Victoria - New measures to enforce order on the streets are moving through the B.C. legislature as the government gets ready to host the world and its news media at the 2010 Olympics. Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman is the government's point man for two contentious bills being passed despite opposition objections. The Assistance to Shelter Act gives police new authority in extreme weather conditions to take people off the streets and bring them to the door of a shelter. [continues 244 words]
Serious crimes like murder and robberies have slain an anti-drug program in schools. Kelowna RCMP have scrubbed the DARE program so more officers can work on serious cases and general duty. Calls for service may be down, said Supt. Bill McKinnon, but police are dealing with more serious crimes like sexual assault, child pornography, pin-pad fraud and break-ins. "I've gone to city hall asking for a large number (of new officers) this year," he said. "It's to deal with an overburdened workload." [continues 251 words]
Courthouse sheriffs will soon get a lesson on medicinal marijuana after a Kelowna pot smoker was detained for two hours. Don Pio, 35, has a Health Canada card authorizing him to light up when he needs to. Sheriffs detained him Friday after he walked into the courthouse smelling of weed - something the Ministry of Attorney General is working to correct. "As a result of this situation, Court Services will advise all sheriffs across the province to contact Health Canada directly in future so we can avoid this happening again," said ministry spokesman David Townsend. [continues 183 words]
Whether originally destined for the United States or to be smoked in Kelowna's backyard, some 2,050 pounds of mary-jane wound its way into police lock-up in the last Kelowna Green Team exercise. It took seven officers five weeks to accomplish the task, which included arresting a medical marijuana provider who grossly exceeded her permit. "The permits are specific in the amount you are allowed to possess and grow," said Sgt. Ann Morrison. Permitted for 15 plants and caught with 67 extra, the officers confirmed the woman will face charges, along with the others arrested, as they executed the 21 warrants involved in this latest sweep. [continues 192 words]
As students from Abbotsford Traditional Secondary noisily clamber onto the bleachers for their assembly Thursday, animated chatter bounces off the walls. Teachers have to work to get them to quiet down before the presentation starts. There is little preamble. Abbotsford Police Sgt. Mike Novakowski stands up, introduces himself, and simply says, "I want you to watch this video." The words "Every choice has a consequence," flash across the screen. Footage follows of a sombre address by Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich at a May press conference. [continues 269 words]
Judge Should Quash More Serious Charge A judge is expected to decide today whether to dismiss charges against two members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang accused of drug trafficking on behalf of a criminal organization. Randy Potts and John Punko, full-patch members of the East End chapter of the notorious biker gang, were arrested in July 2005 and charged with trafficking in methamphetamines. They were also charged with the more serious offence of committing the crimes for a criminal gang. [continues 328 words]
Local resident Sylvia Treptow presented the mayor with a petition signed by 152 residents opposed to discussing the medical marijuana issue at the city council table. Treptow appeared at the Nov. 16 meeting of council to present the document which has been available at Work 'n'Play and Yaky Jacquie's for the past few months. "The citizens want council to stop talking about the medical marijuana issue," she said. "In other words, remove this topic from your council table for the duration of your term in office." [continues 365 words]
Re: "An unwelcome surprise," Nov. 18-25 Dear Minister Falcon and Dr. Kendall: As members of the Victoria Needle Exchange Advisory Committee to VIHA we were disappointed to receive a letter advising us that the committee is dissolved. This committee mirrored a broad spectrum of interests, as it included representatives from all Victoria community associations, the downtown business community, downtown schools, downtown churches, the Victoria Police Department, the City of Victoria, and needle exchange service providers. While some of us experienced negative consequences from the previous needle exchange, committee members were unanimous in endorsing a Harm Reduction approach and a Distributed Model of providing needle exchange services. [continues 402 words]
Police arrested 38 people over a four-week period in a crackdown on prostitution in Maple Ridge's downtown core. RCMP said in a news release Wednesday that 23 women and 15 men were arrested for communicating for the purpose of prostitution, in an operation targeting an area south of the Lougheed Highway, between 222nd and 225th streets. "This is the third or fourth time Ridge Meadows RCMP has tackled this problem in the last two years," Supt. Dave Walsh said in a written statement. [continues 94 words]
Street Drug Illegal Under Controlled Drugs and Substances Act The use of LSD and mind-altering states has convinced two local therapists that MDMA--also known was the street drug ecstasy--could help people suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatrist Ingrid Pacey and psychologist Andrew Feldmar aim to study whether MDMA-assisted therapy could benefit people who've tried traditional counselling and drug treatment with little relief. The U.S.-based non-profit sponsoring the study, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic studies, or MAPS, and the local therapists have received two of four approvals they need to proceed. [continues 459 words]
Re: "Drug Aware to host third-annual forum," Friday, Nov. 20. Cops teaching kids about drugs is like a priest teaching them about sex: "Just don't ever do it or you will be in trouble!" This approach has failed. My only consolation is that with the use of Google, more and more kids are realizing that police-driven drug "educators" are actually exaggerators or bald-faced liars. Also, the fact that taxpayers' dollars are used for this fear and fealty campaign is sick and reprehensible in the extreme. It should be illegal to go into schools and deliberately frighten and mislead kids, but no, we use taxpayers' dollars and send cops in to do it. It isn't just irresponsible, it is obscene. [continues 271 words]
It took a coroner's jury just hours to reach its conclusions about the in-custody death of Robert Knipstrom. But it took two years for Chilliwack residents to find out exactly what happened on that day, Nov. 19, 2007, and what could have been done differently. The jury, which wrapped up a four-day hearing in Burnaby last week, concluded Knipstrom's death was accidental - that a condition called 'excited delirium', coupled with high levels of the drug ecstasy, led to heart failure. [continues 268 words]
A strong majority of illicit drug users in Vancouver say they can score crack or crystal meth within minutes, suggests the findings of a 10-year study by an independent B.C. health research group. The report, released at a news conference in Vancouver yesterday, revealed that 90% of respondents said they could obtain crack or cocaine within 10 minutes. Sixty per cent of street youth said they would be able to score crystal meth in the same period of time. [continues 89 words]
At noon on Saturday, Jodie Emery, wife of Marc Emery will be speaking at Vancouver Island University and there will be a viewing of The U.S. vs. Marc Emery. At this point, it looks as if Marc will also be there, since he is out on bail awaiting extradition to the U.S. This has been presented as a cannabis-related event. As I see it, the most compelling issue here is Canadian sovereignty. Our government chooses to let the U.S. control our policies and in this case, the freedom of one of our citizens. [continues 94 words]
Last week's tragic death of a young Whistler man who perished after ingesting a quantity of the drug known as Ecstasy this week prompted a local RCMP official to issue a stern warning to those who may be thinking of taking illicit drugs. "These drugs are made by criminals using methamphetimine and toxic chemicals. Anytime you're taking these drugs, you're taking your life in your hands," Whistler RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair said on Tuesday (Nov. 17). "People ask me, 'Are there bad drugs out there?' The answer is that they're all bad." [continues 346 words]
Don Pio says he spent two hours in custody for possessing marijuana he depends on for his health. Pio, 35, says he has a medical condition that requires him to smoke pot every 40 minutes or so. He had marijuana on his breath when he followed his wife into Kelowna Law Courts on Friday - an odour that landed him in handcuffs on the floor of a sheriff's van and later in a jail cell. "It was harsh, man. The worst morning of my life. I have no (criminal) record," he said on Sunday. [continues 619 words]
This whole "anti-gang" program is destined to fail for one reason: economics. Especially in today's tough economy, the easiest and fastest way to make money is to sell drugs. The reason for this is drug prohibition. When an in-demand substance is made illegal the price goes through the roof. For example, cannabis currently costs upwards of $200 an ounce. If it were legal, it would cost approximately $20, and gangs could not profit off of it. [continues 54 words]
The Gangs And The Gunshots That Permeate The Region Can Be Unnerving I heard gunshots out my window the other night. Not that I knew they were gunshots, as I've never heard gunfire in my life. But a car backfiring isn't usually followed by a cacophony of police sirens. My roommates and I signed our lease in the Burnaby community of Brentwood Gate under the impression that our beautiful high-rise condo was in a relatively safe area. But the recent gun shots, memos about break-ins and what look suspiciously like drug deals going on in the parking lot, do little to make us feel safe. [continues 544 words]
Are you aware of drugs in the community? Drug Aware, a grassroots group in the Tri-Cities, is hosting its third-annual drug awareness forum next week, in the hopes of making the community cognizant of how drugs impact everyday people. Jodie McNeice, the Port Coquitlam RCMP community policing station manager, said the group formed in 2005 to highlight the effects of crystal meth abuse on individuals, families and communities -- but the focus has since shifted to include all narcotics. The committee has hosted three information forums for the community since then, and is striving to offer information and resources for Tri-Cities residents as a form of preventative maintenance. [continues 240 words]
A police raid on a Surrey business has netted hundreds of pounds of opium poppy pods and equipment used to make "doda," a drug that's become popular in the South Asian community. In particular, doda is prevalent in the truck and taxi industries, Surrey RCMP said Thursday. It's believed to be the first large-scale seizure of doda in B.C. The drug is derived from the opium poppy pod, which is crushed into a fine powder and then mixed with a liquid, usually tea. Doda is also known as "poor man's heroin." [continues 235 words]
Abbotsford Police have released the fourth in a series of posters designed to get youth thinking about the dangers of gang involvement. The poster shows an image of a silhouette behind prison bars next to a caption reading, "Easy money can get you hard time." The campaign is part of the APD's Operation Tarnish, which is looking to take the "shine off" the gang lifestyle, and get kids talking about issues that affect them, said Const. Ian MacDonald. "We are continuing in our efforts to engage youth and the community in tackling the serious issues of gangs, criminal activity, involvement with drugs and the consequences that stem from these choices." [continues 65 words]
What makes Vancouver a great place to live is also what makes it a good place for crime, one of the Lower Mainland's top cops told municipal representatives and others at the Vancouver Board of Trade's Metro forum. Vancouver is one hour from the United States, "the largest illegal drug-consuming nation in the world," said Peter German, district commander for the Lower Mainland with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It has one of the largest ports for trade with Asia in the world, a large airport and excellent banks with branches around the world including offshore locations, he told the forum. [continues 213 words]
Recovering addict Cynthia Ward is so incensed by the imminent closure of the Chilliwack detox unit, that she's collecting signatures for a petition to try and stop it. "I feel compelled to do something," she told The Progress as she headed out into the streets of downtown with a friend to gather signatures. She and others around town have been talking about the Fraser Health cost-cutting decision to close the 10-bed detox unit at Chilliwack General Hospital, in part to mitigate a $160 million budget shortfall. (Chilliwack Progress, Nov. 6) [continues 433 words]
The Vancouver Island Health Authority has announced it is expanding its needle exchange and related harm-reduction program. This week, VIHA released figures to show that new infection rates for both hepatitis C and HIV have decreased during the past five years on Vancouver Island. Part of that can be attributed to increased efforts to get "harm-reduction supplies" likes clean needles, condoms and educational materials to addicts, but the Alberni Valley has had its own health crisis to deal with, according to Janice Jesperson, clinical co-ordinator at the local health unit. [continues 251 words]
Addiction is a social and political issue, a leading expert in the field says. Simon Fraser University Prof. Bruce Alexander addressed the City of Vancouver's third "Creating a Culture of Prevention" workshop yesterday and told the audience the medical definition of addiction - "a brain disease" - is too narrow and has led to flawed drug strategies the world over. "It's not a very good doctrine. It rules out effective prevention and it really rules out most of the addictions out there," he said. "The ultimate problem is that there are a lot of people that just don't have much to live for, so they latch onto things." [continues 162 words]
Heroin addicts in Abbotsford are frightened for their lives after seeing several of their own almost die. The users are apparently so scared thay they have spoken directly with police about the problem. During the past few days, Abbotsford drug squad members have had direct conversations with users about heroin with a potentially deadly level of purity being pushed into the city's downtown core, where the bulk of addicts congregate to score and shoot up. Const. Ian MacDonald with the Abbotsford Police Department said hardened junkies had serious enough reactions to the spiked drug that users shooting up with those affected thought they had died. Slipping lethal doses of heroin into an established drug venue could herald a new dealer looking to expand territory, said MacDonald. [continues 205 words]
Editor, The Gazette: Re: Medical Marijuana Issue I would like to commend Paul Pinard for his letter of Nov. 11. I always felt in the 30 years of living in Grand Forks that this was a very democratic and open community in allowing others to have their varied opinions. This has changed in the last year. It has now become apparent that, if you differ or if you offend in some way person or persons, they can attack personally by stating the community is behind them by putting out petitions. I find these consistent attacks are now becoming very disturbing. [continues 139 words]
Victoria AIDS Resource and Community Service Society has operated a mobile needle exchange for more than six years. This was to enhance the fixed site and to reach those who did not access the fixed site exchange. Since the closure of AIDS Vancouver Island's fixed site, we wonder about those who are not accessing the mobile services and where they are seeking harm-reduction supplies and information. The Nov. 17 article said there has been a decline in substance users testing positive for HIV/AIDS. It has been a huge concern all along that there are a substantial number of individuals who do not get tested for many reasons. Since the closure of the fixed site, which had nurses regularly providing testing in a non-judgmental way, testing has decreased significantly according to those who use our services and those we work with. [continues 169 words]
To the Editor, Our economy is quite obviously suffering these days and our municipal taxes are headed up. Our taxation load is already heavy with many citizens about to buckle under the strain of high taxes and inflated prices. A major municipal cost is policing and a major component of that is anti-drug squad activity. Is it cost effective to stick to the letter of the law? Personal possession of any drug - even the hardest - is not a crime in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Czech Republic or the Baltic states. [continues 68 words]
Finding help to deal with addictions could be as easy as going to an upcoming open house. The open house on Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. will be attended by local groups with addiction resources available throughout the Central Okanagan. Participants include Kelowna's Gospel Mission, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, the Canadian Mental Health Association, the John Howard Society, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO), Karis Support Services and ARC Programs. RDCO drug policy co-ordinator Christene Walsh said the event is being held to make people aware of the services and supportive programs available to manage and overcome addictions. [continues 258 words]
Canada lacks a specialized agency like the U.S. Border Patrol to provide surveillance on our side of the line. Here, the RCMP fulfill the role of responding to border incidents. The RCMP participate in IBET (Integrated Border Enforcement Teams) and also work closely with the U.S. Border Patrol, Port of Entry authorities, and ICES (Integrated Customs Enforcement System) to monitor and apprehend illegal border proceedings. "Smuggling continues to be a two way affair," said Kevin Schur, NCO in Charge of the Osoyoos IBIT unit. "Canadian marijuana and ecstacy goes south in exchange for cocaine." [continues 261 words]
The case of a night-time bust at sea, involving more than 100 pounds of marijuana, may be finally heading to trial after more than three years. During this time the case has been debated by judges in all three levels of court in B.C. It began with a local provincial court judge ruling there was too much circumstantial evidence to send the three Cortes Island men to trial. "The evidence put before the court involves suspicious circumstances, certainly, but it also raises too many possibilities...(the) mere presence in the proximity of the impugned goods is not possession," said Judge Brian Saunderson, during a March 2008 preliminary inquiry. [continues 433 words]
From the number of times he was Tasered to the the way he was handled by paramedics, Robert Knipstrom's arrest and death grips the province Robert Knipstrom's principle cause of death was "acute MDMA intoxication" due to a moderate level in his blood of the popular rave drug ecstasy, an inquest heard Wednesday. But the coroner's inquest is also examining to what degree his face-down restraint--contrary to B.C. Ambulance Service policy--may have compromised his breathing and caused cardiac arrest. [continues 957 words]
VIHA has done a surprising job of advertising a step backward as a step forward. It is abandoning plans to open a fixed-site needle exchange advocated by every international and national drug research agency and its own commissioned reports, and says this "expands the distribution methods and venues." It says the expansion will come from "possibly other locations including pharmacies and other non-profit agency partners," although no one seems to have asked or offered training to any of those partners. [continues 180 words]
