Pubdate: Tue, 11 Mar 2014
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2014 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: David Asper
Page: A7

HYBRID POT REFORMS GOOD FOR DEALERS

BASED on recent news reports, it looks like the federal government is
now giving serious consideration to some kind of hybrid
decriminalization of marijuana possession laws. Justice Minister Peter
MacKay denies he is considering decriminalization, but if the reports
are true then that is in part what would happen.

The idea on that table flows from recommendations made by police
chiefs from across Canada who are tired of enforcing the possession
laws given the expense and time of prosecution versus the societal
harm posed by minor marijuana use.

As described in the media, a new law could be enacted that gives
police officers the discretion to either issue a non-criminal 'ticket'
or to charge an individual under the Controlled Drugs and Substances
Act. If given the ticket, the offender would pay a fine and not have a
criminal record. If charged under the CDSA, however, an individual
would potentially have a criminal record if convicted.

This is a small step forward in terms of at least providing a
mechanism whereby possession of a small amount of marijuana might not
lead to the disastrous and disproportionate consequence of being
labelled a criminal. The government should be applauded for having an
open mind on the subject.

It's an odd step in two respects, however. The first is with providing
the discretion to police officers at the time of the commission of the
offence rather than to a Crown attorney.

In Canada, we have three categories of criminal offences: indictable
offences (the very serious ones), summary conviction offences (the
less serious) and what are known as hybrid offences in which the Crown
will determine, based on a number of factors, whether the facts
justify proceeding by indictment or by way of summary conviction.

Making this determination is a crucial step in the criminal-justice
process because the consequences to alleged offenders are far more
serious if they are convicted of an indictable form of the offence
rather than in summary proceedings.

It's important the Crown makes this election and not the police,
because it is in a more detached position to assess what is
appropriate from a systemic perspective.

I worry that when police on the front line of duty are given the power
to elect how to charge an individual, it will be the less likable
folks who will naturally be more likely to face criminal charges. If
two people have the same small amount of marijuana and one says "yes
sir, no sir" to the police officer while the other is more caustic,
the latter will likely be dealt with differently than the former even
though the legal wrongdoing is the same.

But the second and perhaps more troubling aspect of the discussion is
the whole idea the government is prepared to say possession of a small
amount may not be serious enough to be criminal but is still illegal.
By doing this, the government is relaxing the law of possession but
also preserving the illegality of how users obtain the drug.

In other words, the happiest people in the world after hearing about
how the government seems headed to deal with marijuana possession were
the drug dealers. Possession will have less risk of being criminal and
therefore less stigma. As the result, people might feel a bit less
wary of using marijuana, but in order to do so they still have to
support the illegal drug trade.

Had the government agreed to go further, to legalize and regulate
marijuana, then the dealers would have lost most if not all of their
business.

I know there is a political aspect to decriminalization and
legalization of marijuana. The people of Colorado and Washington
states finally took matters into their own hands and by referendum
legalized it. Guess what? The world didn't end. Alaska is now also
headed toward legalization and many other states are considering the
option. Observers in Colorado predict the tax revenue will exceed
expectations and the proceeds are being put toward education in the
state.

It's estimated that in B.C. alone the marijuana crop is a
billion-dollar untaxed business.

Canada has been down the prohibition path before and through the
Canada Temperance Act along with other provincial measures managed to
successfully address alcohol with limits.

Rather than trying to navigate the politics of minor marijuana
possession with laws that attempt to serve too many interests, the
federal government should remove the offence entirely and allow
provinces to tax and regulate it as they see fit. It's cleaner
lawmaking and my guess is governments could use the money. Maybe even
one day the marijuana revenue could at least offset the revenue from
cigarettes which, from a linear harm perspective, should be outlawed
way ahead of marijuana.

- - David Asper is a Winnipeg lawyer and businessman.
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