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Current Affairs 2007 - Government (150 items)
| Nov 29, 2007 | Judge's Death Puts Pot Trial In Jeopardy The death of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Edwards has jeopardized a lengthy and costly criminal trial involving an important constitutional challenge of the marijuana law.
In most criminal cases, when a judge is unable to follow through to judgment, a mistrial is declared.
In this case, a rare hearing has been scheduled in Vancouver tomorrow to see if there is a way to save the huge expense incurred and the evidence already presented.
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| Nov 24, 2007 | BC Civil Forfeiture Act -- Facts Figures There are now about 60 cases involving about $5 million in cash and assets, including real estate, vehicles and jewelry believed to be the profit from crime and other unlawful activity.
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| Nov 24, 2007 | Crime Rate: A 25 Year Low According to Statistics Canada, the national crime rate fell to its lowest level in 25 years last year. Since 1991, the crime rate is down by 30 per cent after steadily increasing through the '60s, '70s and '80s.
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| Nov 23, 2007 | Harper's Misguided War on Pot Justice Minister Rob Nicholson's new package of mandatory sentences for marijuana dealers, announced on Tuesday, seems to involve some perverse incentives. Under the bill, a grower who is caught with between one and 200 plants and is found to have the intention of trafficking will receive a non-negotiable minimum of six months in prison, unless he can show that he is eligible for judicially ordered treatment under the auspices of a drug court. The maximum penalty for having a few pot plants on the premises will be increased to 14 years.
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| Nov 21, 2007 | Ottawa Proposes Mandatory Jail For Growers, Dealers The Conservative government unveiled historic legislation Tuesday to create the first mandatory prison terms in Canada for people convicted of trafficking illicit drugs.
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| Nov 21, 2007 | Federal Drug Plan Denounced The Conservative government's plan to slap drug dealers and marijuana grow operators with stiff sentences is a U.S.-style "war on drugs" that won't solve Canada's problems, critics warn.
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| Nov 21, 2007 | Drug Law Will Fill Jails, Expert Warns B.C.'s already crowded jails will need to squeeze in another 700 marijuana growers per year if new mandatory sentences are enacted, an analysis of sentencing figures suggests.
"You basically need a new prison to facilitate that," said Darryl Plecas, a criminologist at the University College of the Fraser Valley who studies marijuana sentencing. "You're going to have hundreds, if not thousands, of people going to jail who aren't going now."
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| Nov 17, 2007 | The Dangers of Keeping Pot Illegal The benefits to Canada's justice system of legalizing marijuana would be immediate. Police would have more time to investigate real crime, including cracking down on harder drugs. The courts wouldn't be bogged down by trivial pot charges. Jail cells could be reserved for actual criminals.
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| Nov 15, 2007 | Pot Activists Hail Ruling (Invalid law) Marijuana activists are hailing a recent court ruling as the beginning of the end of Canada's prohibition on pot, but the Crown dismisses the decision as non-binding.
A trial judge in Oshawa, Ont., threw out charges of simple possession of marijuana against three young men on Oct. 19, relying on a previous court ruling that found Canada's pot law unconstitutional. In making his decision, Judge Norman Edmondson cited a decision last July by a fellow judge of the Ontario Court of Justice.
[ See: http://thepotlawhasfallen.ca/, especially if you have been charged with possession of cannabis ] |
| Nov 12, 2007 | Trustee In Drug Bust Plans To Attend Board Meeting A Turtle River School Division trustee facing drug charges said he will attend Tuesday evening's board meeting, to prevent fellow trustees from kicking him off the school board.
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| Nov 11, 2007 | 'Legalize It, Control It And Tax The Livin' Hell Out Of It Larry Campbell has seen the effects of Canada's marijuana prohibition laws first-hand, as an RCMP drug officer for eight years and as chief coroner of B.C. before his election as mayor of Vancouver in 2002.
He figures the drug should be legalized, controlled -- and taxed like tobacco.
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| Nov 5, 2007 | Professor's Grant Goes To 'Pot' The goal of the cannabis research is to find a way to block the production of psychoactive cannabinoids that produce the mind-altering effects in users so cannabis can become a useful crop for oil, fibre and even food, said Facchini.
[Are they trying to re-invent hemp?] |
| Nov 2, 2007 | Marijuana Comments Raise Concerns During the question and answer part of the forum on Nov. 1, a student asked Chad Nilson about legalizing marijuana.
Nilson responded that because that issue falls under federal jurisdiction, students should lobby their MP if they want marijuana legalized.
Saskatchewan Party candidates Darryl Hickie and Kevin Shiach said they have received phone calls from parents concerned that Nilson was advocating legalization.
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| Nov 1, 2007 | Northside Man Wants Medical-Pot Regulations Relaxed Rocky Paul has been using medical marijuana to control pain and other discomforts for the last seven years.
The St. Mary's First Nation resident would like to see the rules eased up a bit so that those who need the drug can get it more easily.
Paul said as many as 30 pages of documents have to be filled out once a year by patients and their doctors in order to continue to qualify for the licence.
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| Nov 1, 2007 | Northside Man Wants Medical-Pot Regulations Relaxed Rocky Paul has been using medical marijuana to control pain and other discomforts for the last seven years.
The St. Mary's First Nation resident would like to see the rules eased up a bit so that those who need the drug can get it more easily.
Paul said as many as 30 pages of documents have to be filled out once a year by patients and their doctors in order to continue to qualify for the licence.
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| Oct 31, 2007 | Politicians And Professors Debate National Drug Policy CANADA'S NATIONAL DRUG policy is in a state of flux. The former Liberal federal government made moves towards decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and instituted a medical-marijuana program during its last session in power. The current Conservative government has taken a tougher stance towards illegal drugs by taking steps to increase both the prosecution of drug offenders and penalties for drug offences
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| Oct 30, 2007 | Promoting One Of The Deadliest Drugs Of All A glossy brochure recently dropped out of my newspaper: "Discover your taste for whisky," it advised. As it happens, I discovered my taste for whisky long ago and so was not in need of this advice. But it struck me as surpassingly odd that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is spending a considerable amount of money to persuade the uninitiated to try potent forms of a psychoactive drug whose known risks include addiction, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, liver cirrhosis, several types of cancer, fetal alcohol syndrome and fatal overdose.
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| Oct 28, 2007 | 'The Bud Stops Here,' - Inspection Team On average, the Township's Public Safety Inspection Team ( PSIT ) is finding evidence of eight marijuana grow operations per week.
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| Oct 26, 2007 | Pot Use Not A High Point For Leaders Wall said his party didn't agree with legalization. He was then was asked whether he had ever smoked marijuana.
After a pregnant pause, Wall's answer was "yes," which was also his response on whether he had inhaled.
[Hypocrite] |
| Oct 25, 2007 | Pot And The Ferry The Transportation Safety Board last week raised some disturbing concerns about regular cannabis use by crew members aboard the Queen of the North. As part of the board's ongoing investigation into the sinking of the QN, it released Oct. 17 a "board concern" outlining its findings, and urging BC Ferries to figure out as soon as possible whether drug use is a problem on other vessels in the northern fleet.
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