Lawsuits
Research and Media articles
- First FDA-approved cannabis-based drug now available in the US
- Marijuana in babies? Colo. researchers find new evidence
- One Month of Cannabis Abstinence in Adolescents and Young Adults Is Associated With Improved Memory
- Medical cannabis will fuel addiction crisis, say doctors
Outside the US
- Thailand Mulls Becoming the First Country in Asia to Legalize Medical Marijuana
- Mexico Supreme Court says ban on recreational marijuana unconstitutional
- Vancouver, Canada’s Marijuana Capital, Struggles to Tame the Black Market
Licensed cannabis growers have ties to organized crime, Enquête investigation finds
Despite security checks by Health Canada, investors with Mafia connections involved in legal production
Marie-Maude Denis · CBC News · Posted: Nov 01, 2018
An investigation by Radio-Canada\’s Enquête shows Health Canada has granted production licences to companies with individuals with links to the criminal underworld. (Tijana Martin/Canadian Press)
An investor in a major Canadian cannabis company has had longstanding ties, including business dealings, with influential Mafia members and drug traffickers, Radio-Canada has learned.
Another investor in the same company has links with a prominent member of the Rizzutos, the powerful Montreal crime family.
In still another case, an individual managed to sell his cannabis business to one of the big players in the industry, despite his connections to drug traffickers. In return, he received shares in the company and rented out space for a cannabis grow-op.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau\’s legalization plan was supposed to cut out organized crime, but an investigation by Radio-Canada\’s Enquête shows Health Canada has granted production licences to companies with individuals with links to the criminal underworld.
Enquête examined hundreds of documents as part of its investigation, including reviews conducted by Canadian securities oversight bodies. Enquête is not naming the companies or individuals involved.
For its part, Health Canada says it has not seen any cases of organized crime infiltration of more than 130 licensed cannabis producers since 2013.
To produce cannabis, those who hold certain positions in companies must first obtain a permit from Health Canada by taking a security screening.
Any past connections with individuals related to organized crime are part of the analyzed information.
Red flags raised
To secure a licence, Health Canada first checks if the individual has a criminal record.
Second, the RCMP consults police databases to review information that may indicate an applicant\’s links to criminals.
Health Canada makes its final decision with the information provided by the RCMP.
The RCMP says it raised red flags on about 10 per cent of the applicants it was asked to check out in 2016 and 2017.
\”It\’s really criminal associations,\” says Supt. Yves Goupil, who gives the example of a person \”associated with individuals who have criminal records.\”
In a statement, Health Canada said it can \”categorically confirm\” that it didn\’t issue \”security clearance to an individual when the RCMP provided evidence to the department that it was associated with organized crime.\”
\”Health Canada has found no evidence that organized crime has infiltrated one of more than 130 federally registered producers,\” spokesperson Eric Morrissette said in an email.
Security checks only scratch the surface
Throughout the period in which Canada\’s cannabis industry was developing, primarily for medical purposes, only individuals who directly ran the companies were required to obtain a security clearance.
This approach, says Conservative Senator Claude Carignan, demonstrates a naiveté about the workings of high-level organized crime.
\”If there is someone who has a criminal record, it is not that person they will put to apply for the licence,\” Carignan said. \”It would be completely naive to think that.\”
Last spring, Carignan and his Senate colleagues tried, unsuccessfully, to amend Bill C-45 on the legalization of cannabis in order to demand more transparency from companies entering the industry.
Several companies have opaque and complex structures.
\”You never see who the real licence holders are,\” said lawyer and tax expert Marwah Rizqy, who raised the issue before a Senate committee last spring and has since been elected Liberal MNA for the Quebec riding of Saint-Laurent.
The black hole of trusts
It\’s not uncommon for cannabis companies to be funded through family trusts.
Originally designed for estate and tax planning, trusts are an ideal way to hide individuals with interests in a business, said Marie-Pierre Allard, who studies tax policy at the Université de Sherbrooke.
