The pot stock bubble: Inside the rush to profit from medical marijuana
By Grant Robertson, The Globe and Mail, Dec. 19 2014
Denis Arsenault couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When his company, OrganiGram Inc., made its debut on the TSX Venture Exchange this summer, the shares suddenly shot up.
Such a high valuation didn’t make sense – not even to Mr. Arsenault, and he was the company’s chief executive officer.
Just a few weeks earlier, OrganiGram, an upstart producer of medical marijuana based in Moncton had been valued privately at just over $40-million. But on the open market, speculators feverishly drove up the total value of shares to nearly $120-million in late August.
It wasn’t that Mr. Arsenault didn’t believe in the future of his business. OrganiGram is one of only 15 companies to land a highly coveted federal licence in Canada’s new medical marijuana sector, touted as a potential multibillion-dollar industry in the years to come.
But the company hadn’t made a dime yet. OrganiGram was probably a year away from pulling in meaningful revenue – and it was already worth nine digits in the stock market.
“I was just shaking my head,” Mr. Arsenault said of that first week of trading.
What happened was exuberant, if irrational, and OrganiGram wasn’t the only company feeling the surge.
Investor appetite for Canadian marijuana stocks also turned rival Tweed Inc. of Smiths Falls, Ont., into a $100-million company before it had even logged its first shipment to patients.
Sooner or later, everyone was jumping on the marijuana trend. .....click "Read More" below to continue...
19.12.14
19.11.14
Marijuana poisoning incidents spike in Washington state
By Victoria Cavaliere | Reuters – Tue, 18 Nov, 2014
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Marijuana exposure incidents, or 'pot poisonings,' have spiked in Washington state, especially among teenagers, in a trend experts said on Tuesday appears to be linked to the state's largely unregulated medical marijuana industry.
Marijuana exposures are defined as any situation where an adult or child suffers an adverse reaction to the consumption of marijuana, such as increased heart rate, paranoia or stomach illness, according to the Washington Poison Center.
Some 210 marijuana exposures were reported in the first nine months of the year, more than in all of 2013, according to Washington Poison Center Clinical Managing Director Alexander Garrard.
"Our thought is that the spike is potentially related to the number of unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries that are opening up around the state," he said.
Washington legalized recreational marijuana use in 2012, with the first retail stores opening in 2014 under a highly regulated and taxed system in contrast to the relatively lax pre-existing regime for medical pot.
The state's medical marijuana industry, legalized in 1998, sells products of unconfirmed potency as well as marijuana edibles attractive to children, like gummy bears and lollipops.
While retail stores have been slow to open, Garrard said medical dispensaries have been expanding steadily over the past year.
He said most exposures among young children are accidental, with parents reporting their children found and ate marijuana-laced items such as cookies and candy bars.
Exposure incidents among teens ages 13 to 19 have seen the biggest spike, a trendline possibly linked to accessibility, Garrard said. There were 39 teen exposures in all of 2013, with almost as many reported this year through August, data shows.
"A kid may have access to it (medical marijuana) and who knows what they are doing with those products when they go to school, and they are hanging out with their friends," Garrard said. "It's really hard to track that information."
Marijuana detractors argue the push to legalize pot, which remains illegal under federal law, comes amid a lack of clear data about how cannabis affects young brains and bodies.
Garrard urged anyone suffering from illness linked to marijuana to report the incident to the poison center, which keeps patient information confidential.
"A lot of what we know about these adverse effects comes from these case reports or people having shown up in the hospital," he said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by James Dalgleish)
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/marijuana-poisoning-incidents-spike-washington-state-221020587.html
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Marijuana exposure incidents, or 'pot poisonings,' have spiked in Washington state, especially among teenagers, in a trend experts said on Tuesday appears to be linked to the state's largely unregulated medical marijuana industry.
Marijuana exposures are defined as any situation where an adult or child suffers an adverse reaction to the consumption of marijuana, such as increased heart rate, paranoia or stomach illness, according to the Washington Poison Center.
Some 210 marijuana exposures were reported in the first nine months of the year, more than in all of 2013, according to Washington Poison Center Clinical Managing Director Alexander Garrard.
"Our thought is that the spike is potentially related to the number of unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries that are opening up around the state," he said.
Washington legalized recreational marijuana use in 2012, with the first retail stores opening in 2014 under a highly regulated and taxed system in contrast to the relatively lax pre-existing regime for medical pot.
The state's medical marijuana industry, legalized in 1998, sells products of unconfirmed potency as well as marijuana edibles attractive to children, like gummy bears and lollipops.
While retail stores have been slow to open, Garrard said medical dispensaries have been expanding steadily over the past year.
He said most exposures among young children are accidental, with parents reporting their children found and ate marijuana-laced items such as cookies and candy bars.
Exposure incidents among teens ages 13 to 19 have seen the biggest spike, a trendline possibly linked to accessibility, Garrard said. There were 39 teen exposures in all of 2013, with almost as many reported this year through August, data shows.
"A kid may have access to it (medical marijuana) and who knows what they are doing with those products when they go to school, and they are hanging out with their friends," Garrard said. "It's really hard to track that information."
Marijuana detractors argue the push to legalize pot, which remains illegal under federal law, comes amid a lack of clear data about how cannabis affects young brains and bodies.
Garrard urged anyone suffering from illness linked to marijuana to report the incident to the poison center, which keeps patient information confidential.
"A lot of what we know about these adverse effects comes from these case reports or people having shown up in the hospital," he said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by James Dalgleish)
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/marijuana-poisoning-incidents-spike-washington-state-221020587.html
26.10.14
Your kid’s brain on pot: The real effects of marijuana on teens
Adriana Barton, The Globe and Mail, Oct. 16 2014
As the debate over legalization heats up, Adriana Barton examines the effects of marijuana on the developing brains of teenagers – our nation’s most prolific users – and finds there is no such thing as a harmless habit
Like it or not, your kids will probably try marijuana. So will their friends. Canadian teens are more than twice as likely as adults to smoke pot – and have the highest rate of cannabis use in the developed world. Marijuana has become as much a part of Canada’s youth culture as hockey or Katy Perry.....click "Read More" below to continue.....
As the debate over legalization heats up, Adriana Barton examines the effects of marijuana on the developing brains of teenagers – our nation’s most prolific users – and finds there is no such thing as a harmless habit
Like it or not, your kids will probably try marijuana. So will their friends. Canadian teens are more than twice as likely as adults to smoke pot – and have the highest rate of cannabis use in the developed world. Marijuana has become as much a part of Canada’s youth culture as hockey or Katy Perry.....click "Read More" below to continue.....
6.10.14
Potheads' heads buried in sands about marijuana facts
Drs. Oz & Roizen: New marijuana facts surface
By Mehmet Oz, M.D., and Mike Roizen, M.D., October 6, 2014
With clever names like Peace of Mind, Girl Scout Cookies, Train Wreck and Tsunami, it's a good bet that the marketers of legal marijuana finished high school.
That's less certain for their younger customers. New research shows daily marijuana use before the age of 17 cuts your chances of graduating from high school or getting a college degree by 60 percent. And that info's just the tip of the joint. Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Washington and Colorado, and for medical purposes in 19 other states plus the District of Columbia, scientists are able to study the drug more closely. The result is an outpouring of data on marijuana's formerly unknown or underappreciated risks.
One new study found that 40 percent of cannabis-using adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse report symptoms of withdrawal - a true marker for drug dependence (addiction). And kids are eight times more likely to use illicit drugs later in life if they smoke marijuana regularly. Another study found that adolescents who smoke pot daily shed an average of six IQ points by adulthood; points you're not getting back, and that can mean the difference between an engaged, rewarding life and not!
Just because the drug is legal in some places, doesn't mean it's smart to use it. As Derek Jeter says: "If you have dreams and aspirations to be successful, drugs and alcohol are only going to alter those dreams. Try to stay away from them and find something more productive to do with your time."
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
Source:
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/10/06/3412500/new-marijuana-facts-surface.html
By Mehmet Oz, M.D., and Mike Roizen, M.D., October 6, 2014
With clever names like Peace of Mind, Girl Scout Cookies, Train Wreck and Tsunami, it's a good bet that the marketers of legal marijuana finished high school.
That's less certain for their younger customers. New research shows daily marijuana use before the age of 17 cuts your chances of graduating from high school or getting a college degree by 60 percent. And that info's just the tip of the joint. Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Washington and Colorado, and for medical purposes in 19 other states plus the District of Columbia, scientists are able to study the drug more closely. The result is an outpouring of data on marijuana's formerly unknown or underappreciated risks.
One new study found that 40 percent of cannabis-using adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse report symptoms of withdrawal - a true marker for drug dependence (addiction). And kids are eight times more likely to use illicit drugs later in life if they smoke marijuana regularly. Another study found that adolescents who smoke pot daily shed an average of six IQ points by adulthood; points you're not getting back, and that can mean the difference between an engaged, rewarding life and not!
Just because the drug is legal in some places, doesn't mean it's smart to use it. As Derek Jeter says: "If you have dreams and aspirations to be successful, drugs and alcohol are only going to alter those dreams. Try to stay away from them and find something more productive to do with your time."
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
Source:
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/10/06/3412500/new-marijuana-facts-surface.html
21.8.14
Toxic smoke is harmful, not medicinal
(Medicines don't float along with toxic smoke)
Doctors denounce pot smoke
Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News, August 21, 2014
They already opposed tobacco. Now the nation's doctors say Canadians shouldn't smoke "any plant material" whatsoever, including marijuana.
Delegates at the Canadian Medical Association's general council meeting voted Wednesday to formally oppose the smoking of any plant substance.
Opponents to the motion said it was a back-door way to ban medical marijuana. Some claimed it smacks of Prohibition all over again.
Taken literally, the blanket statement could cover dozens of plants that people smoke in different cultures.
But outgoing CMA president Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti said smoking harms the lungs' "natural cleaning and repair system and traps cancer-causing chemicals" in the airways.
He cited a 2008 study by the American Chemical Society that found marijuana smoke contains many of the same chemicals as tobacco but in substantially higher levels.
Smoking marijuana may be more harmful than tobacco, partly because people often take "deeper, longer" puffs, said incoming president Dr. Chris Simpson.
The motion strengthens the CMA's opposition to marijuana for medical purposes, especially in its smoked form, he added.
The CMA has a policy supporting decriminalization of pot, "because we don't see the value of turning people who smoke marijuana into criminals," Simpson later told reporters.
On medicinal marijuana, the group's position is unequivocal, he said. "We are very sympathetic to the number of Canadians who tell us that they derive relief from marijuana. So we stand in solidarity with the patients," he said. "But our position is very clear: The evidence is insufficient to support its use as medicine."
Dr. Deborah Hellyer, a Windsor, Ont., respirologist said that smoking one joint "is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes."
But Dr. Ashley Miller of St. John's said the "prohibitionist" tone of the motion contradicts existing evidence and she worried about the cultural sensitivity.
Others at the meeting, held at the Ottawa Convention Centre, worried what message defeating the motion would send to the public.
"If we don't support it, it says, 'Smoke whatever you want' and I think that's a really bad message to send to the public," said Calgary physician Dr. Robin Cox.
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=21e3c8e6-3e0b-4e1a-904e-44f3c185a236&p=1
Related news:
Chris Simpson: Why the CMA chose not to participate in the government’s anti-pot campaign
Doctors denounce pot smoke
Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News, August 21, 2014
They already opposed tobacco. Now the nation's doctors say Canadians shouldn't smoke "any plant material" whatsoever, including marijuana.
Delegates at the Canadian Medical Association's general council meeting voted Wednesday to formally oppose the smoking of any plant substance.
Opponents to the motion said it was a back-door way to ban medical marijuana. Some claimed it smacks of Prohibition all over again.
Taken literally, the blanket statement could cover dozens of plants that people smoke in different cultures.
But outgoing CMA president Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti said smoking harms the lungs' "natural cleaning and repair system and traps cancer-causing chemicals" in the airways.
He cited a 2008 study by the American Chemical Society that found marijuana smoke contains many of the same chemicals as tobacco but in substantially higher levels.
Smoking marijuana may be more harmful than tobacco, partly because people often take "deeper, longer" puffs, said incoming president Dr. Chris Simpson.
The motion strengthens the CMA's opposition to marijuana for medical purposes, especially in its smoked form, he added.
The CMA has a policy supporting decriminalization of pot, "because we don't see the value of turning people who smoke marijuana into criminals," Simpson later told reporters.
On medicinal marijuana, the group's position is unequivocal, he said. "We are very sympathetic to the number of Canadians who tell us that they derive relief from marijuana. So we stand in solidarity with the patients," he said. "But our position is very clear: The evidence is insufficient to support its use as medicine."
Dr. Deborah Hellyer, a Windsor, Ont., respirologist said that smoking one joint "is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes."
But Dr. Ashley Miller of St. John's said the "prohibitionist" tone of the motion contradicts existing evidence and she worried about the cultural sensitivity.
Others at the meeting, held at the Ottawa Convention Centre, worried what message defeating the motion would send to the public.
"If we don't support it, it says, 'Smoke whatever you want' and I think that's a really bad message to send to the public," said Calgary physician Dr. Robin Cox.
http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=21e3c8e6-3e0b-4e1a-904e-44f3c185a236&p=1
Related news:
Chris Simpson: Why the CMA chose not to participate in the government’s anti-pot campaign
7.8.14
Sham of "medical" marijuana dispensaries
Medical marijuana: Easy to get, easy to buy
A reporter had no trouble getting the medical green light required by Vancouver medical dispensaries
By Mike Hager, Vancouver Sun, September 2, 2014
Recreational marijuana may as well be legal in the city of Vancouver, given how easy it is for an adult to buy from a fast-growing number of dispensaries openly selling cannabis to customers.
In 2010, there were five dispensaries in the city, according to police. In January last year, police counted a dozen. Most were concentrated in the city’s Downtown Eastside or along Kingsway.
