Pubdate: Sat, 14 Dec 2002
Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Hacker Press Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.abbynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155
Author: Russ Akins

KIDS AT RISK WITH FEDERAL DRUG POLICIES: DE JONG

Abbotsford kids are being put at risk by federal government drug policies, 
says a newly-elected school trustee.

But the man who ran for mayor of Abbotsford under a pro-marijuana banner 
vows to fight any limits on pot possession, and said he will run against 
Langley-Abbotsford (Canadian Alliance MP) Randy White in the next federal 
election.

Uultsje De Jong is both an Abbotsford school trustee and chairman of the 
Abbotsford Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment. Last 
December, he was among those making presentations to the Special 
Parliamentary Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs.

A total of 40 recommendations arise from the committee's report, unveiled 
at Vancouver's Roundhouse Centre earlier this week. It's now up to the 
federal government to decide whether to implement all or some of the 
recommendations.

More than half a dozen of the recommendations, which were contained in part 
one of the committee's final report tabled in the House of Commons, deal 
with the topic of harm reduction, such as allowing safe injection sites.

One calls for the decriminalization of possession and cultivation of small 
amounts of marijuana, 30 grams or less.

"Once again, they're putting the emphasis on the wrong end," De Jong told 
the Abbotsford News on Thursday. "It should be on detox and treatment.

"For youths in our entire area, there's only five beds, at Maple Cottage in 
New Westminster. It just doesn't make sense - I agree with Randy White, 
it's harm extension, not harm reduction.

"Basically, the government is saying to our children 'The best we can do 
for you is give you a clean needle."'

Safe injection sites - such as those eyed by Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell 
- - will draw addicts from across North to America to the Lower Mainland, De 
Jong believes. "I'm sure we'll end up with some of them out here. I'm not 
trying to be negative about the plight of drug addicts, but let's be 
serious and do the right thing. As a school trustee, I know we have a major 
problem in Abbotsford -- there's all sorts of drugs available to our kids." 
It's important for the community to support White in his opposition to some 
of the committee's recommendations, said de Jong.

"He (White) was on a committee that was stacked against him. It (the 
recommendations) fell into place according to the prime minister's agenda. 
When the federal government takes the position that they'll continue to put 
out kids at risk, we have to stand up and say no.

He suggested e-mailing Justice Minister Martin Cauchon a daily basis in 
opposition.

The 40-year-old Cauchon has admitted to smoking pot in his youth.

However, Tim Felger, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in November and 
supported safe injection sites for hard drugs, said he will be the first to 
be arrested with more than 30 grams of weed if that amount becomes the 
legal limit.

"I'll probably run for parliament. Randy White doesn't realize marijuana is 
not a crime. We can't afford to police marijuana anymore, and any 
government who says marijuana is a problem is an idiot.

"If you're going to buy pot, as a price-conscious consumer, you'll buy a 
quarter pound," said Felger. "We have to go after the people who make up 
these stupid 30-gram laws."

n In other legal news out of Ottawa, the federal government has tabled a 
long-awaited legislation in the House of Commons that will establish a 
federal registry for sex offenders.

But Bill C-23 doesn't go far enough, says the Canadian Alliance solicitor 
general critic, Langley-Abbotsford MP Randy White. What the solicitor 
general proposes would see more than 5,000 federal and provincial sex 
offenders not appear on the new registry said White this week, "and they'll 
get yet another free pass at the expense of future victims."

The law if passed will not be retroactive, which means, said White that 
infamous sex offenders such as Karla Homolka -- scheduled to be released in 
2004 -- won't be included in the database.

"It boggles the mind," he said. The Solicitor General said decided against 
making the offender registry retroactive in order to protect inmate's rights.

"This is not a privacy issue. This is a protection issue," White said this week.
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