cannabisnews.com: Pot Needs To Be Made Completely Legal Pot Needs To Be Made Completely Legal Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2003 at 08:49:26 PT By Mindelle Jacobs -- Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun American shock and awe notwithstanding, it appears Canada is about to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. While the change will mean a fine instead of a criminal record for those who are busted, it will be business as usual for organized crime groups which have been reaping enormous profits from our predilection for pot. Instead of cutting criminal gangs off at the knees by completely legalizing marijuana, Ottawa has just signalled that expanding their massive fortunes is as easy as the next grow-op. An RCMP report released last week notes that with a small initial investment, a grower can potentially rake in profits of more than $1 million within the first year. "The sheer size of these operations has also reached unprecedented levels," says the study. Because of the huge profits to be made, the low risk and the lenient sentences meted out to growers who are caught, it's difficult, if not impossible, for police departments to make a dent in the pot industry, the report observes. "Since marijuana is by far the most popular and widely available illicit drug, it is unlikely that the current trend will change in the near future," it concludes. Certainly, we're not losing our taste for weed. Pot accounted for three-quarters of all drug-related offences in 2001. Of the 70,000 marijuana-related offences, 70% were for possession. In contrast, in 2001, there were far fewer offences involving other drugs: 12,000 for cocaine, 965 for heroin and 8,000 for other drugs. But it is the hard drugs that cause so much harm. And where does organized crime get the money to manufacture methamphetamines and import ecstasy and coke? From the pot grow-ops, of course. Legalize marijuana, a relatively benign substance, and you steal organized crime's money tree. Without the marijuana black market, the activities of criminal gangs are seriously hampered. Let people freely grow, sell and smoke pot and police services will vastly improve. According to the RCMP report, investigating marijuana grow-ops represents more than half of the cases probed by some police forces. Legalize pot and cops will have the time to investigate real crime. Consider that police are now wasting their time and plenty of taxpayers' money destroying wild marijuana found in fields every year. "Police resources are now being taxed to the point where difficult choices must be made when faced with competing priorities," warns the RCMP report. For what it's worth, here are my priorities. Legalize pot and use the money saved by not going after grow-ops and traffickers for more important things. Last year's parliamentary report on the non-medical use of drugs noted that there's an abysmal lack of treatment services for drug addicts. We should expand those services. The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) has no youth detox centres, for instance. We need them. The agency has three-month day treatment programs for youth in Edmonton and Calgary but none elsewhere in the province. As well, AADAC's adult program has no outreach counsellors in Edmonton and there is still no methadone program in Calgary. Without comprehensive supports, drug addicts end up in the revolving door of jail, mental hospitals and emergency rooms. Dr. Garnet Cummings, site chief of the Royal Alexandra Hospital's emergency department, estimates that 30% of the ward's night patients have problems camouflaged by drugs and booze. The department is nearing the end of a three-year research project to see what percentage of patients have addiction difficulties. Last month alone, of 300 patients interviewed, 26% said they had problems with alcohol, drugs or both. And only one person wanted addiction treatment. Nevertheless, the staff keeps trying. Says Cummings: If we give up on them, who the hell is going to care about them?" Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Mindelle Jacobs -- Edmonton SunPublished: Saturday, May 3, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada's Marijuana Control is Going Up in Smokehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16152.shtmlSupreme Court Will Hear Marijuana-Law Challenge http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16129.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment