Favorable Reaction By
Prohibitionist Canadian Press and Police To Chiefs’ Recommendation
To "Decriminalize" Marijuana Bodes Well – Cover For The Politicians –
2 Articles
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Canadian Police Chiefs To Support
"Decriminalization" Of Marijuana.
"Government will give serious consideration to recommendation." -- 2 Stories
(Marijuananews note: These two articles are at best mediocre
and the opinions of the police are not particularly enlightened, except in comparison to
DEAland, but that is the point. Even many
of the prohibitionists are supporting decrim. This gives the politicians cover. Notice the
absence of any "sends the wrong message" claptrap.)
LONDON COPS BACK DECRIMINALIZING POT
April 23, 1999
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Ontario Editorial
Is In No Hurry to Arrest MS Patient Harichy, Nor In Any Hurry for Justice
From The London Ontario Free Press
letters@lfpress.com
http://www.canoe.ca/LondonFreePress/home.html
http://www.lfpress.com/londoncalling/SelectForum.asp
By Roxanne Beaubien
A pitch by Canadian police chiefs to decriminalize simple pot
possession has the support of London police brass—on one condition.
That the second prong of the proposal—funding education, prevention and drug
treatment programs—is also endorsed by the federal government, Deputy Chief Brian
Collins said yesterday.
But he says "decriminalizing" possession of small
amounts of marijuana and its derivatives, like hash and oil, is a far cry from legalizing
the illicit weed.
The board of the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs has adopted a policy that calls
on Ottawa to give police the option of issuing a ticket to someone caught with 30 grams or
less, or requiring community service, instead of laying a criminal charge.
Collins said making simple possession a ticketable offence, as
opposed to a criminal offence, would save the justice system money that could be directed
to higher level crime.
"It would allow a greater concentration on those who are abusing people,"
meaning traffickers and producers, he said.
"It’s not a knee-jerk reaction" to the current debate about legalizing
marijuana, he said.
"The key is the balance" between proactive programs and decriminalizing the
offence, Collins said. "They’ve made it a total package."
London police Chief Al Gramolini wasn’t available for comment yesterday.
Justice Minister Anne McLellan was described as receptive to the proposal and said the
government will consider it.
Copyright: 1999 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media Corporation.
April 22, 1999
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Edmonton Superweed
Reefer Madness Embarrasses Justice Minister;
Local Paper Opposes Even Medical Marijuana
From The Edmonton Sun
sun.letters@ccinet.ab.ca
http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonSun/
http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/home.html
By Bernard Pilon and Ian McDougal
CHIEFS PUSH TICKET, NOT RECORD, AS POT PENALTY
Canadian top cops want to save police and potheads
paperwork and court time by writing the equivalent of a speeding ticket to smokers caught
with marijuana and hash.
Yesterday, Justice Minister Anne McLellan said she wants to see what the proposal from
the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is offering on the country’s dope front.
"We’re going to take a look at this and we’ll see
where it leads us," McLellan said yesterday. "I think this is a significant move
on the part of the chiefs and they are a very influential voice."
Decriminalizing possession of small amounts will free up officers
to take on growers and dealers, said Edmonton Chief John Lindsay, head of the
association.
Under the proposal anyone caught with marijuana and hash would get a ticket and fine
but no criminal record.
"Today it’s not regarded as a serious offence,"
Lindsay said. "It’s not dealt with by the courts as a serious issue."
The head of the top cops’ drug abuse committee, Barry King, noted that while
Canadian cops don’t want to loosen criminal offences tied to heroine and cocaine - as
stated in a National Post article - courts already treat simple possession of pot and hash
as worth a fine, not jail time.
"This isn’t legalization. It’s decriminalization," said King, chief
of police in Brockville, Ont.
There is a line between "soft" drugs like marijuana and
"dangerous" narcotics like coke and heroin, Lindsay said.
King stressed top cops are just reflecting laws already on the books since 1996 that
let street cops treat possession of small amounts much like traffic cops treat speeders.
The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act hits folks nabbed with under 30 grams of pot or
less than one gram of cannabis resin with fines normally ranging from $100 to $150 if they
plead guilty to a summons similar to a traffic ticket.
Decriminalization would merely free up cops and courts, King
said.
"The end result is no different," he said. "There is no war on drugs.
What there is is a balanced approach (against drugs) taken on all levels. It’s a
health issue, a social issue, an education issue, an enforcement issue."
Giving cops discretion to write tickets would also mean two-thirds of the 70,000 drug
offenders nabbed yearly would no longer be photographed and fingerprinted.
Copyright: 1999, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Supported