Pubdate: Tue, 24 Feb 2004
Source: London Free Press (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media Corporation.
Contact:  http://www.lfpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243
Author: Sue Bailey, Canadian Press

POT CHARGES SOAR AS NEW LAW MULLED

The Drug Crime Rate Reported By Police For 2002 Stands At A 20-Year High.

OTTAWA -- The federal government's plan to decriminalize pot possession 
would free up millions of dollars and thousands of police hours, the latest 
statistics suggest. Police laid a record number of drug-related charges in 
2002 and most offences involved marijuana, Statistics Canada reported 
yesterday.

Seventy-five per cent of 93,000 drug-related incidents in 2002 involved 
pot. Almost three-quarters of those were possession offences, and more than 
half of those convicted were fined.

"The police-reported drug crime rate has risen an estimated 42 per cent 
since the early 1990s and now stands at a 20-year high," the agency said.

The numbers highlight a rift between police, who support tight enforcement 
of pot laws, and more tolerant attitudes by the public, politicians and the 
courts.

The statistics were released as MPs on Parliament Hill began to debate a 
bill to decriminalize possession of less than 15 grams of pot, about 15 to 
20 joints. Instead of a criminal record, the bill proposes fines of $100 to 
$400.

The bill maintains or increases penalties for large-scale growers and 
traffickers.

If passed, the bill would appear to free up police from laying most 
possession charges.

Critics have long argued officers could divert investigative hours and 
millions of dollars toward fighting other crime if they eased up on such 
anti-drug efforts.

Law professor Alan Young, who has crusaded for reformed marijuana laws, 
said at least some police forces seem to be "upping the ante" with vigilant 
anti-pot enforcement that swims against the political tide.

"The entire time that this government has been talking about 
decriminalization . . . the police have not adjusted their priorities in 
the least."

If anything, police have logged numbers "that are good for them to 
manipulate," he said in an interview from Toronto where he teaches at York 
University's Osgoode Hall Law School.

The Canadian Professional Police Association, representing 54,000 
rank-and-file members, declined comment yesterday. It has fought attempts 
to decriminalize pot, saying police should have the discretion to do more 
than issue tickets -- particularly in cases where sales are being racked up 
in school yards.

Critics have also attacked plans to relax pot laws without a national drug 
strategy or reliable roadside tests to snare stoned drivers.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman