"So honourable, in fact, that they have sponsored research to prove the taser's safety," he

continues. "Just about all the research, as it turns out. Moreover, they pay for experts to travel

across North America and spread the good news about how safe tasers are and correct any

misconceptions that might arise from events like deaths of suspects in police custody or

immigrants in Vancouver's airport."

Pepper spray, also known as OC spray (from "oleoresin capsicum"), OC gas, and capsicum

spray, is a lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain,

and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense,

including defense against dogs and bears. Its inflammatory effects cause the eyes to close, taking

away vision. This temporary blindness allows officers to more easily restrain subjects and permits

people using pepper spray for self-defense an opportunity to escape. Although considered a less-

than-lethal agent, it has been deadly in rare cases, and concerns have been raised about a number

of deaths were being pepper sprayed may have been a contributing factor. The active ingredient

in pepper spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in

the Capsicum genus, including chilis. Extraction of oleoresin capsicum from peppers requires

capsicum to be finely ground, from which capsaicin is then extracted using an organic solvent such

as ethanol. The solvent is then evaporated, and the remaining waxlike resin is the oleoresin

capsicum.