Pubdate: Wed, 15 Sep 2004
Source: North Shore News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 North Shore News
Contact:  http://www.nsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

SMOKE AND SPIN

Let's hope Prime Minister Paul Martin follows through with the Liberal 
commitment to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in the coming 
session of Parliament.

If the Chretien government had enacted its promised legislation in 2003 
instead of delaying action for fear of U.S. disapproval, Vancouver and 
other municipalities would likely have worked out its civic reaction and 
control of "pot cafes" by now.

That, we say, would have been a good thing. We have argued for many years 
now that Canada's pot laws are out of touch with reality and that the 
continued prohibition of the drug only increases the financial wealth of 
organized crime. Polls suggest a majority of Canadians take this view.

We're not advocating pot for every chicken here; access to the drug needs 
to be controlled in a similar fashion to alcohol but with much heavier 
penalties for selling to minors.

And despite our political sympathies, we do not condone the recent 
law-breaking at Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop on Commercial Drive in 
Vancouver. Blatantly advertised law-breaking may put pressure on 
politicians, but it puts police in an impossible situation. In fact, the 
shop's owner and her patrons can consider themselves lucky that municipal 
tolerance doubtless contributed to the watch and wait approach of the 
Vancouver Police Department until Solicitor General Rich Coleman got 
critical. Comments about "the thuggery of the police gang" after last 
week's arrests may play well to the store's pot smokers, but that 
inflammatory approach won't help in the wider political arena.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager