cannabisnews.com: Ease Pot Law, Chief Bob Says Ease Pot Law, Chief Bob Says Posted by CN Staff on July 05, 2002 at 08:02:06 PT By Andrea Wiebe, Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun Edmonton's top cop says decriminalizing personal-use pot possession - with a few provisos -might be a better drug deal for everyone. "I think we need to do things that have positive outcomes at the end of the day," Chief Bob Wasylyshen told The Sun yesterday. "Charging people and putting them through the justice system, it can't cure all of society's problems. It penalizes people for breaking the law - and that has to happen - but the trouble is, you may take a drug addict into the courtroom and send the drug addict out of the courtroom, so what have you really accomplished? Not very much." That's why the chief, who in the past said he's opposed to decriminalizing marijuana, now says he's "warm" to the position of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. People found with less than 30 grams of weed should be ticketed instead of criminally charged, but only if the government introduces programs to curb demand for the drug, "including a balance of prevention, education, enforcement, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation and diversion programs," the association says on its Web site. The association stipulates it does not condone drug use of any kind and does not support legalizing marijuana. And neither does Wasylyshen. "The outright decriminalization of marijuana, I opposed it previously, and I oppose it now," he said. But Wasylyshen believes Canada could establish a better drug strategy if all levels of government worked with police and others to cut the demand for marijuana. He also supports having one individual responsible for developing a Canadian strategy to fight drug use, like the drug czar appointed in the U.S. "One of the things that's missing, for example, is a connection between the different levels of government." But the president of the Edmonton Police Association believes Wasylyshen's stance goes too far. Sgt. Peter Ratcliff said cops already exercise discretion in laying criminal charges for small amounts of marijuana. "I was a sergeant on the street for five years and I don't recall any of my guys charging for, I guess, you'd call it minute amounts, like a couple of joints or something like that." Legally, 30 grams or less is considered simple possession, and "that's like a sandwich-bag full," Ratcliff said. The association won't support any form of decriminalization, because rank-and-file cops believe marijuana use leads to bigger issues, he added. "As soon as you start saying it's recreational or it's a soft drug, you open that door to saying, well, it's OK. And they have already done that - they've changed the Criminal Code to the point where having a couple of joints in your pocket and going out and blowing a couple joints at a party or a concert is perfectly normal." And the chiefs association's push for federal health and education programs to reduce demand is "an awful big wish," Ratcliff said. "We take a more stringent view on the use itself." Note: Still remains opposed to legalization.Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Andrea Wiebe, Edmonton SunPublished: Friday, July 5, 2002Copyright: 2002 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: sun.letters ccinet.ab.ca Website: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Article & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmWhy We Inhale http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13298.shtmlSenate Committee Hears from Marijuana Advocatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12843.shtmlHearings To Seek Attitudes About Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12795.shtmlCanada: The Debate Over Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12697.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Naaps on July 05, 2002 at 12:27:36 PT How magnanimous and compassionate… Yeah right. Edmonton Police Chief Bob Wasylyshen’s is essentially on side with the recently defeated MP Keith Martin private member’s decriminalization bill. He would have cannabis users as attractive cash cows. Presently, busting someone for possession necessitates time and expense for bringing them to the station, processing them, and then following through with court time and more expense. Instead, the police will pass out a ticket. How much are the fines? Wasylyshen doesn’t say. I’ve heard proposals for the first offence to be a $250 fine, the second for $500, and the third for $1000. Clearly, using fines makes busting cannabis users attractive.Picture the police happening upon a quiet, convivial gathering of, say 6 users, a couple being medical users, but without their official exemptions. Further, a couple of the users have prior ticketing incidents. So, the cop writes up 6 tickets, 4 for $250, and the other couple for $1000. Half an hour of police work yields $3000 worth of tickets.With the present situation in BC being that an ounce of pot, or less, means nothing more than having it confiscated, why would a pot user consider the idea of fines acceptable. I know people who defiantly declare that those fines won’t be paid.Incidentally, decrimination in the form of Operation Springboard is presently available in Toronto. First time offenders, found with less than an ounce, who admit their mistake, weren’t originally caught on school grounds or inside a motor vehicle, are eligible to avoid a criminal record if they perform 25 to 40 hours of community service. One lucky person went through the program after being charged with a mere 0.02 grams of cannabis!Hence, the people control industry sees decriminalization as a regime for either making cannabis users easy prey cash cows, or alternatively, slave laborers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by hempcanadian on July 05, 2002 at 11:00:11 PT: p4me -Sensi in Canada! Hey p4me(It has been almost 2 years now