Free the weed, say Vancouver mayors (image courtesy the author).
Vancouver Mayors Say Legalize Marijuana
Four of Vancouver's last five former mayors are calling for marijuana legalization, and they have been joined by the city's current mayor.
Canada
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Canada Mandatory Minimum Crime Bill Set to Pass [FEATURE]
It looks like Canada's Conservative government is finally going to get the ugly crime bill it has long wanted. That will mean mandatory minimums for growing as few as six marijuana plants.
Vancouver's safe injection site wins a reprieve. (Image: Vancouver Coastal Health)
Canada Supreme Court Okays Safe Injection Site [FEATURE]
In a landmark decision, the Canadian Supreme Court has blocked the Canadian government from shutting down the country's only safe injection site.
Pot leaf_9.jpg
Canada Marijuana Arrests Jump Dramatically
Marijuana arrests jumped in Canada last year, and activists want to know why.
Insite Activist Threatens Civil Disobedience
If the federal government seeks to permanently shutter Insite, Vancouverites can anticipate a loud and unrelenting outcry from advocates, health care professionals and drug users who support the Downtown Eastside supervised injection site. Closing Insite, "will be seen as a personal affront to the city of Vancouver," said Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users activist Dean Wilson, noting residents in this city, including Mayor Gregor Robertson and at least four former mayors, are generally in favor of harm reduction drug treatment that includes supervised injection.
Marc Emery leading a rally in Calgary during happier times (image via wikimedia.org)
Marc Emery Denied Transfer to Canadian Prison
Canadian marijuana activist Marc Emery will not be allowed to do his time in Canada because of "the seriousness of the offense" and "law enforcement concerns."
Vancouver's Insite safe injection site on East Hastings Street (Image courtesy Vancouver Coastal Health)
Vancouver Safe Injection Site Saves Lives, Report Finds
A new study of Vancouver drug overdoses shows they have decreased dramatically in the Downtown Eastside since a safe injection site opened there.
Ruling Opens the Door to Legalize Marijuana in Canada
An Ontario judge has struck down key aspects of Canadaâs marijuana laws, triggering a 90-day countdown when growing, possessing or smoking pot will become legal.
Proof of Insite's Value in the Numbers, Fatal Overdoses in Vancouver Have Been Reduced 35 Percent
With a Supreme Court of Canada case looming this summer that could decide its future, Vancouver's safe-injection drug site has received an extra shot in the arm from a new report that says it has helped reduce the number of fatal overdoses in the city by 35 per cent. The report, compiled by Canadian scientists from the Urban Health Research Initiative, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and St. Paul's Hospital, goes on to argue that Vancouver's Insite - the country's first safe-injection facility - should be replicated in other North American cities where drug use is a common problem.
Study Casts Doubts Over Canada's Strategy on Illicit Drug Use
Much like the American approach to drug policy, it's not clear Canadians are getting a whole lot of bang for all the bucks thrown at the illicit drug problem, a new report says. "In the case of the strategy, many programs do not have the means to demonstrate the incremental impact of their activities...Many programs report output information...but the validity of the information remains questionable from an impact measurement perspective," the document says.