Current Affairs (2008) -
Chronological (386 items)
(All links open in new tab)
| May 29, 2008 |
ON:
'I Just Want The Same Access As Tobacco Users' And now Mr. Barth has become the latest marijuana user to file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, after being prevented from smoking outside an Ottawa comedy club after a May 7 performance. Absolute Comedy management told the couple that liquor licence rules prevented them from lighting up on the front patio near cigarette smokers. They left "embarrassed and humiliated," according to Mr. Barth's complaint, which claims the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is violating the provincial Human Rights Code -- specifically, his ability to use marijuana in designated smoking areas. Marijuana helps his appetite, prevents anxiety attacks and allows him to walk without "jangled nerves," Mr. Barth said. Health Canada's Marijuana Medical Access regulations allow for Mr. Barth and his wife to use marijuana. But the provincial Liquor Licence Act prohibits the possession or consumption of controlled substances on an establishment's premises. |
|---|---|
| May 31, 2008 |
Suing Abbotsford Police A wheelchair-bound man is suing the Abbotsford Police department for an alleged assault and negligent treatment he suffered in police cells after his home was subject to a drug bust in November. [Any facade of being public servants who serve and protect quickly vanishes in instances such as this] |
| Jun 3, 2008 |
Legalizing Marijuana Would Cripple the Profits of the Violent Drug Lords When any law is regarded with complete and utter contempt by a significant part of the public, then it demeans all laws and erodes respect for the system. Such is the case with the marijuana law. |
| Jun 4, 2008 |
No Hope In Fighting Dope The war on drugs has been fought. We lost. So what now? For starters, we should admit defeat and legalize marijuana. |
| Jun 4, 2008 |
Romancing The Bottle In some communities, the horrors associated with alcohol extend into every household. These include many Canadian native reserves, where booze has generated nothing short of a liquid holocaust. Even the staggering fatality statistics don't include the legions of victims who never take a sip: children born with fetal alcohol syndrome, abused spouses of alcoholics, the prey of drunk drivers. In Mexico, this week, one of those drunks fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into a group of bike racers -- a horrific scene captured by a local photographer. There but for the grace of God. Oh wait, sorry -- scratch all that. I just read last week's column by Barbara Kay on the subject of marijuana policy, and it turns out I've gotten it precisely wrong. |
| Jun 5, 2008 |
What A Parent Will Do For A Sick Child never thought I would be buying "pot" at my age, but that's what's so interesting about life -- you just never know what's around the corner, do you? There are no limits to what a parent will do for their sick child. On July 9, 2007, we made our first trip to the Medical Compassion Clinic in Toronto. |
| Jun 6, 2008 |
Judge Throws Major Drug Bust Case Out Of Court A major Winnipeg drug bust has been thrown out of court after a judge found police had no right to conduct a gunpoint takedown of a suspected dealer. The 2004 arrest -- in which a large quantity of marijuana and meth was found inside a vehicle in St. Vital -- was deemed an excessive show of force by police and a "serious" breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. |
| Jun 10, 2008 |
Health Canada Taking Bids On Pot Contract The federal department is inviting firms from across the country to submit bids on a contract to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana for the next seven years, with options for two one-year extensions. |
| Jun 12, 2008 |
BC's Heavy Rain Threatens $1-Billion In Marijuana British Columbia's marijuana industry is poised to lose $1-billion this year if the constant rainy weather battering the region doesn't stop, activist Marc Emery said yesterday. |
| Jun 14, 2008 |
Parasiris 'Relieved' Upon Learning His Fate Parasiris and his wife both testified they had no idea it was the police who had broken into their home. Both said they didn't hear officers shout "Police!" until after Tessier had been shot. <a href="http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=34eba880-bfd3-437e-bcd7-a047e3a6474e" target="_blank">As one writer put it: "If you can't trust armed masked raiders who burst into your home in the middle of the night, who can you trust?"</a> |
| Jun 16, 2008 |
Police Get New Powers To Nab Drivers On Drugs Marijuana, crack cocaine or too much pain medication? It's been tough for police to tell what a person is high on, especially when they're behind the wheel -- but that's about to change. Police forces across the province are gearing up for July 2 when a new federal law takes effect that gives them additional powers to boot drug-impaired drivers off the road. |
| Jun 17, 2008 |
Judge Reluctantly Hands Out Suspended Sentence While clearly not happy with the joint sentence submission made by the Crown and defense laywers, Grand Falls provincial court Judge Jacques Desjardins did however grant the request for an 18-month suspended sentence to be served in the community for 26-year-old Berthony Julien of Montreal on Tuesday, June 3. Julien had pleaded guilty during an earlier court appearance to possession of cannabis marijuana for the purpose of trafficking on March 9, 2007 near Woodstock. |
| Jun 17, 2008 |
Use of Marijuana for Medical Reasons Has Its Downers Researchers analysed 31 studies from around the world conducted over the past 40 years and found that while nearly 97 per cent of adverse events were not serious or life-threatening, medicinal marijuana users still have an 86-per-cent increase in the rate of non-serious adverse effects, such as drowsiness and dizziness, compared to non-users. |
| Jun 19, 2008 |
$40 Pot Charge Has Law in Turmoil Clifford Long's constitutional saga began in September 2005 when he was a passenger in a car stopped by police for a seatbelt infraction. |
| Jun 19, 2008 |
Legit Grower Takes Helm At Pot Club The Mid-Island Compassion Society continues its slow growth under new management, and the risk of criminal charges have been reduced since a licensed medicinal marijuana user took over for founder James Younger three weeks ago. |
| Jun 19, 2008 |
Pot Grow Ops Keeping Police, Fire Busy With up to 250 marijuana grow ops in Ottawa at any given time, Gauthier said his team could be making multiple busts each day, but they have to concentrate on the most important cases. It seems grow operators are becoming more cunning each year. |
| Jun 20, 2008 |
SN:
Thermal Camera Improves Police Plane's Eyesight The Saskatoon Police Service's eye in the sky is about to become sharper with the addition of a thermal imaging camera to the police plane. It allows police officers to spot a suspect running at night through backyards or a hidden grow operation. |
| Jun 20, 2008 |
Man Sues To Get Bill Over Pot Grow-op Returned A landlord billed almost $13,000 by the District of Mission to clean up a rental property used for a marijuana grow-op is suing the district to get the money back. |
| Jun 24, 2008 |
Crown Alleges Truck Driver Impaired By Marijuana In Fatal Crash Driving a vehicle while stoned on marijuana is as criminal and dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol. That's what the Crown hopes to prove in a case against a Montreal truck driver who's accused of killing one person and seriously injuring another in an accident on Highway 401 four years ago while allegedly high on pot. |
| Jun 24, 2008 |
Medical Pot User Faces Charges A LOCAL man faces two marijuana charges for seizures made before he obtained a federal licence allowing him to grow and possess the drug. |