Did Doug Ford sell hashish? SFU prof says this isn't as harmful as peddling tobacco or alcohol

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      It shouldn’t really matter much nowadays whether or not Toronto councillor Doug Ford dealt hashish when he was young, says criminologist Neil Boyd.

      According to the SFU academic, someone who sells tobacco or alcohol is likely doing more harm to the public than someone who peddles hashish, a derivative product of marijuana.

      The only problem for Ford is that he’s a politician. Moreover, he’s the elder brother to the more controversial Toronto mayor, Rob Ford.

      “If they weren’t involved in politics and there wasn’t a question around whether it’s truthful or not...in terms of harms to society, somebody who sells hashish is probably doing, generally speaking, much less harm than somebody who sells tobacco,” Boyd told the Georgia Straight.

      He made the remark in the wake of a Globe and Mail article, citing unnamed sources, alleging that Doug Ford sold hashish as a teen and young adult. Doug Ford has vehemently denied that he was a dealer.

      Boyd, a critic of cannabis prohibition, is a member of Stop the Violence B.C., a coalition of experts from various fields that advocates regulation and taxation of marijuana.

      “We are now in a debate in our society about whether these are drugs that should be taxed and  regulated alongside alcohol and tobacco,” Boyd said when asked if Ford’s alleged hashish dealing is relatively minor compared to other criminal offences. “And it’s pretty clear from the perspective of public health that alcohol and tobacco are, for most people and in most circumstances, more dangerous drugs from a public health perspective than hashish or cannabis. So on that level, yes. That perhaps should not be an issue.”

      Boyd added that many people sold marijuana or hashish when they were young.

      “But I think the issue that swirls around the Fords is one of honesty—the extent to which they’re telling the truth about their connection to their drug trade,” he said.

      Comments

      11 Comments

      DavidH

      May 27, 2013 at 5:30pm

      Boyd is, and always has been, an academic moron ... much loved by the media because he's painfully predictable. Most morons are predictable.

      Nobody is talking about Doug Ford's impact on public health, for fu*k's sake. We're talking about whether or not he broke the law.

      If he sold illegal drugs, he broke the law. Break the law and go to jail. Even a "criminologist" like Boyd should be able to wrap his addled brain around that.

      Donald

      May 27, 2013 at 6:13pm

      Somehow, I can believe that the Ford brothers were involved (are involved?) in drug dealing. Can't you picture Doug Ford breaking some guy's knees for non-payment?

      Skeptic

      May 27, 2013 at 7:32pm

      I wonder if the 40% who think high school drug dealing is relevant to Ford's current career were as unforgiving when Layton's being found at a massage parlour hit the news. Remember how he was getting a "therapeutic massage" at a place the police raided? Sadly most people's opinions are determined by the political affiliations of the accused.

      Alan Layton

      May 27, 2013 at 10:04pm

      This entire story about what Doug Ford may have done as a young man, in his early 20's, is ridiculous. Based upon the very sparse facts it doesn't prove a lot about his current character. My god, I can remember half my buddies selling small amounts of pot when we were that young and they turned out to be law-abiding and successful citizens. If Doug Ford had a long record of selling drugs, of any sort, then you would have a reason to be concerned. But that's never mentioned in the media's story. Even more important, has he done anything illegal or corrupt as an adult and especially as a councillor? He may be crude, embarrassing or a lousy city councillor, but unless you can prove that he's doing something illegal now, then the story is just a hatchet job, pure and simple.

      Auntie Hypocrisy

      May 27, 2013 at 10:27pm

      The problem is that Doug Ford poses as "tough on crime" etc. without being honest about his past. Come clean, Rob and Doug, let people judge you on the basis of your full record.

      Havid D

      May 28, 2013 at 12:40am

      Speaking of morons...David H.

      Gandhi broke the law. Was it right and just that he should go to jail? Or are some laws meant to be broken to prove how stupid they are?

      Back to Doug Ford. The salient point that I got from the G&M story is that Ford still keeps some of the same people from his dealing days in his current inner circle. I don't doubt that one man can go clean, but it's pretty damning when he's still got all his old enforcer buddies on the payroll now too.

      John KingofthePaupers Turmel

      May 28, 2013 at 5:58am

      Jct: Come on, who didn't buy some pot or hash for themselves and their friends at one time or another which qualifies as "trafficking!" If they were herbalists rather than drunks, more power to them.

      Somewheretonight

      May 28, 2013 at 6:15am

      The problem with Doug is not that he sold hash some 30 years ago but rather that he has chosen to lie about it. THAT is the problem.

      Dude

      May 28, 2013 at 7:08am

      Both Tubby & the Prof must be on Crack...

      Teeder

      May 28, 2013 at 9:32am

      Allan Layton, thank you for your insightful comment. I check the Straight each day looking for thoughts other than the usual knee-jerk responses. I read an article some time ago that within the foreseeable future there will not be a person qualified to be President of the United States because each of us have done something stupid in our youth. Up 'til the invention of 'cyberspace' the good things we did as we mature could overshadow them. An example might be made of the late Roy Thompson who owned and went broke running several small-town newspapers in Ontario. The story (that has been rewritten - covered up??? by highly skilled and well paid publicists) is that as his newspapers went broke Roy kept purchasing other also broke newspapers further down the rail line and moving his presses, inks and paper supplies to the new shops in the dark of the night, one step ahead of his creditors. He got into radio stations in a similar manner 'til he figured things out and finageled his way into acquiring a major Toronto newspaper. The rest is history and the name Thompson is heralded as an outstanding Canadian success story and rightly so - at least in my opinion.
      The time of learning the hard way and recovering from our mistakes is behind us, names im imbedded on one computer mysteriously find their way on hard drives in places most of us don't even know exist. An example is people who have long since committed minor infractions now find their names on the U.S. "no-fly" list. The day of living down the stupidity of youth are past and the Ford brothers will not be the last to be "exposed" I believe society will be the lesser for it.