|
Current Affairs 2006 - Legal (126 items)
| Aug 2, 2006 | Marijuana Grower To Forfeit His House A convicted dope grower lost his house and eight months of freedom Tuesday in a sentence the man's defence lawyer promises to appeal....
"It's a necessary appeal," said Jensen. "Who else has been fined $40,000 and sent to jail eight months ( for growing marijuana ) with no criminal record?"
|
| Jul 28, 2006 | Busted Pot Politician Plans Carving Giveaway The leader of Nunavut's Marijuana Party said last week he wants to donate a big collection of Inuit carvings to the territory.
Ed deVries said he's acquired more than 600 works of art from Igloolik carvers, in exchange for cash, and pot.
During the federal election last winter, Nunavut's Marijuana Party received 7.8 per cent of the vote, more than Green Party. DeVries estimates that 80 per cent of Nunavut's population smokes dope.
|
| Jul 27, 2006 | Wanted: Pot Growers WINNIPEG -- People who want to grow pot for the federal government may soon get the chance.
Health Canada's five-year, $5.75-million contract with its current supplier of medicinal marijuana, Prairie Plant Systems, appears to be winding down and the department is preparing to seek proposals from all potential suppliers.
Of course, anyone with experience that has been "caught" need not apply. |
| Jul 21, 2006 | PUB LTE: Come Out Of The Closet, Pot Smokers Dear editor,
I was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana recently. It seems the right time to come out publicly for legalization, and I hope to persuade you to do the same.
I have been smoking marijuana for 30-plus years -- it is my choice for relaxation and enjoyment. I know plenty of people in our town also enjoy this choice. I believe this holds true for millions across our country.
Aren't we all tired of having to "hide" and deny our use in public because of outdated and senseless laws? Surely it is time to bury the b.s. and get marijuana legalized.
|
| Jul 20, 2006 | Why Does Activist Risk His Marriage You'd think a pot activist would be able to take a long, deep breath.
But oh no.
Once Chris Goodwin gets on his high horse, it's hard to bring him down.
You see, pot is his life. His reason for being on this earth. It is his passion. His calling. His religion. His career.
He talks about it endlessly. Breathlessly. Obsessively. Sometimes even articulately.
Chris is the 26-year-old owner of downtown's Up in Smoke cafe. I have called him to confirm that he is on trial today. This time he is facing one count of possession of cannabis resin. He is, of course, fighting it.
|
| Jul 19, 2006 | Nelson Shop Owner Busted One of the owners of the Holy Smoke Culture Shop in Nelson is vowing to fight on in his advocacy of marijuana despite new criminal charges laid against him.
Paul DeFelice, 48, was busted Saturday on charges of possession and trafficking of pot.
"We're going to persevere," DeFelice insisted yesterday. "The show will go on. We're in it to the bitter end."
|
| Jul 12, 2006 | Helicopter Height Issue In Drug Bust he height of a heat-detecting helicopter proved to be the key issue in a pot-growing case against a Christina Lake resident in Grand Forks Provincial Court Monday.
Defence counsel Stan Tessmer asked Judge Don Sperry to stay a charge of production of a controlled substance because the helicopter was using forward-looking infrared scanning below 1,000 feet.
A recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling said such scanning could infringe privacy rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The charges stemmed from a raid Aug. 27, 2005 in which police seized 700 marijuana plants after hotspots were detected by helicopter surveillance.
|
| Jul 7, 2006 | Owner Of B.C. Cafe That Sold Marijuana Pleads Guilty The owner of a cafe that openly sold marijuana in a trendy Vancouver neighbourhood two years ago pleaded guilty yesterday to trafficking charges.
Carol Gwilt, the owner of the now-defunct Da Kine Cafe, pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime.
In a surprise move at her B.C. Supreme Court sentencing on two unrelated charges, Gwilt said on "solemn reflection" she decided to take responsibility and spare everyone the expense of the jury trial for the Da Kine counts.
|
| Jul 6, 2006 | Ease Pot Restrictions - CAS A new study from the Canadian AIDS Society ( CAS ) says Canadians living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses need better access to medical marijuana. The study report identifies barriers that prevent patients from getting a reliable and affordable supply of medical pot and proposes ways to make access easier.
|
| Jul 6, 2006 | US Wants Emery Extradited U.S. officials say they're irritated by the slow speed of Canada's response to extradition requests.
And they say a prime example is the case of Vancouver marijuana seed king Marc Emery, who faces a request for extradition to the U.S. to face charges of marijuana distribution and money laundering.
"This 'Prince of Pot' -- Emery -- he still hasn't had his first extradition hearing," said Jeff Sullivan, criminal prosecution chief for the U.S. Attorney office in western Washington State.
"It's those kinds of things that are frustrating to us."
|
| Jul 6, 2006 | Ottawa Making Medical Pot 'Almost Impossible' Too Many Hurdles, Lawyer Tells Court
CALGARY - The government provides a legal method for a person to grow and possess marijuana for personal medical reasons, but makes it "almost impossible" to do so, a lawyer argued yesterday.
John Hooker, counsel for longtime Calgary pot crusader Grant Krieger, told provincial court Justice William Pepler the medical marijuana issue is similar to the abortion issue, in which the government permits women to legally have abortions, then puts many hurdles in place.
|
| Jul 2, 2006 | Tories Keep Medical Pot As much as the Tories would probably love to ditch the medical marijuana program, they have quietly extended the contract with the government's official pot grower....
The five-year, $5.7-million deal the Liberals inked with Prairie Plant Systems, which grows Ottawa's weed in an abandoned mine in Manitoba, expired Friday ( after a six-month extension was previously granted ).
[While other growers of that magnitude are MAKING $5.7-million in NON-TAXABLE income over 5 years, the government is SPENDING $5.7-million in TAXPAYER MONEY over 5 years on the pot trade, yet no alarm bells seem to be going off... in fact , the status quo is reinforced more than ever at every level.] |
| Jul 1, 2006 | Crime Stoppers Tip Line Enjoys Banner Year Up to 75 per cent of calls are drug related, involving information about drug trafficking, marijuana grow operations, etc.
"We have a lot of repeat tipsters, which shows they have confidence in our program," said Houliston.
Crimestoppers belies our core values to reject betrayal and deceit, in favour of honesty, intergrity and decency, by creating an avenue for people to snitch on one another - not out of indignation or offense to our common good, but to punish someone they have a beef with, or to provide easy money to those who prey on illicit substance users by befriending them, then turning them in. |
| Jul 1, 2006 | Judge Won't Accept Guilty Plea A man's attempt to plead guilty in court this week was derailed by a legal precedent that could support his acquittal.
Justice Mark Hornblower said he would not accept the guilty plea to a charge of marijuana possession based on a previous ruling by himself, in which he said random drug searches at schools violate the Charter of Rights' protection against unreasonable search and seizure.
|
| Jul 1, 2006 | Stay Set Aside, New Trial Ordered by Court of Appeal A case that saw 100 pounds of pot seized on the Trans-Canada Highway is headed back to trial after the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled a bid by the defence to get RCMP data was a "fishing expedition."
Drug charges against Margaret Jean Fitch originally went up in smoke when the Crown failed to produce information about RCMP vehicle stops and searches that had been requested by the defence.
The charges against the 36-year-old B.C. woman were stayed, prompting the Crown to appeal.
|
| Jun 30, 2006 | BC: Properties Must Be Inspected Every 3 Months Landlords will be required to make mandatory inspections of their rental properties every three months, if a proposed anti-drug bylaw is adopted by Langley Township council.
[Homeowner = some privacy rights, Renter = no privacy rights. Slowly our freedom and rights disappear for metaphorical wars, and surprisingly, very few are concerned about it.] |
| Jun 29, 2006 | Casual Pot Use A Disability, Alberta Judge Finds
HUMAN RIGHTS LEGISLATION CITED
EDMONTON - An Alberta judge has ruled that a construction company discriminated against a man when it fired him from an oilsands project after his pre-employment drug screening tested positive for marijuana.
Instead, Justice Sheilah Martin said the man -- a recreational user -- should have been treated the same way as someone with a drug addiction, which is considered a disability in a growing body of human rights case law across Canada.
Although he never used drugs at work and was not a drug addict, the policy treated him like he was, Judge Martin wrote. The requirement that he be tested for drugs with an automatic penalty for a positive test is on its face discriminatory, she said.
[A victory? ] |
| Jun 27, 2006 | Police Officer Faces Trafficking Charges A 14-year veteran of the Montreal police department was charged in court yesterday with drug trafficking, money laundering, conspiracy to import drugs and possession of the proceeds of crime.
|
| Jun 20, 2006 | Undercover Work Led To Officer's Drug Habit - Lawyer ARRIE - A police officer who infiltrated the Hells Angels became so addicted to cocaine, alcohol and marijuana that he cracked under the strain of life undercover, a court has heard.
|
| Jun 19, 2006 | US Sends 'Harsh' Message To BC Smugglers SEATTLE - A U.S. federal judge who sentenced five B.C. first nations members for marijuana-smuggling advised them to spread the word back home about harsh U.S. penalties.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez sentenced them Friday to six months in prison and two years of probation for their roles in the smuggling scheme.
|
|
