cannabisnews.com: Cops Take Pot-Shots at Lax Drug Laws Cops Take Pot-Shots at Lax Drug Laws Posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 15:01:01 PT By Andrea Wiebe -- Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun Canada's police chiefs might not support limited pot decriminalization if they walked in the shoes of some street-level cops, says the head of the Canadian Police Association. "The rank-and-file police are in the trenches. We see the harm caused to people first hand," said Grant Obst. "We're not in any upper-floor office, viewing it from a paper point of view." And that's why the police association refuses to support loosening any of Canada's drug laws, even though the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has called for changes, Obst said. "The chiefs' job is to ensure that resources are deployed in the most efficient way they can be, and that is their priority." Obst said police believe decriminalizing the possession of even small amounts of pot for personal use encourages kids to experiment with marijuana, which can lead to harder drug use. It also would lead to increased impaired driving, he said. "The chiefs' position is that we waste resources in trying to enforce this possession law, and I'm saying, no we don't." But the 12-year chairman of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug committee said his group wants people found with less than 30 grams of weed to be ticketed instead of criminally charged. The chiefs only support decriminalizing small possession amounts for personal use in conjunction with a government-sponsored drug education program for students and proper health support for drug users, said Brockville, Ont., police Chief Barry King. His association doesn't condone drug use of any kind, "but we believe that the penalty for personal use only is excessive," King said. "The criminal record is onerous on people that are experimenting or trying it once in a while." But King said his association believes Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin's private member's bill to decriminalize pot goes too far, because it lessens penalties for larger amounts. A Senate committee and a House of Commons committee are examining non-medical drug use in Canada. Newshawk: puff_tuffSource: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Andrea Wiebe -- Edmonton SunPublished: Tuesday, November 6, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comsunWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:FTE's Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCriminal Possession Law is Reefer Madnesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11272.shtmlChasing Potheads Called Waste of Timehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11258.shtmlCanada Goes to Pot - We Should Follow http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10487.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on November 07, 2001 at 10:31:34 PT: Many thanx for the links! Beteen Jose, mayan, and JRBD I've learned something new...and had old and very evil suspicions confirmed. The business about the pipeline in Afghanistan being re-activated is a dead giveaway as to who is really behind all this. Just as Colombia is, this is a blatant attempt to use the only possible popular rationale (We gotta protect our chil-drun from the scourge of druuuugs!) to grab enough oil to put the ruling Merchant Houses of this planet in the catbird seat for the next 500 years.All with US taxpayer dollars, of course. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 06, 2001 at 19:40:48 PT Other alternative news sites I just read the story linked to in message #2... and I gotta say, I love it when people post this sort of thing here. It makes me see the traditional Mass Media for their deceptive selves as they so often are. MSNBC was just showing all the headlines from the English-language papers in the region of Pakistan/Afghanistan... but they didn't have the courage to show the Guardian with their "It's Official - Cannabis a Medical Miracle" article. They want to show you the war that's starting, not the one that's ending. The only other alternative news website I've found through here is http://www.debka.com but I can also reccomend Security News at the link below, and don't forget about http://english.pravda.ru/ - they've actually got a half-decent website! Security News [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 06, 2001 at 19:18:58 PT "I am Everyman," sayeth the leader. >>Canada's police chiefs might not support limited pot decriminalization if they walked in the shoes of some street-level cops, says the head of the Canadian Police Association. "The rank-and-file police are in the trenches. We see the harm caused to people first hand," said Grant Obst. "We're not in any upper-floor office, viewing it from a paper point of view." Maybe I'm not 100% clear on the structure of the Canadian Police, but I can pretty well tell from these two sentences that Officer Obst cannot simultaneously be a normal rank-and-file police officer and the head of the Canadian Police Association. Sure, he may be on duty, but he's got rank and status, right? Surely they don't put rookies in charge? Though that might explain a lot... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by mayan on November 06, 2001 at 16:47:02 PT The Cops Are Thinking... more bogus laws = job security + overtime.They don't care if laws are just,they just want more laws! But soon they will have to drop their doughnuts & fight real crime!Here's a cool cop's take on 9/11 http://www.copvcia.com/stories/nov_2001/lucy.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on November 06, 2001 at 16:08:45 PT: the other pot-shot The truth on this issue is well documented. Cops are worried they will actually have to fight REAL CRIME, instead of taking up to four hours to bust some pothead. We are easy to catch, and don't resist. Honestly Officer, contrast that with a drunk... from: http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200southlondonheadlines/page.cfm? Top Cop takes a pot shot Aug 31 2001 Exclusive By Stian Alexander and Vicky Wilks, South London Press BEAT bobbies across London are resisting the plans to implement Lambeth's softly-softly approach to cannabis because it will cut into their overtime.(emphasis mine) The shocking news comes hot on the heels of a lively community debate on Wednesday night when there were calls for Lambeth council to carry out a referendum to see if people want licensed cannabis cafes to open up in Brixton. In an open and frank interview with the South London Press, Lambeth's top cop, Commander Brian Paddick, revealed that officers in other London boroughs may try to block the scheme being implemented throughout London because it will leave them out of pocket. He said some officers use the four hours it takes to process an offender caught in possession of cannabis to boost their overtime bonuses. Top Cop takes a pot shot [ Post Comment ] Post Comment