WINNIPEG - Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister signalled Monday that the province's private sector will be involved in the distribution of marijuana when recreational use is legalized next July. Pallister said details of the provincial plan to govern cannabis would be released Tuesday. He rejected earlier statements from the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union that sales should be done exclusively through government-run stores. Pallister said there will be some sort of a "hybrid option" - public-sector regulation and distribution combined with private-sector delivery - that could take business away from the existing black market. [continues 305 words]
Manitoba wants to know about your marijuana use as it prepares for legalization The Manitoba government plans to poll residents about their marijuana consumption and what kind of rules they would like to see when recreational pot is legalized next year. The provincial liquor and gaming authority is looking for a company to do 15-minute surveys of at least 1,200 Manitobans in the coming months as it prepares for the new law. "We don't have a great understanding about cannabis as a substance and how people use it," said Kristianne Dechant, the authority's communications and research manager. [continues 276 words]
Pallister says he is not alone in wanting delay in feds' marijuana bill The federal government should postpone legislation to legalize marijuana, planned for the spring, because there are still too many details to work out, says Premier Brian Pallister. "We've done a fair bit of preparatory work here and research, and the more we do, the more we unlock complexities that need to be addressed that are not minor things," Pallister told reporters Tuesday. "I know at least some of the other first ministers have these concerns as well." [continues 255 words]
(CP) - Manitoba's health minister is defending the practice of publishing the names of nurses who are sanctioned for repeatedly abusing drugs or alcohol. Theresa Oswald has all but ruled out a request from the Manitoba Nurses Union, which is calling for a new law to limit what can be revealed publicly about disciplinary action taken by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. That's the agency that regulates nursing across the province. Oswald says the public's right to know outstrips the privacy concerns of nurses who feel they're being unfairly humiliated. [continues 251 words]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is promising to put more drug dealers behind bars and help users kick the habit as part of a $64-million anti-drug strategy. The government will introduce legislation this fall to make prison time mandatory for serious drug offences, the prime minister said Thursday. But he refused to be specific other than to say the proposed law would focus on dealers. "Currently, there are no minimum prison sentences for producing and trafficking dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine," Harper told workers at a Salvation Army centre in downtown Winnipeg. "These are serious crimes. Those who commit them should do serious time." [continues 348 words]
Harper Blames 1960s, Beatles-Era Culture for 'Romanticizing' Drug Use WINNIPEG -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is promising to put more drug dealers behind bars and help users kick the habit as part of a $64-million anti-drug strategy. Blaming a culture "that since the 1960s has at the minimum not encouraged drug use and often romanticized it or made it cool, made it acceptable," Harper said yesterday the government will be taking a tougher stand in the war on drugs. [continues 364 words]
PM Also Promises Two-Thirds of $64m Program Will Go Toward Prevention, Treatment for Users WINNIPEG - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is promising to put more drug dealers behind bars and help users kick the habit as part of a $64-million anti-drug strategy. The government will introduce legislation this fall to make prison time mandatory for serious drug offences, the prime minister said Thursday. But he refused to be specific other than to say the proposed law would focus on dealers. [continues 615 words]
Harper Announces $64m to Fight Dealers, Help Users Prime Minister Stephen Harper is promising to put more drug dealers behind bars and help users kick the habit as part of a $64-million anti-drug strategy. The government will introduce legislation this fall to make prison time mandatory for serious drug offences, the prime minister said Thursday. But he refused to be specific other than to say the proposed law would focus on dealers. "Currently, there are no minimum prison sentences for producing and trafficking dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine," Harper told workers at a Salvation Army centre in downtown Winnipeg. "These are serious crimes. Those who commit them should do serious time." [continues 164 words]
People who want to grow pot for the federal government may soon get the chance. Health Canada's five-year, $5.75-million contract with its current supplier of medicinal marijuana, Prairie Plant Systems, appears to be winding down and the department is preparing to seek proposals from all potential suppliers. "Public Works and Government Services Canada continues to negotiate with Prairie Plant Systems to ensure an uninterrupted supply of marijuana for research and for authorized users while a (request for proposal) process is carried out to identify a long-term supplier," said Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon. [continues 224 words]
Health Canada Eager to Ensure Supply WINNIPEG - People who want to grow pot for the federal government may soon get the chance. Health Canada's five-year, $5.75-million contract with its current supplier of medicinal marijuana, Prairie Plant Systems, appears to be winding down and the department is preparing to seek proposals from all potential suppliers. "Public Works and Government Services Canada continues to negotiate with Prairie Plant Systems to ensure an uninterrupted supply of marijuana for research and for authorized users while a (request for proposal) process is carried out to identify a long-term supplier," said Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon. [continues 175 words]
