BISSAU // Now the epicentre of an expanding West African cocaine trade, Guinea-Bissau is confronting an entirely new problem that threatens disaster for its fragile health, law enforcement and justice systems - a burgeoning population of home-grown crack addicts. Unheard of until recently in this tiny former Portuguese colony, use of crack cocaine is a spillover effect of the transnational cocaine trade. During the past few years, traffickers have increasingly been using Guinea-Bissau as a transit point to move drugs from South America into Europe. Large cocaine shipments arrive here to be broken down into smaller quantities before being smuggled onwards. [continues 1031 words]
Canada should legalize and tax marijuana according to Senator Larry Campbell, who blamed the U.S. for pressuring Ottawa to follow its war on drugs approach. Marijuana smoke hung thick in the air outside the Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour St.), and joints were being rolled openly on the counter just inside the entrance. Campbell, a former Vancouver drug cop and mayor, said science has proven that the substance is relatively harmless. "Nobody's ever died from marijuana, so what's the big deal?" said Campbell, who is featured in the documentary. America found allies in Ottawa with last year's election of a Conservative government, he added. He said the Tories wanted to shut down Vancouver's safe heroin injection site despite numerous scientific studies proving its effectiveness. Campbell said drugs like heroin and cocaine should be controlled, but their use should not be treated as a criminal offence. [end]
Why Canada Shouldn't Pull Its Troops Out Of Afghanistan Camp Julien was set down on a barren plain on the outskirts of Kabul, against a stark, mountainous backdrop. Across the road sat the ghostly, bombed-out remnants of Afghanistan's royal palace. Once a majestic building surrounded by immaculate gardens, it was now a looming reminder of destruction wrought by decades of war. In sturdy canvas tents within the heavily fortified camp, about 1,700 Canadian soldiers slept side-by-side in cots. Everything they ate or drank was shipped in. The only time they left was to go on patrol. [continues 3458 words]
Supporters of Vancouver's safe injection site welcomed an announcement that the facility will continue operating. But the celebration was tempered by the fact that the site was not granted another three-and-a-half-year legal exemption. Instead, the Tories gave it a 16-month extension, saying more research is needed to determine whether the site contributes to lowering drug use and fighting addiction. In Friday's release, Health Minister Tony Clement said no new sites will be considered until such questions are answered. [continues 62 words]
Thousands Of Letters Heading PM's Way Supporters of Vancouver's safe injection site are taking their battle to the courtroom. The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) said yesterday it will seek a legal injunction to keep the facility open. Pressure is mounting on federal officials to make a decision before the legal exemption that allows the site to operate expires, Sept. 12. In Vancouver Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Health Minister Tony Clement would make a decision soon. [continues 75 words]
Facility Provides Clean Needles While advocates lobby the federal government to keep the Downtown Eastside safe injection site open, a similar facility across town is also facing closure. Since 1997, the Dr. Peter Centre has been providing services for people living with HIV/AIDS. As part of its extensive approach to treatment, the West End facility provides clean equipment to HIV-positive heroin addicts. The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is negotiating with federal officials for an extension to the exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to allow the program to continue. [continues 100 words]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government could find itself embroiled in a legal battle if it decides to shut down Vancouver's safe injection site. "We would feel morally and legally obligated to attempt to keep it open," said Mark Townsend, director of the Portland Hotel Society (PHS), which oversees the site's operations. Townsend stressed that he expects the Conservatives to allow operations to continue once they finish reviewing evidence that it saves lives and cuts down on HIV/AIDS. [continues 141 words]
Justice and Public Safety Ministers Will Also Have Say Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Justice Minister Vic Toews will weigh in on the federal government's decision on whether to keep Vancouver's safe injection site open. "That was news," said Gillian Maxwell, of the advocacy group InSite for Community Safety (IFCS). "It clearly means the decision process is a little more complex than we thought." She received the information during a meeting in Ottawa yesterday with Joanne Kennelly, who is senior policy adviser to Health Minister Tony Clement. [continues 194 words]
Vancouver police unveiled a video yesterday aimed at giving landlords tips on how to detect marijuana growops. But the video also takes aim at the courts for going soft on growers. In between advice on spotting grow-ops, the narrator points to "Canadian public apathy to prosecuting grow operators," and notes that only 1.5 out of 100 operators busted serve jail time. According to the video, there are up to 20,000 growops in B.C. at any given time. [continues 126 words]
Guerrilla safe injections sites could start popping up in the Downtown Eastside if the Tories refuse to allow InSite to continue operating. Anne Livingstone of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users said she and other community members are willing to set up illegal sites and face charges if necessary. She and other advocates have set up guerrilla sites before, most recently from April to September 2003. "Bring it on," she said. "We'll finally have our day in court." Livingston said a court case would shine the spotlight on the drug-ravaged neighbourhood, and provide an opportunity to lobby for an expanded safe injection site program. [continues 91 words]
'We'll let the project finish and then we'll make a decision:' MP Vancouver's safe injection site will be forced to close its doors Sept. 12 before the Tories decide whether to restart the controversial program. "We'll let the project finish and then we'll make a decision," Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, who is parliamentary secretary to Health Minister Tony Clement, told Metro Vancouver Wednesday. City Drug Policy Co-ordinator Don MacPherson told News 1130 the move would be a "significant step backwards. There would be a great many citizens of Vancouver who would be quite upset about the federal government meddling in local affairs." [continues 214 words]