Now city hall staff say there are 45 spread across Vancouver, with a handful in trendy neighbourhoods such as Yaletown and Kitsilano. Many have lounges where friends gather to learn about the pain relief brought by different edibles or the coolest new ways to smoke different strains of B.C.’s best bud.
Technically, it’s against the law for a person to buy marijuana without a federal certificate issued on the advice of a physician or nurse practitioner.
And there has never been a federal licensing system for dispensaries.
But, responding to complaints by patients about access to marijuana, dispensaries have formed their system of issuing membership cards based on easy-to-get documentation from any medical professional.
Some of the dozens of dispensaries in the city skirt the law by teaming up with health professionals other than doctors and nurse practitioners, like naturopaths and in one case a psychologist, who issue certificates that dispensaries then rely on to let patients become members. The dispensaries then willingly sell cannabis products to these members......click "Read More" below to continue.....
A reporter had no trouble getting the medical green light required by Vancouver medical dispensaries
By Mike Hager, Vancouver Sun, September 2, 2014
Recreational marijuana may as well be legal in the city of Vancouver, given how easy it is for an adult to buy from a fast-growing number of dispensaries openly selling cannabis to customers.
In 2010, there were five dispensaries in the city, according to police. In January last year, police counted a dozen. Most were concentrated in the city’s Downtown Eastside or along Kingsway.
Now city hall staff say there are 45 spread across Vancouver, with a handful in trendy neighbourhoods such as Yaletown and Kitsilano. Many have lounges where friends gather to learn about the pain relief brought by different edibles or the coolest new ways to smoke different strains of B.C.’s best bud.
Technically, it’s against the law for a person to buy marijuana without a federal certificate issued on the advice of a physician or nurse practitioner.
And there has never been a federal licensing system for dispensaries.
But, responding to complaints by patients about access to marijuana, dispensaries have formed their system of issuing membership cards based on easy-to-get documentation from any medical professional.
Some of the dozens of dispensaries in the city skirt the law by teaming up with health professionals other than doctors and nurse practitioners, like naturopaths and in one case a psychologist, who issue certificates that dispensaries then rely on to let patients become members. The dispensaries then willingly sell cannabis products to these members......click "Read More" below to continue.....
3.8.14
The scourge of pot addiction in the news
- Hash Oil Explosions Related to Marijuana Pose Risk to Colorado Homes
- Daphne Bramham: Citizens, not police, should decide on Vancouver’s de facto legalization of marijuana
- Marijuana producers attempt to woo doctors
- Pot dispensaries sell to recreational users
- Klassen: Legalizing pot is a social issue, not a medical one
- Think of the children
- Media Infiltrated?
- Why not call it "medical" vitamins, snake oil, etc?
- Pot smoker stinks up building, enrages tenants
25.7.14
Unhealthy pot-smoking versus health culture
Exercise Offers Healthier High Than Pot
By Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, Wednesday, 23 Jul 2014
When Cheech and Chong lit up the movie screens with their marijuana-fogged dialogue - "Hey man, how's my driving?" "I think we're parked, man" - they probably never imagined cannabis would become legal. But today more than 20 states have authorized medical marijuana, while Colorado and Washington have legalized it for personal use. So we say it's time to back up (carefully) and take a look at the health risks associated with recreational use (addressing medical use is for another column).
The active ingredient in marijuana (THC or 9 delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) has been engineered to be much more concentrated in today's crops than it was in the 1970s. That, combined with the highly individual way the drug affects the brain (20-somethings, listen up, you're still developing neural wiring), makes it hard to predict who might be at risk for long-term marijuana-related problems.
What is known, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is that regular or heavy use is linked to traffic accidents and reduced lung function (the smoke contains carcinogens) and can encourage addictions. In addition, for some folks, THC's effect on neurotransmitters may increase the risk for depression and the development of psychosis. It also can cause memory and attention deficits. And particular to eating THC, there may be an increased risk of panic or anxiety.
Our advice? Go for a free twofer: An exercise high from aerobic routines, like interval walking (see doctoroz.com for how-to), boosts both serotonin and endorphin levels. You'll get smokin' hot without craving a peanut butter and jelly pizza.
http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/DrOz/exercise-endorphins-pot-marijuana/2014/07/23/id/584349/
© King Features Syndicate
By Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, Wednesday, 23 Jul 2014
When Cheech and Chong lit up the movie screens with their marijuana-fogged dialogue - "Hey man, how's my driving?" "I think we're parked, man" - they probably never imagined cannabis would become legal. But today more than 20 states have authorized medical marijuana, while Colorado and Washington have legalized it for personal use. So we say it's time to back up (carefully) and take a look at the health risks associated with recreational use (addressing medical use is for another column).
The active ingredient in marijuana (THC or 9 delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) has been engineered to be much more concentrated in today's crops than it was in the 1970s. That, combined with the highly individual way the drug affects the brain (20-somethings, listen up, you're still developing neural wiring), makes it hard to predict who might be at risk for long-term marijuana-related problems.
What is known, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is that regular or heavy use is linked to traffic accidents and reduced lung function (the smoke contains carcinogens) and can encourage addictions. In addition, for some folks, THC's effect on neurotransmitters may increase the risk for depression and the development of psychosis. It also can cause memory and attention deficits. And particular to eating THC, there may be an increased risk of panic or anxiety.
Our advice? Go for a free twofer: An exercise high from aerobic routines, like interval walking (see doctoroz.com for how-to), boosts both serotonin and endorphin levels. You'll get smokin' hot without craving a peanut butter and jelly pizza.
http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/DrOz/exercise-endorphins-pot-marijuana/2014/07/23/id/584349/
© King Features Syndicate
29.5.14
A neighbourhood plastered with posters imploring woman to 'stop selling weed to our kids
(A poster on a street in east Vancouver warns person to stop
 |
| (Photograph by: Nick Procaylo) |
"DON'T SELL TO KIDS
To the woman on Wall St. selling weed to our kids:
Stop immediately.
Stop selling weed to our young children.
Stop giving them candy canes.
You are not kind.
Stop your two for one.
Our kids are becoming addicts.
For tips, please email:
For tips, please email:
------------- @gmail.com
CASH REWARD for tips leading to arrest."
By John Colebourn, The Province, May 23, 2014
A series of posters have been taped to poles and trees along Wall Street in east Vancouver warning a person to stop selling marijuana to school-age kids in the area.
The posters along Wall Street up to where it intersects at Dundas Street were put up about two days ago, say area residents.
“People have been talking about the posters,” said one resident with a young child, who did not want her name used.
“I have no idea who put the posters up,” added the woman who lives in the 2200-block Wall Street.
She said it is shocking to hear that young children are possibly being exposed to people selling drugs along the busy street. “I didn’t know it was that bad along here.”
Another resident who did not want to be named said the street is no worse than most other low-income areas. “There is pot everywhere,” said the woman. “This street is no different.”
More than a dozen posters can be seen along Wall Street.
The poster said the drug dealing needs to stop.
“Stop selling weed to our young children,” reads the poster. “Our kids are becoming addicts.”
The poster indicates a cash reward will be given to people who provide tips that lead to an arrest.
The person behind the posters contacted The Province and said many of the teens in the area are down on Wall Street during school hours scoring pot.
“Some lady on Wall Street is selling pot to teenagers and that is our problem,” said the woman who called herself Louise. “I have had the police to my house to discuss the problem,” she added.
She said they will give the tipster $100 for information that leads to a conviction.Vancouver police were unavailable to comment on the situation.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Street+posters+east+Vancouver+target+seller/9868614/story.html
10.5.14
From tobacco to double whammy: tobacco & marijuana
Edmonton school boards ban electronic cigarettes over marijuana concerns
By: The Canadian Press, 05/9/2014
EDMONTON - Two Edmonton school boards have banned the use of electronic cigarettes on school property over concerns that some students could use the devices to smoke marijuana on the sly.
Police say officers have caught five high school students in the last two weeks with e-cigarettes filled with marijuana oil.
The devices use a battery to heat and vaporize the oil. They mask the smell of the more concentrated drug, which delivers a more powerful high than a regular joint.
"Edmonton Public Schools fully supports the Edmonton Police Service in making the community aware of any dangerous emerging trend," Supt. Darrel Robertson said in a release.
"We will do what we can to not only enforce the restriction of the e-cigarette use around our schools, but to making sure our students, staff and parents are educated of its dangers."
Edmonton Catholic Schools has imposed a similar ban.
Electronic cigarettes, which use the same technology to vaporize nicotine or other materials, are growing in popularity around the world, including with teens. Proponents say they are a safer alternative to tobacco.
A study published in September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. suggests that e-cigarette use by high school students to smoke nicotine and other additives more than doubled to 10 per cent in 2012 from 4.7 per cent the previous year.
Police say the trend of using e-cigarettes to smoke cannabis poses another problem. They say it has increased the demand for marijuana and hash oil, which some people are distilling in dangerous home labs.
Fire and police officials in Alberta warn such extraction labs can cause fires and explosions.
Last July, a blast in a lab rocked a home in a Calgary residential neighbourhood as children played outside.
"The demand for hash oil, or cannabis resin, is attributed to the proliferation to the electronic cigarettes," said a recent release from Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Teams.
The Canadian Medical Association has said e-cigarettes are not approved for sale in Canada, but are readily available.
It has been calling for a ban on the sale of nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes to adults until there is solid evidence the devices are safe.
The association has said minors shouldn't be allowed to buy any kind of e-cigarettes.
— With files from CHED
Source:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/edmonton-school-boards-ban-electronic-cigarettes-over-marijuana-concerns-258677961.html
By: The Canadian Press, 05/9/2014
EDMONTON - Two Edmonton school boards have banned the use of electronic cigarettes on school property over concerns that some students could use the devices to smoke marijuana on the sly.
Police say officers have caught five high school students in the last two weeks with e-cigarettes filled with marijuana oil.
The devices use a battery to heat and vaporize the oil. They mask the smell of the more concentrated drug, which delivers a more powerful high than a regular joint.
"Edmonton Public Schools fully supports the Edmonton Police Service in making the community aware of any dangerous emerging trend," Supt. Darrel Robertson said in a release.
"We will do what we can to not only enforce the restriction of the e-cigarette use around our schools, but to making sure our students, staff and parents are educated of its dangers."
Edmonton Catholic Schools has imposed a similar ban.
Electronic cigarettes, which use the same technology to vaporize nicotine or other materials, are growing in popularity around the world, including with teens. Proponents say they are a safer alternative to tobacco.
A study published in September by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. suggests that e-cigarette use by high school students to smoke nicotine and other additives more than doubled to 10 per cent in 2012 from 4.7 per cent the previous year.
Police say the trend of using e-cigarettes to smoke cannabis poses another problem. They say it has increased the demand for marijuana and hash oil, which some people are distilling in dangerous home labs.
Fire and police officials in Alberta warn such extraction labs can cause fires and explosions.
Last July, a blast in a lab rocked a home in a Calgary residential neighbourhood as children played outside.
"The demand for hash oil, or cannabis resin, is attributed to the proliferation to the electronic cigarettes," said a recent release from Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Teams.
The Canadian Medical Association has said e-cigarettes are not approved for sale in Canada, but are readily available.
It has been calling for a ban on the sale of nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes to adults until there is solid evidence the devices are safe.
The association has said minors shouldn't be allowed to buy any kind of e-cigarettes.
— With files from CHED
Source:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/edmonton-school-boards-ban-electronic-cigarettes-over-marijuana-concerns-258677961.html
30.4.14
More victims of "pot is harmless" propaganda
North Vancouver Mounties issue warning about pot-laced treats
Vancouver Sun, April 29, 2014
METRO VANCOUVER - North Vancouver Mounties have arrested a 16-year-old youth for allegedly selling pot-laced treats to other students in the past week.
RCMP Cpl. Richard de Jong said several Grade 10 students from two different high schools had ingested the marijuana-infused treats, which included Rice Krispy Squares and brownies. One of them became ill and was hospitalized while another was sent home from school.
De Jong said he's not sure where the treats had come from, but believes they may have been bought during the 4/20 event.
The youth arrested was found to be carrying both the treats and cash, de Jong said.
He noted such drug-laced treats are becoming more prevalent and "can be very tempting to children" because they look and taste the same as ordinary sweets. But many youth can become quite sick depending on several of factors including the child's age, weight, the potency of the drug, and how much is ingested, he added.
"It's very risky behaviour," he said.
RCMP School Liaison Officers are also working closely with staff of the North Vancouver School District to both educate students and parents and to ensure school properties are drug free.
http://www.vancouversun.com/North+Vancouver+Mounties+issue+warning+about+laced+treats/9788056/story.html
Vancouver Sun, April 29, 2014
METRO VANCOUVER - North Vancouver Mounties have arrested a 16-year-old youth for allegedly selling pot-laced treats to other students in the past week.
RCMP Cpl. Richard de Jong said several Grade 10 students from two different high schools had ingested the marijuana-infused treats, which included Rice Krispy Squares and brownies. One of them became ill and was hospitalized while another was sent home from school.
De Jong said he's not sure where the treats had come from, but believes they may have been bought during the 4/20 event.
The youth arrested was found to be carrying both the treats and cash, de Jong said.
He noted such drug-laced treats are becoming more prevalent and "can be very tempting to children" because they look and taste the same as ordinary sweets. But many youth can become quite sick depending on several of factors including the child's age, weight, the potency of the drug, and how much is ingested, he added.
"It's very risky behaviour," he said.
RCMP School Liaison Officers are also working closely with staff of the North Vancouver School District to both educate students and parents and to ensure school properties are drug free.
http://www.vancouversun.com/North+Vancouver+Mounties+issue+warning+about+laced+treats/9788056/story.html
24.4.14
Prescribing toxic smoke
(A letter in the Letters section of the Globe and Mail, A10, March 25, 2014):
Rx for pot plants
Re Wary Doctors Pressed into Prescribing Medical Pot (March 23): There are good reasons why doctors are reluctant to prescribe marijuana. These include all the problems with prescribing whole plants as medicines, including the thousands of other chemicals delivered in addtion to the intended active ingredient, variations in the potency of the active ingredient, making accurate dosing impossible, and issues of purity.
There is no reason to think smoking marijuana is any safer than smoking tobacco. If used at all, marijuana plants should be consumed only orally (for example, in brownies).
Evidence for the benefit of marijuana is limited; belief, no matter how strongly held, does not qualify as evidence.
There are pure, properly tested drugs containing the active cannbinoid ingredients of marijuana, and those may be reasonable candidates for prescription.
Prescribing whole plants for the purpose of smoking them cannot be regarded as a reasonable thing to ask of physicians.
- J. David Spence, MD, professor of neurology and clinical pharmacology, Robarts Research Institute
Rx for pot plants
Re Wary Doctors Pressed into Prescribing Medical Pot (March 23): There are good reasons why doctors are reluctant to prescribe marijuana. These include all the problems with prescribing whole plants as medicines, including the thousands of other chemicals delivered in addtion to the intended active ingredient, variations in the potency of the active ingredient, making accurate dosing impossible, and issues of purity.
There is no reason to think smoking marijuana is any safer than smoking tobacco. If used at all, marijuana plants should be consumed only orally (for example, in brownies).
Evidence for the benefit of marijuana is limited; belief, no matter how strongly held, does not qualify as evidence.
There are pure, properly tested drugs containing the active cannbinoid ingredients of marijuana, and those may be reasonable candidates for prescription.
Prescribing whole plants for the purpose of smoking them cannot be regarded as a reasonable thing to ask of physicians.
- J. David Spence, MD, professor of neurology and clinical pharmacology, Robarts Research Institute
19.4.14
Girl brainwashed that pot is harmless
High school girl caught selling pot brownies to pay for her prom dress
By Tina Robinson | Daily Buzz
Ahh, prom. The high school event that every teenage girl looks forward to. But what if you couldn’t afford a prom dress?
18-year-old Saira Munoz of Yuba City, California, was stuck in this little predicament, and selected a very unconventional (and illegal) way to make some money to pay for her dress, CBS Sacramento reports.
She decided to put on a bake sale at her River Valley High School where she would feature some very special brownies she had made. Yes, you guessed it: The main ingredient in her special brownies was marijuana.
She even hired fellow student Carlos Robles to help her sell these stoner sweets.
However, she did not foresee the consequences that the drug could have on other students. One student got sick from the brownies and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, foiling Munoz’s baked brownie prom dress scheme.
“People make mistakes,” said Robles of the bake sale stunt that landed his friend Munoz in handcuffs. “I was hurt, because she got arrested, and nobody wanted to see somebody we cared about go away,” he said.
Having hired Robles as her special brownie vendor, she was charged with employing a minor to sell marijuana — which according to CBS Sacramento, is a felony.
What’s even more unfortunate for the brownie entrepreneur is that she is in danger of being deported back to her home in Mexico.
Munoz came to the U.S. in 2000 with temporary permission, but after the Sutter County Probation Department called the feds about her conviction, a deportation may be in the cards for the teen.
For now, a judge has sentenced Munoz to four years probation and nine days in jail.
Suddenly, not getting the prom dress you want doesn't seem like such a big deal.
Source: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/high-school-girl-caught-selling-pot-brownies-pay-171150761.html?vp=1
By Tina Robinson | Daily Buzz
Ahh, prom. The high school event that every teenage girl looks forward to. But what if you couldn’t afford a prom dress?
18-year-old Saira Munoz of Yuba City, California, was stuck in this little predicament, and selected a very unconventional (and illegal) way to make some money to pay for her dress, CBS Sacramento reports.
She decided to put on a bake sale at her River Valley High School where she would feature some very special brownies she had made. Yes, you guessed it: The main ingredient in her special brownies was marijuana.
She even hired fellow student Carlos Robles to help her sell these stoner sweets.
However, she did not foresee the consequences that the drug could have on other students. One student got sick from the brownies and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, foiling Munoz’s baked brownie prom dress scheme.
“People make mistakes,” said Robles of the bake sale stunt that landed his friend Munoz in handcuffs. “I was hurt, because she got arrested, and nobody wanted to see somebody we cared about go away,” he said.
Having hired Robles as her special brownie vendor, she was charged with employing a minor to sell marijuana — which according to CBS Sacramento, is a felony.
What’s even more unfortunate for the brownie entrepreneur is that she is in danger of being deported back to her home in Mexico.
Munoz came to the U.S. in 2000 with temporary permission, but after the Sutter County Probation Department called the feds about her conviction, a deportation may be in the cards for the teen.
For now, a judge has sentenced Munoz to four years probation and nine days in jail.
Suddenly, not getting the prom dress you want doesn't seem like such a big deal.
Source: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/high-school-girl-caught-selling-pot-brownies-pay-171150761.html?vp=1
16.4.14
Even casual use of cannabis alters brain, warn scientists
Casual pot use causes brain abnormalities in the young: study
By Alex Dobuzinskis | Reuters, 4/16/2014
(Reuters) - Young, casual marijuana smokers experience potentially harmful changes to their brains, with the drug altering regions of the mind related to motivation and emotion, researchers found.
The study to be published on Wednesday in the Journal of Neuroscience differs from many other pot-related research projects that are focused on chronic, heavy users of cannabis.
The collaborative effort between Northwestern University's medical school, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School showed a direct correlation between the number of times users smoked and abnormalities in the brain. .....click "Read More" below to continue.....
By Alex Dobuzinskis | Reuters, 4/16/2014
(Reuters) - Young, casual marijuana smokers experience potentially harmful changes to their brains, with the drug altering regions of the mind related to motivation and emotion, researchers found.
The study to be published on Wednesday in the Journal of Neuroscience differs from many other pot-related research projects that are focused on chronic, heavy users of cannabis.
The collaborative effort between Northwestern University's medical school, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School showed a direct correlation between the number of times users smoked and abnormalities in the brain. .....click "Read More" below to continue.....
11.4.14
Amanda Bynes quit pot, recovers from pot madness
Amanda Bynes blames weed for erratic behaviour
Actress AMANDA BYNES blames her erratic behaviour on dope smoking.
Express.co.uk, April 10, 2014
The troubled Hollywood star completed a stint in a rehabilitation centre last year (13) for mental health evaluation after a spate of bizarre antics.
The Hairspray star's mother Lynn has now spoken out to insist her daughter is not suffering from any mental illness and is adamant smoking too much weed was responsible for her bizarre behaviour.In a statement released by family lawyer Tamar Arminak, Lynn says, "Amanda has no mental illness whatsoever. She has never been diagnosed as schizophrenic or bipolar. She is very sorry for all the hurtful tweets, statements and actions that occurred while she was under the influence of marijuana."
Bynes was placed in a rehab unit last year (13) after a series of odd antics culminated in her starting a fire on the driveway of a neighbour's home in California.
Source: http://express.co.uk/news/showbiz/469670/Amanda-Bynes-blames-weed-for-erratic-behaviour
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Amanda Bynes isn’t a schizophrenic
By Kirstin Buick on April 11, 2014, Bang Showbiz
Amanda Bynes doesn’t have schizophrenia.
The troubled actress, who completed psychiatric treatment in December following a series of public outbursts, has asked her lawyer, Tamar Arminak, to shoot down rumours claiming she suffers from the mental disorder.
Speaking to People magazine, Mr Arminak said: “There has been much speculation about Amanda’s medical condition. She has remained silent because she believed it was best to keep her mental health diagnosis private. However, she asked me to dispel certain rumours. For the record, Amanda does not have schizophrenia, nor has she ever been diagnosed with it.”
The attorney also claims the 28-year-old star, who chucked a marijuana bong out the window of her apartment in New York City last May, has never abused drugs or alcohol and she quit cannabis nine months ago.
He explained: “She’s devoted to living her life as healthy as possible. She’s never had a history of abusing alcohol or hard drugs, and she’s proud to say she’s been marijuana-free for the past nine months.”
The Sydney White actress, who was arrested last July after setting a small fire outside an elderly woman’s home in Los Angeles, is now hoping to rebuild her life and has become a student at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM).
A source said previously: “She’s a great student who always participated and really cared about her classes. She really fit in and loves her school.”
-Bang Showbiz
Source: http://you.co.za/news/amanda-bynes-isnt-a-schizophrenic/
8.4.14
Harms of pot legalization: Pot is brain-damaging, cigarette not; both smokes are toxic
Pot-coloured glasses
David Frum | April 5, 2014, National Post
America’s 50 states are sometimes called “laboratories of democracy.” Although the expression is intended to highlight in flattering terms how innovative they can be, it also suggests that the states’ political experiments can and do fail. In the event of failure, the hope must be that damage can be stopped at the state line. Today, the experiment of state-by-state marijuana legalization is failing before our eyes — and failing most signally where the experiment has been tried most boldly. The failure is accelerating even as the forces pushing legalization are on what appears to be an inexorable march.
In November 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the sale of marijuana to any adult consumer. Advocates of legalization carried the vote with a substantial campaign budget, a few million dollars, and a brilliant slogan: “Drug dealers don’t ask for ID.” The implied promise: Marijuana legalization would be joined to tough enforcement to keep marijuana away from minors. After all, persistent and heavy marijuana use among adolescents has been shown to reduce their IQ as adults by 6 to 8 points. An Australian study of identical twins found that a twin who started using cannabis before age 17 was 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than the twin who did not. People in Colorado had good reason to worry about teen drug use. Colorado voters had approved a limited experiment with medical marijuana in 2000. A complex series of judicial and administrative decisions in the mid-2000s overthrew most restrictions on the dispensing of marijuana. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of dispensaries jumped past 500, and the number of medical cardholders multiplied from roughly 1,000 to more than 108,000.
With so many medical-marijuana card-holders walking about, it was simply inevitable that some would re-sell their marijuana to underage users. A 2013 study of Colorado teens in drug treatment found that 74% had shared somebody else’s medical marijuana. The number of occasions on which they had shared averaged over 50 times. According to a report by the Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Colorado teens, by 2012, were 50% more likely to use marijuana than their peers in the rest of the country......click "Read More" below to continue.....
America’s 50 states are sometimes called “laboratories of democracy.” Although the expression is intended to highlight in flattering terms how innovative they can be, it also suggests that the states’ political experiments can and do fail. In the event of failure, the hope must be that damage can be stopped at the state line. Today, the experiment of state-by-state marijuana legalization is failing before our eyes — and failing most signally where the experiment has been tried most boldly. The failure is accelerating even as the forces pushing legalization are on what appears to be an inexorable march.
In November 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the sale of marijuana to any adult consumer. Advocates of legalization carried the vote with a substantial campaign budget, a few million dollars, and a brilliant slogan: “Drug dealers don’t ask for ID.” The implied promise: Marijuana legalization would be joined to tough enforcement to keep marijuana away from minors. After all, persistent and heavy marijuana use among adolescents has been shown to reduce their IQ as adults by 6 to 8 points. An Australian study of identical twins found that a twin who started using cannabis before age 17 was 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than the twin who did not. People in Colorado had good reason to worry about teen drug use. Colorado voters had approved a limited experiment with medical marijuana in 2000. A complex series of judicial and administrative decisions in the mid-2000s overthrew most restrictions on the dispensing of marijuana. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of dispensaries jumped past 500, and the number of medical cardholders multiplied from roughly 1,000 to more than 108,000.
With so many medical-marijuana card-holders walking about, it was simply inevitable that some would re-sell their marijuana to underage users. A 2013 study of Colorado teens in drug treatment found that 74% had shared somebody else’s medical marijuana. The number of occasions on which they had shared averaged over 50 times. According to a report by the Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Colorado teens, by 2012, were 50% more likely to use marijuana than their peers in the rest of the country......click "Read More" below to continue.....
3.4.14
College Student Fell To Death After Eating Pot Cookies
AP | by SADIE GURMAN, 04/02/2014
DENVER (AP) — A Wyoming college student visiting Denver on spring break jumped to his death after eating a marijuana cookie that his friend legally purchased in one of Colorado's recreational pot shops, authorities said Wednesday.
An autopsy report lists marijuana intoxication as a "significant contributing factor" in the death of 19-year-old Levi Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo who fell from a motel balcony on March 11.
Pongi's friends told investigators he ate the cookie and "exhibited hostile behavior" that included pulling things off walls and speaking erratically, the report said.
Attempts by the three friends to calm Pongi seemed to work until he went outside and jumped over the balcony railing, according to the report.
Denver police ruled the death an accident and their investigation remains open.
Colorado law bans the sale of recreational marijuana products to people under 21. Possession by people under 21 is also against the law. Authorities said one of Pongi's friends was old enough to buy the cookie from a pot shop.
The medical examiner's office had Pongi's body tested for at least 250 different substances, including bath salts and synthetic marijuana, which are known to cause strange behavior. His blood tested positive only for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to the report.
One of Pongi's friends also tried the cookie but stopped after feeling sick, said Michelle Weiss-Samaras, a spokeswoman for the Denver County medical examiner's office.
The marijuana concentration in Pongi's blood was 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. Colorado law says juries can assume someone is driving while impaired by marijuana if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms per milliliter of the chemical.
Officials at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., say Pongi started taking classes as an exchange student in January. He was studying engineering.
"The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," the college said in a statement. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/student-death-pot-cookie_n_5078397.html
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/04/02/coroner-student-fell-to-death-after-eating-pot-cookie/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado lawmakers move to tighten edible marijuana laws
By Keith Coffman | Reuters – Tue, 22 Apr, 2014
DENVER (Reuters) - Colorado lawmakers are moving to tighten laws governing the sale of marijuana-infused edibles, an issue that has gained attention following two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of cannabis products, the measures' main sponsor said on Tuesday.
The state House of Representatives this week unanimously passed a bill limiting the amount of concentrated marijuana that can be sold, and another bill requiring more specific labeling of pot-laced products, such as candies and baked goods.
Rep. Frank McNulty, a Republican from suburban Denver, said the measures are needed to protect the public and assure that edibles are not mistakenly consumed by children.
"The packages of edibles are labeled that they contain marijuana, but once they're out of the package, they're indistinguishable from a brownie or lollipop bought at a grocery store," he said. .....click "Read More" below to continue...
DENVER (AP) — A Wyoming college student visiting Denver on spring break jumped to his death after eating a marijuana cookie that his friend legally purchased in one of Colorado's recreational pot shops, authorities said Wednesday.
An autopsy report lists marijuana intoxication as a "significant contributing factor" in the death of 19-year-old Levi Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo who fell from a motel balcony on March 11.
Pongi's friends told investigators he ate the cookie and "exhibited hostile behavior" that included pulling things off walls and speaking erratically, the report said.Attempts by the three friends to calm Pongi seemed to work until he went outside and jumped over the balcony railing, according to the report.
Denver police ruled the death an accident and their investigation remains open.
Colorado law bans the sale of recreational marijuana products to people under 21. Possession by people under 21 is also against the law. Authorities said one of Pongi's friends was old enough to buy the cookie from a pot shop.
The medical examiner's office had Pongi's body tested for at least 250 different substances, including bath salts and synthetic marijuana, which are known to cause strange behavior. His blood tested positive only for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to the report.
One of Pongi's friends also tried the cookie but stopped after feeling sick, said Michelle Weiss-Samaras, a spokeswoman for the Denver County medical examiner's office.
The marijuana concentration in Pongi's blood was 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. Colorado law says juries can assume someone is driving while impaired by marijuana if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms per milliliter of the chemical.
Officials at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., say Pongi started taking classes as an exchange student in January. He was studying engineering.
"The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," the college said in a statement. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/student-death-pot-cookie_n_5078397.html
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/04/02/coroner-student-fell-to-death-after-eating-pot-cookie/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado lawmakers move to tighten edible marijuana laws
By Keith Coffman | Reuters – Tue, 22 Apr, 2014
DENVER (Reuters) - Colorado lawmakers are moving to tighten laws governing the sale of marijuana-infused edibles, an issue that has gained attention following two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of cannabis products, the measures' main sponsor said on Tuesday.
The state House of Representatives this week unanimously passed a bill limiting the amount of concentrated marijuana that can be sold, and another bill requiring more specific labeling of pot-laced products, such as candies and baked goods.
Rep. Frank McNulty, a Republican from suburban Denver, said the measures are needed to protect the public and assure that edibles are not mistakenly consumed by children.
"The packages of edibles are labeled that they contain marijuana, but once they're out of the package, they're indistinguishable from a brownie or lollipop bought at a grocery store," he said. .....click "Read More" below to continue...
2.4.14
Dangers of unrestricted pot grow-ops
B.C. marijuana fires total 36 in 8 years
Even licensed operations fail due to lack of permits and inspections, RCMP report says
By Kelly Sinoski and Matthew Robinson, Vancouver Sun, April 1, 2014
Marijuana grow lamps were to blame for 36 fires in B.C. over the past eight years, according to Fire Chiefs’ Association of B.C. data, and nearly a quarter of those blazes struck homes that had been licensed to grow medical marijuana.
Risk of fire, such as the one that burned a massive medical marijuana operation in Surrey to the ground Monday, is just one of many hazards cited by the federal government in its battle against a temporary injunction granted by Federal Court last week that allows licensed users to keep growing plants in their homes.
“Given that marijuana growing operations require the use of high-powered lights that are not designed for residential home use, and the fact that marijuana plants require 12-18 hours of light a day, it is not surprising that these operations would face an increased risk of fire,” states a Federal Court submission compiled for Health Canada....click "Read More" below to continue....
Even licensed operations fail due to lack of permits and inspections, RCMP report says
By Kelly Sinoski and Matthew Robinson, Vancouver Sun, April 1, 2014
Marijuana grow lamps were to blame for 36 fires in B.C. over the past eight years, according to Fire Chiefs’ Association of B.C. data, and nearly a quarter of those blazes struck homes that had been licensed to grow medical marijuana.
Risk of fire, such as the one that burned a massive medical marijuana operation in Surrey to the ground Monday, is just one of many hazards cited by the federal government in its battle against a temporary injunction granted by Federal Court last week that allows licensed users to keep growing plants in their homes.“Given that marijuana growing operations require the use of high-powered lights that are not designed for residential home use, and the fact that marijuana plants require 12-18 hours of light a day, it is not surprising that these operations would face an increased risk of fire,” states a Federal Court submission compiled for Health Canada....click "Read More" below to continue....
Huge Surrey fire linked to medicinal marijuana growing operation
Huge Surrey fire linked to medicinal marijuana growing operation
By MIKE HAGER, BRIAN MORTON AND MATTHEW ROBINSON, Vancouver Sun March 31, 2014
METRO VANCOUVER - A pungent haze loitered among the ashes of a massive medical marijuana grow operation levelled Monday by what Surrey’s top firefighter termed a suspicious blaze, sparked on the very day Canada’s controversial, outgoing pot licensing scheme was set to expire.
It took more than 30 firefighters to put out the six-metre-high flames that destroyed a modified warehouse on a former Port Kells mushroom farm that since at least 2011 had housed three medical marijuana licenses good for more than 500 plants, according to Chief Len Garis.
“Fortunately, nobody was hurt,” said Garis, who added that the fire showcased the dangers of licensed grow operations under the old system. “But you know what? I have six engines there and it’s just a stark example of why these things need to be regulated properly.”
He noted that the Government of Canada appealed a Federal Court injunction Monday that allows people to continue to grow medical marijuana while a full legal challenge plays out in the courts. Garis and other Lower Mainland chiefs had been planning to start a crackdown today on local medical marijuana patients who refused to stop home production and destroy their plants, as was required by Health Canada regulations until the injunction was set two weeks ago.
By Monday afternoon, firefighters had entered the smouldering warehouse near 187th Street and 88th Avenue where they found plant remnants in what may have been a drying room, said Garis, who did not know what part of the plants had gone up in smoke.
Neighbours living near the old mushroom farm said the smell of marijuana on the huge site was not unusual, and that over the past few days they had seen tenants moving equipment off the property, which had been gutted by the fire.
“I saw the flames on top of the roof and it was going crazy,” said Drago Kodelja, who lives in the 8700-block of 187th Street directly across the street from the fire. “The whole building burned down from one end to the other. And it went fast. In half an hour, they couldn’t stop it.”
Kodelja said that he often smelled marijuana at the property and that there were “scrubby” people hanging around.
“There were a lot of weirdos around there. They had long hair, unclean, with a lot of tattoos. Everybody thought it was suspicious. And quite a few people complained about the marijuana smell. Quite a few neighbours have moved out because they were fed up with the marijuana.”.....click "Read More" below to continue....
By MIKE HAGER, BRIAN MORTON AND MATTHEW ROBINSON, Vancouver Sun March 31, 2014
METRO VANCOUVER - A pungent haze loitered among the ashes of a massive medical marijuana grow operation levelled Monday by what Surrey’s top firefighter termed a suspicious blaze, sparked on the very day Canada’s controversial, outgoing pot licensing scheme was set to expire.
It took more than 30 firefighters to put out the six-metre-high flames that destroyed a modified warehouse on a former Port Kells mushroom farm that since at least 2011 had housed three medical marijuana licenses good for more than 500 plants, according to Chief Len Garis.
“Fortunately, nobody was hurt,” said Garis, who added that the fire showcased the dangers of licensed grow operations under the old system. “But you know what? I have six engines there and it’s just a stark example of why these things need to be regulated properly.”
He noted that the Government of Canada appealed a Federal Court injunction Monday that allows people to continue to grow medical marijuana while a full legal challenge plays out in the courts. Garis and other Lower Mainland chiefs had been planning to start a crackdown today on local medical marijuana patients who refused to stop home production and destroy their plants, as was required by Health Canada regulations until the injunction was set two weeks ago.
By Monday afternoon, firefighters had entered the smouldering warehouse near 187th Street and 88th Avenue where they found plant remnants in what may have been a drying room, said Garis, who did not know what part of the plants had gone up in smoke.
Neighbours living near the old mushroom farm said the smell of marijuana on the huge site was not unusual, and that over the past few days they had seen tenants moving equipment off the property, which had been gutted by the fire.
“I saw the flames on top of the roof and it was going crazy,” said Drago Kodelja, who lives in the 8700-block of 187th Street directly across the street from the fire. “The whole building burned down from one end to the other. And it went fast. In half an hour, they couldn’t stop it.”
Kodelja said that he often smelled marijuana at the property and that there were “scrubby” people hanging around.
“There were a lot of weirdos around there. They had long hair, unclean, with a lot of tattoos. Everybody thought it was suspicious. And quite a few people complained about the marijuana smell. Quite a few neighbours have moved out because they were fed up with the marijuana.”.....click "Read More" below to continue....
19.2.14
Dangerous candies
Are pot-laced candies seized part of a growing trend?
By Steve Mertl | Daily Brew – Tue, 18 Feb, 2014
Marijuana-laced candies, already worrying authorities in the United States, now are causing concerns north of the border.
RCMP in Alberta busted an Edmonton man last month after detecting the strong odour of pot during a routine traffic stop on Highway 16, west of the city.
They turned up enough weed to make about 25,000 joints, the Edmonton Sun reported. But they also discovered more than a pound of candies containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
The accused, who faces a number of drug charges, admitted he'd bought the sweets in Vancouver, the Sun said.
The Mounties said the candies are produced by using chemicals to extract the THC from marijuana. The concentrated dose can be more potent than weed that's smoked, police said.
“Consumers have no way of knowing the percentage of THC or the potency of these candies,” RCMP drug expert Sgt. Lorne Adamitz said in a news release.
Police are worried children will get their hands on the drug-laced sweets and end up in hospital.......click "Read More" below to continue....
By Steve Mertl | Daily Brew – Tue, 18 Feb, 2014
Marijuana-laced candies, already worrying authorities in the United States, now are causing concerns north of the border.
RCMP in Alberta busted an Edmonton man last month after detecting the strong odour of pot during a routine traffic stop on Highway 16, west of the city.
They turned up enough weed to make about 25,000 joints, the Edmonton Sun reported. But they also discovered more than a pound of candies containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
The accused, who faces a number of drug charges, admitted he'd bought the sweets in Vancouver, the Sun said.
The Mounties said the candies are produced by using chemicals to extract the THC from marijuana. The concentrated dose can be more potent than weed that's smoked, police said.
“Consumers have no way of knowing the percentage of THC or the potency of these candies,” RCMP drug expert Sgt. Lorne Adamitz said in a news release.
Police are worried children will get their hands on the drug-laced sweets and end up in hospital.......click "Read More" below to continue....
16.2.14
Officials: Spanish university student goes into comatose state after eating pot cake
By Harold Heckle, The Associated Press, Feb. 16, 2014
MADRID - A university student in Spain's capital went into a comatose state early Sunday after he ate a birthday cake baked with marijuana, while nine others were also hospitalized, officials said.
The comatose man wasn't responding to stimulus when admitted to a Madrid hospital, but he later recovered, city emergency services spokesman Javier Chivite said. The man was still hospitalized.
It wasn't immediately clear if the pot cake directly led to the man's comatose state, or if he had ingested other substances or had underlying medical problems.
An official at Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda hospital confirmed the man went into a comatose state, but declined to reveal further details, citing privacy issues. The hospital official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to be identified by name.
A total of 11 people were affected by eating the cake, Chivite said. Ten of them were hospitalized, the hospital official said. Chivite said they were treated for irregular heartbeat.
Jose Dominguez de Posada, dean of Madrid's Alfonso X University, said the students were all male and aged between 18 and 22 and the most affected was studying veterinary sciences. Dominguez de Posada said the university campus houses about 12,000 students.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/pot-cake-leads-brief-coma-spanish-university-student-175242244.html
MADRID - A university student in Spain's capital went into a comatose state early Sunday after he ate a birthday cake baked with marijuana, while nine others were also hospitalized, officials said.
The comatose man wasn't responding to stimulus when admitted to a Madrid hospital, but he later recovered, city emergency services spokesman Javier Chivite said. The man was still hospitalized.
It wasn't immediately clear if the pot cake directly led to the man's comatose state, or if he had ingested other substances or had underlying medical problems.
An official at Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda hospital confirmed the man went into a comatose state, but declined to reveal further details, citing privacy issues. The hospital official spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn't authorized to be identified by name.
A total of 11 people were affected by eating the cake, Chivite said. Ten of them were hospitalized, the hospital official said. Chivite said they were treated for irregular heartbeat.
Jose Dominguez de Posada, dean of Madrid's Alfonso X University, said the students were all male and aged between 18 and 22 and the most affected was studying veterinary sciences. Dominguez de Posada said the university campus houses about 12,000 students.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/pot-cake-leads-brief-coma-spanish-university-student-175242244.html
27.1.14
"Legalizing marijuana is not the answer"
(a letter published in the Vancouver Sun, Dec. 3, 2013)...
Re: Pot-smoking Mountie illustrates need to change drug laws, Column, Nov. 30
There are overwhelming reasons, evidence, and science against legalization of marijuana.
Taxes on legal marijuana would be offset by higher social, health care, criminal justice costs and lost workplace productivity. We'd have additional road carnage from more dopeaddled drivers. Myriad medical studies show marijuana's toxicity to cells, DNA; its links to schizophrenia and psychosis in some people, memory problems and increased risk of cancer.
Marijuana has all the noxious chemicals contained in tobacco except nicotine. One in 10 users (and one in six among adolescents) develop dependence.
Legalization would send mixed messages to kids about drugs. Displaced pot-pushers and distribution channels would be driven into more deadly designer drugs. There is a race to produce ever-increasing THC content levels. Australia reports THC topping out at 40 per cent, compared with the two-to-four per cent reefer of the 1970s. So let's get real: There will always be some form of marijuana prohibition.