since the Ontario Supreme Court? Terry Parker case said the government had to clean up its policy on MMJ and it gave it one year to do that. When are they actually going to have a sensible and workable MMJ program in Canada?)Sensible? Workable? Nada so far That's why myself and a handful of other medical users are taking the sensible/workable issues to court. Wont be long now before Canada has to appease us sick people Papers have been served The ball is in motion who let the dogs out? herbman The Hemp Canadian [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on July 05, 2002 at 10:51:43 PT Press Release from Steve Kubby RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2002 CONTACT: Brian Carlisle (604) 316-3730 or 1-888-249-0336 Dale Pederson, Attorney for the Kubbys (604) 824-4644 Steve Kubby (604) 885-7651 BRITISH COLUMBIA - Terminally ill Wes Winchester says he's happy he was able to walk out of a B.C. Supreme Courthouse a free man, thanks to a new decision by the high court supporting medical use of cannabis. Police raided Wes Winchester's home in September of 2000 and seized 96 plants, charging Winchester with cultivation and trafficking. On June 25th, a B.C. Supreme Court Justice stayed drug charges against Winchester who suffers from AIDS and three types of hepatitis. He says smoking marijuana is the only way he can keep his daily cocktail of 67 pills down. The Supreme Court agreed and recognized Winchester's use as personal. Now two American political refugees are seeking exemptions as well. Steve and Michele Kubby have filled an application to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, based upon the Winchester decision. The application, which has supporting medical documentation over an inch thick, has been scheduled for hearing on July 15th at 10 am in Chilliwack, British Columbia, just east of Vancouver. The Kubby's learned about the new Winchester decision from another patient Brian Carlisle, who is also having his application heard at the same time. "We are grateful to Brian Carlisle and Wes Winchester for their historic work and we are very optimistic about our upcoming hearing. We've had favorable decisions from other, more conservative Canadian Provinces, but the Winchester decision breaks new ground and it's right here in B.C., " noted Steve Kubby. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by p4me on July 05, 2002 at 09:40:32 PT The internet is going to get them I just watched the 4 minute video of pot-tv covering the June 6th action of a West LA cannabis club. I make special mention of it because Jack Herer is in it. Thank goodness for the internet: http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1387.ramColin Davies had his bail hearing in Manchester by video link, got bail, and then the prosecutors said let's do this again on Monday. The protest should have started at 2PM their time or 10AM EDST with the big protest to be tomorrow. Richard Cowan promised coverage today at marijuananews.com and is not up yet.Nol Van Schaik started a thread "Actual situation of Colin Davies, remanded in Walton, Liverpool": http://212.129.240.114/upload/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3384 Update :There was alot of confusion and misinformation again, here is the actual situation :Colin Davies, the founder of the first UK cofffeeshop, is in prison again, after an unbelievable series of arrests in and around Stockport, he was even molested in the accused box of Stockports Magistrates Court, by the PC’s who dragged him in ! Colin has been taken to Walton prison, in Liverpool, wich seems to be a dungeon style place, even compared to Strangeways. Inmates in walton are behind lockup for 22 hours a day, and are not allowed to communicate amongst eachother, they send signals by bouncing on the tables, like they do in the jungle on drums… Colins bailrequest will take place in Manchester Crown Court, Friday July 5, around 14.30 hrs. Colin will not be taken to court, he will be videolinked from Liverpool, to be ‘present’ to ‘face’ the ones judging him.If Colin is not bailed today, there will be a major protest, started in and from the DE in Stockport. A support protesters team from the Bournemouth DE is on its way to participate in the protests over this weekend, if Colin is kept in Prison.Further updates will follow in this thread ! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by p4me on July 05, 2002 at 09:20:10 PT 5 joints a week makes you smarter Cannabis Culture has an article up that says smoking 5 joints a week increased the IQ of people in the study: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2488.htmlThe Cannabis Culture magazine draws from the informationn in this research article: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/166/7/887?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cannabis&searchid=1025853946146_44&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&journalcode=cmajIt has been almost 2 years now since the Ontario Supreme Court? Terry Parker case said the government had to clean up its policy on MMJ and it gave it one year to do that. When are they actually going to have a sensible and workable MMJ program in Canada? My word for the day is illumination. When you see the workings of the governments in their effort to stop the acceptance of the prohibitionist dread of the marijuana plant, it illuminates things so that you see what others cannot. I am still waiting for the article "It's the money stupid." Now I think there needs to be an article about the illumination one gets when seeing things through a cannabis reform perspective, especially a Cnews perspective developed through the news itself and the prospective of people like Kap, EJ, and Ledher. OK, Mayan, Hope, DrZombie, and everyone else. I would like to thank the Canadians for their recent comments and I wonder what life is like on the other side of the cannabis curtain in Niagra Falls. 1,2 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment