Pubdate: Sat, 19 Dec 2015 Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB) Copyright: 2015 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc. Contact: http://www.medicinehatnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833 Author: Alex McCuaig Page: B9 LIBERALS FACE CHOICE OF OPTIONS ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH POT As the federal Grits move towards legalizing marijuana, there are two important considerations that need to be taken into account before Canadians form an opinion on this policy shift. The first is they should consult with a 15-year-old regarding the current accessibility of the drug. It may be a surprise to many Canadians that pot is currently readily available to youth, arguably far more accessible than even cigarettes and alcohol. The second consideration is what are the financial and social costs associated with greater enforcement, maintaining the status quo and legalization. The status quo is likely the preferred choice of those who peddle the drug as the result is a near unmolested ability to deal a commodity in a totally unregulated market place. There is no monitoring of who the drug is sold to nor any accountability for the billions generated from the illicit trade. In Canada, the pot trade is part of a commodity system that results in marijuana produced here shipped south of the border with cocaine and harder drugs brought north. Funds generated by this trade fuel organized crime so it may conduct many other illicit endeavours. For law-enforcement agencies dealing with a greater and never-ending penetration of devastating drugs such as meth, crack and fentanyl, marijuana unquestionably ranks on the bottom of the drug enforcement scale. Canadians may or may not like the status quo but there are few who would argue the above assessment isn't the current reality. So what is required for greater enforcement of the marijuana trade? The answer is simple - money. Unlike heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, people aren't dying in the streets from consuming marijuana. Many would argue legally obtained prescription drugs, alcohol and cigarettes kill more Canadians each year than pot. So the issue becomes one of priorities - do you put it on pot over other more dangerous illegal drugs, do you pour vast amounts of resources to tackle the whole illicit drug trade equally or do you target the most dangerous first and work your way down? All those options require vast amounts of money to fund law enforcement to catch the drug peddlers and even more to prosecute and jail them. The paradox is that while many Canadians want greater enforcement of the drug trade, they don't want to pay for it through higher taxes. Which leads to the attraction for government, some law enforcement and general public as well as the judiciary of the legalization option of marijuana. But that too has its own problems as it puts another substance on the table that potentially could have damaging social consequences. While there isn't necessarily any good options, the federal Liberals made the legalization of pot part of its election platform which Canadians voted to back. There are those who oppose the move towards legalization but few offer anything in the way of options other than the status quo. And those who do believe tougher enforcement is the way to go aren't prepared to back a campaign to raise taxes to crack down on the pot trade. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom