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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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CN AB: Editorial: Weeding Out Criminals
ccguide Wednesday 17 Jul 2002 Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2002 Calgary Herald Contact: Website: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 WEEDING OUT CRIMINALS Smoking marijuana is a vice, no doubt, but simple possession of this drug should not lead to a criminal record. That's why we support Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's proposed changes to Canada's drug laws. Cauchon is openly musing about decriminalizing marijuana possession, making it an offence punishable with a fine, rather than a criminal record. A sizable penalty could still be a deterrent to use, but without the legal overkill. According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, at least 1.5 million Canadians smoke marijuana. All are potential criminals under existing law. Those who have been convicted face barriers to travelling abroad, applying for jobs in certain fields, or even signing up to be parent drivers on school field trips. Decriminalizing would expunge the criminal records of tens of thousands of Canadians and give them back these freedoms. Cauchon said the laws are not being consistently enforced across the country. That may be because many law enforcers are unwilling to impose a criminal record on a person simply for indulging a vice. However, law enforcement resources are still being needlessly squandered on this relatively minor offence. In British Columbia, the province widely regarded as having the most lax enforcement, of 9,520 drug charges in 2000, 61 per cent were for cannabis. Of the 5,840 cannabis charges, 35 per cent were for simple possession. If trafficking, cultivating and importing are the source of most drug-related street violence, and if heroin, cocaine and other drugs have a more detrimental effect on users, these are the areas that should dominate the charges. Reclassifying marijuana would signal to enforcement agencies that it's time to change priorities. Cauchon's approach would more effectively address the criminal element associated with the drug trade, but would stop short of normalizing drug use. That seems fair. Canadians may be ready to take a more lenient view of what a person should be permitted to do in the privacy of his home, but they are probably not ready to go much further. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom
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