Legalizing Marijuana

Legalizing Marijuana

May 16, 2016

Deirdre Leowinata

 

The new Liberal leadership has a lot of people talking. And it’s not just about our beautiful new Prime Minister, but what he’s doing to do about a little green leaf. Mary Jane, ganja, reefer, weed. It has many names but to the law it has always been one thing: Illegal. At least since 1923 during an apparent “opiate” wipe by the government, when it was criminalized without any studies or debate. The decriminalization of marijuana has already changed things, and in …

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The Complications of Basic Income

The Complications of Basic Income

WSIC participants turned up in force to the Wind-Up Bird on March 16th, keen to listen and participate on the powerful discussion of basic income rights in Canada.  Our expert panel consisted of Sheila Regehr, of Basic Income Canada, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring everyone has sufficient income to meet basic needs and live with dignity, and Jonathan Sas, Director of Research at the Broadbent Institute.

Sheila acknowledged that on one level, the concept of basic income is easy to grasp, and yet on another level …

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Thoughts from the Mental Health Discussion – By Angela

When our bodies feel sick, we go to the doctor. We expect we´ll feel better very soon after that.

For people suffering from mental illness, the solutions are often far more complex. For some, getting the help they need seems nearly impossible.

On March 19, Dr. Paul Garinkel, a practicing psychiatrist and former CEO of CAMH, and Elaine Flis, past Chair of the Margaret Frazer House, joined us to discuss the state of mental health treatment in Ontario-explaining how things have improved, but also, where serious problems …

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Prescription Drug Safety – Blog by Chris E

WSIC hosted a compelling evening of talk last Monday, welcoming special guest, and Conservative MP, Terence Young.

Terence spoke to us about prescription drug safety, a subject that hit him far too close to home. In 2000, Terence´s 15-year-old daughter, Vanessa, died after being prescribed the Johnson & Johnson drug, Prepulsid. Since then, he has researched the industry in-depth, and advocated for both a more transparent drug-approval process and plain-language labeling. As he explained to us, the Americans have far clearer labels than us, because they´re …

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