Colorado and Washington face a raft of implementation fears and challenges, including black market price undercutting, while in the Netherlands a judge, provinces and towns have all made rulings against cannabis use in an attempt to contain serious and evolving marijuana industry problems.
Rob Brandreth-Gibbs,
Vancouver
Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Legalizing+marijuana+answer/9239899/story.html#ixzz2reeilGph
Re: Pot-smoking Mountie illustrates need to change drug laws, Column, Nov. 30
There are overwhelming reasons, evidence, and science against legalization of marijuana.
Taxes on legal marijuana would be offset by higher social, health care, criminal justice costs and lost workplace productivity. We'd have additional road carnage from more dopeaddled drivers. Myriad medical studies show marijuana's toxicity to cells, DNA; its links to schizophrenia and psychosis in some people, memory problems and increased risk of cancer.
Marijuana has all the noxious chemicals contained in tobacco except nicotine. One in 10 users (and one in six among adolescents) develop dependence.
Legalization would send mixed messages to kids about drugs. Displaced pot-pushers and distribution channels would be driven into more deadly designer drugs. There is a race to produce ever-increasing THC content levels. Australia reports THC topping out at 40 per cent, compared with the two-to-four per cent reefer of the 1970s. So let's get real: There will always be some form of marijuana prohibition.
Colorado and Washington face a raft of implementation fears and challenges, including black market price undercutting, while in the Netherlands a judge, provinces and towns have all made rulings against cannabis use in an attempt to contain serious and evolving marijuana industry problems.
Rob Brandreth-Gibbs,
Vancouver
Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Legalizing+marijuana+answer/9239899/story.html#ixzz2reeilGph
Seniors Home Grow-Op Found In New Brunswick
By Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press Posted: 11/20/2013
FREDERICTON - There needs to be an independent review of inspection policies following the discovery of a marijuana growing operation in the basement of a special care home for seniors in New Brunswick, the province's Opposition Liberals said Wednesday.
The party's social development critic said he finds it difficult to understand how marijuana could be grown undetected in a facility that is subject to inspections and entrusted to care for the elderly.
"Seniors could have been badly injured, or could have died as a result of this," Victor Boudreau said in the legislature Wednesday.
The RCMP say they seized 550 marijuana plants and marijuana growing equipment Friday after a fire erupted at the Forever Young Special Care Home in Clarks Corner. The six residents of the home safely escaped.
Investigators said they believed the fire was related to the marijuana growing operation .......click "Read More" below to continue....
FREDERICTON - There needs to be an independent review of inspection policies following the discovery of a marijuana growing operation in the basement of a special care home for seniors in New Brunswick, the province's Opposition Liberals said Wednesday.
The party's social development critic said he finds it difficult to understand how marijuana could be grown undetected in a facility that is subject to inspections and entrusted to care for the elderly.
"Seniors could have been badly injured, or could have died as a result of this," Victor Boudreau said in the legislature Wednesday.
The RCMP say they seized 550 marijuana plants and marijuana growing equipment Friday after a fire erupted at the Forever Young Special Care Home in Clarks Corner. The six residents of the home safely escaped.
Investigators said they believed the fire was related to the marijuana growing operation .......click "Read More" below to continue....
19.9.13
Endless confirmations about harms of pot
Pot can trigger psychosis in those prone to it: Study
By Shane Gibson, Metronews, Sept. 11, 2013
A national study on pot use and psychosis released by the Schizophrenia Society of Canada (SSC) Tuesday shows the drug can trigger and worsen psychosis in young people already prone to the psychiatric disorder.
The research is part of a SSC project funded by Health Canada aiming to give young people pause to think before lighting their first joint.
“Hopefully it’ll inform kids as to whether or not to use cannabis based on a knowledge of their family’s (mental health) history,” explained SSC’s CEO Chris Summerville. “Does marijuana specifically in and by itself cause a mental illness? No. But does it make your risk greater? Yes.”
Summerville said past research has shown young people who are already vulnerable to psychosis are four to seven times more likely to become ill with a psychotic illness.
The recently completed four-year participatory study, led by Dr. Katherine Boydell at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, saw 28 young people who had both used pot and experienced psychosis chosen as research assistants to lead interviews, focus groups and workshops with 50 other young people with similar experiences with pot and psychosis.
Participants used their experiences to create educational videos that are now on YouTube, and the research was used to create an interactive e-learning component that can be found at cannabisandpsychosis.ca.
http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/791129/canadian-study-links-pot-use-and-psychosis-for-those-already-vulnerable/
By Shane Gibson, Metronews, Sept. 11, 2013
A national study on pot use and psychosis released by the Schizophrenia Society of Canada (SSC) Tuesday shows the drug can trigger and worsen psychosis in young people already prone to the psychiatric disorder.
The research is part of a SSC project funded by Health Canada aiming to give young people pause to think before lighting their first joint.
“Hopefully it’ll inform kids as to whether or not to use cannabis based on a knowledge of their family’s (mental health) history,” explained SSC’s CEO Chris Summerville. “Does marijuana specifically in and by itself cause a mental illness? No. But does it make your risk greater? Yes.”Summerville said past research has shown young people who are already vulnerable to psychosis are four to seven times more likely to become ill with a psychotic illness.
The recently completed four-year participatory study, led by Dr. Katherine Boydell at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, saw 28 young people who had both used pot and experienced psychosis chosen as research assistants to lead interviews, focus groups and workshops with 50 other young people with similar experiences with pot and psychosis.
Participants used their experiences to create educational videos that are now on YouTube, and the research was used to create an interactive e-learning component that can be found at cannabisandpsychosis.ca.
http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/791129/canadian-study-links-pot-use-and-psychosis-for-those-already-vulnerable/
30.7.13
Politician seduced by potheads, ignores harms of pot
Naomi Lakritz: Pot is a dangerous drug and legalization is a dumb idea, Mr. Trudeau
by Naomi Lakritz, The Province, July 26, 2013
I have lost all respect for Justin Trudeau. Until Thursday, I’d been rooting for him all the way. No more, though. Not since he announced that he thinks marijuana should be legalized.
In advocating for legalization, Trudeau cited the futility of the war on drugs. But this is not about the war on drugs. This is about the impact on everyday life if marijuana were legal. One commenter on the Calagry Herald’s website wondered whether Trudeau is aware of all the social ills that legalization would bring. Indeed. For one thing, if this ever comes to pass, we will add to the carnage caused by drunk drivers more carnage caused by drivers who are stoned.
Nor is it valid to argue that since alcohol is legal, marijuana should be legal, too. Alcohol is out of one’s system in a matter of hours for moderate drinkers. THC, the main ingredient in cannabis, stays in the body for up to 30 days, which means it continues to impair the user that much longer after the first high has worn off. Harvard psychiatry professor Harrison Pope studied marijuana’s long-term effects on cognition. He postulates that one reason for the lengthy period of impairment, is that THC “dissolves in body fat, then slowly percolates into the blood and brain over days and weeks after a joint is smoked,” according to the Harvard Gazette. ...click "Read More" below to continue....
by Naomi Lakritz, The Province, July 26, 2013
I have lost all respect for Justin Trudeau. Until Thursday, I’d been rooting for him all the way. No more, though. Not since he announced that he thinks marijuana should be legalized.
In advocating for legalization, Trudeau cited the futility of the war on drugs. But this is not about the war on drugs. This is about the impact on everyday life if marijuana were legal. One commenter on the Calagry Herald’s website wondered whether Trudeau is aware of all the social ills that legalization would bring. Indeed. For one thing, if this ever comes to pass, we will add to the carnage caused by drunk drivers more carnage caused by drivers who are stoned.
Nor is it valid to argue that since alcohol is legal, marijuana should be legal, too. Alcohol is out of one’s system in a matter of hours for moderate drinkers. THC, the main ingredient in cannabis, stays in the body for up to 30 days, which means it continues to impair the user that much longer after the first high has worn off. Harvard psychiatry professor Harrison Pope studied marijuana’s long-term effects on cognition. He postulates that one reason for the lengthy period of impairment, is that THC “dissolves in body fat, then slowly percolates into the blood and brain over days and weeks after a joint is smoked,” according to the Harvard Gazette. ...click "Read More" below to continue....
30.6.13
Youths who drink or use pot more prone to head injury
Youths who drink or use pot more prone to head injury
School survey reveals effects of drug, alcohol use
By Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News, June 26, 2013
Alcohol and drugs can damage a teen’s brain in more ways than people think.
A new study has found that youths who said they frequently consume booze or pot were up to five times more likely than abstinent youths to report having suffered at least one traumatic brain injury that left them unconscious for at least five minutes or hospitalized overnight.
Overall, the survey of nearly 9,000 Ontario high school students found that, in general, one in five teens said that they had had a brain injury at some time in their lives. ....click "Read More" below to continue....
School survey reveals effects of drug, alcohol use
By Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News, June 26, 2013
Alcohol and drugs can damage a teen’s brain in more ways than people think.
A new study has found that youths who said they frequently consume booze or pot were up to five times more likely than abstinent youths to report having suffered at least one traumatic brain injury that left them unconscious for at least five minutes or hospitalized overnight.
Overall, the survey of nearly 9,000 Ontario high school students found that, in general, one in five teens said that they had had a brain injury at some time in their lives. ....click "Read More" below to continue....
24.6.13
Smoking Pot In Teen Years Lowers IQ Later
Tia Ghose, LiveScience Contributor. Date: 27 August 2012
Teens who smoke marijuana see their IQs drop as adults, and deficits persist even after quitting, according to a new study.
"The findings are consistent with speculation that cannabis use in adolescence, when the brain is undergoing critical development, may have neurotoxic effects," study researcher Madeline Meier of Duke University said in a statement.
The study followed 1,037 New Zealand children for 25 years. Subjects took IQ tests at age 13, before any of them had smoked marijuana, and again at age 38. Throughout the study, participants also answered several surveys about their drug use....click "Read More" below to continue....
Teens who smoke marijuana see their IQs drop as adults, and deficits persist even after quitting, according to a new study.
"The findings are consistent with speculation that cannabis use in adolescence, when the brain is undergoing critical development, may have neurotoxic effects," study researcher Madeline Meier of Duke University said in a statement.
The study followed 1,037 New Zealand children for 25 years. Subjects took IQ tests at age 13, before any of them had smoked marijuana, and again at age 38. Throughout the study, participants also answered several surveys about their drug use....click "Read More" below to continue....
Chronic Cannabis Use May Cause Brain Inflammation
By Rachael Rettner, LiveScience Senior Writer, LiveScience.com – June 23, 2013
Chronic marijuana use may cause inflammation in the brain that leads to problems with coordination and learning, a new study in animals suggests.
The study also teased out why this brain inflammation leads to motor and learning problems, and found a surprising answer — cannabis activates immune cells that appear to play a critical role in how a brain region called the cerebellum works....click "Read More" below to continue....
Chronic marijuana use may cause inflammation in the brain that leads to problems with coordination and learning, a new study in animals suggests.
The study also teased out why this brain inflammation leads to motor and learning problems, and found a surprising answer — cannabis activates immune cells that appear to play a critical role in how a brain region called the cerebellum works....click "Read More" below to continue....
Parents can help kids stay away from drugs
Published: June 24, 2013
Drs. Oz & Roizen's Tip of the Day:
The list of movies aimed at kids that show (supposedly) loveable stars who use drugs is long and well-known: There's "Cheech and Chong," "Harold & Kumar" and the entire "Hangover" series.
Helping teens stay away from recreational drugs is a big job and one that, unfortunately, some parents don't feel they're up to or don't feel they have the clout to make a difference.
That's info from a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after talking with more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12.
The upshot: 22 percent of parents don't think what they say about drug use will change how their children act.
But research shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Among kids who feel their parents strongly disapprove of marijuana use, only 5 percent are willing to risk it; but more than 30 percent of kids whose parents don't make their anti-drug message clear are willing to experiment with pot.
Mom and Dad, you are the health guides in all areas - from drugs to doughnuts to sleep.
When you don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk (we love families who get walking together, aiming for 10,000 steps a day), you are amazingly influential.
So gather your kids around (even those teenagers), plan a family meal, schedule regular family walks and set aside time for conversations about the importance of a healthful lifestyle for better grades, higher self-esteem and a brighter future.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/24/2629040/parents-can-help-kids-stay-away.html#storylink=cpy
Drs. Oz & Roizen's Tip of the Day:
The list of movies aimed at kids that show (supposedly) loveable stars who use drugs is long and well-known: There's "Cheech and Chong," "Harold & Kumar" and the entire "Hangover" series.
Helping teens stay away from recreational drugs is a big job and one that, unfortunately, some parents don't feel they're up to or don't feel they have the clout to make a difference.
That's info from a new survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after talking with more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12.
The upshot: 22 percent of parents don't think what they say about drug use will change how their children act.
But research shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Among kids who feel their parents strongly disapprove of marijuana use, only 5 percent are willing to risk it; but more than 30 percent of kids whose parents don't make their anti-drug message clear are willing to experiment with pot.
Mom and Dad, you are the health guides in all areas - from drugs to doughnuts to sleep.
When you don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk (we love families who get walking together, aiming for 10,000 steps a day), you are amazingly influential.
So gather your kids around (even those teenagers), plan a family meal, schedule regular family walks and set aside time for conversations about the importance of a healthful lifestyle for better grades, higher self-esteem and a brighter future.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. To live your healthiest, visit sharecare.com. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/24/2629040/parents-can-help-kids-stay-away.html#storylink=cpy
14.6.13
"Medical marijuana" bypasses evidence requirements for drugs
Ottawa tables final rules for medical marijuana
OTTAWA – After two years of study and discussion, the federal government has finalized new rules for medical marijuana and granted a reprieve to pharmacists who opposed the rules in their draft form.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rolled out the regulations today for formal publication in the Canada Gazette on Wednesday.
Under the new regime, the government will no longer produce or distribute medical pot and medical marijuana users will no longer be allowed to grow the product at home.
Health Canada said since the medical marijuana program was introduced in 2001, it has expanded to 30,000 people from the original 500 authorized to use the product.
“This rapid increase has had unintended consequences for public health, safety and security as a result of allowing individuals to produce marijuana in their homes,” the department said in a news release ....click "Read More" below to continue....
"Physicians and pharmacists alike questioned the regulatory changes,
saying there is little evidence that medical marijuana is either
effective or safe."
By Staff, The Canadian Press, June 10, 2013, 12:39 pm OTTAWA – After two years of study and discussion, the federal government has finalized new rules for medical marijuana and granted a reprieve to pharmacists who opposed the rules in their draft form.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rolled out the regulations today for formal publication in the Canada Gazette on Wednesday.
Under the new regime, the government will no longer produce or distribute medical pot and medical marijuana users will no longer be allowed to grow the product at home.
Health Canada said since the medical marijuana program was introduced in 2001, it has expanded to 30,000 people from the original 500 authorized to use the product.
“This rapid increase has had unintended consequences for public health, safety and security as a result of allowing individuals to produce marijuana in their homes,” the department said in a news release ....click "Read More" below to continue....
10.6.13
Stoned equipment operator killed six
Equipment operator accused of being high on pot before deadly Philly building collapse turns self in
By Maryclaire Dale, Michael Rubinkam and Kathy Matheson, The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — A heavy equipment operator accused of being high on marijuana when a downtown building collapsed onto a thrift store, killing six people, turned himself in on Saturday to face charges in the deaths, police said.
A warrant had been issued for the arrest of Sean Benschop on six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of risking a catastrophe.
Authorities believe the 42-year-old Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when the remains of the four-storey building gave way and toppled onto an attached Salvation Army thrift store, killing two employees and four customers and injuring 13 others.
Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told The Associated Press on Friday evening that a toxicology report showed evidence that Benschop was high on marijuana. That finding, combined with witness statements and evidence from the scene, led to the decision Friday to raid his North Philadelphia home and later seek an arrest warrant, he said.....click "Read More" below to continue....
By Maryclaire Dale, Michael Rubinkam and Kathy Matheson, The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — A heavy equipment operator accused of being high on marijuana when a downtown building collapsed onto a thrift store, killing six people, turned himself in on Saturday to face charges in the deaths, police said.
A warrant had been issued for the arrest of Sean Benschop on six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of risking a catastrophe.
Authorities believe the 42-year-old Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when the remains of the four-storey building gave way and toppled onto an attached Salvation Army thrift store, killing two employees and four customers and injuring 13 others.
Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told The Associated Press on Friday evening that a toxicology report showed evidence that Benschop was high on marijuana. That finding, combined with witness statements and evidence from the scene, led to the decision Friday to raid his North Philadelphia home and later seek an arrest warrant, he said.....click "Read More" below to continue....
31.5.13
Even smokeless pot is harmful
Beware the brownies: Study blames lax drug laws as marijuana-laced snacks sending children to hospital
Tom Spears, Postmedia News, May 30, 2013
OTTAWA — Relaxed marijuana laws in Colorado have had a side-effect no one saw coming: Children are getting into the wrong kind of brownies.
Also the wrong kind of cookies, candies and soft drinks. And they’re ending up in hospital.
A pediatrician has compared the number of young children treated at the Children’s Hospital Colorado emergency department for ingesting marijuana before and after the loosening of Colorado’s drug laws in 2009. Before 2009 there were none. Since then the hospital has seen 14.
Worse, doctors often don’t think of checking young children for drug consumption, so they order all kinds of tests and miss the real cause....click "Read More" below to continue....
Tom Spears, Postmedia News, May 30, 2013
OTTAWA — Relaxed marijuana laws in Colorado have had a side-effect no one saw coming: Children are getting into the wrong kind of brownies.
Also the wrong kind of cookies, candies and soft drinks. And they’re ending up in hospital.
A pediatrician has compared the number of young children treated at the Children’s Hospital Colorado emergency department for ingesting marijuana before and after the loosening of Colorado’s drug laws in 2009. Before 2009 there were none. Since then the hospital has seen 14.
Worse, doctors often don’t think of checking young children for drug consumption, so they order all kinds of tests and miss the real cause....click "Read More" below to continue....
24.5.13
Amanda Bynes whacked on pot
Amanda Bynes taken away in handcuffs wearing bizarre wig after 'throwing bong out window of high rise apartment during marijuana arrest'
By Daily Mail Reporter, 24 May 2013
Amanda Bynes was taken away by police in handcuffs after being arrested for reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a foot-long bong out of the window of her 36th floor New York apartment.
The incident came after police arrived to speak to the troubled actress about her alleged marijuana use on Thursday night.
She was then taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being booked at the police station for criminal of possession of marijuana, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.... click "Read More" below to continue....
By Daily Mail Reporter, 24 May 2013
Amanda Bynes was taken away by police in handcuffs after being arrested for reckless endangerment after allegedly throwing a foot-long bong out of the window of her 36th floor New York apartment.
The incident came after police arrived to speak to the troubled actress about her alleged marijuana use on Thursday night.
She was then taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being booked at the police station for criminal of possession of marijuana, reckless endangerment and tampering with evidence.... click "Read More" below to continue....
14.5.13
Cigarettes and pot feed each other
Cigarettes Are a Gateway Drug, Say Scientists
By Elise Solé, Shine Staff | Healthy Living – May 8, 2013
Most teens roll their eyes at the idea that any drug can be a "gateway" to more serious stimulants, but new data presented Sunday at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting found that teens who smoke cigarettes are 23 times more likely to smoke marijuana compared to those who don't use tobacco.
Researchers from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington randomly chose 315 incoming college freshmen from two universities (one in the Midwest and another in the Northwest) and asked if they smoked cigarettes or marijuana, then asked them the same question after the school year ended.
"We were surprised by the two outcomes," says study author Megan Moreno, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. "First, teens who smoked cigarettes coming into their freshman year were 23 times more likely to smoke marijuana later that year. And second, kids who smoke both cigarettes and marijuana smoke cigarettes more frequently than those who only use tobacco.".....click "Read More" below to continue.....
By Elise Solé, Shine Staff | Healthy Living – May 8, 2013
Most teens roll their eyes at the idea that any drug can be a "gateway" to more serious stimulants, but new data presented Sunday at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting found that teens who smoke cigarettes are 23 times more likely to smoke marijuana compared to those who don't use tobacco.
Researchers from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington randomly chose 315 incoming college freshmen from two universities (one in the Midwest and another in the Northwest) and asked if they smoked cigarettes or marijuana, then asked them the same question after the school year ended.
"We were surprised by the two outcomes," says study author Megan Moreno, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. "First, teens who smoked cigarettes coming into their freshman year were 23 times more likely to smoke marijuana later that year. And second, kids who smoke both cigarettes and marijuana smoke cigarettes more frequently than those who only use tobacco.".....click "Read More" below to continue.....
27.4.13
Pot is not a "recreational" drug
“There are toxins in cannabis smoke that are carcinogens and that accelerate heart disease. Smoked cannabis is addicting, unsafe during pregnancy and especially dangerous for young people, in terms of triggering psychosis, depression and mood disorders.”
- Dr. Meldon Kahan, medical director of the Substance Use Service at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto
23.3.13
Bad weather, pilot's weed use cause of fatal northern crash: board
By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, March 20, 2013
EDMONTON - The investigation into a deadly northern plane crash has found it was caused by a combination of marginal weather and the pilot's marijuana use.
The pilot and one passenger were killed when the Air Tindi plane went down near a community on the east arm of Great Slave Lake in October 2011.
A Transportation Safety Board investigation found the weather that day was rainy and overcast with poor visibility.
"The aircraft was flown at low altitude into an area of low forward visibility, which prevented the pilot from seeing and avoiding terrain," the investigation concludes. "Weather during the accident flight was marginal for (visual flight rules) flight."
The Cessna 208B Caravan did not have electronic aids such as a terrain awareness and warning system or terrain-warning GPS. But it was fully equipped for instrument flying and the pilot and the company were qualified in such navigation.
"Flying under (instrument flight rules) would have provided a margin of safety given the weather conditions," the board wrote. "It could not be determined why the pilot chose to fly under (visual flight rules)."
The report also found the pilot was flying over Great Slave Lake beyond the gliding distance of his airplane.
There was another issue as well.
"Toxicology testing revealed that concentrations of cannabinoids found in the pilot's bloodstream were sufficient to have impaired pilot performance and decision-making during the flight."
Those concentrations were "considerably greater" than levels that impaired pilot performance in flight simulator tests, the report says.....click "Read More" below...
EDMONTON - The investigation into a deadly northern plane crash has found it was caused by a combination of marginal weather and the pilot's marijuana use.
The pilot and one passenger were killed when the Air Tindi plane went down near a community on the east arm of Great Slave Lake in October 2011.
A Transportation Safety Board investigation found the weather that day was rainy and overcast with poor visibility.
"The aircraft was flown at low altitude into an area of low forward visibility, which prevented the pilot from seeing and avoiding terrain," the investigation concludes. "Weather during the accident flight was marginal for (visual flight rules) flight."
The Cessna 208B Caravan did not have electronic aids such as a terrain awareness and warning system or terrain-warning GPS. But it was fully equipped for instrument flying and the pilot and the company were qualified in such navigation.
"Flying under (instrument flight rules) would have provided a margin of safety given the weather conditions," the board wrote. "It could not be determined why the pilot chose to fly under (visual flight rules)."
The report also found the pilot was flying over Great Slave Lake beyond the gliding distance of his airplane.
There was another issue as well.
"Toxicology testing revealed that concentrations of cannabinoids found in the pilot's bloodstream were sufficient to have impaired pilot performance and decision-making during the flight."
Those concentrations were "considerably greater" than levels that impaired pilot performance in flight simulator tests, the report says.....click "Read More" below...
22.2.13
Addictive pot damages the young's mental health
PARENT TRAPS: Offer stress management alternatives to pot
A teenager's accelerating marijuana use has become an issue for a concerned parent
By Michele Kambolis, family therapist, February 4, 2013
I have a 17-year-old daughter who attends a university prep school and she’s feeling stressed out by applying to university, keeping her grades up and maintaining her current level of involvement in her competitive sport. I know she has experimented with marijuana (which is something that I would expect) but I’m concerned that she now “blazes” on a regular basis, occasionally even before school. I’m now becoming concerned that she may be damaging her health, not to mention the possibility of her being arrested and how that would impact her future as well. What should I do?
-- Anxious in Abbotsford
MICHELE KAMBOLIS SAYS
Pot, weed, B.C. bud — whatever teens are calling it, the effects are harmful and your concerns are justified.
In this case, your daughter looks to have acquired the habit as a means to contend with stress and anxiety.
Start by front-loading her with other ways to tackle her stress — a yoga class, relaxation exercises and CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) workbooks can go a long way to teaching coping skills to replace self medicating with pot.
Then, outline the effects. It’ll be of no surprise to her that her “blazing” will cause short-term difficulty in thinking and problem solving, impaired memory and learning, loss of coordination and distorted perception. The longer users toke up, the worse their memories and attention spans; it affects immune and respiratory systems and is associated with anxiety and/or panic attacks in 20-30 per cent of recreational users.
While the risk of becoming dependent on pot is relatively low compared to other drugs, withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, stomach pains and sleeping difficulty go hand in hand with kicking the habit. So, when and if your daughter decides to quit, watch for these symptoms and reassure her that they’ll go away in time. In the meantime, encourage and focus on long-term anxiety reduction tools to help her butt out.
Source:
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/PARENT+TRAPS+Offer+stress+management+alternatives/7917361/story.html#ixzz2Lc37hLeA
A teenager's accelerating marijuana use has become an issue for a concerned parent
By Michele Kambolis, family therapist, February 4, 2013
I have a 17-year-old daughter who attends a university prep school and she’s feeling stressed out by applying to university, keeping her grades up and maintaining her current level of involvement in her competitive sport. I know she has experimented with marijuana (which is something that I would expect) but I’m concerned that she now “blazes” on a regular basis, occasionally even before school. I’m now becoming concerned that she may be damaging her health, not to mention the possibility of her being arrested and how that would impact her future as well. What should I do?
-- Anxious in Abbotsford
MICHELE KAMBOLIS SAYS
Pot, weed, B.C. bud — whatever teens are calling it, the effects are harmful and your concerns are justified.
In this case, your daughter looks to have acquired the habit as a means to contend with stress and anxiety.
Start by front-loading her with other ways to tackle her stress — a yoga class, relaxation exercises and CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) workbooks can go a long way to teaching coping skills to replace self medicating with pot.
Then, outline the effects. It’ll be of no surprise to her that her “blazing” will cause short-term difficulty in thinking and problem solving, impaired memory and learning, loss of coordination and distorted perception. The longer users toke up, the worse their memories and attention spans; it affects immune and respiratory systems and is associated with anxiety and/or panic attacks in 20-30 per cent of recreational users.
While the risk of becoming dependent on pot is relatively low compared to other drugs, withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, stomach pains and sleeping difficulty go hand in hand with kicking the habit. So, when and if your daughter decides to quit, watch for these symptoms and reassure her that they’ll go away in time. In the meantime, encourage and focus on long-term anxiety reduction tools to help her butt out.
Source:
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/PARENT+TRAPS+Offer+stress+management+alternatives/7917361/story.html#ixzz2Lc37hLeA
28.1.13
Well-said letters about harms of pot
Below are three letters printed in the opinion section of a newspaper:
Three votes against legal pot
Re: Follow In America’s Footsteps, Jan. 21.
The article fails to disclose the truth about the dangers of marijuana and the consequences of legalizing it. To merely “tax and regulate cannabis” does not stop the violence associated with the drug trade, but opens the door to even higher levels of crime and violence as it does not stop the profit motivation of drug traffickers.
In 2010, the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 51.8% of Americans used alcohol, 27.4% used tobacco and 8.9% used illicit drugs. The same high figures for alcohol and tobacco use will also apply to marijuana, if legalized.
There is a wide disparity between tax revenue received from alcohol and tobacco sales and the health costs caused by their use. It results in greater economic and social costs to society because of the increased health care and enforcement, as well as loss of productivity in the workplace. The article also overlooks the dark side of marijuana use. It is a mood-altering drug capable of producing dependency. Adverse effects have been documented in terms of memory, learning, behaviour and functioning.
C. Gwendolyn Landolt, national vice-president, REAL Women of Canada, Ottawa.
.......................................
Pursuing a “progressive drug policy” (i.e., legalizing marijuana) is all well and good, but there is a downside.
Last Sunday, I was out for my weekly hockey game when someone in the neighbourhood decided to light up. Those of us on the ball hockey court paid the price, as I was coughing and choking, and felt a bit headachy. And this is while pot is still technically illegal. What happens after legalization? I’m all for freedom, but other people’s freedom to smoke should, I think, stop at the tip of my nose. Secondhand tobacco smoke is bad enough, but pot smoke? Who will protect us from this?
Sheldon Goldfarb, Vancouver.
.....................................
Those who support the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana claim that the “war on drugs” has been an abject failure, but has it been? Are there more or less people smoking up today as a result of said war? We can’t know. The real question is: Will I be inhaling more or less second hand pot at the bus shelter after prohibition is lifted? The answer seems rather obvious. And after pot, then what? The one thing that is certain, in both politics and a society’s slide into moral decadence, is that one thing invariably leads to another.
Jeff Willerton, Airdrie, Alta.
Source:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/01/23/todays-letters-when-hunting-the-taliban-go-ugly-early/
Three votes against legal pot
Re: Follow In America’s Footsteps, Jan. 21.
The article fails to disclose the truth about the dangers of marijuana and the consequences of legalizing it. To merely “tax and regulate cannabis” does not stop the violence associated with the drug trade, but opens the door to even higher levels of crime and violence as it does not stop the profit motivation of drug traffickers.
In 2010, the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 51.8% of Americans used alcohol, 27.4% used tobacco and 8.9% used illicit drugs. The same high figures for alcohol and tobacco use will also apply to marijuana, if legalized.
There is a wide disparity between tax revenue received from alcohol and tobacco sales and the health costs caused by their use. It results in greater economic and social costs to society because of the increased health care and enforcement, as well as loss of productivity in the workplace. The article also overlooks the dark side of marijuana use. It is a mood-altering drug capable of producing dependency. Adverse effects have been documented in terms of memory, learning, behaviour and functioning.
C. Gwendolyn Landolt, national vice-president, REAL Women of Canada, Ottawa.
.......................................
Pursuing a “progressive drug policy” (i.e., legalizing marijuana) is all well and good, but there is a downside.
Last Sunday, I was out for my weekly hockey game when someone in the neighbourhood decided to light up. Those of us on the ball hockey court paid the price, as I was coughing and choking, and felt a bit headachy. And this is while pot is still technically illegal. What happens after legalization? I’m all for freedom, but other people’s freedom to smoke should, I think, stop at the tip of my nose. Secondhand tobacco smoke is bad enough, but pot smoke? Who will protect us from this?
Sheldon Goldfarb, Vancouver.
.....................................
Those who support the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana claim that the “war on drugs” has been an abject failure, but has it been? Are there more or less people smoking up today as a result of said war? We can’t know. The real question is: Will I be inhaling more or less second hand pot at the bus shelter after prohibition is lifted? The answer seems rather obvious. And after pot, then what? The one thing that is certain, in both politics and a society’s slide into moral decadence, is that one thing invariably leads to another.
Jeff Willerton, Airdrie, Alta.
Source:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/01/23/todays-letters-when-hunting-the-taliban-go-ugly-early/
26.1.13
Marijuana's effect on brain doubled
Marijuana's effect on brain doubled, study indicates Second type of cells affected, too, Ottawa researcher says
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Marijuana impairs the brain by acting on two types of brain cell at once, a new Ottawa study shows.
And the implication, the lead researcher says, is that there's another side to the brain that neuroscientists hadn't realized.
For the past century, the accepted theory was that marijuana acted on neurons to impair working memory. Working memory is the system of holding on to information so that the brain can think about it and make decisions without being distracted. For instance, it allows a person to drive a car, listen to the radio, think about what will happen at the end of the car ride and watch for pedestrians all at once.
Marijuana impairs working memory, an effect that can last for a day or more after heavy pot-smoking.....click "Read More" below....
By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen
Marijuana impairs the brain by acting on two types of brain cell at once, a new Ottawa study shows.
And the implication, the lead researcher says, is that there's another side to the brain that neuroscientists hadn't realized.
For the past century, the accepted theory was that marijuana acted on neurons to impair working memory. Working memory is the system of holding on to information so that the brain can think about it and make decisions without being distracted. For instance, it allows a person to drive a car, listen to the radio, think about what will happen at the end of the car ride and watch for pedestrians all at once.
Marijuana impairs working memory, an effect that can last for a day or more after heavy pot-smoking.....click "Read More" below....
24.1.13
Pot opponents regroup following Wash., Colo. votes
By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press, 01/09/2013
SEATTLE—Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser and an outspoken opponent of legalizing marijuana, watched with dismay last fall as voters in Washington and Colorado did just that.
But the next day he got a call from former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. The son of late Sen. Ted Kennedy was worried that the votes sent the wrong message about marijuana.
"The level of his concern impressed me," Sabet recalled. "He said, 'We have to do something that is not falling into this false dichotomy of prohibition versus legalization.'"
So began the regrouping of the anti-pot lobby, an effort which on Thursday launches a new organization, Project SAM, for "smart approaches to marijuana." Kennedy is the chairman, and other board members include Sabet and David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
"Our country is about to go down the wrong road, in the opposite direction of sound mental health policy," Kennedy said. "It's just shocking as a public health issue that we seem to be looking the other way as this legalization of marijuana becomes really glamorous." .....click "Read More" below...
SEATTLE—Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser and an outspoken opponent of legalizing marijuana, watched with dismay last fall as voters in Washington and Colorado did just that.
But the next day he got a call from former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. The son of late Sen. Ted Kennedy was worried that the votes sent the wrong message about marijuana.
"The level of his concern impressed me," Sabet recalled. "He said, 'We have to do something that is not falling into this false dichotomy of prohibition versus legalization.'"
So began the regrouping of the anti-pot lobby, an effort which on Thursday launches a new organization, Project SAM, for "smart approaches to marijuana." Kennedy is the chairman, and other board members include Sabet and David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
"Our country is about to go down the wrong road, in the opposite direction of sound mental health policy," Kennedy said. "It's just shocking as a public health issue that we seem to be looking the other way as this legalization of marijuana becomes really glamorous." .....click "Read More" below...
26.12.12
Teens brainwashed by pro-pot propaganda of "harmless pot"
Teens' views on dangers of pot fall to 20-year low
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press, 12/19/12
WASHINGTON -- Teenagers' perception of the dangers of marijuana has fallen to the lowest level in more than 20 years, a new study says, prompting federal researchers to warn that already high use of the drug could increase as more states move to legalize it.
The annual survey released Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health found that only 41.7 percent of eighth graders believe that occasional use of marijuana is harmful, while 66.9 percent regard it as dangerous when used regularly. Both rates are the lowest since 1991, when the government first began tracking this age group.
Teens' perception of marijuana risks diminished even more as they got older. About 20.6 percent of 12th graders said that occasional use of pot is harmful. Roughly 44.1 percent believed that its regular use was detrimental, the lowest rate since 1979.
The government-sponsored study said teens' dwindling concerns about the dangers of marijuana, despite the risks, "can signal future increases in use.".....click "Read More" below...
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press, 12/19/12
WASHINGTON -- Teenagers' perception of the dangers of marijuana has fallen to the lowest level in more than 20 years, a new study says, prompting federal researchers to warn that already high use of the drug could increase as more states move to legalize it.
The annual survey released Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health found that only 41.7 percent of eighth graders believe that occasional use of marijuana is harmful, while 66.9 percent regard it as dangerous when used regularly. Both rates are the lowest since 1991, when the government first began tracking this age group.
Teens' perception of marijuana risks diminished even more as they got older. About 20.6 percent of 12th graders said that occasional use of pot is harmful. Roughly 44.1 percent believed that its regular use was detrimental, the lowest rate since 1979.
The government-sponsored study said teens' dwindling concerns about the dangers of marijuana, despite the risks, "can signal future increases in use.".....click "Read More" below...
More and more deaths expected from drug-DUI
MADD Canada report calls for drug testing at roadside checks
Nearly 40 per cent of drivers between the ages of 15-24 report driving under the influence of cannabis, study finds
By Zoe McKnight, Vancouver Sun, December 25, 2012
Mothers Against Drunk Driving are calling on police officers to perform saliva tests at roadside checks, in an effort to combat driving under the influence of drugs as well as alcohol.
A recent report by two Western University law professors, prepared for MADD Canada, says drug-impaired driving is catching up to alcohol impairment, and may be even more common than drinking and driving among young people.
Since 2008, the Criminal Code has allowed for police officers to conduct a standardized field sobriety test (SFST) for physical impairment, but the report’s authors criticized the practice as being “cumbersome, expensive and readily susceptible to legal challenge ... It is therefore likely that drug-impaired driving is, and will continue to be, dramatically under-enforced in Canada.”
Erika Chamberlain and Robert Solomon argue in their paper Drug Impaired Driving in Canada: Review and Recommendations, released this fall, that enforcement would be more practical and effective if drivers were tested using saliva tests, administered like a breathalyzer, and recommends the creation of maximum limits for commonly used drugs in Canada.
According to the MADD report, young people are more likely to smoke up and drive than drink and drive.
Nearly 40 per cent of drivers between the ages of 15-24 report driving under the influence of cannabis, compared to 21 per cent of drivers the same age who report driving after drinking, as reported in the national Canadian Addiction Survey.
“It’s surprising that so many young people are driving after drug use,” Chamberlain said.
“This generation has been told about the dangers of drinking and driving for a long time, and that they understand,” she said, adding young people may not understand the risks associated with drug-impaired driving, and are also well aware that Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) programs of random roadside checks do not typically test for drug use.
Among all drivers, the percentage of drivers who reported driving after using drugs went up from 1.5 per cent in 2002 to 2.9 in 2006, and in B.C., 7.2 per cent of drivers during a 2010 roadside survey tested positive for drugs other than alcohol. In comparison one in 10 drivers tested positive for alcohol and 1.8 per cent had a blood-alcohol level above B.C.’s legal limit of .05 per cent.
Sgt. Randy Fincham of the Vancouver Police said this holiday season, officers have busted three alcohol-impaired drivers for every one driver under the influence of drugs. Officers rely on field sobriety tests and do have officers trained as Drug Recognition Experts.
“The consequences for being found operating a motor vehicle while being impaired by drugs is the same as it is for alcohol, including charges of refusal, impaired and the administration of roadside suspensions, as well as criminal and civil liability in the event that someone is hurt as a result of the impairment,” he said.
A breath test or drug evaluation using blood, urine or saliva takes place at the station.
In a news release from Western University, Chamberlain said a saliva test would likely be challenged under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In 2010, 915 people were charged with drug-impaired driving, just 1.4 per cent of the 65,183 charges laid for alcohol impairment.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/cx8znqc
Nearly 40 per cent of drivers between the ages of 15-24 report driving under the influence of cannabis, study finds
By Zoe McKnight, Vancouver Sun, December 25, 2012
Mothers Against Drunk Driving are calling on police officers to perform saliva tests at roadside checks, in an effort to combat driving under the influence of drugs as well as alcohol.
A recent report by two Western University law professors, prepared for MADD Canada, says drug-impaired driving is catching up to alcohol impairment, and may be even more common than drinking and driving among young people.
Since 2008, the Criminal Code has allowed for police officers to conduct a standardized field sobriety test (SFST) for physical impairment, but the report’s authors criticized the practice as being “cumbersome, expensive and readily susceptible to legal challenge ... It is therefore likely that drug-impaired driving is, and will continue to be, dramatically under-enforced in Canada.”
Erika Chamberlain and Robert Solomon argue in their paper Drug Impaired Driving in Canada: Review and Recommendations, released this fall, that enforcement would be more practical and effective if drivers were tested using saliva tests, administered like a breathalyzer, and recommends the creation of maximum limits for commonly used drugs in Canada.
According to the MADD report, young people are more likely to smoke up and drive than drink and drive.
Nearly 40 per cent of drivers between the ages of 15-24 report driving under the influence of cannabis, compared to 21 per cent of drivers the same age who report driving after drinking, as reported in the national Canadian Addiction Survey.
“It’s surprising that so many young people are driving after drug use,” Chamberlain said.
“This generation has been told about the dangers of drinking and driving for a long time, and that they understand,” she said, adding young people may not understand the risks associated with drug-impaired driving, and are also well aware that Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) programs of random roadside checks do not typically test for drug use.
Among all drivers, the percentage of drivers who reported driving after using drugs went up from 1.5 per cent in 2002 to 2.9 in 2006, and in B.C., 7.2 per cent of drivers during a 2010 roadside survey tested positive for drugs other than alcohol. In comparison one in 10 drivers tested positive for alcohol and 1.8 per cent had a blood-alcohol level above B.C.’s legal limit of .05 per cent.
Sgt. Randy Fincham of the Vancouver Police said this holiday season, officers have busted three alcohol-impaired drivers for every one driver under the influence of drugs. Officers rely on field sobriety tests and do have officers trained as Drug Recognition Experts.
“The consequences for being found operating a motor vehicle while being impaired by drugs is the same as it is for alcohol, including charges of refusal, impaired and the administration of roadside suspensions, as well as criminal and civil liability in the event that someone is hurt as a result of the impairment,” he said.
A breath test or drug evaluation using blood, urine or saliva takes place at the station.
In a news release from Western University, Chamberlain said a saliva test would likely be challenged under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In 2010, 915 people were charged with drug-impaired driving, just 1.4 per cent of the 65,183 charges laid for alcohol impairment.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/cx8znqc
11.12.12
University Of Colorado (at Boulder) Students Accused of Sickening Professor and Classmates with Pot Brownies
Reuters--By Keith Coffman,12/09/2012
BOULDER, Colo, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Two University of Colorado at Boulder students are accused of bringing marijuana-laced brownies to a college class, sickening their unsuspecting professor and five classmates, police said on Sunday.
Thomas Cunningham, 21, and Mary Essa, 19, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of second-degree assault, fraudulently inducing the consumption of a controlled substance and conspiracy charges, university police spokesman Ryan Huff said.
Huff said three of those who ate the brownies were hospitalized, suffering from the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active property in marijuana.....click "Read More" below ...
BOULDER, Colo, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Two University of Colorado at Boulder students are accused of bringing marijuana-laced brownies to a college class, sickening their unsuspecting professor and five classmates, police said on Sunday.
Thomas Cunningham, 21, and Mary Essa, 19, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of second-degree assault, fraudulently inducing the consumption of a controlled substance and conspiracy charges, university police spokesman Ryan Huff said.
Huff said three of those who ate the brownies were hospitalized, suffering from the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active property in marijuana.....click "Read More" below ...
26.11.12
Marijuana is harmless? Are we blinded by a smoke screen?
Marijuana is harmless? Are we blinded by a smoke screen?
ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN, The Globe and Mail, Nov. 22, 2012
We used to fear Mary Jane, then we laughed about her, and now many of us think she’s downright wholesome. Marijuana’s public image has undergone a stunning transformation since the scare-mongering of Reefer Madness and the dope comedies of Cheech and Chong, but many doctors believe that weed’s rehabilitation as a virtual wonder drug may be distracting us from its real health dangers.
It seems that plenty of people have bought the idea that marijuana is a harmless herb, or better. Stories proclaiming the benefits of “medical marijuana” – for ailments as varied as arthritis, MS, glaucoma and Alzheimer’s – abound in mainstream media like International Business Times, and at patient support sites such as Livestrong.org. Voters in Washington and Colorado recently approved measures to begin legalizing pot, and a reinvigorated movement in B.C. is pushing for similar changes. A poll in the summer showed that two-thirds of Canadians are okay with decriminalizing weed for personal use.
Pot supporters promote its supposed benefits at big trade shows like the Treating Yourself Expo, which celebrated its third annual edition in May in Toronto. Doctors aren’t nearly so well mobilized on the issue, but many say the health risks of smoking marijuana are more extensive and better understood than ever before...
ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN, The Globe and Mail, Nov. 22, 2012
We used to fear Mary Jane, then we laughed about her, and now many of us think she’s downright wholesome. Marijuana’s public image has undergone a stunning transformation since the scare-mongering of Reefer Madness and the dope comedies of Cheech and Chong, but many doctors believe that weed’s rehabilitation as a virtual wonder drug may be distracting us from its real health dangers.
It seems that plenty of people have bought the idea that marijuana is a harmless herb, or better. Stories proclaiming the benefits of “medical marijuana” – for ailments as varied as arthritis, MS, glaucoma and Alzheimer’s – abound in mainstream media like International Business Times, and at patient support sites such as Livestrong.org. Voters in Washington and Colorado recently approved measures to begin legalizing pot, and a reinvigorated movement in B.C. is pushing for similar changes. A poll in the summer showed that two-thirds of Canadians are okay with decriminalizing weed for personal use.
Pot supporters promote its supposed benefits at big trade shows like the Treating Yourself Expo, which celebrated its third annual edition in May in Toronto. Doctors aren’t nearly so well mobilized on the issue, but many say the health risks of smoking marijuana are more extensive and better understood than ever before...
Smoking 'rots' brain, says King's College study
Smoking 'rots' brain, says King's College study
BBC, 25 November, 2012
Smoking "rots" the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning, according to researchers at King's College London.
A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent.
Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body.
Their study was published in the journal Age and Ageing.
Researchers at King's were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain...
BBC, 25 November, 2012
Smoking "rots" the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning, according to researchers at King's College London.
A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent.
Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body.
Their study was published in the journal Age and Ageing.
Researchers at King's were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain...
Marijuana -- also harmful externally
House arrest for man who blew himself up in Edmonton-area house while making hashish
By Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun, November 19, 2012
An Ontario man who is lucky to be alive after blowing himself up while making hash at a rural home west of Edmonton was put under house arrest Monday.
Scott Koncir-Squires, 24, was given a two-year conditional sentence to be served in the community after pleading guilty in Court of Queen’s Bench to producing a controlled substance and arson causing damage to property.
Federal prosecutor Melina Rawluk told court Koncir-Squires “caused an explosion” while using butane to convert marijuana into hash at a rented home in Parkland County in January 2011.
Rawluk said police responded to the home and seized 500 grams of hash and 200 grams of marijuana.
Court heard the explosion lifted the roof off of the home and resulted in Koncir-Squires being in hospital in critical condition with burns to 70 percent of his body.....
By Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun, November 19, 2012
An Ontario man who is lucky to be alive after blowing himself up while making hash at a rural home west of Edmonton was put under house arrest Monday.
Scott Koncir-Squires, 24, was given a two-year conditional sentence to be served in the community after pleading guilty in Court of Queen’s Bench to producing a controlled substance and arson causing damage to property.
Federal prosecutor Melina Rawluk told court Koncir-Squires “caused an explosion” while using butane to convert marijuana into hash at a rented home in Parkland County in January 2011.
Rawluk said police responded to the home and seized 500 grams of hash and 200 grams of marijuana.
Court heard the explosion lifted the roof off of the home and resulted in Koncir-Squires being in hospital in critical condition with burns to 70 percent of his body.....
6.10.12
Enough of pro-pot's same old tired arguments
(Below was a letter appearing in a newspaper on Oct. 1, 2012)
Potent marijuana is a danger to society
Vancouver Sun, October 1, 2012
Re: Municipal leaders take pot decriminalization to a vote, Sept. 25
It's a naive argument to say marijuana legalization would cause the drug's dealers, and their associated crime, to largely disappear. Common sense will tell you that these "entrepreneurs" will instead merely begin pushing other more potent drugs to make themselves their desperate buck.
The Netherlands was largely free of international drug-trafficking criminals when it began innocently trying to decriminalize personal-use pot.
Now it is the illegal drug capitol of Europe, producing a frightening array of designer drugs that requires its own "war" fought by a specialized police force.
Amsterdam has recently banned foreign cannabis tour-ism. The Netherlands', or any other country's marijuana social experiment is nothing we need to duplicate.
Pot continues to evolve into anything but a soft drug with THC content rising above 25 per cent from the 1970s' two to four per cent. When does marijuana become a "hard" drug? Does anyone really believe "safe, recreational" marijuana has no THC upper limit?
And maybe it's a little-known fact that marijuana contains the same myriad poisonous chemicals that cigarettes have, except nicotine.
Every year we see new peer-reviewed studies highlighting marijuana's dangers. The list is long. Examples: Canada's Maerten study proves marijuana smoke is toxic to cells and DNA (compared to cigarette smoke). An Australian study shows marijuana may speed or even cause psychosis in some people. California has identified marijuana smoke as cancer-causing after reviewing 30 studies. Who would vote for legalization after seeing these? Who would vote for marijuana even if they believed the jury is still out on the question of public safety?
The alcohol-induced carnage on our streets is plenty enough. We do not need even more fuzzy-headed people motoring near our families. Maybe some-day marijuana inebriation will be as detectable by the police as is alcohol.
Think of the enormous effort it has taken to turn our society against smoking tobacco. Smoking used to be cool. Smoking is now banned at my daughter's high school, as it should be. Classrooms are awash in anti-smoking posters. Imagine the mixed-messages and challenges cannabis legalization would bring. Not to mention even more first-and second-hand smoke.
It was recently announced that a medical marijuana has been developed without the high. Miraculous healings to follow.
Marijuana intoxication remains serious stuff. I say we at least wait and see how all the scientific and social revelations play out before we decide to open Pandora's stash bag.
Rob Brandreth-Gibbs, North Vancouver
http://www.vancouversun.com/Potent+marijuana+danger+society/7323838/story.html#ixzz28Z2zDU7p
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Here is another letter from Rob Brandreth-Gibbs published on
Oct. 10, 2012 in the Vancouver Sun): ....click "Read More" below to continue....
Potent marijuana is a danger to society
Vancouver Sun, October 1, 2012
Re: Municipal leaders take pot decriminalization to a vote, Sept. 25
It's a naive argument to say marijuana legalization would cause the drug's dealers, and their associated crime, to largely disappear. Common sense will tell you that these "entrepreneurs" will instead merely begin pushing other more potent drugs to make themselves their desperate buck.
The Netherlands was largely free of international drug-trafficking criminals when it began innocently trying to decriminalize personal-use pot.
Now it is the illegal drug capitol of Europe, producing a frightening array of designer drugs that requires its own "war" fought by a specialized police force.
Amsterdam has recently banned foreign cannabis tour-ism. The Netherlands', or any other country's marijuana social experiment is nothing we need to duplicate.
Pot continues to evolve into anything but a soft drug with THC content rising above 25 per cent from the 1970s' two to four per cent. When does marijuana become a "hard" drug? Does anyone really believe "safe, recreational" marijuana has no THC upper limit?
And maybe it's a little-known fact that marijuana contains the same myriad poisonous chemicals that cigarettes have, except nicotine.
Every year we see new peer-reviewed studies highlighting marijuana's dangers. The list is long. Examples: Canada's Maerten study proves marijuana smoke is toxic to cells and DNA (compared to cigarette smoke). An Australian study shows marijuana may speed or even cause psychosis in some people. California has identified marijuana smoke as cancer-causing after reviewing 30 studies. Who would vote for legalization after seeing these? Who would vote for marijuana even if they believed the jury is still out on the question of public safety?
The alcohol-induced carnage on our streets is plenty enough. We do not need even more fuzzy-headed people motoring near our families. Maybe some-day marijuana inebriation will be as detectable by the police as is alcohol.
Think of the enormous effort it has taken to turn our society against smoking tobacco. Smoking used to be cool. Smoking is now banned at my daughter's high school, as it should be. Classrooms are awash in anti-smoking posters. Imagine the mixed-messages and challenges cannabis legalization would bring. Not to mention even more first-and second-hand smoke.
It was recently announced that a medical marijuana has been developed without the high. Miraculous healings to follow.
Marijuana intoxication remains serious stuff. I say we at least wait and see how all the scientific and social revelations play out before we decide to open Pandora's stash bag.
Rob Brandreth-Gibbs, North Vancouver
http://www.vancouversun.com/Potent+marijuana+danger+society/7323838/story.html#ixzz28Z2zDU7p
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Here is another letter from Rob Brandreth-Gibbs published on
Oct. 10, 2012 in the Vancouver Sun): ....click "Read More" below to continue....
28.9.12
Tenants have had it with smokes from cigarettes and marijuana
Smoking banned in 42-storey Vancouver condo tower
Dozens of strata members at Vancouver’s tallest all-residential tower hooted and hollered after a motion passed Tuesday outlawing smoking in any of the building’s 237 units.
Roughly 70 strata members of the 42-storey Melville building in the city’s tony Coal Harbour neighbourhood voted to fine residents caught smoking, while about nine opposed the bylaw.
“When it passed the room came alive,” said Dwight Wamboldt, a 65-year-old who has lived in the building with his wife, Tanya, since its construction in 2007. “We’ve been fighting this for years and finally last night we got it passed with a majority three-quarters vote.
“This kind of thing throughout the city is just long overdue, in particular when it affects other people’s health.”
The Wamboldts said they had registered dozens of complaints to building management over the years due to the intrusive cigarette and marijuana smoke that filters into their unit...
Offenders face penalty, after first offence, of up to $200 for smoking in any of the building’s 237 units
By Mike Hager, Vancouver Sun, September 27, 2012Dozens of strata members at Vancouver’s tallest all-residential tower hooted and hollered after a motion passed Tuesday outlawing smoking in any of the building’s 237 units.
Roughly 70 strata members of the 42-storey Melville building in the city’s tony Coal Harbour neighbourhood voted to fine residents caught smoking, while about nine opposed the bylaw.
“When it passed the room came alive,” said Dwight Wamboldt, a 65-year-old who has lived in the building with his wife, Tanya, since its construction in 2007. “We’ve been fighting this for years and finally last night we got it passed with a majority three-quarters vote.
“This kind of thing throughout the city is just long overdue, in particular when it affects other people’s health.”
The Wamboldts said they had registered dozens of complaints to building management over the years due to the intrusive cigarette and marijuana smoke that filters into their unit...
16.9.12
Pot smoking tied to testicular cancer
By Frederik Joelving, Reuters, Sep. 10, 2012
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A small government-backed study strengthens the link between recreational marijuana use and testicular cancer in young men, U.S. researchers said Monday.
They found people who said they had used the drug were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with the disease as were never-users. The link appeared to be specific to a type of tumor known as nonseminoma.
"This is the third study consistently demonstrating a greater than doubling of risk of this particularly undesirable subtype of testicular cancer among young men with marijuana use," said Victoria Cortessis of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who led the work.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A small government-backed study strengthens the link between recreational marijuana use and testicular cancer in young men, U.S. researchers said Monday.
They found people who said they had used the drug were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with the disease as were never-users. The link appeared to be specific to a type of tumor known as nonseminoma.
"This is the third study consistently demonstrating a greater than doubling of risk of this particularly undesirable subtype of testicular cancer among young men with marijuana use," said Victoria Cortessis of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who led the work.
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