Pubdate: Mon, 09 Sep 2002 Source: Oshawa This Week (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 Oshawa This Week Contact: http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/community/oshawa/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1767 POLICE OPPOSE CALL FOR LEGALIZATION OF POT Chief skeptical of Senate findings DURHAM - Just say 'no.' That, says Durham Regional Police Chief Kevin McAlpine, should be Ottawa's response to a controversial Senate committee report calling for the legalization of marijuana. The Region's top cop yesterday slammed the recommendation to make pot possession legal, echoing the position of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). A 600-page report released Wednesday by the Senate committee says marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and calls on Ottawa to make it legally available to anyone over 16 years, younger than the legal age to buy cigarettes. Trafficking would remain illegal, taking the profits away from criminals. A skeptical Chief McAlpine said he hasn't read the report but is curious to know the "so-called evidence" on which the committee based its conclusions. He said not enough is known about the long-term damage caused by smoking marijuana and added he hasn't seen a reliable study that proves pot carries less dangerous health and social consequences than alcohol. Anyhow, he figures the recommendations will just go up in smoke. "I think this committee is unlikely to drive significant change. It's a Senate committee. I don't see any signals (of change) from government," Chief McAlpine said. The committee issued its findings following a two-year study of drug policy in which 234 witnesses were interviewed in Canada and around the world. It calls on federal legislators to erase the criminal records of anyone convicted of possession, make marijuana legal to all persons 16 and older and impose a system by which government would control distribution. While it strongly opposes legalization, OACP said in a statement responding to the report, that it "would entertain" supporting decriminalization of pot, meaning possession of pot would not result in a criminal record. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh