Listen to the police
The Ottawa Citizen April 29, 2010 3:04 AM
Musing about the value of Canada's marijuana laws, Ottawa Police Chief Vern White expressed a view that probably matches exactly the feelings of most Canadians.
White is not prepared to say that marijuana is harmless, because it's not. In particular, there is evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, can contribute to the onset of schizophrenia. But White does not believe Canadians should be saddled with criminal records for possessing the drug. More than half of Canadians, according to a recent poll, agree that personal use of marijuana should not be a criminal act.
When one of the most respected police chiefs in Canada, and a man who might well be the next commissioner of the RCMP, makes such a statement, government officials should pay attention. Especially when that also reflects the views of a majority of Canadians. (In some provinces -- British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario -- just about 60 per cent of residents support outright legalization of cannabis.)
White believes that his view about the wrongheadness of making criminals of marijuana users is shared by other chiefs across the country. That wouldn't be surprising. More than a decade ago, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police recommended that the federal government decriminalize possession of marijuana and hashish. The chiefs didn't go so far as argue for legalization, but they felt that people caught with small amounts of the drugs shouldn't have to suffer sanctions greater than a fine, to be handled outside of court.
The then-Liberal government drafted legislation that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis. That bill eventually died when the 2006 election was called.
Decriminalizing marijuana possession may seem at odds with the Stephen Harper government's much-touted tough-on-crime agenda, but it is not. Police officials who have supported decriminalization in recent years say it would allow more attention to be focused on prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
The so-called "war on drugs" has never worked, as every criminologist knows. Chief White himself once said that, when it comes to addressing urban pathologies, municipalities sometimes would be better off with more social workers on the street than police officers.
Again, it's important to note that White is not talking about wholesale drug decriminalization, but decriminalization for small amounts of marijuana -- he suggests 30 grams as a cutoff. This is already happening in an unofficial way, with police officers routinely opting to deal gently with users they stumble upon. As White puts it, "most guys don't get charged with marijuana anyway." Officers will instead just grind what's left of the joint into the ground and maybe issue a warning.
Leaving a law on the books that front-line officers know is counter-productive and obsolete, and which they inconsistently enforce, creates confusion and unfairness. Some Canadians might even be under the impression that possession of marijuana is no longer a criminal offence in Canada.
It is, but that should change. If the Harper government is serious about law and order in Canada, it should heed the advice of bona fide law-and-order experts like Chief White.
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