Pubdate: Tue, 01 Dec 2015 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Rob Breakenridge Page: B4 LEGALIZING POT SHOULDN'T BE ANOTHER PROMISE TO GO UP IN SMOKE Prohibition Has Not Served Us Well, Let's Hope Trudeau Follows Through After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent climb down on his refugee commitment, it might be fair to wonder how many other of his election promises might be compromised. For example, is it a certainty that marijuana will be legalized? It was one of Trudeau's first promises as Liberal leader, and his mandate letters to the relevant ministers spell out the need to create a federal-provincial process "that will lead to the legalization and regulation of marijuana." Mind you, "creating a process" makes it sound like the government is less than 100 per cent committed. If there's any kind of significant pushback on this issue, will they get cold feet? The public, at least, seems to be onside with the concept. A recent Forum research poll found 59 per cent support nationally for Trudeau's legalization plan - 60 per cent support here in Alberta. Hopefully, that's enough to keep the government on track. There's still the question of law enforcement. Police chiefs and the police associations have long been opposed to legalization. And on other issues, those voices have carried a lot of weight. Will they use that influence to derail marijuana legalization? Shortly after October's federal election, the president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police gave a rather diplomatic response: "Our fundamental role ... is to enforce laws and prevent crime, not to support or disapprove of legislation." And that's exactly as it should be. Former Calgary police chief Rick Hanson, however, took a much different view on such matters, and was never shy about expressing his opinion on what laws we needed or did not need. So where does our current chief stand? Back in October, newly minted police Chief Roger Chaffin seemed to take a hands-off approach. He expressed his hope that law enforcement would at least be consulted, and said in the meantime, they would "continue our education, enforcement and public outreach activities in regards to marijuana and other illicit drugs." But less than a month later, Chaffin seemed to take a more explicitly anti-legalization stance. He told Postmedia News he didn't think "society needs another drug," and that it wasn't in the "community's best interest to introduce another challenge for what it's like to grow up." How, though, are we "introducing" marijuana? That would imply that prohibition has kept it off Canadian streets, when in fact one of the main arguments against prohibition is how much it has utterly failed to do so. We already have millions of Canadians who use or have used pot. The issue isn't the introduction of a "new" drug, but rather, a more sensible approach to regulating an existing one. And marijuana already is a "challenge" for those growing up. If anything prohibition has likely exacerbated the problem. Does it help to have criminal elements as the prime retailers of marijuana? Does it help to saddle young people with criminal records? Does it help when young people see the irrationality of prohibition and lose respect for the law? Interestingly, Calgary is on the low end of cities, on a per-capita basis, when it comes to the actual laying of possession charges. So if it's not a priority for the Calgary Police Service to begin with, why all the angst? There is certainly a role for police to play in shaping how best to keep drug-impaired drivers off the road, but that's a conversation that needn't wait for legalization to kick in. It would be dangerously naive to pretend marijuana prohibition is keeping stoned drivers from getting behind the wheel. Still, compared to the stridently prohibitionist rhetoric of his predecessor, Chaffin's remarks seem relatively restrained. But yet, there's a hint he might pose an obstacle to finally reforming our laws. Let's hope not. We've not been well-served by marijuana prohibition, and we shouldn't want the law enforcers dictating to the elected law makers. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom