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Current Affairs 2006 - Legal (126 items)
| Aug 30, 2006 | Pot Crusader Jailed, Travel Up In Smoke A defence lawyer says pot crusader Chris Goodwin has effectively been "run out of town" as a result of prosecution over his now closed Up In Smoke Cafe. Justice Anton Zuraw sentenced him yesterday to three and a half months in jail, on top of the 38 days he spent there before trial.
Zuraw also fined him $300 and put him on probation for two years.
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| Aug 29, 2006 | Pot Growing??: Just Another Business The crown had been seeking a 12-month prison sentence but Sanderson said in the judgement that prison sentences have failed to stem the production and use of illegal substances and that a monetary fine is more appropriate.
In the decision, Sanderson refers to a 2001 book authored by Judge James Gray of the California Superior Court, citing from the book "we conclude with alarm that the war on drugs now causes more harm than the drug abuse itself."
Judge Sanderson goes on to say that "Judge Gray's book should be required reading for every Member of Parliament in Canada." ..."There will be no victim fine surcharge as this is a victimless crime," concluded Sanderson.
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| Aug 25, 2006 | Drug Raid Ruling Upheld Calgary's police chief meted out a "reasonable" punishment to a rookie constable whose mistakes led to a drug raid on the home of an innocent family nearly six years ago, the Law Enforcement Review Board has ruled.
In a long-awaited decision, the three-member, quasi-judicial board has ruled Const. Ian Vernon's actions along with others involved in the execution of a search warrant on the home of Nancy Killian Constant and her family in 2000 was not a case of misconduct.
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| Aug 25, 2006 | Health Canada Cuts Off Sick Man's Pot Supply Tom McMullen ran out of the medication that gave him his life back about two weeks ago, and he can't get more.
The Prospect Bay man is an authorized medical marijuana user and buys his drugs directly from Health Canada.
But the bill for the 90 grams he's allowed each month is 80 per cent of his monthly Canada Pension, his only source of income.
Mr. McMullen, 42, owes the agency more than $1,000 and has been told he won't be sent more marijuana until he clears the debt.
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| Aug 25, 2006 | Border guard convicted of drug smuggling A woman from Saskatoon who was an inspector for the Canadian Border Service
Agency (CBSA) will spend three years in a United States prison for helping
smuggle more than 700 kilograms of marijuana into the U.S.
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| Aug 24, 2006 | Marijuana May Relieve Chemo Patients' Nausea Marijuana may help prevent nausea in certain situations -- relief many cancer chemotherapy patients can't obtain from existing drugs, says a University of Guelph psychology professor.
Linda Parker's research was published in recent issues of the journal Physiology and Behavior.
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| Aug 19, 2006 | OPP officer charged with pot possession A Grenville OPP constable who was at one time president of the Prescott Police Association has been charged with marijuana possession.
Constable Maurice Morrissette, 36, of Kemptville, was charged Thursday with possession of a controlled substance following an investigation by the force's Eastern Region Crime Unit.
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| Aug 18, 2006 | Police Arrest Another Holy Smoke Owner Holy Smoke Culture Shop co-owner Alan Middlemiss was arrested at the Nelson City Police ( NCP ) Detachment Wednesday night, a month after business partner Paul DeFelice was busted and the store raided as part of a wider police investigation on the alleged drug trade in Nelson.
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| Aug 18, 2006 | PUB LTE: Marijuana Party Candidate Clarifies Position To the readers, and in particular the residents of Igloolik, I feel I must write in response to the attention being given to my life recently and publicly.
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| Aug 14, 2006 | Sting nets cross-border team multiple drug arrests Victoria Police teamed up with U.S. navy personnel to nab more than a
dozen suspected drug dealers last week during a three-day sting dubbed
"Project Calypso."...
Members of the Victoria Police Strike Force and Focused Enforcement
Team worked alongside members of the U.S. Navy Criminal Investigative
Services from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the
investigation.
Use of foriegn military to wage war on Canadian citizens at home must be okay, as there is no outrage anywhere to be seen. Which is more scary? |
| Aug 12, 2006 | Pot Cafe Butts Out For Now Two years of confrontational pot activism are up in smoke.
"It's certainly the end of Up in Smoke Cafe in Hamilton," says www.upinsmokecafe.ca on its website.
Chris Goodwin, 27, owner of the "pot-friendly" downtown cafe remains in jail, having been denied bail after his July 27 arrest for allegedly flouting the terms of previous releases on marijuana-possession charges.
