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.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom