Canada

Globe and Mail, 26 Sep 2016 - Worried about their teenage daughter's drug use and signs of depression, a Vancouver area couple began to secretly monitor her life on social media. What they found propelled them into a desperate quest to find medical treatment: Their daughter, unwilling to talk with them, was openly discussing suicide, self-harm and an escalating dependence on hard drugs with her friends. "I'm alive because I'm too scared to kill myself," she text messaged one day. Other texts revealed that she was stealing to pay back debts to dealers and her casual embrace of dangerous party drugs. She wrote that on one day, she did a "ton of e [ecstasy] and the next a bit of mdma." The drugs may have numbed her depression in the short term, but only made things worse. "Why is it so impossible to be happy?" she posted to her network of peers.

Kingston Whig-Standard, 24 Sep 2016 - Kingston woman whose daughter was stuck by needle at city park wants it to be a lesson for all A Kingston business owner, blogger and mother is warning parents to talk to their children about discarded needles after her daughter stuck herself with one earlier this month.

Globe and Mail, 24 Sep 2016 - If you click on Vancouver Coastal Health's running tally of food-establishment closings, you'll find that three Vancouver restaurants have been closed so far this month. One for a day, one for three days, and one, which was closed on Sept. 19, is still listed as "pending." The restaurants were cited for such things as inadequate dishwashing, unsanitary conditions and pest infestation. The names and addresses of the restaurants are there as well, should you want to avoid them.

Globe and Mail, 24 Sep 2016 - Health Canada has confirmed it reviewed lab reports warning that dangerous chemicals not approved for any human use were found in cannabis sold at dispensaries in Vancouver, but took no action. Health Minster Jane Philpott issued a statement late Friday acknowledging that her staff had discussed the lab results with Tilray, a licensed producer of medical marijuana based in Nanaimo, B.C., that sent the warning to Health Canada. Dr. Philpott's statement comes a day after the Health Minister was unclear about whether she had seen the lab results, telling The Globe and Mail, "I'm not sure what document you are referring to."

Mission City Record, 23 Sep 2016 - Zoning change proposed to ban new tattoo, tobacco and cheque cashing business from opening Following an announcement two weeks ago that the District of Mission will be spending $3.5 million to enhance the downtown area, Mayor Randy Hawes has now asked for zoning changes that will forbid several types of businesses from being allowed to set up shop in the area.

Langley Times, 23 Sep 2016 - Unlimited distribution, but no pick-up As part of its harm reduction strategy, Fraser Health offers an unlimited supply of needles to intravenous drug users. But the local health authority does not recover those needles once they've been used - - a fact which has become more evident in Langley parks, streets, at the doorways of businesses and on trails and even school grounds throughout the Township and City.

Globe and Mail, 23 Sep 2016 - A Vancouver city councillor says federal Health Minister Jane Philpott's office took no action - and did not warn the city - after receiving lab results showing there were dangerous toxins in marijuana sold at some dispensaries in the city. Kerry Jang, a point person on marijuana issues on Vancouver city council, said the actions of the minister were "irresponsible," and indicate the public was potentially put at risk.

The Daily Courier, 23 Sep 2016 - 27 deaths to date during 2016 far exceed those in all of last year Illicit drug overdoses killed more people in the first eight months of 2016 in Kelowna than in all of last year, according to a new government report.

Sudbury Star, 23 Sep 2016 - A bright yellow bin, about the size of a mailbox but taller, is now positioned on the edge of the Junction Creek trail near Hnatyshyn Park. The sunny hue, however, belies the gravity of its contents and the issue it's mean to address.

Globe and Mail, 23 Sep 2016 - As Vancouver moves to open two new supervised injection sites amid an unprecedented level of overdose deaths, B.C.'s top health officials are once again calling for the repeal of legislation they say imposes unnecessary barriers to the lifesaving harm-reduction measure. Vancouver Coastal Health this week announced the locations for two of five proposed injection sites, both to be located in the city's Downtown Eastside. Speaking with media about the sites and the troubling surge of fatal overdoses in British Columbia, the province's top health officials once again spoke of the Respect for Communities Act, which requires prospective operators to satisfy more than two dozen time-consuming and costly requirements to get the exemption from federal drug laws needed to operate.

Metro, 23 Sep 2016 - Health officials hope to help Downtown Eastside Even with Insite, demand for new supervised injection sites remains highest in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Vancouver Coastal Health says. The health authority announced this week it is preparing applications for two new supervised injection sites in that community in response to the British Columbia's epidemic of overdose deaths.

Focus, 22 Sep 2016 - BC growers worry they will be cut out of the equation as governments move towards legalization. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to legalize marijuana could cripple an underground economy in British Columbia that experts at Simon Fraser University's Sauder School of Business estimate is worth $2 to $5 billion dollars a year.

Cambridge Times, 22 Sep 2016 - Re: Letter to the Editor titled "Illegal drug use simply isn't safe, stop it" published on Sept. 13. The letter-writer suggested abstinence, adding, "The logic here, to me, is so simple." Alas, drug policy is not simple. We as a society can make drug use more or less harmful to consumers and non-consumers alike.

The Record, 22 Sep 2016 - I believe that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to decriminalize and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana is correct and should be applied to other drugs as well - like cocaine, for example. I feel this way not because I am in favour of drug use, but because an iron-fisted "war on drugs" attempt to eradicate drug use doesn't work and is counterproductive. Greater problems are caused by making drugs illegal than by the effects of the drugs themselves.

Globe and Mail, 21 Sep 2016 - Health Minister Jane Philpott's office was warned nearly a year ago that dangerous contaminants had been found in retail marijuana sold by unregulated storefront dispensaries, but the federal government appears to have done nothing to act on the concerns. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through the Access to Information Act show test results from a Health Canada-accredited lab were sent to the government last fall, and to Dr. Philpott's office a few months later, revealed cannabis from several Vancouver dispensaries contained pesticides and fungicides "not approved for any human use."

Hamilton Spectator, 21 Sep 2016 - Drug problem 'already in everybody's backyard,' physician says Advocates of safe injection sites for intravenous drug users in Hamilton believe they face an uphill battle in gaining public acceptance for the idea. But they feel the effort is worth it. "I don't expect it will be easy. I've already had one particular communication that was rather disturbing. I'm sure it won't be the only one," said Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr, whose ward would likely end up with a site if the city allows them.

Northumberland Today, 21 Sep 2016 - A new coordinator has been hired to help develop a regional drug strategy, says the area medical officer of health (MOH). Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, the MOH of the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, provided some information about the strategy to the health unit board during its most recent meeting in Port Hope.

The Peterborough Examiner, 21 Sep 2016 - The windows at Cannabis Culture on George St. N. were found sprayed with graffiti Tuesday morning, but supporters cleaned it up as a courtesy to the pot shop owner. Cannabis Culture has been closed since a police raid last Thursday.

The Expositor, 21 Sep 2016 - I believe that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to decriminalize and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana is correct and should be applied as well to other drugs, such as cocaine. I feel this way not because I am in favour of drug use (I wouldn't dream of using these substances myself ) but because an iron-fisted "war" to eradicate drug use doesn't work and is counterproductive. Greater problems are caused by making drugs illegal than by the drugs themselves.

Penticton Herald, 21 Sep 2016 - Dear Editor: The Royal Bank of Canada has stated its policy on industries or businesses which deal with products involving marijuana. The bank has stated that it will not loan money to any company or business which deals with marijuana. The rationale the bank gives for this policy is that is too much of a financial risk for the bank to undertake. This comes on the eve of marijuana becoming legalized in Canada and flies in the face of all the evidence which states that marijuana is a very useful medication for thousands of Canadians.