By Jesse Stamm Under Section 8 of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, every person in Canada is guaranteed “the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure.” In the event that police conduct an unreasonable search, section 24 of the Charter allows the courts the power to throw out evidence that was collected […]
For four weeks in February of 2012 I witnessed the demystification of Health Canada’s arguments against cannabis extracts in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The main showdown in this constitutional battle was between two scientific wizards, where the struggle for truth finally loosened this healing plant from governments’ steely grip. Two years earlier I […]
By Kirk Tousaw In Nov. 2012, the Harper Conservative government ushered in new mandatory sentencing legislation for certain Controlled Drugs and Substances Act offences. Despite criticism from outside and inside government, and clear evidence that such sentences are harmful to the criminal justice system and society, the ideologically-driven rules are now law and are binding […]
