Going to pot
Police chiefs reveal casual attitude toward drug use
It would no doubt be quicker for police to simply write a ticket for those caught possessing marijuana, but law enforcement isn’t traditionally about taking the easy route. More worrisome, however, is the fact a proposal by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police comes dangerously close to decriminalizing the drug, despite protestations to the contrary.
“The CACP is not in support of decriminalization or legalization of cannabis in Canada,” association president Jim Chu said in a release this week. “It must be recognized, however, that under the current legislation, the only enforcement option for police, when confronted with simple possession of cannabis, is either to turn a blind eye or lay charges.”
Chu is right — if the amount of pot is so small as to be largely inconsequential, then officers may indeed decide the matter isn’t worth their time and let the suspect off with a warning. That’s no different than a police officer waving a motorist on after clocking her at five km/h over the speed limit. It’s called using discretion.
But where larger sums of marijuana are involved — even below the 30-gram threshold proposed by the police chiefs — criminal charges are appropriate, regardless of the fact that those who are convicted use up court time and police resources and have to live with long-term consequences, such as troubles with travelling out of the country and getting a job. Even 28 grams can be rolled into ap- proximately 56 joints, which is hardly a trifling sum.
The reality is that a ticket doesn’t carry the same weight as a criminal conviction, so by proposing weaker punishment, police chiefs are encouraging a casual attitude to harmful drug use. Dispensing tickets for possession of modest amounts of pot would put the crime on the same level as other common infractions — things like taking an open tin of beer to the beach or driving down Deerfoot Trail while talking on your cellphone. These sorts of indiscretions occur routinely, and it would be a grave mistake to treat the possession of more than 50 marijuana cigarettes in such a fashion. Thankfully, the police chiefs can’t change the law — they can only forward their proposal to the federal government, which has been quick to dismiss their plea.
“These drugs are illegal because of the harmful effects they have on users — and on society for that matter,” said Justice Minister Peter MacKay. “As a government, we have a responsibility to protect the interests of families across this country.”
Some people have called for the legalization of marijuana — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who has admitted to smoking pot while serving as an MP, among them — but police chiefs have adopted an odd position for a group tasked with upholding Canada’s laws. Thankfully, their misguided musings have gone up in smoke because of a sensible-minded federal government.
Even 28 grams can be rolled into approximately 56 joints, which is hardly a trifling sum.