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| Aug 11, 2006 | Marijuana Party Leader Pleads Guilty Nunavut's leader of the Marijuana Party pleaded guilty to longstanding drug-related charges in an Iqaluit court this Tuesday.
Ed deVries pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana and laundering the proceeds of crime, two charges he's faced since August 2004.
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| Aug 11, 2006 | New Forfeiture Act 'Outrageous End Run' Around Legal As the provincial government gears up to use its new Civil Forfeiture Act, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association is decrying the legislation as an attack on the rights of British Columbians.
The law, which came into force April 20, enables the province to seize property, goods or cash deemed by a civil court judge to have been gained illegally or used in the commission of an illegal act.
If seized, property such as cars, boats and houses can be liquidated, with the proceeds going to the province....But this bill gives B.C. control over seized assets rather than Ottawa. "This is the province getting their foot in the door on collecting some of these proceeds for themselves," Vonn said.
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| Aug 9, 2006 | Pre-Hiring Drug Tests Under Attack he question of whether an employer can impose pre-employment drug testing and disqualify candidates on the basis of a positive result is one which raises difficult legal questions.
The Court relied on logic which says that, through its pre-employment drug testing policy, the employer demonstrated its belief that anyone testing positive is a substance abuser....
On this basis, the Court found the policy to be discriminatory and concluded that employers are not entitled to automatically terminate an employee on the basis of a positive drug test. ....
The typical employer would argue that its intention in imposing pre-hiring testing is simply to avoid hiring employees who are users of illegal drugs. The employer would say that individuals who have a recent history of drug use will make poor employees.
Employee drug-testing is part of the "real world" in the USA, and if some have their way, Canadians will live in the same discriminatory world. |
| Aug 9, 2006 | Marching For Mary Jane On a sunny Saturday, without a trace of telltale smoke in the air, The Holy Smoke Culture Shop and supporters held a community rally in favour of changing marijuana laws. Featuring a handful of pro-marijuana and critics of government, including Paddy Roberts, who was involved in a bid to keep Marc Emery in Canada, the rally drew a crowd of over 60 people of all ages and backgrounds. Organizers were careful to not promote the event as a smoke-in, which they believed would damage their cause.
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| Aug 5, 2006 | Up In Smoke Cafe Owner Denied Bail Pot crusader Chris Goodwin was denied bail yesterday after his arrest 10 days ago for allegedly flouting the terms of previous releases from jail on charges of possessing small amounts of marijuana....
Goodwin was remanded to Aug. 22. He has a tentative trial date of Aug. 29.
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| Aug 4, 2006 | Extradition Refused In Bedford Pot Case A Quebec judge has shut the door on a U.S. request to extradite 11 residents of the Bedford area of the Eastern Townships to face charges after a massive marijuana bust there last year...
Frank Pappas, a lawyer for Jimmy Kimmell, one of the 11 respondents, said extradition requests from U.S. authorities are granted "99 per cent of the time" by Canadian courts. With 11 such requests turned down in a single shot, he said, "this is a first in Canada."
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| Aug 4, 2006 | Lawyer On Jail Drug Charge A veteran criminal lawyer has been charged with marijuana trafficking after drugs were allegedly smuggled into the Toronto ( Don ) Jail, police said yesterday.
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| Aug 3, 2006 | Cops Bust Pot Camp Cops shut down one of Alberta's largest marijuana grow-ops yesterday, seizing more than $5 million worth of weed....They found 12 greenhouse-like buildings, housing 5,523 plants in various stages of growth, and 11 kg of processed weed.
..While the bust was a big one, it will likely have a negligible affect on the marijuana trade in and around Edmonton, said Derko. ...
"So I don't think it will effect the price in Edmonton. You can get it anywhere, anytime."
There is nothing left to say about prohibition. |
| Aug 2, 2006 | Mother Doping Around Children, Court Hears A 34-YEAR-OLD mother pled guilty last week to possessing cannabis marijuana after she offered a joint to her teenage son and daughter...
The Wasaga Beach resident received 18 months probation on a suspended sentence, Tuesday....
"Life can be a little complex," began the judge, adding: "Often choices are made that are inappropriate but so frequently made, so people start to think, 'Hey, there's not a whole lot wrong with this.' "Minors will likely find marijuana without the assistance of their parents," Wilson wrote.
To remove the context of "spousal revenge" rather than geniune concern, if the susbstance in question was legal - alcohol or cigarettes, would the parenting skills still be questioned?
Prohibition creates an avenue to persecute and discriminate against 'illicit' drug users so they are always at a disadvantage from those around them. Why are law makers so afraid of a level playing field? |
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