WINNIPEG -- People who want to grow pot for the federal government may soon get the chance. Health Canada's five-year, $5.75-million contract with its current supplier of medicinal marijuana, Prairie Plant Systems, appears to be winding down and the department is preparing to seek proposals from all potential suppliers. "Public Works and Government Services Canada continues to negotiate with Prairie Plant Systems to ensure an uninterrupted supply of marijuana for research and for authorized users while a (request for proposal) process is carried out to identify a long-term supplier," said Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon. [continues 324 words]
A group representing medical users of marijuana has pulled negative comments from its website after receiving a cease-and-desist notice from the company Ottawa hired to grow the pot. "On the advice of our counsel, we have temporarily removed the open letter of concern," Phillipe Lucas of Canadians for Safe Access said in an interview yesterday. "But we certainly stand by the concerns that are cited." The open letter, which was posted on the group's website in January, listed criticisms of the quality, ingredients and health standards of the marijuana that has been grown by Prairie Plant Systems at its underground facility in Flin Flon. [continues 276 words]
WINNIPEG -- Police in Manitoba's capital are worried that a turf war may develop between biker gangs now that the Bandidos appear to be setting up shop alongside the local Hells Angels. "I guess what would concern me is that we may see a rivalry similar to what was seen in Quebec," Sergeant Cam Baldwin of the Winnipeg Police Service said yesterday. Until 2001, the Bandidos were known as the Rock Machine in Quebec. About 170 people, including several bystanders, were killed from 1995 to 2001 during a turf war between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels for control of Quebec's lucrative drug trade. [continues 404 words]
WINNIPEG -- Manitoba drivers suspected of being high on drugs will be asked to perform a specific series of tasks, including standing on one leg while counting out loud, under new regulations approved by the NDP government. "The tests are, by nature, divided attention tests," David Greening, a senior Justice Department policy analyst, said in an interview. "(Police) can determine if a person is impaired by how they perform on the tests." The new regulations stem from amendments to the provincial Highway Traffic Act approved by the legislature last spring. They are intended to crack down on motorists who drive under the influence of drugs. [continues 278 words]
Motorists Must Perform Three Tasks For Police MANITOBA drivers suspected of being high on drugs will be asked to perform a specific series of tasks, including standing on one leg while counting out loud, under new regulations approved by the NDP government. "The tests are, by nature, divided attention tests," David Greening, a senior Justice Department policy analyst, said in an interview. "(Police) can determine if a person is impaired by how they perform on the tests." The new regulations stem from amendments to the provincial Highway Traffic Act approved by the legislature last spring which are intended to crack down on motorists who drive under the influence of drugs. [continues 249 words]
Manitoba Legislation Called Nation'S Toughest WHAT has been called the toughest provincial anti-gang law in Canada has cleared its final hurdle and is set to take effect within days. The Manitoba government has worked out detailed regulations under its Criminal Property Forfeiture Act -- a law that will strip suspected gang members of their assets even if they have not been convicted of a crime. "We're looking to put the legislation into effect as early as next week," Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh said yesterday. [continues 303 words]
Members Could Be Stripped Of Property, Even If Not Convicted Of Crime THE Manitoba government is moving ahead with a controversial law that would strip suspected gang members of their assets even if they are not convicted of a crime. "It will be in force very shortly, in the next few weeks," said Jeff Schnoor, executive director of policy development with Manitoba Justice. The Criminal Property Forfeiture Act was approved by the legislature last spring. Since then, justice officials have been working out details of the law before enacting it. [continues 483 words]
(CP) - The federal government is looking for new types of subsidized housing for drug users and alcoholics - housing that could include safe-injection sites. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the government's housing agency, is launching a study to look at alternative residential programs for substance users who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. "We want to look at that population and how people are already helping them, or the kinds of cutting-edge ideas on how we can best create long-term housing for this group," said Jim Zamprelli, a senior policy researcher at CMHC. [continues 407 words]
The federal government is looking for new types of subsidized housing for drug users and alcoholics -- housing that could include safe-injection sites. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. is launching a study to look at alternative residential programs for substance users who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. "We want to look at that population and how people are already helping them, or the kinds of cutting-edge ideas on how we can best create long-term housing for this group," said Jim Zamprelli, a senior policy researcher at CMHC. CMHC needs someone to conduct the study, at a cost of up to $100,000. [end]
