TOO MUCH TIME SPENT 'BUSTING POT SMOKERS'

Editor:

While Constable Frizzell and MP John Reynolds complain that the RCMP
is understaffed, I wonder why neither suggests that available police
resources be used in a more efficient manner.

Although the vast majority of British Columbians accept marijuana as
an essentially harmless herb with many valuable medicinal and social
uses, BC police are spending ever-increasing amounts of time and
personnel on busting pot smokers.

In "pot-friendly" BC, police lay far more charges far marijuana
possession than any other province. According to Statistics Canada,
BC cops lay twice as many marijuana possession charges than the
national average, and five times that of Quebec. Each year Toronto
and Montreal each lay about 42 pot possession charges per 100,000
population. Vancouver's rate is a massive 260.

In BC, the "war on drugs" is really a war on marijuana. 70% of all
drug charges in BC involve only cannabis. Half of BC's 8000 annual
drug offences are for simple possession of pot!

British Columbia also sinks precious police personnel and resources
into special "Green Teams," whose sole task is to raid homes and
destroy marijuana plants in a vigilante style. This is not the kind
of policing that the people of BC want to pay for!

If Constable Frizzell and John Reynolds were truly representing the
communities they serve, both would be outspoken advocates for ending
the war on cannabis, and devoting police resources to real crimes.

Legalizing marijuana would bring us all better policing and safer communities.

Dana Larsen BC Marijuana Party candidate for Powell River - Sunshine Coast

* The numbers I have quoted come from Statistics Canada and I can
provide verification of my data upon request.