Pubdate: Fri, 03 Apr 2009
Source: Victoria News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wOQxPi2c
Website: http://www.vicnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1267
Author: Rebecca Aldous
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

POT USERS SKEPTICAL BILL WILL REDUCE GANG CRIME

As he dished out cash for a slim, silver scale the Sacred Herbs
customer scoffed at the idea.

If Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca's MP Keith Martin thinks his proposed bill
decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana is going to take money out
of gang member's pockets, he doesn't understand system, he said while
stuffing the scale into his bag.

"I fail to see any correlation there," he said, shaking his head.
"People who would say that don't understand the situation."

Standing behind the glass counter that holds a kaleidoscope of bright
red, yellow, blue and pink glass pipes, Dan Brown smiles at the
comment. He's worked at the marijuana paraphernalia store for just
over five years and the majority of customers he sees are between the
ages of 40 to 60.

Although Martin's private member's bill introduced in the House of
Commons last week, which recommends fines instead of of criminal
charges for anyone with two pot plants or less than 30 grams of
marijuana, re-ignites the debate, it does little else, Brown said.

"Overall it doesn't change the whole criminal thing," he said. "Really
when it comes down to it it's still illegal."

Until that changes, the government will have no control over gangs who
use pot as currency, Brown said.

Last month, nine people, eight of them Canadian, were arrested in B.C.
and approximately $15 million worth of pot, cocaine and ecstasy was
seized as a result of an international drug-smuggling ring probe. The
probe was a part of a four-year investigation that's led to the
seizure of B.C. marijuana going south of the border and cocaine coming
north.

The majority of gangs' marijuana trade crosses the border, but
ultimately some of the drugs filter down to the street, Victoria
Police department spokesperson Sgt. Grant Hamilton said.

It's hard to say what effect the bill would have on such activity, he
said. Ultimately police restraint from making a stand - either for or
against - on such bills.

If the bill would slash gangs' income is a good question, said Kelli
Moorhouse, Camosun College's Criminal Justice department chair, and
one she doesn't have the answer to.

"It really depends on whether or not small time users are using
organized gangs to get their marijuana," she said.

In Canada, British Columbia already holds one of the lowest
enforcement rates for small marijuana possession charges, Moorhouse
said.

Canada is shifting its view of marijuana over from the criminal system
into the health system, as medicinal uses gain more awareness, she
said.

[side bars]

The arm of the U.S.

How our neighbours to the south view marijuana has a huge effect on
how it's dealt with in Canada, Moorhouse said.

"We look at some of our crime policies in the country, especially the
more conservative crime policies, and I think there is a strong
correlation between (them and) what American agenda is," she said.
Brown views the U.S. as a major hurdle to the legalization of marijuana.

"Until the U.S. changes its mind, there is squat all we can do here,"
he said.

Bill could cause discrimination

Handing out fines instead of pressing charges could hurt those already
vulnerable, Brown said.

Because of the abundant amount of paperwork involved in pressing
charges, Victoria police pretty much leave people they see smoking pot
to themselves, he noted. But that could change if police were able to
hand out fines and the people who would be hit the hardest are the
homeless, Brown said.

While those with money could enjoy a joint in the comfort of their
home, avoiding fines, those on the streets would be prime ticket
cadets, he said.

How do you test for marijuana?

The biggest problem with decriminalizing minor possession of marijuana
is were you draw the limit, Sgt. Hamilton said. Until alcohol,
marijuana can not be tested for through a breathalyzer. A blood sample
is need to test for pot and that in itself presents a charter
challenge, he said. Therefore it would be impossible to check that
people weren't driving high, Sgt. Hamilton said.

Martin's say

It's not the magic bullet, but it's a start, says Keith
Martin.

Although one of the main driving forces behind the bill is to destroy
the underpinnings of organized crime, it would also opens up the
debate for having a rational drug policy rather than the status quo,
he said. The bill will save the police force time and the country
money that could be redirected to programs that reduce the incidence
of substance abuse, Martin said.

"We are doing terrible harm if we continue to address substance abuse
uniquely as a criminal issue from the federal level," he said. "The
blinders have come off; we have to take a medical perspective if we
are going to reduce harm and drug use in Canada."

Martin proposed a similar private member's bill twice before, but both
times they were voted down. In this bill Martin added the allowance of
the possession of two plants.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin