Canada

Globe and Mail, 15 Jun 2013 - Twenty-eight people face a combined 300 charges after police conducted a year-long investigation into drugs and violence Two of the young men who appear in a photograph with Mayor Rob Ford have been named by police as members of a violent Etobicoke gang and face an array of criminal charges, according to court documents released on Friday.

Winnipeg Free Press, 15 Jun 2013 - The news that Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Jonathan Hefney is facing charges for marijuana possession back in South Carolina is controversial -- in part because of the veteran defender's status and personal baggage -- but not exactly earth-shattering, given the relationship between the CFL and pot. In a league where no team plays on natural grass, marijuana has been a headline-generating issue for more than four decades in Canada. The CFL has long been a haven for NFL players -- most recently Ricky Williams in Toronto and Onterrio Smith in Winnipeg -- who have repeatedly failed drug tests in the U.S., where marijuana is considered a banned substance. (The CFL tests for performance-enhancing drugs, but not recreational drugs, including marijuana.)

The Sault Star, 15 Jun 2013 - I'm not as high as Ontario realtors are on a move to create a registry of homes that have been used as grow-ops. The Ontario Real Estate Association has thrown its support behind Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod's second attempt to push a private member's bill through Queen's Park that attempts to protect unsuspecting buyers.

The Calgary Sun, 15 Jun 2013 - The Calgary senior busted for keeping a marijuana grow operation in her basement must forfeit her home, a judge ruled Friday. Justice Carolyn Phillips dismissed claims by Heng Kiet Kouch, 66, that the 128-plant operation for which she was handed a conditional sentence, belonged to former tenants. The senior's home was raided July 14, 2010.

Standard Freeholder, 14 Jun 2013 - This is in response to the new rules as presented by Health Canada, which is "getting out of the pot business." The way the rules now stand, someone who is disabled due to a disease, ailment or injury can obtain medicinal marijuana through a friend that is willing to grow it for them. The only cost is the cost of seeds, the change on the person's hydro bills and, of course, the taxman.

The Record, 14 Jun 2013 - Local police constable pleads guilty to charges related to smoking marijuana with other officers at parties KITCHENER - A Waterloo Regional Police officer will likely face demotion or dismissal for numerous incidents of smoking pot with other officers and civilians at parties and buying marijuana from a drug supplier.

The Western Star, 14 Jun 2013 - CORNER BROOK - Drug addiction is not just a problem for the person who is hooked. The entire community has a responsibility to take action to deal with the widespread impacts such a negative lifestyle can have. That's the impetus behind a community alliance based in St. John's that is trying to not just talk about the issue, but take concrete steps towards helping people at risk of drug addiction.

Vancouver Courier, 14 Jun 2013 - Feds Set Out Long List of Criteria for Prospective Supervised Injection Sites The operator and funder of the city's supervised injection site is worried about the detrimental health effects new federal legislation could have on the future of injection sites in Vancouver and the rest of the country.

The Province, 13 Jun 2013 - Re: Your editorial. It is clear that the war on drugs is a complete failure. The prohibition of marijuana only serves to waste police resources and enrich the coffers of criminal organizations.

Winnipeg Free Press, 13 Jun 2013 - Your June 10 story "Arrested for legal pot, man claims" is really just the tip of the iceberg. As a medical marijuana licensee myself and a retired Winnipeg Police staff sergeant, I know that such actions by the police, where citizens produce evidence of lawful possession, then are handcuffed, detained and their product seized, is tantamount to unlawful arrest and seizure. The smell of marijuana coming from a car is not sufficient grounds to arrest and search, whether the subject is licensed or not. But the oppressive and apparently violent arrest of a licensed medical-marijuana user because the officers are not familiar with medical-marijuana laws is outright nonsense. Ignorance of any law is no excuse from a citizen. Why should we let police officers get away with this kind of attack?

Victoria Times-Colonist, 13 Jun 2013 - Re: "New rules leave medical-pot users fuming," June 11. Jack Knox's column informs us that by next March, Ottawa will allow only a few growers to produce medical marijuana. The word on the street is that the marijuana currently produced by our one sanctioned grower in Manitoba is poor when compared to the local medicine. What would motivate a small monopoly to produce a fine product? Probably nothing. Would local patients accept a poor product? Probably not. They are ill, and they know better.

The Outlook, 13 Jun 2013 - The Sensible BC campaign for marijuana reform launched an ad campaign in West Vancouver for a province-wide cannabis referendum A quarter-million commuters crossing the North Shore this week will have likely noticed the new greenery along Marine Drive near the Lions Gate Bridge.

Monday Magazine, 13 Jun 2013 - Ayahuasca Research Shows Unparalleled Addictions Support Ayahuasca might just sound like an exotic plant with a tricky name, but one group of researchers and one performer is discovering that the South American substance could have more miraculous properties than science may have realized - namely, as a medicine that can actually coax people out of their addictions.

FFWD, 13 Jun 2013 - Look out, there could be a drug injection site in your backyard! The Conservative Party of Canada is making an emotional appeal to the public to sign a "Keep heroin out of our backyards" petition supporting the party's proposed legislation tightening regulations around supervised drug injection sites.

Abbotsford Times, 13 Jun 2013 - Abbotsford lawyer John Conroy is undertaking a legal battle against new changes to the federal government's medical marijuana program. On Monday, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced some of the anticipated changes to the program, which includes banning individual home-based medicinal grow-ops in favour of larger government licenced producers.

Prince George Citizen, 13 Jun 2013 - A Prince George man is threatening to take the law into his own hands after the federal government announced new regulations this week that will change the way Canadians access marijuana for medical purposes. Under the new rules, people will no longer be able to grow marijuana in their homes for their own medical use and the government will no longer produce or distribute medical pot.

Monday Magazine, 13 Jun 2013 - Victoria Police Harass Service Providers. To read the press releases, policy reports and five-year plans that swirl around The Capital, you'd think that everyone around here is in favour of harm reduction. The Vancouver Island Health Authority, the Provincial government, even the City of Victoria have all signed off on countless reports extolling the benefits of needle exchanges, safe injection sites, and other essential health services.

Prince George Citizen, 13 Jun 2013 - The Conservative government needs to let go of its opposition to assisted suicide and medicinal marijuana. Tom (not his real name) is a local senior furious with the federal government for announcing that it is getting out of the business of producing and distributing medicinal marijuana and it won't allow sick people to grow their own marijuana in the privacy of their homes.

North Shore News, 12 Jun 2013 - Sign Launches Campaign to Sign Up Voters ON the same day the federal government announced it will bring in greater restrictions for medicinal marijuana users, advocates of less-restrictive pot laws also wrote their own message large, with a billboard in West Vancouver.

Parry Sound North Star, 12 Jun 2013 - Township officiall nixes marijuana plant proposal, residents vow to increase building's use GEORGIAN BAY TWP. - It was unanimous: there will be no medical marijuana grow-up at the MacTier Arena. On April 26, Georgian Bay Township council signed a letter of intent to allow Mettrum to explore the feasibility of converting the arena into a marijuana production facility and to undertake research and development as dictated by Health Canada.