Notre-Dame Shooting Still Under Investigation RICHIBUCTO - A 17-year-old youth entered Richibucto provincial court in handcuffs and leg shackles yesterday to face a judge and answer to an attempted-murder charge related to a shooting in Notre-Dame last week. A 33-year-old man was shot several times in his Notre-Dame home last week, and police have charged the youth with attempted murder, robbery with a firearm, discharge of a firearm with attempt to wound, possession of a restricted firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm. [continues 461 words]
OTTAWA - One leading critic calls it a law that would have put a young Barack Obama in prison, but Liberal justice critic Dominic LeBlanc defends the official Opposition's support of a Conservative bill to fight drug crime. MPs were set to pass Bill C-15 Monday, which relies heavily on mandatory minimum sentences to deter drug dealers. The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois both oppose the controversial bill, and it ran into heavy criticism from witnesses at the Commons justice committee. [continues 800 words]
Dozens Of Infractions Uncovered OTTAWA - Two major military bases and a navy frigate are hot spots for illegal drug use by members of the Canadian Forces, internal reports suggest. Urine tests conducted at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, north of Quebec City, in June and November last year found 51 people who tested positive for cocaine, 54 testing positive for marijuana and several for amphetamines. At Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ont., tests in January last year found 13 cocaine users, 16 marijuana users and three with opiates in their urine. [continues 213 words]
FREDERICTON - Officials in Fredericton are hoping that early action this year will help address an unsightly problem that annually plagues the provincial capital. As the temperature rises and the water recedes, a swath of land along the St. John River becomes home to a small city of tent dwellers. Human excrement, broken glass and used needles have all been found in the area hidden amidst the brush on Fredericton's south side, behind the Delta Hotel and Government House, which is home to the province's lieutenant-governor. [continues 417 words]
Kent County RCMP are stepping up efforts this summer to crack down on marijuana grow operations. "Here in this district we have increased our direct enforcement," said Sgt. Jeff Johnston. Last week, District 5 RCMP executed a search warrant in Bass River and seized more than 850 marijuana plants, or enough marijuana to produce 400,000 cigarettes. Several long guns and a hand gun were also seized, and police expect to press charges once their investigation is complete. Johnston said the drug problem is not necessarily getting worse in the Kent County area, but he said police are ramping up their efforts to address it. [continues 161 words]
Welcome to tent city. Over here you will see our transient and homeless population bathing in the St. John River. If you look behind those trees, you'll probably see things usually done behind closed doors. To the right are a couple of known drug dealers trying to make a sale or two. And if you come back in a little while, you will probably see the result of one of those sales - a discarded needle partially hidden by garbage or brush. [continues 473 words]
The chief executive officer of the Port of Belledune believes security at the facility is among the best in the world. Rayburn Doucett said many measures are taken to reduce illegal activities such as drug smuggling and terrorism. "I think our port is as secure as you can have a port in this particular area," said Mr. Doucett, noting that close to $1 million has been spent on security at the port since Sept. 11, 2001. Constable Julien Doth of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Belledune recently made a presentation to the Belledune village council, outlining the files he's following. He indicated that stopping the flow of illegal drugs is a major focal point for the RCMP in Belledune. [continues 433 words]
I have been volunteering with AIDS Saint John since 1990 and I was part of the board 18 years ago that decided to, under cover of darkness, practically speaking, provide clean needles to those who needed them so they could safely inject free of potential and deadly diseases. In the intervening years drug use has grown to be an enormous problem in our province, with an exponential increase in crime, broken lives and families, lost jobs and lost lives. For several years now I have been volunteering in the Needle Exchange Program based at AIDS Saint John and I have heard harrowing stories and have witnessed people begging for a walk-in methadone clinic as they struggle to overcome their addictions. [continues 144 words]
SAINT JOHN - Health Minister Mike Murphy is crediting police Chief Bill Reid with convincing him to fund a methadone clinic in the uptown. "The reason I'm here is because of the chief," Murphy told a Tuesday morning news conference. "He contacted me when it was apparent that drugs and drug abuse were spilling into the streets. This wouldn't have taken place without the chief." Murphy, along with Supply and Services Minister Ed Doherty, the MLA for Saint John Harbour, announced plans to fund a methadone treatment clinic at the Mercantile Centre on Union Street, which is expected to serve at least 500 drug addicts in the city. It will be located there until a permanent location can be identified. [continues 577 words]
Local Police Are Being Proactive In Stopping The Problem Before It Starts Methamphetamines have yet to make a strong presence in the region, but law enforcement officials are keeping a sharp lookout for the highly addictive drug. The RCMP issued a press release on May 7, warning high school and university students in the Fredericton area to be aware of drug dealers selling meth as other drugs, particularly ecstasy. "While ecstasy and meth are both very dangerous drugs, meth is especially addictive and deadly," Sgt. Mary Ann MacNeil wrote in the release. MacNeil is a member of the RCMP's Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Services. [continues 297 words]