\”The beneficiaries of the trust are not disclosed publicly. It\’s anonymous,\” she said, adding that it is \”one of the great vulnerabilities of the Canadian legal system.\”
\”If we want to eliminate the Mafia cannabis market, we cannot allow them to use tax havens or trusts to enter indirectly through the back door,\” Carignan said.
A report by the federal Department of Finance and several international organizations identifies trusts as one of the vehicles most at risk for money-laundering in Canada.
In a Senate appearance last April, Rizqy suggested refusing to grant production licences to companies financed through trusts.
\”Maybe it would be wise to deny the licence outright because you are not able to unequivocally establish that the security clearance is really valid,\” said Rizqy.
The recommendation was not accepted. The federal cannabis legislation adopted this summer, however, did include more extensive background checks into individuals who back cannabis companies.
For complete article https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/cannabis-health-canada-enquete-investigation-1.4887997
Medical cannabis products \’will drive patients to addiction and crime\’ and turn doctors into drug dealers, warn experts in scathing letter
- Cannabis oil will become available on the NHS next Thursday, November 1
- A group of 166 pain consultants has written a letter slating the plans
- They say it is being done for political reasons, not based on medical advice
- And patients are already demanding cannabis, losing interest in other treatment
By SAM BLANCHARD HEALTH REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE 27 October 2018
The legalisation of medical cannabis next month will lead to a crisis of addiction and crime, leading experts have warned.
Doctors will be able to dish out cannabis oils and other products as of November 1 in England, Scotland and Wales.
However, in a scathing letter, 166 pain consultants from across the UK claim they risk \’becoming drug dealers inadvertently\’.
They warned people are already asking for cannabis from their doctors, and worry they will be exploited by drug dealing gangs if they\’re turned down by the NHS.
In the letter, they said they support the law change – but wrote: \’We have suffered an opioid crisis and foresee history about to repeat itself.
Medical cannabis will be available on prescription from the NHS from November 1, but experts say there is not enough evidence to support using it to treat pain conditions (stock image — CBD oil, pictured, is already legal)
\’We are concerned that in the interests of political expediency, this mandate to allow routine prescribing of cannabis for pain relief is premature.
\’That cannabis is an effective treatment for chronic pain is not supported by the evidence and may be associated with significant harm.\’
The letter, signed by Dr Rajesh Munglani, a consultant in pain medicine who has a private practice in Cambridge and London, was sent to The Times.
It warned there is not enough evidence cannabis is effective at treating pain and it could put patients at risk of mental health problems.
For complete article https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6319469/Cannabis-oil-drive-people-addiction-crime-experts-warn.html
Weed behind the wheel: stoned drivers more common in US than drunk ones!
After legalization of cannabis in some states, americans are getting higher than ever before, with an estimated 15 billion hours under the influence of cannabis each year.
Driving While Stoned: Issues and Policy Options by New York University’s Marron Institute reports that the number of people driving while high will increase further.
Mexico to pursue new strategy in \’war on drugs\’
Mexico\’s new president has declared war on the drug mafia — and is putting citizens at the heart of his approach. Drug use will also be regarded not so much as a security problem in future but as more of a health issue.
Peace instead of war, paying closer attention to the social causes of criminality, and a clear commitment from the security forces that they will respect human rights: these are the key points in the security strategy of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who takes office as Mexico\’s new president on December 1. Last week, in Mexico City, Lopez Obrador – who\’s known by the sobriquet AMLO — presented his ideas for ending the bloodshed in his country, caused by a drugs war that has lasted more than a decade. Victims\’ associations and civil society were the main focus of the event. They presented the findings of peace forums held at AMLO\’s instigation all over the country in the past few months.
Change of policy on drugs
Also present at the event in Mexico City were key figures in AMLO\’s future security cabinet, like Interior Minister Olga Sanchez Cordero and Public Security Minister Alfonso Durazo. Falko Ernst from Crisis Group Mexico, who had expected to be presented with a detailed program, had criticisms: \”The plan to demilitarize security policy is praiseworthy, but it doesn\’t elaborate on how that would be implemented without falling back into old patterns.\”
Not all of civil society\’s demands will be met. The call for an official representative for the disappeared fell on sympathetic ears; but the only case for which a truth commission is likely to be established is that of the 43 disappeared student teachers of Ayotzinapa.
There will also be a change of policy on drug use. Bucking the regional trend toward increased repression and controls, Mexico\’s new government will pin its hopes on legalization, and will no longer define drug use as a security issue but as a health problem. Sanchez Cordero, the future interior minister, left no doubt about that. Here too, however, the devil is in the as-yet-unspecified detail: It\’s still not clear which model the government will use, and whether it will apply only to marijuana or also to other drugs like cocaine and opium.
Transparency and accountability
AMLO has clearly moved away from the idea of a general amnesty as announced during the election campaign. In the forums, victims decisively rejected this point; they demanded truth and justice before there could be any talk of forgiveness. Around 234,000 people have died in the Mexico\’s drug wars since 2006; more than 30,000 have disappeared.
For complete story https://www.dw.com/en/mexico-to-pursue-new-strategy-in-war-on-drugs/a-46066964
Taking the Wrong Road: The Legalization of Marijuana
http://bettyunger.ca/taking-the-wrong-road-the-legalization-of-marijuana/
October 5, 2016
A response to the federal government’s discussion paper:
“Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.”
Office of Senator Betty Unger | October 5, 2016
Introduction
View in PDF format.
Earlier this summer, the federal government released a discussion paper entitled, “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana”.[1] Coinciding with the launch of the Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation, the purpose of the discussion paper was to “support consultations led by the Task Force.”[2]
Regrettably, however, the Task Force will not be considering whether the government is moving in the right direction with the legalization of marijuana. In spite of the fact that “a federal bill to legalize marijuana would make Canada the first developed country to legalize marijuana in the world”[3] the government does not want to discuss whether they are taking the country down the right road. Rather, they are merely looking for advice on the best route to reach their intended destination.
This is unfortunate because there are many reasons to be concerned about legalizing recreational marijuana usage. In fact, as detailed in the following points, one needs to look no further than the government’s own discussion paper to see this.
1. Marijuana usage carries significant health risks
The discussion paper repeatedly acknowledges that the use of marijuana carries significant health risks. For example:
“In general, health risks associated with marijuana use can be acute (i.e., immediate and short-lived) or chronic (i.e., delayed and longer lasting).” [4]
“Marijuana is not a benign substance and the scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that young people are at a higher level of risk for experiencing negative impacts.” [5]
These concerns are shared by the Canadian Lung Association, which warns that,
“Despite what some people may say, marijuana is not harmless. Marijuana smoke contains over 400 chemicals; many of these are the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Using marijuana can harm your lungs. It can also increase your risk for these diseases: Chronic cough; recurring lung infections; cancer of the head and neck; heart disease; memory loss; learning problems; accidents; mental health problems.” [6]
Additionally, the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine notes the following:
“Probably most physicians are aware of the impairment of learning, memory, alertness, reaction speed and judgment that are characteristic of acute intoxication with cannabis, and that result in impairment of school and work performance and of operation of aircraft and motor vehicles. Less well known is the inhibitory effect of chronic cannabis exposure on the maturation of neuronal pathways in the fetus and in childhood and early adolescence, with resulting mild but long-lasting impairment of so-called executive functions such as problem solving, comparative evaluation of alternative options, and working memory.” [7]
The evidence overwhelmingly indicates that marijuana usage carries significant and proven negative health impacts.[8] It is difficult to comprehend why the Minister of Health would be overseeing a process to legalize a substance which she readily admits “is not a benign substance”[9].
2. Legalization of marijuana use will contribute to its normalization
The legalization of recreational marijuana will contribute to its normalization. Normalization occurs when ideas or actions gain social acceptance and are seen as “normal”. When an act which was previously illegal becomes legal, it moves towards becoming an accepted social action. In other words, it is “normalized”.
The government’s discussion paper on marijuana suggests this is already happening, noting that young people underestimate the risk of harm associated with marijuana usage:
“Despite increased risks for adolescents who use marijuana, the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey reported that, among adolescents, the perceived risk of harm associated with marijuana use is actually decreasing.” [10]
A 2013 study on the normalization of marijuana among Canadian university students came to the same conclusion, stating:
“Not only has the use of drugs in certain contexts increased, but socio-cultural attitudes regarding use, they argue, have shifted “from the margins toward the center of youth culture”. The use of marijuana in particular no longer can be described as marginal or deviant in the sense of denoting membership in a distinctive subculture.” [11]
This trend toward portraying marijuana as mainstream and harmless should alarm Canadians, considering the irreversible negative impact that marijuana consumption has on the brain development of adolescents. Yet even the Prime Minister has added his tacit endorsement of marijuana use when he admitted using it himself repeatedly and insisted it was not a mistake to do so. [12]
The misguided insistence that recreational use of this drug is harmless and should be legalized reinforces a grave misunderstanding. It will result in the normalization of marijuana usage for which our young people will pay dearly.
3. Normalization of marijuana usage will cause increased consumption
The inevitable outcome of normalization will be increased consumption; marijuana usage will increase. This fact has been confirmed in a study by the American Society of Addiction medicine which showed that consistently over decades, “when the perception of harm from marijuana use was high, marijuana use was low and when the perception of harm from marijuana use was low, the use was high.”[13]
The government’s discussion paper acknowledges this, noting that:
“…there is an inverse relationship between perception of risk and actual use (i.e., use of marijuana would go up as more people perceive it to be low risk).” [14]
In another place, the paper notes,
“Since marketing, advertising and promotion of marijuana would only serve to “normalize” it in society and encourage and increase usage, it has been proposed that these should be strictly limited so as to dampen widespread use and reduce associated harms.” [15]
Apparently the government is oblivious to the amount of “marketing, advertising and promotion of marijuana” that it is doing through advocating legalization. The government has effectively launched a national campaign which will result in the normalization of the recreational use of marijuana. This, by its own admission, will result in increased usage. It will create the perception of decreased risk and contribute to increased societal acceptance which will result in increased consumption.
Marijuana use by adolescents in Canada is already the highest in the world, with “about one quarter of Canadian youth aged 15—24 reported using cannabis in 2013, making it the most commonly used illegal drug among this age group.” [16] By legalizing marijuana, the government will foolishly contribute to this normalization causing consumption to increase even further amongst our youth.
4. Increased consumption will increase negative health impacts
Increased consumption of marijuana for recreational purposes will result in increased negative health impacts. While the government acknowledges this to be true for tobacco consumption, they appear to be ignoring this fact for marijuana consumption.
For decades, governments across Canada have been consistently sending a clear public message that reducing tobacco usage reduces health impacts. And yet even after admitting the health risks of recreational marijuana use, the discussion paper indicates that marijuana usage will be treated more lightly than tobacco use.
It notes that while the overall public policy objective concerning tobacco has been “to reduce or even eliminate use for all Canadians”, the public policy objectives regarding recreational marijuana usage would not be this strict. Instead, the government would incorporate the approach used in regulating alcohol consumption which is to, “promote responsible use amongst adults, and to prohibit use amongst youth”. [17]
The discussion paper notes that the Task Force will be trying to figure out how to “identify those system features that will best reduce the risks of health and social harms associated with use”. So while increasing access on one hand, they are — on the other hand — struggling to figure out how to contain the harm which will result.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine has noted that “the anticipated public health costs of marijuana legalization are significant and are not sufficiently appreciated by the general public or by policy makers.” [18] The same is true in Canada: The fact that the legalization of marijuana will increase negative health impacts appears to have been lost on our federal government.
5. Increased marijuana usage will increase impaired driving incidents
The discussion paper notes that in 2013, 97% of police-reported driving incidents involved alcohol while only 3% involved drugs.
“Police and the court system must also deal with individuals who drive while impaired by marijuana. In 2013, 97% of police-reported impaired driving incidents involved alcohol and 3% involved drugs (including marijuana), an increase from the reported 2% in 2011.”[19]
There will be a number of reasons for the higher incidence of alcohol impairment versus drug impairment (including the fact that drug impairment is more difficult to prove than impairment due to alcohol). But one significant contributing factor is clear: Alcohol consumption is legal while drug use is not. This makes alcohol more accessible and socially acceptable than drug use.
The legalization of marijuana will change this. Legalization will increase usage, which will increase DUI incidents.
In the US, studies have shown that marijuana-related DUI cases spiked in both Colorado and Washington state after marijuana was legalized.[20] After legalization in Washington, the percentage of drivers in fatal crashes who recently used marijuana more than doubled between 2013 and 2014.[21] Additionally, the AAA Foundation discovered that the level of impairment was unrelated to the amount of THC found in the driver’s blood,[22] suggesting that even minimal levels of marijuana consumption impaired driving.
The legalization of marijuana will make it more accessible and more socially acceptable, causing consumption to increase. This increased consumption will result in increased incidences of driving while impaired due to marijuana use.
6. Legalization will impact progress in the de-normalization of smoking
The proposed legalization of marijuana flies in the face of efforts to reduce or eliminate tobacco use amongst Canadians. The discussion paper notes that:
“[The] overall objective of the legal and regulatory framework for controlling tobacco use is to reduce or even eliminate use for all Canadians”. [23]
It goes on to say that:
“[A] key measure underpinning the success of Canada’s tobacco control efforts has been the way smoking has become socially unacceptable, or ‘denormalized’, particularly among youth.” [24]
The government’s insistence on legalizing marijuana undermines decades of public policy efforts aimed at reducing or eliminating smoking. Legalizing marijuana not only fails to heed the successful strategy utilized to de-normalize smoking, it erodes the impact of these efforts by sending contradictory and conflicting messages to Canadians.
Conclusion: Legalizing marijuana takes Canada down the wrong road
There are many reasons to be concerned about the Liberal government’s determination to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Among them are the facts that legalization will contribute to normalization, which will increase consumption, which will result in increased negative health impacts and increased impaired driving incidents. Furthermore, gains made by a generation of efforts to reduce tobacco use amongst Canadians will be diminished by the contradictory message suggesting tobacco smoking should be eliminated while marijuana use should not. We are clearly headed in the wrong direction.
Ironically, while the federal government appears to believe it is championing a novel idea, governments have headed this direction before, only to make an abrupt U-turn later. Consider the following:
“Marijuana prohibition was universal across the United States through the 1960s, and those convicted of growing, possessing, or selling marijuana could receive sentences of incarceration. Then, in the 1970s, 12 states removed or substantially reduced criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Many observers then believed that it was just a matter of time until the nation legalized the drug. Instead, the movement toward liberalization came to a sudden halt in 1978. One state (South Dakota) reversed its decriminalization, and no state initiated decriminalization in the subsequent 20 years. The end of the 1970s liberalization is often associated with the so-called parents’ movement, itself a response to the rapid rise in frequent marijuana use among junior and senior high school students and the associated harms; in 1979, about one out of every ten high school seniors reported daily use of marijuana.” [25]
Today, the number of adolescents using marijuana in Canada is about one out of every four[26] — more than twice the amount that caused a reconsideration of the trend toward legalization in 1978. According to a 2013 UNICEF report, Canada’s youth are now the top users of marijuana in the world and yet the federal government is plunging ahead with plans for legalization. [27]
In 2003, the UK began moving toward reducing the seriousness of marijuana offenses. It lessened the maximum penalties for possession and made it a non-arrestable offense. Then, in 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown suddenly reversed the decision after research findings demonstrated that marijuana usage contributed to mental health issues. [28]
These same findings are well known to our Prime Minister today. And yet despite the many and repeated warnings, he continues to march unflinchingly toward the goal of marijuana legalization under the mistaken belief that it will make it harder for young people to access marijuana and will remove the criminal element from the sale of marijuana.
These intentions are misguided and Canadians should be alarmed. While the polls indicate support for the legalization of marijuana, moving in this direction sends Canada down the wrong road. It is a course which needs to be carefully examined and reconsidered.
[1] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf.
[2] Ibid. Page 3.
[3] Hajizadeh, Mohammad. “Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana in Canada: Review of Potential Economic, Social, and Health Impacts.” International Journal of Health Policy and Management 5.8 (2016): 453—456. p.454. PMC. http://www.ijhpm.com/pdf_3208_35275c05312a123630205db0eae53265.html.
[4] Ibid. Page 6.
[5] Ibid. Page 12.
[6] Canadian Lung Association. (2016) “Facts About Smoking: Marijuana Smoke”. http://sct.poumon.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/facts-faits/marijuana-marijuana_e.php.
[7] Kalant H. “Marihuana: Medicine, addictive substance, or both? A common-sense approach to the place of cannabis in medicine”. Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine 2013;4(3):p5. http://www.csam-smca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/CJA_Journal_September_2013.pdf .
[8] For more information, see “What do the experts say about marijuana”. http://bettyunger.ca/what-do-the-experts-say-about-marijuana/.
[9] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf. Page 12.
[10] Ibid. Page 7.
[11] Mostaghim, Amir, and Andrew D. Hathaway. “Identity Formation, Marijuana and ‘The Self’: A Study of Cannabis Normalization among University Students.” Frontiers in Psychiatry 4 (2013): 160. PMC. Page 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847659/pdf/fpsyt-04-00160.pdf.
[12] Canadian Press. (2013) ”Justin Trudeau says he smoked marijuana, makes no apologies”. Global News website: http://globalnews.ca/news/795772/justin-trudeau-says-he-smoked-marijuana.
[13] American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). (2012). White Paper on State-Level Proposals to Legalize Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.asam.org/advocacy/find-a-policy-statement/view-policy-statement/public-policy-statements/2014/07/24/white-paper-on-state-level-proposals-to-legalize-marijuana. Page 10.
[14] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” [14] http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf. Page 7.
[15] Ibid. Page 13.
[16] Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. (2015) The Effects of Cannabis Use During Adolescence. http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Effects-of-Cannabis-Use-during-Adolescence-Summary-2015-en.pdf
[17] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” [17] http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf. Page 11.
[18] American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). (2012). White Paper on State-Level Proposals to Legalize Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.asam.org/advocacy/find-a-policy-statement/view-policy-statement/public-policy-statements/2014/07/24/white-paper-on-state-level-proposals-to-legalize-marijuana.
[19] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf. Page 6.
[20] SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana. (2016) https://learnaboutsam.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/SAM-report-on-CO-and-WA-issued-17-February-2016.pdf
[21] AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Impaired Driving and Cannabis.” https://www.aaafoundation.org/impaired-driving-and-cannabis
[22] AAA Foundation for Driving Safety. (2016) “An Evaluation of Data from Drivers Arrested for Driving Under the Influence in Relation to Per se Limits for Cannabis.” https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/EvaluationOfDriversInRelationToPerSeReport.pdf.
[23] Government of Canada. (2016) “Toward the Legalization, Regulation and Restriction of Access to Marijuana.” http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf. Page 11.
[24] Ibid. Page 12.
[25] Caulkins, Jonathan P., Beau Kilmer, Mark A. R. Kleiman, Robert J. MacCoun, Gregory Midgette, Pat Oglesby, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula and Peter H. Reuter. Options and Issues Regarding Marijuana Legalization. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2015. Page 2. http://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE149.html.
