cannabisnews.com: Pot Power To Police: MADD





Pot Power To Police: MADD
Posted by CN Staff on May 17, 2003 at 08:08:44 PT
By Rob Drinkwater, Special To The Edmonton Sun
Source: Edmonton Sun
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers is calling for police to have more power to nab impaired drivers if Canada relaxes marijuana laws. "We have a lot of members that have lost family in drug-impaired crashes," MADD national president Louise Knox told The Sun yesterday. Knox said a delegation from the organization was in Ottawa last week meeting with politicians to discuss the federal government's plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot. 
The Globe and Mail reported yesterday that draft legislation for the new marijuana law will not make it illegal to drive while smoking pot. Police will still be able to charge people with impaired driving for smoking pot if they can gather enough evidence that the person is impaired, the report said. Knox said MADD is lobbying MPs to make it easier for police to gather evidence when they suspect drivers are impaired by drugs. Currently, she said, police can get saliva or urine samples from suspected impaired drivers, but it can sometimes take several days before they can get legal permission to do so. "The burden of proof then comes back on the police officer," Knox said. The federal government has said it plans to decriminalize possession of a small amount of marijuana, which it considers to be 15 grams or less. Instead of a criminal record, people caught with marijuana would face a fine. Knox said surveys are showing more teens are using drugs before driving. A 2001 survey of Ontario teens showed that one in five admitted to driving less than an hour after smoking hashish or marijuana. Note: Drug-impaired drivers also a hazard, warns national boss.Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Rob Drinkwater, Special To The Edmonton SunPublished:  Saturday, May 17, 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.htmNo Laws Ban Possession of Marijuana, Court Ruleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16321.shtmlMarijuana Possession Law 'Erased' http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16320.shtmlThe Next Campaign - Globe and Mailhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16319.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by ekim on May 17, 2003 at 18:13:56 PT
amen Lehder
I was just watching Justice Stephen Breyer(C-Span) at a High school talking to students near DC. He first took a question on how old one must be to be a adult which the Justice said we feel its after one leaves High School.
 One student asked what was his thinking on random drug testing for students. Which brought this reply, well we were asked by the schools to allow this testing so that the student pressured to use drugs by his or her peers would have a reason to say no. He the Justice went on to say that instead of saying to the peers that no I don't like drugs and think its bad that the student could just say that Iam taking band and don't want to mess up my chances to play. To which I wonder what the bigger meaning will be to those students apron leaving High School. By the way the Justice touched on Prohibition and how it was repealed when to much robbing and murdering took place. No mention of how both drug war and drinking war is the same.
 Now as to what the students will be facing apon leaving school--lets see. Instead of becoming a adult with the honor of Driving-Voting-Marriage-Drinking-Having Sex- but wait no use of Cannabis or loose College Loans- or lose of Job- or parental rights- or a drivers license- because now the student sees that what was once a random drug test for Band morphed into Slavery of which they will be shackled the rest of there lives.With out ever having to be proved guilty of ever having hurt another human being. 
 So what happen to becoming a adult. To having the right to ones body and mind so long as we do not harm another. It is odd that our neighbor to the North is raising these issues and being threatened by our Gov't not to act to change the drug laws.
 Is there any wonder the students look so confused and we arrest three quarters of a million citizens every year for Cannabis. The people do not respect this Law. 
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Comment #2 posted by Lehder on May 17, 2003 at 16:29:25 PT
shock and awe
I've just read comment #1, and it made me this of this:
 a quote by Michael Ledeen which I have taken from Lewis Lapham's column in the most recent (June) Harpers. Ledeen is a big shot at the American Enterprise Institute, the "think tank" in Washington D.C. that advises you know who. "Every ten years or so the United States needs to pick up some crappy little country and throw it against the wall just to show the world we mean business."The drug war follows exactly the same prescription. Every ten seconds or so the prohibitionists need to pick up some crappy little person - in this case an innocent lady with a weak heart - and throw her against the wall just to show the unbadged that the drug war means business. Stun grenades, smashed doorways, dead and ruined people everywhere.That's why I'm here. This horrid mentality permeates our whole culture, from top to bottom, but the drug war seems the most extreme manifestation of the institutionalized hatefulness and violence that characterize our society. These should be the traits only of renegades that our officials are paid to protect us from, but violence and stupidity have become official policy directed against all that distinguishes us from beasts. 
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on May 17, 2003 at 15:46:44 PT
bungled police raid
 http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/05/16/crime.mistake.reut/index.html
>
> Woman has fatal heart attack in
> bungled police raid
>
> NEW YORK (Reuters) --Police kicked down the wrong door at a New York
apartment
> house on Friday and a woman with a heart condition died on the way to the
> hospital.
>
> A bungled tip about a drug dealer's cache led police to kick down the door
and
> toss a stun grenade into the apartment of a woman with a heart condition;
she
> died of a heart attack within an hour, police said.
>
> "This is a tragedy. This should not have happened. No doubt about that,"
said
> Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.snipped
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