Toke of the Town

Browsing: Global

Canada: Charges Dropped Against Pot Club Volunteers

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By on Dispensaries, Global

Photo: Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star
Neev Tapiero, owner of the CALM compassion club in Toronto, still faces trafficking charges

​Marijuana trafficking charges against eight volunteer staff members of a Toronto compassion club were stayed Monday morning.

Cannabis As Living Medicine (CALM), which was raided on March 31, sells medical marijuana to patients suffering from chronic diseases. Club owner Neev Tapiero still faces trafficking charges, reports Katie Daubs at the Toronto Star.
“This is a big win for the cause,” said lawyer Ron Marzel. “It’s also the right thing to do. If the government takes issue with a compassion club they should have that fight with Neev.”
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Canada: Tories Want Mandatory Minimums For 5 Pot Plants

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By on Global, Growing, Legislation

Photo: Chris Wattie/Reuters
Canada’s Justice Minister Rob Nicholson: “It does cost money to incarcerate people and I believe that Canadians have been willing to pay those costs up to this point and they’ll continue to do so”

​Canada’s Tories are trying to revive a bill that would impose mandatory minimum sentences on people convicted of growing small numbers of marijuana plants.

The Conservative government will re-introduce its drug bill this week in the Senate, as part of its continued attempt to revive “tough-on-crime” legislation that died when the last Parliament was prorogued, reports Mike Blanchfield of The Canadian Press.
The new legislation will revive a controversial provision — a mandatory six-month sentence for people convicted of growing as few as five cannabis plants, hinted Justice Minister Rob Nicholson on Sunday.
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UK: Liberal Democrats Plan To Legalize Cannabis

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By on Global, Legislation

Photo: CanIdoit.org
Don’t ask me why they do it, but Brits traditionally mix their cannabis with tobacco. Hey: If they legalize before the U.S., maybe we could learn from them.

​Dutch-style cannabis cafes would be permitted in the United Kingdom under “secret” Liberal Democrat plans, reports James Slack at the Daily Mail.

A “leaked policy document” reportedly calls for the decriminalization of marijuana. The paper also suggests allowing possession of cannabis, “social supply” to adults and cultivation of the plants for personal use.
The document follows an internal party vote that commits the Liberal Democrats to making it “no longer a crime for the occupier or manager of premises to permit someone to use cannabis on those premises.”
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New Study: Urine Testing For Marijuana Doesn’t Work

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By on Global, News

Graphic: OC Weekly

​Workplace urinalysis programs don’t work for identifying employees who are under the influence of drugs, and do not significantly reduce job accident rates, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Addiction.

Scientists at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada reviewed 20 years of literature relating to the effectiveness of workplace drug testing, with a special emphasis on marijuana, which is the most commonly detected drug.
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New Zealand Sweep Targets Cannabis Cultivation Industry

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By on Global, Growing

Photo: Stuff.co.nz
Dumb cop smirks with High Times, part 1,536: Constable Anna Plowman shows off copies of that “dangerous” magazine seized at a New Zealand shop that was the subject of a search warrant Tuesday.

​A nationwide “drug bust” went down in New Zealand Tuesday, as police shut down all 16 branches and the distribution center of hydroponic cultivation chain Switched On Gardener.

Hundreds of people ranging in age from 20 to 60, including customers of the stores, were arrested, with many facing charges for selling equipment for growing marijuana, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Police raided 35 businesses and homes throughout the country as part of a two-year undercover police investigation code-named Operation Lime. The bust targeted businesses and individuals selling equipment which the officers claim is used for growing cannabis.
Police seized records showing who was buying the growing equipment, then launched more stings to catch suspects in the act of growing and selling cannabis.
Police Minister Judith Collins congratulated officers on shutting down what they claim is a major source of equipment for commercial marijuana growers. Collins claimed Tuesday’s arrests would send a strong message to those who “tried to produce drugs in New Zealand” that they would be caught.
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John Lennon Fans Discover Singer’s Hidden LSD Stash

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By on Culture, Global

Graphic: Dedroidify
John Lennon, 1940-1980, was a genius songwriter and an LSD enthusiast.

​Fans of Beatles legend John Lennon have uncovered where he hid his LSD stash on the grounds of his southern England home more than 40 years ago.

Several large broken glass bottles in a leather holdall were discovered by builders digging up the lawn of his old home, Kenwood, in Surrey, reports The Sun.
According to legend, Lennon buried a large quantity of acid in his garden in 1967 when The Beatles proclaimed they’d given up drugs in favor of transcendental meditation.
When the Fab Four returned from the spiritual odyssey on which hoped to learn great truths from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India, John had second thoughts about wasting all that LSD, and tried to dig it up. The musician never found his acid stash again.
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Canadians Support Legalizing Pot; B.C. Leads The Way

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By on Global, Legislation

Photo: AdamCorley.com
Jodie Emery exposes the truth in public places.

​A new poll shows the majority of Canadians support legalizing marijuana, but not other drugs. As was the case two years ago, a majority of Canadians (53 percent) support the legalization of cannabis.

Support for legalization is highest in British Columbia, where more than six in 10 people say it’s time to stop jailing people for cannabis. Support is nearly as high in Alberta (59 percent) and Ontario (57 percent).

The Angus Reid poll, released Thursday, also shows many Canadians believe the country has a serious nationwide drug abuse problem, and 70 percent want mandatory minimum prison sentences and fines for drug dealers and, in a curious twist, marijuana grow operators, reports Jeff Lee of The Vancouver Sun.
The poll supports other Reid polls in the past that show most Canadians believe decriminalization of marijuana possession is a good idea, but that other illegal drugs should continue to be prohibited.
The online survey of 1,110 Canadians, conducted April 8-9, showed negligible support for legalizing hard drugs. The figure supporting hard drug legalization has actually dropped since the Reid survey in 2008. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
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New Czech Drug Law Fuels Cannabis Confusion

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By on Global, Legislation

Photo: Legalizace.cz
The Czech Republic no longer punishes the growing of five or fewer cannabis plants

​Surrounded by confusion regarding exactly what was taking place, the Czech Republic changed its laws on the possession and growing of drugs at the start of this year. The change was more of a far-reaching clarification than a fundamental overhaul, reports Chris Johnstone at Radio Praha.

The new law that came into effect January 1 was an attempt to clear up what had been a hazy legal situation. Under the old law, all types of drug possession and use were criminal offenses. The new law makes possession or cultivation of cannabis (and certain other drug plants) an “administrative offense,” subject to only a fine if small amounts are involved.
The “small amount” was also defined for the first time. For example, growing up to five cannabis plants still counts as a small amount, but more than five is over the limit and considered a criminal offense.
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Bermuda: Calls Grow For Debate On Cannabis Decriminalization

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By on Global, Legislation

Photo: Cruise Law News
Bermuda is discussing loosening its marijuana laws.

​Politicians in Bermuda are calling for a major debate on decriminalizing cannabis, with support said to be strong in some corners of the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), reports Tim Smith at The Royal Gazette.

Government Senator Walker Brown on Wednesday backed a debate on Bermuda’s marijuana laws, saying people in possession of small amounts of pot should no longer be prosecuted.
Party members David Burt and Makai Dickerson also spoke up for decrim, adding that the entire community should have a say on the issue.
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Nova Scotia To Fund Marijuana For Welfare Clients

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By on Global, Medical

Photo: CHRONIC nº 3

​​Medical marijuana advocates are praising a landmark Nova Scotia court ruling, hoping it will lead to taxpayer-funded cannabis for low-income patients across Canada.

Last week the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered the provincial government to pay for the medical marijuana used by Sally Campbell, a chronically ill woman on welfare, reports Richard Foot of The Montreal Gazette.
Some provinces already pay for the marijuana prescribed to patients under workers’ compensation claims. Since 2008, Canada’s federal government has also paid for the marijuana used by a few military veterans receiving disability benefits.
This, however, is the first time a province has covered the cost of doctor-prescribed marijuana for people on governmental assistance, according to a Canada-wide survey by Nova Scotia government officials.
“This is a new and developing area of law,” said Kirk Tousaw, a Vancouver Island lawyer representing people seeking federal medical marijuana licenses. “I’m not aware of any precedent in this area.”
According to Tousaw, the Nova Scotia ruling may not immediately affect the law in other provinces. But “it does represent a court saying that this particular drug deserves to be financially covered in certain circumstances,” Tousaw said. “I think it’s a very positive development.”
“It would be fantastic if this case opened the door in other provinces, if it helped needy patients get affordable access to marijuana,” said Chad Clelland, director of community relations for medicalmarijuana.ca, a national coalition of doctors, patients, and growers that has spent years finding affordable pot for low-income Canadians.
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