SAINT JOHN - At least 500 drug addicts in the city could get help as early as June 1. Today, the provincial government is expected to announce plans to open a methadone treatment clinic at the Mercantile Centre on Union Street and funded by the province. The clinic will treat opiate addicts - those dependent on drugs such as Dilaudid and heroin - with methadone, a synthetic opiate narcotic that when administered once a day and in adequate doses, can usually suppress a heroin addict's craving and withdrawal for 24 hours. [continues 747 words]
New Provincially Funded Methadone Treatment Clinic To Open In Uptown Saint John FREDERICTON - Help is on the way. A new methadone treatment clinic is being established in uptown Saint John to assist those struggling with opiate addictions. The provincially funded clinic will treat individuals hooked on opiates - such as heroin and Dilaudid - with methadone, a synthetic opiate narcotic that can suppress an addict's craving and withdrawal. The program, which is the first of its kind in the province, won't require counselling in conjunction with treatment, and won't have a limit on the number of people that can get help. [continues 482 words]
To The Editor: A Canwest News story ran recently in several papers across the country. The subject of the article was new Conservative legislation that would require mandatory jail time for drug pushers who sell to school kids. Brian Murphy was quoted repeatedly as saying "the jury is still out" on whether the legislation "merits Liberal support." The Conservative's Bill C-15 clearly targets serious repeat offenders and seeks to protect our children. It addresses trafficking or production for a criminal organization and the use of weapons or violence in the commission of an offence. It also addresses those who sell and produce drugs while in prison and those who bring drugs into prisons. [continues 389 words]
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is looking to increase its visibility in the village of Belledune. At the May 4 regular weekly public meeting of village council, Constable Julien Doth of the RCMP Belledune detachment, made a presentation outlining a few projects on the RCMP radar. The Mountie, who has been posted in Belledune for the past three months, said one of those projects includes investigating the usage of illegal drugs in the village. "Our major issue in Belledune as many are aware is drugs. It is a big project...and would take a lot of time and a lot of preparation to come up with something specific. Since drugs is just a general term, we need something more specific to be focusing on." [continues 307 words]
SAINT JOHN - A new anonymous email tip line set up by the Saint John Police Force is showing promising results. The address, policetips@saintjohn.ca, appeals to younger members of the public who are more inclined to email, text message or twitter, than they are to pick up the phone and call someone, Sgt. Jim Fleming told the city's police commission this week. "These kids are, in a good sense, wired, attached to the Internet," he said. "Just for an example, a few weeks ago, we received an email, and at the first it almost looked like a hoax." [continues 242 words]
These drug-driving laws are nothing more than a ploy to allow cops to profile pot users - meaning the young, the poor, people of color, or people with non-regulation hairstyles. Canadians smoke more pot than any other country, we smoke the most potent pot in the world, we admit to toking and driving more than any other country, our population is constantly growing, and the number of cars on the road increases every year. Yet the number of crashes continues to decline. [continues 174 words]
MIRAMICHI - The breathalyzer may be a good tool for catching drunk drivers but for years officers had little way of picking up on other forms of impairment unless a driver was blatantly, falling over, high. That is, until now. The drug recognition evaluation is a 12 step process of psychophysical testing. "The test will not only show whether or not the person is impaired but also the category of drug they have been using," said Const. Cheryl Seeley of the Miramichi Police Force. [continues 659 words]
There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many of the problems associated with illicit heroin use. The success of the Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction. [continues 136 words]
Bill c-15 is designed specifically to increase crime. By imposing mandatory minimum sentences for pot growing, the government scares off the small time mom 'n pop growers who offer direct market competition to the gang-affiliated growers. This leaves more business, and more profit for the gangs, which will increase the violent competition between rival factions. The police and government will use that increase in crime as justification for even more increases in police powers and budgets, and justify the further usurping of Canadians' basic right to choose. The best way to thwart the gangs is to set up a legal, regulated marijuana market that can compete with the criminal market. [continues 173 words]
Does anyone remember Gerald LeDain? He created more stir in this country in his time than most would ever do. He was a Supreme Court of Canada justice and the author of what became known popularly as the LeDain Commission Report on the non-medical use of drugs in Canada, In simple terms, it stated there was no evidence that the moderate use of moderate amounts of marijuana harmed anyone's health, was addictive, led to crime or to the use of more potent drugs. On the other hand, apart from the obvious and significant financial cost, the prohibition of the use of marijuana entailed extraordinary means of enforcement that has the potential of leading to corruption and brutality. [continues 773 words]
Inside New Brunswick