Details Providing Addicts With Money For Drugs Mayor Sam Sullivan yesterday released a statement to the RCMP regarding his giving money to addicts for drugs. And he used the opportunity to take a stab at political opponent Larry Campbell. "During the 2005 Election campaign, former mayor Larry Campbell and his Vision Vancouver party made these experiences a focus of their campaign," wrote Sullivan. "Because of the increased public awareness, the Police Chief had no alternative but to request that the RCMP investigate these incidents." [continues 187 words]
Minister Announces $8m In New Funding The B.C. government launched a new $8-million offensive against crystal meth and other addictions yesterday. The money will go toward treatment programs and detox beds throughout B.C.'s six health authorities. "The number of youth addictions treatment beds will increase by approximately 75 per cent and allows us to build capacity to ensure youth across the province get the assistance they need," said Health Minister George Abbott. The funding will bring the number of addictions treatment beds in the province up to 1,038, with 158 dedicated to youth. Of the total $8 million, $2 million will be directed specifically toward crystal meth programs, including counselling and recovery support for addicts and their families. [continues 140 words]
The Conservative government said yesterday it would not be revisiting the Liberal plan to decriminalize marijuana. That's a step backwards, according to ex-Seattle police chief and outspoken drug legalization advocate Norm Stamper. "In this hemisphere, Canada is leading the way. You've got a new government that is going to retard some of that progress," he predicted one day before the announcement. Stamper said his 34 years of experience as a cop convinced him that prohibition only "creates an underworld of criminal activity." He also discounted the theory that marijuana leads to harder drugs. Stamper noted that many scientific studies back up his conclusions, but said such evidence is undermined by the "propaganda machine" that sustains the war on drugs. He accused U.S. drug warriors of taking their battle into other countries, including Canada. [end]
Marijuana activist Marc Emery, who is facing extradition to the U.S., got to share his story with approximately 12 million Americans on CBS's Sunday night broadcast of 60 Minutes. The self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot" told interviewer Bob Simon that everything in the U.S. indictment against him is true, estimating that he sold cannabis seeds over the Internet to about 70,000 Americans. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington John McKay told Simon the charges against Emery are not political; the issue is the amount of B.C. bud crossing the border. "It has a reputation -- it's almost been marketed," said McKay. "This marijuana from British Columbia is great pot." Simon also spoke with ex-Vancouver mayor, Senator Larry Campbell, who predicted Canadians will react with "outrage" if Emery is extradited. [end]
Tuesday's announcement that the RCMP busted an Internet cannabis seed selling operation in Montreal has Vancouver's 'Prince of Pot' contemplating charges laid against him for the same crime. Marijuana activist Marc Emery is facing life in prison, but he suggested Montreal ringleader Richard Baghdadlian might get two years. The difference? Emery is fighting extradition to the United States, while Baghdadlian is being charged in Canada. The RCMP accuses Baghdadlian of selling seeds in North America and "elsewhere in the world." [continues 69 words]
Former Mayor Defends Facility After Harper's Cutting Comments Former Vancouver mayor and new Senator Larry Campbell spoke out yesterday in defence of his beloved safe injection site, which he says is under attack by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. "I had to either go to a dentist or come here and speak so I don't grind my teeth anymore," said Campbell, who originally convinced the federal government to support North America's first safe injection site. The Liberal senator said he phoned his party to offer public support, because of recent statements and proposals put forward by the Tories to deal with drugs and crime. [continues 303 words]
A group of Downtown Eastside residents is suing the city for alleged wrongful detention and destruction of property after police broke down doors looking for a methamphetamine lab on Sept. 14. The lab was never found, but some residents say they were forced to stand in an adjacent parking lot for seven hours while police searched the Pender Hotel (31 West Pender St.). "The police made me go outside and wouldn't let me get dressed, even though I was only wearing a short bathrobe and sandals," said Brian Sutton, a senior citizen who has lived in the hotel for more than two years. [continues 203 words]
Marijuana activist Marc Emery says he is under investigation for producing pro-NDP advertising in violation of the Elections Act. He says he was unaware that his magazine, Cannabis Culture, needed to register as a third party in order to produce and distribute materials endorsing the NDP's pot decriminalization stance. "I've run afoul of two regulations," said Emery, also known as the Prince of Pot. "I suspect I'll be fined." Cannabis Culture magazine released pro-NDP posters and handbills on Saturday, and received a call from Elections Canada within 24 hours. The representative said Elections Canada would also look into posters endorsing the NDP for the 2004 election. [continues 155 words]
Pot Activist Glad Legislation Is Gone A bill to decriminalize marijuana has died with the fall of the Liberal government -- and pot activists are pleased to see it go. "We're happy it died," said B.C. Marijuana Party (BCMP) president Marc Emery. He said that while Bill C- 17 cut down on penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, it substantially increased penalties for cultivation. While working for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, Vancouver lawyer Kirk Tousaw testified to a House of Commons special committee against the bill, arguing that it would actually do more to criminalize marijuana by targeting growers. [continues 100 words]