'Poor Man's Heroin' Suspected; Charges Pending Against Four People Surrey RCMP said Thursday they have made a large seizure of doda, a little-known drug sometimes called "poor man's heroin" that is gaining in popularity among South Asian communities in Canada. Doda is a grayish powder containing opiates derived from crushed poppy plant husks and pods. "Hundreds of pounds of poppy pods and finished product along with crushing and grinding equipment" were found in a "large, industrial-scale milling and manufacturing operation in a very busy shopping centre complex" in Surrey, police said. [continues 136 words]
Dear Editor, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender was recently invited to speak in favour of Bill C-15 [Mayor offers drug advice to Ottawa, Nov. 6, Langley Advance]. He says that he doesn't know why he was invited. I do. Thirteen of 16 expert witnesses testified that C-15 will increase gang profits, increase the severity of gang disputes, and result in hundreds of dead bodies lying in our streets. They all had peer-reviewed scientific studies to back up their claims. [continues 244 words]
The local leader of the Independent Soldiers gang was a smart and careful drug dealer who efficiently sold significant quantities of cocaine, a judge said Friday. Jayme Russell was not a drug user who sold to feed an addiction. Rather, he was a smart, cautious businessman, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Richard Blair noted. Russell always kept a distance from the cocaine he sold, although he collected the money, negotiated the deals and arranged locations, Blair said. One time, he even arranged for a cash-counting machine to be on hand so he could count $18,700 when he sold undercover officers 500 grams of cocaine. [continues 264 words]
PORT HARDY - The RCMP have a new weapon in their arsenal for fighting impaired driving. Cst. Ed Nugent has completed the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program to help identify drivers who are impaired by drugs. "I am basically the equivalent of a breathalyzer for drugs," said Nugent. The program was developed in the U.S. and Nugent took the training first in Vancouver, then got practical experience in Arizona, where he tried out his new skills on prisoners there. Drivers who are suspected of being impaired by drugs are treated just like one impaired by alcohol, said Nugent. [continues 272 words]
Dear Editor, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender has indeed been very outspoken on drugs and organized crime. Unfortunately, he has put all his energy in being heard, and little into being right. Fassbender has gained favour in Harper's Ottawa because he so willingly and skillfully repeats the distortions required to maintain pressure for more prohibition. Too bad he has no interest in understanding that more prohibition cannot solve the problems that prohibition causes. It was seven years ago that the Senate report denounced existing legislation imposed on the Cannabis plant and culture. [continues 76 words]
A lethal dose of the "feel good" drug Ecstasy - not repeated jolts of electricity from Tasers in the hands of Chilliwack RCMP officers - was the main cause of Robert Knipstrom's death, a forensic pathologist told a coroner's jury Wednesday. But the decision to handcuff the 36-year-old Chilliwack man with his hands behind his back, and then transporting him to hospital lying on his belly in a prone position was "possibly" a contributing factor to his death, Dr. Dan Straathof said. [continues 637 words]
New Poppy Drug Used In India And Pakistan Troubling South Asian Community Surrey police have made the first strike in B.C. against "doda," a "highly addictive" opium-derived drug that is being openly sold throughout the Lower Mainland and is tearing up the South Asian community, says Surrey Newton MLA Harry Bains. An RCMP drug unit raided a large manufacturer in a busy Surrey shopping centre on Wednesday and allegedly turned up hundreds of kilograms of poppy pods and a "large quantity" of the related substance doda, which police say is known as "poor-man's heroin." It was the first large-scale seizure, of doda in B.C., according to RCMP. [continues 240 words]
A group that wants to keep drugs from getting a foothold in the Tri-Cities isn't trying to scare people straight. But the Tri-Cities Drug Awareness Task Force does aim to educate the community about what happens when the problem is ignored. The task force, made up of RCMP, health, school and community agencies, has organized an afternoon forum Nov. 26 for high school students, plus one in the evening for adults and teens. Both take place at Riverside secondary school. [continues 276 words]
