MAP Drugnews - Top Stories

Niagara This Week, 05 Oct 2017 - The approach being taken by federal and provincial governments, when it comes to the legalization of marijuana is just another form of prohibition, says a woman who is a longtime advocate for allowing unrestricted access to cannabis. "We're seeing prohibition 2.0," said Jodie Emery, who along with her husband, Marc, have been campaigning for legalization for more than two decades. Jodie will be among the speakers taking part in the Grow Up Cannabis Conference & Expo taking place Friday and Saturday at the Scotiabank Convention Centre. "It's very upsetting."

The Observer, 26 Sep 2017 - That's the desire of Mayor Mike Bradley, who has asked the PM to give his idea serious consideration SARNIA - Sarnia's mayor wants the federal government to eliminate the criminal records of Canadians convicted of possessing marijuana after recreational use of the drug becomes legal next July.

Kingston Whig-Standard, 26 Sep 2017 - The legalization of cannabis and the challenge of detecting drivers who are high on Ontario roads once the drug is legalized on Canada Day next year is one of the many community safety subjects being discussed at the Ontario Chiefs of Police board of directors meeting at the Four Points by Sheraton in Kingston on Monday and Tuesday. Some of the other items being discussed by the 18-member board include public policy changes in Ontario, the future of policing, new legislation on the Safer Strategy for Ontario, and further investment in the Ontario Police College.

Metro, 27 Sep 2017 - Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said he will need more resources to address marijuana dispensaries operating in the city and keep them closed. Speaking at the police services board this week, Bordeleau said they have long held the opinion that the dispensaries operating in the city are illegal and have executed search warrants and arrested staff as a result.

Toronto 24hours, 27 Sep 2017 - New study says almost 50% of Canadians would Nearly half of Canadians say they are interested in trying cannabis-laced edibles such as brownies when marijuana is legalized, according to a study by Dalhousie University professors.

Toronto Star, 27 Sep 2017 - As legalization approaches, premier promises to help municipalities manage costs Premier Kathleen Wynne insists the province will not let Ontario cities go to pot once the federal government legalizes marijuana next July. Wynne emerged from a meeting Tuesday with Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area mayors and regional chairs promising a clampdown on illegal storefront "dispensaries" and vowed to help municipalities cope with weed.

Tribune Express, 27 Sep 2017 - Ontario has announced the province's plan for the distribution of marijuana, ahead of legalization planned for next spring. Recreational cannabis will be sold through a chain of specialty stores operated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). The plan is to open 150 marijuana stores by the year 2020 and 40 stores by next summer. According to Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP Grant Crack, it has not yet been determined as to where these stores will be located across the province and what that would mean for the Prescott-Russell region.

Detroit Free Press, 27 Sep 2017 - Medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed to stay open while the state decides who will get a license for the lucrative cannabis business under a pair of bills to be introduced in the state Legislature. Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, and Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, will introduce the bills in the Senate and House this week to counteract an advisory by the state to dispensaries that they should close before Dec. 15 or risk their chances at getting a license.

St. Thomas Times-Journal, 26 Sep 2017 - By this time next year cannabis - or marijuana, pot, or hash - will be legal in Canada, and public health units like the one in Elgin-St. Thomas are bracing for impact. They released an updated set of safer-use guidelines last week in an effort to inform public opinion before the drug becomes legal. The ESTHU guidelines are a clearer version based off the official, reported guideline package released in June by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

Prince George Citizen, 26 Sep 2017 - The fledgling B.C. NDP government has decided how it will deal with the looming legalization of marijuana: continue talking it to death. Dispensary owners, illegal producers, consumers, patients, parents - Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth explained Monday that everyone's opinion is being sought because "one size does not fit all" and "we need to get it right."

The Observer, 26 Sep 2017 - Sorting out whether possession of medical marijuana can become a crime remains in the hands of a Sarnia judge after a brief court appearance Monday. Justice Mark Hornblower said there is a unique point of law he must be satisfied with before accepting a man's guilty pleas to marijuana possession. The issue is whether involvement of the medical marijuana in another crime makes the possession a crime.

Globe and Mail, 26 Sep 2017 - There will be zero tolerance for cannabis among young, novice and commercial drivers, the Ontario government announced last week, with the province's Premier and Transportation Minister standing before a carefully curated group of police and safety advocates to deliver the uncompromising message. "We are proposing to strengthen our impaired driving laws," said Steven Del Duca, who heads the Transportation Ministry. "Let me be clear, driving while impaired is not acceptable and will not be tolerated."

Cape Breton Post, 26 Sep 2017 - A RCMP officer's decision to arrest and search two people because he could smell fresh marijuana in the vehicle has resulted in drug and weapon charges being dismissed against an Ingonish couple. Provincial court Judge Peter Ross ruled Monday that it is widely held that police officers can give evidence on what they detect or recognize by smell.

The Daily Courier, 26 Sep 2017 - Mayor says share of taxes from sale of legal marijuana should go to municipalities to cover extra policing costs Municipalities should get a share of tax revenue collected by the provincial government when marijuana becomes legal, says Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran.

Globe and Mail, 26 Sep 2017 - The B.C. government has launched a five-week consultation process around the legalization of marijuana and says the way the drug is purchased could differ from city to city. The minister in charge of the file told a news conference Monday that Vancouverites might prefer to continue buying marijuana through dispensaries, while other communities opt for something else.

New York Times, 24 Sep 2017 - Portugal treats addiction as a disease, not a crime. LISBON - On a broken-down set of steps, a 37-year-old fisherman named Mario mixed heroin and cocaine and carefully prepared a hypodermic needle. "It's hard to find a vein," he said, but he finally found one in his forearm and injected himself with the brown liquid. Blood trickled from his arm and pooled on the step, but he was oblivious.

Hartford Courant, 25 Sep 2017 - Two men were killed in Hartford in a few-hour span Friday into Saturday. Six people were shot, two fatally, in separate narcotics-related shootings in Hartford Friday night and Saturday morning, police said.

London Free Press, 25 Sep 2017 - To combat organized crime on pot sales in Ontario, legal marijuana is going to have to be competitive with the black market on price, availability, quality and variety. With legal pot coming July 1 - unless Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delays the law - Premier Kathleen Wynne's provincial government already appears to have conceded the field on price and availability.

Toronto Star, 25 Sep 2017 - As pot legalization looms, Indigenous communities are weighing benefits, risks MONTREAL- Is it a cash crop to lift struggling First Nations out of poverty, or a vice posing a particular risk for a vulnerable population?

London Free Press, 25 Sep 2017 - A police raid on a new downtown London pot shop resulted from citizen complaints, not because the illegal business was openly selling cannabis to anyone older than 19, the city's police chief says. Police swooped in on the London Relief Centre on Richmond Street last Wednesday, less than two weeks after it opened in defiance of the law, charging five staffers and seizing cannabis and cash.