Homeowners who leave former grow-ops to languish could see their houses torn down as part of a new approach by the city to deal with derelict buildings. Working with Calgary police, fire, by-law and Alberta Health Services, city officials are now pushing the owners of homes formerly used as grow-ops to return them to a livable state as fast as possible, said Cliff de Jong, senior special projects manager with the city's building development, "All the different pieces of legislation we all operate under, we're trying to make sure we have a co-ordinated approach that can actually, not only bust these things, but you can get remediation or resolve it through removal of the actual structure at the end of the day and do it relatively timely," he said. [continues 299 words]
Superintendent Dave Walsh said The Always Growing Green Society (TAGGS) medicinal marijuana dispensary that opened up in May as well as issues with legal marijuana grow-ops are still on the police's "radar screen." "We're continuing to work with the department of Justice, Health Canada, our RCMP legal services. It is an issue not just in Maple Ridge but across the Lower Mainland...and Canada," said Walsh. Councillor Craig Speirs said the federal government "has got to examine this in a positive manner as a health issue to get it away from the criminal element as much as possible given the present climate." [continues 425 words]
Dear Editor, The photos submitted to the news agencies by RCMP in St. Anthony were completely misleading and at odds with all principles of good community policing. The police clearly targeted an innocent and good man, disrupted the lives of his family and defamed his business. This is a clear case of police projected over sensationalism caused to support their botched and ridiculous tear/raid on an innocent local man. Lyndon Hodge is a solitary northern Newfoundland man, known all his life by members of his community. He has been living a near Spartan but hardworking life in the community. He is running a decent business with the support of his family in northern Newfoundland. [continues 238 words]
Ridge Meadows RCMP will have to get by for three to six months without any police cells at the local detachment due to retrofits required under federal legislation to ensure prisoner and staff safety. "It's going to be a bit of a logistics challenge for us," said Superintendent Dave Walsh. Walsh said the detachment is still consulting with the contractor about how long it will take but the retrofit requires removing load bearing walls and essentially gutting the cells. He said Ridge Meadows RCMP will have to take prisoners to Coquitlam during the renovation period, which he said "makes sense" because that's where the courthouse is that the prisoners would have to be escorted to anyway. [continues 762 words]
A man prohibited from having a firearm for growing dope will be allowed to carry guns after all, but only when he is working as a hunting guide. Provincial court Judge Stella Frame granted a request from Wade Leroy Hart, who told the judge he has a job offer to join a guide outfitter up north if he can get his hunting licence. The man was convicted in 2002 of growing marijuana. Such convictions carry a mandatory 10-year firearm prohibition, but the law allows a judge to make exceptions if prohibiting firearm possession would deny the person his or her only opportunity to secure employment. [continues 68 words]
A Month After the Bloody Siege of Tivoli Gardens, Police Arrest Accused Drug Lord Who Faces a U.S. Extradition Request Jamaican authorities captured accused drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke at a checkpoint outside of Kingston, ending a monthlong manhunt that pitted residents against soldiers and left more than 70 civilians dead. Mr. Coke, 41 years old, is wanted on drug- and arms-trafficking charges in a New York district court and faces a U.S. extradition request. Police said at a news conference Tuesday that Mr. Coke was handed over to authorities by the Rev. Al Miller. The Rev. Miller said on a local radio program that he was taking Mr. Coke to the U.S. Embassy when his car was stopped at a checkpoint, possibly indicating that Mr. Coke had intended to give himself up to authorities. [continues 455 words]
Montana businesses don't have to tolerate medical pot use by workers or customers, Billings bosses were advised Tuesday. Addressing the rising concerns about medical marijuana use in the workplace, attorney Timothy A. Filz advised local business owners to establish solid employee drug policies and flex their right of refusal when confronted with medical marijuana drug use. "You're not required to accommodate the use of medical marijuana in the workplace," Filz said during an employer rights seminar concerning medical marijuana laws. [continues 327 words]
Existing Medical Operations Get Opportunity For State Sanction La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday voted to temporarily lift a moratorium on medical marijuana operations, giving existing operators a shot at remaining open while state regulations are drafted. Had commissioners left the temporary suspension on land-use development in place, operators would have missed the July 1 deadline when they must prove to the state that they have local approval or have applied for it. The county Planning Department will begin accepting applications at 8 a.m. today and will take them until 5 p.m. June 30, when the moratorium goes back into place. [continues 891 words]
To the Editor: Re: Drug Dealers Should be Rounded Up" letter to the Editor, June 14, 2010 Here is a letter I would expect a drug dealer to write: "Mike Wenger is right. The cops should round up as many drug dealers as possible. Them punks is cutting into my business, yo!" Don't people get it yet? Lock up one dealer, and three are there fighting over his job. Not only are we not fixing the problem, we are inventing new ones. [continues 51 words]
What did Moses do after kneeling by the burning bush? "He smoked it," said the Rev. Roger Christie, who gave a lecture Tuesday at Penrose Library on ingesting marijuana to heighten religious experience. "Moses was healed by the burning bush," said Christie, who said he believes the holy bush is one of hundreds of references in the Bible to cannabis, the plant used to make marijuana. Christie, a Hawaiian resident who founded the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry a decade ago, has started five cannabis churches in the United States, including one in Nederland, about a three-hour drive from the Pikes Peak region. [continues 355 words]