[26] Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. “Canadian Drug Summary”. April 2016. Page 3. http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-Cannabis-2016-en.pdf
[27] UNICEF Office of Research (2013). ‘Child Well-being in Rich Countries: A comparative overview’, Innocenti Report Card 11, UNICEF Office of Research, Florence. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc11_eng.pdf
[28] Reuter, Peter H.. Marijuana Legalization: What Can Be Learned from Other Countries?. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2010. http://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR771.html. Page 10.
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TEXAS MARIJUANA USER INVOLVED IN DEADLY BUS CRASH
Thirteen Died Because of Young Drug Abuser
The driver who rammed into a Texas church tour bus last year had marijuana and Clonazepam in his system. He drove his pickup truck erratically and killed 13 passengers in the bus. The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) report said that both marijuana and the prescription medication are depressants, and could magnify the effects when taken together.
![\"\"](\"http://www.dontlegalizedrugs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WeedCarCrash.jpg\" "\\"WeedCarCrash\\"")
See NTSB Investigation: Pick up Driver was Drug Impaired Leading up to Fatal Church Bus Crash
Jack Young, the driver was only 20 years old when he took 13 lives of the members of the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels. He plead no contest last May and now awaits sentencing this November.
Marijuana triggers mental health issues, such as anxiety. This is why it often leads to users being prescribed pharma drugs to combat anxiety. PopPot has reported before on the widespread use of medications combined with marijuana. See Teens, College Students Add Xanax to Marijuana.
This story also points out the difficulty of beating marijuana addiction. A year after the crash, Young was found to have THC in his system , a violation of his pre-trial release. Read: Pickup Truck Driver Violates Pre-Trial Release
Will Marijuana Be Found in Toxicology of the NY Limo Driver?
We are still awaiting the toxicology report on the limo driver who died along with his 17 passengers in upstate New York. Two bystanders also died. While mechanical failure is suspected, the driver had a history of marijuana use. If the driver was impaired by THC, cannabis will be implicated in the two largest auto fatality incidents in our nation’s history.
For More got to Legalizing Weed Increases Harms
DUID DEATHS ARE REASON TO VOTE NO ON MARIJUANA
http://www.poppot.org/2018/10/31/duid-deaths-are-reason-to-vote-no-on-marijuana/
In the workplace, treat cannabis like you would alcohol, employers say
Employers prefer workers to be straight-laced Published Friday, October 19, 2018
Even though cannabis is now legal, many companies are reminding employees they won’t tolerate pot-smoking on duty. Kate Walker reports.
Cannabis is now legal, but that doesn\’t mean anything goes.
Many employers are making it plain that they won\’t accept cannabis use by employees during the work day.
So, here’s some words of advice for those who might be tempted to try: treat cannabis the same as you would treat alcohol.
\”We haven\’t hit Shangri-la with the legalization of marijuana,” said lawyer Michael Murphy. “There are still responsibilities that you have that are no different than if you drink and drive or show up intoxicated by alcohol at work.”
\”We haven\’t hit Shangri-la with the legalization of marijuana,” said lawyer Michael Murphy. “There are still responsibilities that you have that are no different than if you drink and drive or show up intoxicated by alcohol at work.”
There\’s a misconception among some that with the legalization comes a less harsh penalty.
But employers say an easy fix for that is, first and foremost, a policy in place.
“If an employee did receive the policy and notwithstanding that came to work high, breaking the trust relationship, the employer may have grounds to fire them,” said lawyer Jack Haller.
Murphy, who was once New Brunswick\’s health minister, says it\’s about understanding the difference between recreational and work time.
“Some people seem to think that the old rules don’t apply and that we\’re in a new generation. If it feels good do it, and if you show up reeking of marijuana with red eyes, that it’s OK; it’s not,” Murphy said.
For complete article https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/in-the-workplace-treat-cannabis-like-you-would-alcohol-employers-say-1.4141701