Should medical marijuana advocates be permitted to light up at their annual festival later this month? The Santa Cruz City Council, so far, says no and we agree. Here's the reasons why. First, however, the obligatory disclaimer: the Sentinel, along with the council, has supported the use of medical marijuana for people who need the drug to help them cope with medical issues. We also have consistently voiced concerns -- rooted in common sense and personal observations -- that everyday tokers have taken advantage of city policies allowing the limited cultivation and use of medical marijuana to further their own drug use. For example, police raided a medical marijuana advocacy office in downtown Santa Cruz and arrested its founder on suspicion of selling pot. [continues 325 words]
Neil Magnuson is once again making his way across Canada to raise awareness about the dangers of drug prohibition, particularly marijuana. "Prohibition to drugs has been a complete disaster. It didn't work with alcohol and it's not working with these other substances as well," said Magnuson. The Freedom Tour rolled into Regina on Monday evening and is to leave the city today. Magnuson errected signs by Tory campaign signs to let people know about his opposition to the current government's proposed legislation on mandatory minimum sentences. [continues 541 words]
A man whose rights were violated when police searched his car for marijuana was still sentenced to six months probation in Sarnia court. The 23-year-old had 35 grams of marijuana in his car's trunk on June 24, 2007. He was arrested for failing to remain at the scene of an accident after a pedestrian was struck in a bar parking lot. Defence lawyer Don Elliott argued Tuesday that a police search of his car violated the Charter of Rights, which prohibits unreasonable searches. [continues 194 words]
Police swarmed area cornfields Wednesday, seizing more than $400,000 worth of marijuana destined for the streets of Oxford County. Officers with Oxford Community Police Service hauled out armfuls of plants that were nestled among nine-foot cornstalks in fields across Norwich Township. More than 400 plants, some as tall as 2.1 metres, were chopped down. Acting Det. Sgt. Greg Fletcher of the drug unit said this year's crop is "very healthy" compared to last year's, which died off from the drought. [continues 231 words]
Daniel Lametti steps behind the counter at Montreal's Compassion Club - - a medical marijuana dispensary operating on the fringes of Canadian law Every morning when Boris Saint-Maurice shows up for work he breaks the law. Saint-Maurice is the owner of the Compassion Club on the corner of Rachel and Coloniale - a store that sells marijuana illegally to people who can demonstrate a medical need for the drug. He has been arrested for drug trafficking numerous times. Sitting with Saint-Maurice in a coffee shop drinking tea and pints of beer, he tells me about one of his more memorable arrests. "The third time I got arrested I had, like, 100 grams," he says. "They brought me to the station and held me overnight. It sucked. I cried. I was, like, freaked out!" [continues 2017 words]
The 50,000 people who spent last weekend expanding their minds and sensory perceptions on ecstasy will probably have missed the news that the drug might soon be reclassified from A down to B. The fact that it is officially considered one of the most dangerous drugs on the streets of Britain has most likely escaped them too, for if the after-effects of a night taking ecstasy gave even a hint to users that it should be ranked alongside heroin, they would probably have stuck to the vodka and tonics. [continues 520 words]
The federal election campaign is less than two weeks old, but one of Abbotsford's five candidates is already expressing frustration that his signs are either disappearing or being ripped down. Marijuana Party candidate Tim Felger said on Monday that $1,800 worth of signs had already been destroyed by members of the public since he started putting them up at the end of last week. "I am spending a lot of money and a lot of energy doing this," Felger said. [continues 135 words]
A Surrey RCMP campaign that goes after drunk drivers by stationing plainclothes officers in fast-food drive-thrus could be adopted by some U.S. law enforcement agencies. Interest in project WULF (Would U Like Fries) was high at the national U.S. conference of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Dallas, Texas earlier this month (Sept. 4-7), when two Surrey Mounties gave a workshop for an audience of police officers, state attorneys and judges. Staff Sgt. Dave Peat and Const. Brian Nanton were invited to give a presentation by the conference organizers after the Americans heard how police in a Canadian city have begun donning civilian duds and stationing themselves at drive-thru windows to catch impaired drivers. [continues 194 words]
Youth advocate Cannon Singh went all guns blazing against Vancouver councillor Peter Ladner over a recent blog post the NPA mayoral candidate wrote about addicts. "He doesn't know what he's talking about," Singh, executive director of the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society, told the Straight. "He's very conservative. He's old money. He doesn't have any connection with the community, what we do, who we serve, and how we serve them." In a September 10 post on his campaign blog, Ladner wrote about a stroll he took on Davie Street. Ladner recounted a "vociferous encounter" with a local resident who said he was "fed up" with the DEYAS van "pulling up in front of his apartment and handing out needles, condoms, cookies and milk to addicts". [continues 222 words]
