cannabisnews.com: Pot Possession Tickets a Half-Baked Idea: MP





Pot Possession Tickets a Half-Baked Idea: MP
Posted by FoM on August 28, 1999 at 06:41:32 PT
By Paul Cowan
Source: Edmonton Sun
Edmonton Liberal MP David Kilgour is warning Canada's police chiefs risk sending out the wrong message when they talk about ticketing pot users instead of taking them to court.
The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs is proposing ticketing people caught instead of taking them to court as a more flexible approach to drug enforcement, which will ease pressure on the justice system.Brockville Police Chief Barry King insisted that the move was not the same thing as legalizing cannabis.But Kilgour, MP for Edmonton Southeast said the chiefs should be very careful about any proposal which might lessen the seriousness of cannabis use."I think many people could see this proposal as saying just that," said Kilgour."It will confuse a lot of people."Kilgour recently wrote an article in the Edmonton Bar Association Bulletin condemning any move towards decriminalizing "soft" drugs such as marijuana.He said the distinction between "soft" and "hard" drugs was artificial."Marijuana is not harmless," he declared."A 1994 study found that marijuana and its derivatives were detected in 276 drivers killed on Canadian roads."Marijuana is seven times as powerful now than it was in the 1960s and some derivatives as 25 times stronger."In the article Kilgour argued that although fear of arrest for pot possession was not a serious deterrent, it was a reminder that society would not tolerate drugs.He said drug awareness education had a key role to play in tackling Edmonton's drug problem."The choices between (drug) supply reduction and demand reduction, or between enforcement and public health approaches are not mutually exclusive," he wrote."A balanced approach is the 'least worst' one."At this point we must not throw up our hands in surrender, but instead maintain a firm commitment to face this serious and growing threat on all fronts." Pubdate: August 28, 1999Edmonton SunPot Plan No Ticket to Fly, Chiefs Say - 8/27/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2636.shtml
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