NEWS UPDATES FROM THE RECOVERY & PREVENTION COMMUNITY

Please continue to share your press clippings and other discoveries with us and we will always make the effort to

spread the word. Many thanks.

From Al Arsenault:

Colorado Marijuana Use 72 Percent Higher than US!

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/colorado-marijuana-use-72-percent-higher-than-us-sue-rusche

From Pamela McColl:

http://rt.com/usa/221039-paypal-millions-marijuana-investor

More from Pam:

Good articles- information coming out of Colorado.

1. Marijuana Tax Millions? Hallucinations Up In Smoke, Yet Feds Propose 50% Federal Tax Too

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/01/11/marijuana-tax-millions-hallucinations-up-in-smoke-yet-feds-propose-a-50-federal-tax-too/

imageRobert W. Wood Contributor – January 11, 2015

2. http://learnaboutsam.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FINAL-REPORT-1.pdf     ( Two Year Report on Colorado )

From Sean Heaney:

http://www.thefix.com/content/massachusetts-ag-may-sue-big-pharma-over-prescription-drugs#.VLVIT5iEOzA.facebook

And Pam:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-war-on-drugs-is-burning-out-20150108#ixzz3OFDhJgpJ
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-pot-marijuana-60-minutes/ ​
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/health/with-the-e-joint-the-smoke-clears-.html?_r=0   **** E-cigarettes remain illegal in Canada.

IT'S UGLY OUT THERE

Two contributions from our friend and colleague, SEAN HEANEY.

The first is a short news article from Rhode Island about political action taken regarding an upsurge in heroin overdose deaths.

The second is a raw and uncompromising video about the nightmare we continue to accept called the Downtown East Side.

DO YOU WORK WITH FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF ADDICTS?

Candace Plattor, in private practice and the author of "Loving an Addict, Loving Yourself," is offering a workshop for counselors, psychologists and others along with Cait Saul of the Angels Addiction Resource.

The link to the full story is here, and Candace's descrition of the event follows below.

On January 17, 2015, Candace Plattor (Vancouver therapist in private practice and author of “Loving an Addict, Loving Yourself”) and Cait Saul (Director of the "Angels Community & Addiction Advisors Network") are presenting a 1-day workshop for counsellors, therapists, and psychology students who are working with the loved ones of addicts.  As you know, our clients are often loved ones, even though they might not be talking about those particular issues due to intense feelings of shame and guilt.  Because addiction so frequently plays a huge part in the dynamics of our clients’ relationships, it is incumbent upon their clinicians to be able to assess this and know how to best work with them.

These clients really need our help — and becoming known as a therapist (or agency) that specializes in working with the loved ones of addicts can also help to expand your client base and increase your professional income.

LET'S DO IT!

 This note was sent in today from our friend Marshall Smith.

I did the survey and I encourage you to do it. It will take about 5 minutes.

Will the feedback change any minds in Coastal Health? Maybe. It's always worth a try.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for all your great work, past, present and future!

Dear Colleague,

I have been asked to forward this survey to my network in the field.  They are looking for responses from people in the field, users of services, families, workplaces etc.   I feel it is important for the voice of recovery to be reflected in this.  Please take a moment to participate in this survey and forward it to your network if you feel its appropriate.  Thank you.

http://surveys.vch.ca/Survey.aspx?s=764e5fb10d824279877b9e9169c99183

Marshall Smith

Director, Corporate Development &
Community Relations

Cedars at Cobble Hill
3741 Holland Ave
Cobble Hill BC

PARTY'S ON!

It's time to plan and budget for the annual "Recovery New Year's Eve Celebration" hosted by the West Coast Area of Narcotics Anonymous.



You are invited to the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown on December 31st to ring in the New Year.  This annual event attracts over 700 guests of all ages and gives people in recovery an opportunity to celebrate the holiday in a safe fun environment. 

• 9 pm to 12:30 am
  
• RoundHouse in Yaletown, two minutes from the skytrain
  
• Stage 1 - 80's, Rock and Dance Music
  
• Stage 2 - House Music, Techno, Urban beats
  
• Stage 3 - Live Music, Open Mic
  
• Room 4 - Kids Zone
  
• Room 5 - Marathon 12 Step Meeting
  

*A discount on tickets are provided for group sales to treatment centres, from $25 to $15, these tickets must be purchased in a group by your facility

*Do you have a talented client? they are welcome to sing or play music on Stage 3, contact Don P to book the stage time by calling 778-892-5125

*to order bulk tickets at a discounted rate please contact Max at 604-992-4897

AMERICA VOTES - AGAINST POT

THE FAILING POT EXPERIMENT.



MEDIA RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 TH . 2014 VANCOUVER BC.

from Pamela McColl



Voters in five Colorado cities ``The Marijuana Experiment State`` - Cañon City, Lakewood, Palisade, Palmer Lake and Ramah – voted to ban recreational pot sales in their jurisdiction on election day November 4 th . 2014.



The majority of cities in Colorado that have now opted out of pot - for a total of 161 representing 70% of the state.



“Legalization in practice will always be the biggest enemy of legalization,” Kevin Sabet Smart Approaches to Marijuana (USA) and affiliate organization to Smart Approaches to Marijuana Canada www.samcanada.net



Details for Colorado’s rejection of pot extents with a further 11.74% with a moratoriums on pot use in place, leaving only 20% ( 47) with licensing allowed as reported by SAM Colorado co-ordinate Bob Doyle.



Pot was further rejected in the State of Florida on November 4 th . 2014 with the defeat of the legalization of medical marijuana initiative. The win came with a well fought campaign run under the banner “Don’t Let Florida Go To Pot”.



In Washington DC voters passed a medi-pot initiative which does not include the sale of marijuana. The campaign slogan for the pro marijuana side of the debate was: “Legalization Ends Discrimination”.




In Oregon, the pro-pot people pumped at least $7.6 million into the campaign, versus around $168,000 on our side. The Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates the legalization of ALL drugs, spent at least $2.4 million in Oregon. The Peter Lewis family invested almost $2 million there.



Oregon's vote means that users can possess a half pound of marijuana at a time, plus 4 plants which can produce additional pounds. This is 8 times the amount of marijuana that is legal in Colorado and Washington.​



Alaska votes to legalize with a small margin, but the Marijuana Policy Project invested over $1 million there vs $150,000 against legalization.



In the state of California 80% of towns, cities, including San Jose, the 3 rd largest city in California and the 10 th . largest city in the USA, have passed medical marijuana bans. Their right to do so has been upheld by the Supreme Court of California.



8.2% of Canadians use pot and 7% of Americans.



Both Canada and the USA are signatories to the United Nations The Rights of the Child Treaty which rejects the move to more permissive drug policies.



SAM Canada



Samcanada.net@gmail.com

BRILLIANT PUBLIC POLICY AT WORK AGAIN

From Al Arsenault via Drug Free America:

Portugal decriminalized

drugs. Results? Use by teens doubled in a decade with nearly a fifth of 1... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2815084/Portugal-decriminalised-drugs-Results-Use-teens-doubled-decade-nearly-fifth-15-16-year-olds-using-drugs.html