in 20 minutes. Users will do anything to get money for their next high. Northern Life's Keith Lacey reports. The drug addict and the cop agree on one thing - the temporary euphoria of crack is quickly replaced by despair, addiction and destruction. [continues 1695 words]
Even though alcoholism and drug addiction are clearly defined as disabilities under Ontario's Human Rights Code, thousands of Ontarians have been denied disability benefits for substance abuse addictions. That's about to change following a Supreme Court of Canada ruling Friday. A seven-year legal battle ended in victory for two Sudbury men and the Sudbury Legal Clinic that represented them following a majority 4-3 decision by the country's top court. The court ruled legislation under provincial human rights codes must now be considered by all government tribunals when handling appeal cases by Canadian citizens applying for benefits, specifically, disability benefits. [continues 812 words]
A repeat drug dealer tearfully pleaded with Justice William Fitzgerald for his freedom at the Sudbury courthouse on Wednesday. The judge sentenced Daniel Leblanc, 24, to an 18-month conditional sentence of house arrest after giving him a stern lecture. He is only to leave his residence for work or exceptional circumstances approved by his probation officer. Court heard Leblanc was caught with a large amount of marijuana - 654 grams with a street value of about $2,800 - after being pulled over by police around 2 am March 31, 2004. He proceeded to lie to police, giving officers two false names before giving his real name. [continues 396 words]
The Greater Sudbury Police Service will be sending four officers to Edmonton for Thursday's national memorial service for the four slain RCMP officers slain last week. Two members of the Greater Sudbury Fire Department will also attend the service, which is expected to attract thousands of police officers and dignitaries from across Canada and the United States. The local RCMP detachment will not be sending anyone to the memorial. "Six people from Ontario, including our commanding officer, who will be representing all officers from Ontario, will be attending," said Staff Sgt. Claude Faucher from the Sudbury RCMP detachment. "All of the good mates and fellow officers who worked with the four slain officers will be allowed to attend, and that's why a decision has been made not to send anyone from this detachment." [continues 387 words]
A man who says he grew marijuana to help his dying friend was spared jail time Tuesday. Ronald Cyr, 56, was sentenced to six months of house arrest. The only time he can leave his residence is to provide care for three family members suffering from serious health problems. Cyr pleaded guilty to producing a substance after police raided his residence in Worthington, about 50 kilometres north of Sudbury, Dec. 4, 2001. Police found 37 marjuana plants about three feet each in length, another 19 plants under 12 inches and other items like scales, rolling papers and pipes. [continues 324 words]
On the street, it's most commonly known as "hillbilly heroin." Other names include "oxy", "killer" and "Oc's." OxyContin is the trademark name for the controlled-release narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, which is similar to morphine. It is designed to be released slowly over time into the body. Since it was being introduced on a widespread basis in North American in the mid-1990s, it has become the most frequently prescribed painkiller for cancer-related symptoms and chronic pain. There was a 450 percent increase in the number of oxycodone-prescribed drugs in Canada between 1999 and 2003. [continues 1366 words]
A brazen street-level drug dealer caught by undercover officers repeatedly making deals at a downtown doughnut shop is headed to a federal penitentiary. An interesting aspect of this case is the Crown wasn't seeking a penitentiary term, but Jason Beausoleil, 24, told the court, through defence counsel Donald Plaunt, he preferred a penitentiary term to being sent to a provincial reformatory. That's because the federal system is known to offer much better programs for substance abuse and anger management, two issues his client wants to address so he can lead a more productive life once he's released from prison, said Plaunt. [continues 291 words]
An injured construction worker who grew marijuana plants to ease his physical pain has been spared a jail sentence. Justice Guy Mahaffy said he doesn't normally agree to conditional sentences for people caught growing large amounts of pot. However, he agreed to sentence Lawrence Desabrais, 47, to house arrest for six months Tuesday because he was convinced the accused did not profit in any way from the plants. A pre-sentence report indicated Desabrais, who has no previous criminal record, only smoked marijuana to ease physical pain. When police raided Desabrais' home last May 24, they found 28 marijuana plants with a street value of several thousand dollars. [continues 259 words]
