Small Prohibitionist Paper In
British Columbia Laments "Cops Can’t Keep Up With BC Drug Trade."
"They’d sooner go after someone trafficking cocaine than someone who grows pot
because a coke addict is more likely to rob a bank." Realistic Priorities Over
Ideology?
(Marijuananews note: The tone of this article is
very prohibitionist. No distinction between marijuana and hard drugs is made, but it makes
clear that the police know the difference. They know that marijuana use is not a crime
problem. This fits in perfectly with the move by the police chiefs to decriminalize
possession.)
COPS CAN’T KEEP UP WITH B.C. DRUG TRADE
April 21, 1999
From Kelowna Daily Courier
http://www.ok.bc.ca/dc/
By Don Plant
If you’re a drug user, B.C. is the Shangri-La of Canada.
Statistics Canada reports B.C. had the highest rate of drug incidents of any province
in the country in 1997. There were 430 drug incidents for every 100,000 British Columbians
that year, nearly twice the national average.
More startling is the high proportion of drug offences in B.C. compared to the rest of
Canada.
In 1997, our province was responsible for 25 per cent of all the cannabis incidents in
the country, 28 per cent of the cocaine offences and 61 per cent of all heroin incidents.
Our population comprises 13 per cent of the nation’s.
B.C.’s rate of drug charges is 26 per cent higher than the
national average. But the drug problem is so prevalent, fewer than one in three cannabis
offences resulted in criminal charges.
See
Statistics Show
People With Marijuana Half As Likely To Face Charges If Caught In British Columbia;
Excellent Article
"We don’t prosecute nearly as many narcotics charges as they do
percentage-wise in other provinces," said Kelowna prosecutor Michael Dirk.
"There are more marijuana charges in Alberta and Saskatchewan than in B.C."
The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics compiled the figures after consulting with
police departments across the country.
The stats show the farther west you go in Canada, the higher the crime rate, said
senior analyst Robert Allen.
"It’s the same in the U.S., B.C. has historically the highest crime rate in
Canada," he said. "B.C. and California have very transient populations."
Police aren’t surprised by the trend. B.C. is known as a
major exporter of marijuana and importer of heroin and cocaine. And they blame a lax court
system, not enough police funding and the West Coast lifestyle as contributing factors.
Kelowna RCMP are struggling to keep up with the volume of information pouring in on
marijuana grow operations. The local Mounties take down an indoor dope farm about once a
week. Yet they receive about a tip a day on where to bust next.
"With the resources we have... we’re only touching the tip of the
iceberg," said RCMP spokesman Garth Letcher. "With today’s legal standards,
there’s only so much we can do."
Other provinces have stiffer sanctions, which attracts users to B.C. The milder climate
and the fact you can get free hypodermic needles also helps, said RCMP Cpl. Fergus Rodine.
"A lot of people can afford it. Loggers and fishermen work hard and party.
There’s a market for it. You don’t go to Estevan, Sask. to be a drug
dealer," he said. Local police concentrate more on stopping the suppliers than
charging the users. They’d sooner go after someone
trafficking cocaine than someone who grows pot because a coke addict is more likely to rob
a bank, said Rodine.
The heroin problem plaguing the Lower Mainland is also spilling over into the Okanagan.
It’s getting "more and more prevalent" in the Valley, said RCMP Cpl. Randy
Hundt.
But people can’t rely on police alone to fix the growing drug problem, said
Letcher.
"There have to be changes among all partners involved, the
community, police and judicial system," he said.
Copyright 1999 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Supported