Current Affairs (2006) -
Corruption (313 items)
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| Aug 28, 2006 |
PUB LTE: Know Ed Before You Judge Him The ironic thing about all this is my father - you see my father is Rev. Ed DeVries, I am his son and my name is Jason DeVries - I am not afraid nor am I ashamed to admit who I or my father is because I am proud that he is able to come forth and be who he is without having to hide or shy away. t was my father who gave me my morals and instilled my values at a young age. My father taught me about choice. He is not a stupid man by far, and has a wealth of information on a range of subjects and knows what the benefits of marijuana are. |
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| Aug 28, 2006 |
Resurrect 'Reefer Madness' As Reason To Crack Down on Marijuana A pair of articles in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry has resurrected the "reefer madness" argument about marijuana and its links to mental illness. Cannabis use can trigger schizophrenia in people already vulnerable to the mental illness -- and this fact should shape marijuana policy, argue two psychiatric epidemiologists in this month's journal. "This is that old hobgoblin that resurfaces now and again. There's nothing new in the literature. They just keep rehashing the old literature." |
| 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. |
| Aug 29, 2006 |
PUB LTE: Holy Smoke Bust Hits On Bigger Issue It is my belief that the call to investigate Holy Smoke came from on high and is closely associated to the federal conservative government ( Prime Minister Steve Harper ) and intervention from the D.E.A. ( United States ). ... If you are a taxpayer in the City of Nelson you are paying for the police force, and in turn are also a director of policing policy. Contact your city councillors, mayor, police force, police board, member of the legislative assembly ( MLA ) and member of parliament if you wish to have a say in the way police operate. |
| Aug 30, 2006 |
RCMP Retract 'Pound For Pound' Assertion Police made an honest mistake by telling The Reminder that marijuana is sometimes traded pound for pound with cocaine, according to the RCMP National Headquarters. <strong> Paul Nadeau, the Mounties' national drug enforcement director, said police have no evidence to support this recently-reported "urban myth." "Personally, I have never heard of one instance where we've been able to corroborate that," he said from his Ottawa office.</strong> Nadeau said the fallacy is so widespread that it's believed by criminals, lawyers and some of the many thousands of police officers - -- RCMP and otherwise -- across the nation....The pound-for-pound statement was included as part of an Aug. 9 Reminder article outlining how today's marijuana is much more potent - -- and of greater concern to police -- than the pot of yesteryear. Within days of the story running, members of the pro-marijuana lobby from across Canada fired off e-mails and letters to the editor ridiculing the claim. They read the article online. Police propaganda gets trounced - thanks to the efforts of many <a href="http://www.mapinc.org/lte/" target="_blank">letter writers</a>. It would be so much easier to separate fact from fiction if all media followed up on the dubious claims of reefer madness spewed into the "news", and got retractions from police and politicians. |
| Aug 30, 2006 |
Veteran Officer Pleads Guilty To Corruption A veteran Winnipeg police constable admits he repeatedly tried to help an angry Hells Angels associate hunt down people who stole $462,000 in drug money and then went on the run. Bruce Huynen, 40, pleaded guilty yesterday to unauthorized use of a police computer that involved nearly a dozen illegal name, address and background searches in 2003 and 2004. ...Weinstein suggested yesterday that other police officers routinely conduct illegal computer checks as favours for friends and relatives without even being charged or punished. He said the lawyer representing the Winnipeg Police Association has told him of "many" such cases. |
| 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. |
| Aug 31, 2006 |
BC Hydro Bills Point to 17,900 Possible Pot Grow Ops Nearly 18,000 homes in B.C. -- about the same number of residences as in all of West Vancouver -- use suspiciously high amounts of electricity, often a telltale sign of a marijuana growing operation. Under provincial legislation introduced last spring, municipalities can request a list from BC Hydro of all addresses with abnormally high power consumption -- making it easier for police and city inspectors to target growing operations. Abnormal consumption is defined as any residence that uses more than 93 kilowatt-hours ( kWh ) of electricity per day. The average home uses 31 kWh per day. Big brother gets closer and closer... |
| Aug 31, 2006 |
Personal Data Bylaws Assailed VANCOUVER -- The Privacy Commissioner in British Columbia is urging municipalities to show restraint and stop enacting what he describes as "surveillance bylaws."...Chilliwack wanted to enact a bylaw earlier this year that would require hydroponic stores to detail all purchases of legal products such as seeds and light bulbs, as well as personal data about the customer and send it electronically to police. After receiving negative publicity, the city said it would wait for the Privacy Commissioner's report before deciding what to do next. |
| Sep 1, 2006 |
Cannabis Use in British Columbia: patterns of use, perceptions, and public opinion as assessed in the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey - September 2006 (PDF) <a href="http://carbc.uvic.ca/pubs/CARBCReport-CannabisUseFINAL.pdf">Cannabis Use in British Columbia</a> Compared with other Canadians, significantly fewer BC respondents said they believed cannabis use should be illegal (42% versus 49%), while significantly more stated they: <ul> <li> had ever used cannabis in the past ? 53% in BC versus 44% elsewhere</li> <li> experienced access to be ?very easy? ? 65% in BC versus 44% elsewhere</li> <li> believed both occasional and regular cannabis use to be harm free.</li></ul> |
| Sep 2, 2006 |
Judge Won't Jail Pot Grower Comments by a Courtenay provincial court judge that marijuana growing is a "victimless crime" highlight a continuing debate over the best way to respond to the problems with pot. Judge Brian Saunderson, in sentencing a 41-year-old man earlier this month, refused to consider a jail sentence requested by the Crown. |
| Sep 3, 2006 |
US To Patrol Alberta Border By Air As Canadian border guards look forward to having guns on their hips within a year, the Americans will soon be patrolling the U.S.-Alberta border with two Black Hawk helicopters and planes equipped with radar taken from F-16 fighter jets. |
| Sep 14, 2006 |
New marijuana seed business sets up shop The marijuana seed store on East Hastings Street in Vancouver has been open since May. Manager Dana Larsen hopes to avoid legal problems by avoiding sales to the U.S. A Vancouver man has launched a store-front business selling marijuana seeds over the counter and online to people across Canada and in Europe. Dana Larsen opened the Vancouver Seed Bank on East Hastings Street in May, and isn't hiding the fact that he's breaking the law. Larsen's store is similar to the one operated by B.C. Marijuana party Leader Marc Emery until it was shut down by Vancouver police last year at the request of the U.S. government. Emery, who is free on bail, now faces possible extradition to the U.S. on drug and money-laundering charges. Larsen says he believes that as long as he avoids the American market, he won't be arrested. "By us not sending any marijuana seeds to the U.S., we're not anticipating any problems from their government because we're not breaking any of their laws. "And I don't think we'll have any problems within Canada. We're not the first person to be selling marijuana seeds and nobody in Canada has faced problems for selling marijuana seeds within Canada for quite awhile." Larsen says police officers have come into his store while on patrol, and didn't appear to have any problem with his merchandise. However Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd says Larsen is taking a big risk. "Most people who sell marijuana seeds aren't going to advertise publicly that they sell marijuana or marijuana seeds. He's playing a game of poker with those with the power to enforce the law." |
| Sep 15, 2006 |
Pot Activist Sells Seeds To Advance Cause Dana Larsen Flouts Law With New Vancouver Store to Promote Legalization Vancouver pot activist Dana Larsen was on the phone at his new Vancouver Seed Bank storefront Thursday, telling a caller from Wisconsin that he has no plans to sell pot seeds to Americans through the mail. Larsen told the potential client that he doesn't want to make the mistake made by his long-time friend and colleague Marc Emery who sold marijuana seeds to U.S. addresses. |
| Sep 16, 2006 |
CN BC:
Cafe Owner Gets 15 Months In Jail For Selling Pot The owner of the now defunct Da Kine Cafe on Commercial Drive has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for openly selling marijuana to customers. At the height of the coffee shop's success in the summer of 2004, police say it attracted thousands of customers to its doors, gaining international attention. |
| Sep 16, 2006 |
Guard Gets Five Years In Prison EDMONTON - A former guard at the Edmonton Remand Centre has been sentenced to five years in prison for smuggling drugs inside the jail for inmates.He said he also got an "adrenalin rush" from his participation. And he was using cocaine at the time of the offences. |
| Sep 16, 2006 |
Weeding Out What's Bad For The Planet Name: Dylan Perceval-Maxwell, owner of Je L'ai, 159 Duluth Ave. E., 514-284-5393. How would you describe your store? We sell hemp products and ecologically sound cannabis-related items. |
| Sep 21, 2006 |
Million-Dollar Company All Started With Tortilla Chips Ruth's Hemp Foods Inc. Distributes In Canada, U.S. It might be that Annex resident Ruth Shamai's hemp food company generates about $1 million in revenue each year because it's obvious she enjoys what she creates. |
| Sep 23, 2006 |
Pot Activist Settles VANCOUVER -- An American pot activist who launched an intense legal fight against extradition to the U.S., has quietly settled her legal and immigration issues. After negotiating a plea agreement of simple possession of marijuana with U.S. prosecutors, Renee Boje dropped her extradition appeal in B.C. and returned to California from B.C. last month. |
| Sep 23, 2006 |
Reggae Musician's Charter Rights Breached Police Had No Lawful Basis For Stopping Car Court Of Appeal Restores Trial Ruling ...The judge found there was no lawful basis for stopping Hanson and that alone was reason enough for finding that his Charter rights had been breached, the panel said. |