B.C.'s Prince of Pot has been granted bail and could temporarily be released from jail as early as today as he continues to await extradition to the U.S. to plead guilty to selling marijuana seeds. Marc Emery has been held at the North Surrey Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam since turning himself over to authorities on Sept. 28. He anticipated the extradition process would take 30 days, but his lawyer, Ian Donaldson, is ill with pleurisy and has been unable to file submissions. [continues 131 words]
Regular Use of Cocaine Often Leads to Paranoia, Expert Testifies A Colwood man allegedly murdered by a former Highlands councillor and his sons had a moderate-to-high amount of cocaine in his blood at the time of his death, a forensic toxicologist said yesterday in B.C. Supreme Court. Heather Dinn, who works at the RCMP forensic lab in Vancouver, was testifying at the second-degree murder trial of Ken Brotherston Sr. and his two sons, Ken Jr., 33, and Gregory, 28. All three Brotherstons are charged in connection with the death of 33-year-old Keith William Taylor on May 30, 2008. [continues 536 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "Drugs: Marijuana safer than water" & "Drugs: Harmful pot claims unfounded," Letters, Oct.30, Langley Advance. Maybe marijuana is safer than the water that's flushed down the toilet after it's been used; furthermore, it's been solidly proven that marijuana consumption is indeed damaging to the human body and mind. As a former frequent cannabis consumer, I, along with many of my former (some still) cannabis-consuming peers whom I've bumped into these last dozen years or so, can attest to the permanent damage that marijuana can cause to the consumer's body and mind. [continues 248 words]
A backwoods hermit caught growing marijuana he says he needs for his health won't be deprived of his guns - tools required to live his chosen lifestyle, a judge ruled Monday. James Darcy West, 46, was charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking after police searched his house in March 2008 and found 150 plants. The man lives in a backwoods area near 70 Mile House, the court heard. RCMP showed up there in March 2008 after someone complained of shots being fired in the area. The man has 10 firearms legally registered in his name. [continues 244 words]
Heroin addicts in Abbotsford are frightened for their lives after seeing several of their own almost die. The users are so scared they have spoken directly with police about the problem. Over the past few days, Abbotsford Drug Squad members have had direct conversations with users about heroin with a potentially deadly level of purity being pushed into the downtown core of the city, where the bulk of addicts congregate to score and shoot up. Const. Ian MacDonald with the Abbotsford Police Department said hardened junkies had serious enough reactions to the spiked drug that users shooting up with those affected thought they had died. [continues 226 words]
Addicted individuals who use needle exchange services will have more and greater access to clean supplies as the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) expands the distribution methods and venues for needle exchange services on Vancouver Island. "Needle exchange services - as part of an overall harm reduction strategy - are key to preventing the spread of infectious disease," said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Health Officer for VIHA. "An effective and accessible distribution system for clean needles is essential to further reducing Hepatitis C and HIV infection rates on Vancouver Island." [continues 253 words]
Seventy-eight per cent of high school students in Revelstoke have drunk alcohol, while 37 per cent have tried smoking. Those are the preliminary results of a Youth Drug Survey of Revelstoke Secondary School students conducted last month as part of the Revelstoke Community Substance Use Strategy. "The statistics actually show that in terms of substance misuse we're really not any worse off than any other community," said Jill Zacharias, the city's social development coordinator and leader of the substance use strategy. "By doing the substance use strategy we're not pointing any fingers. We're not saying, 'Oh my god! Revelstoke is becoming a place of evil debauchery.' We're not saying anything like that. We're just looking at our overall community health and what we can do better to support people in the community and just offer the young people options." [continues 517 words]
Princess Street Off the Hook but VIHA Isn't Giving Up; Infection Rates Have Declined Since the Old One Closed A proposal for a permanent needle exchange on Princess Street near downtown Victoria have been shelved, the Vancouver Island Health Authority announced yesterday. For now, instead of a fixed site for passing out clean needles to drug addicts and users, public health officials will expand distribution through existing services, like public-health or mental-health units. The final number and locations will be determined in coming weeks. Consultations also will begin to see whether non-profit groups, even pharmacies, may be willing to help. [continues 433 words]
Inside British Columbia
