THE DANGERS OF KEEPING POT ILLEGAL

Last week's seizure of a Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo is a
welcome sign the province is acting on its much-ballyhooed B.C. Civil
Forfeiture Act, passed last year to give the government the power to
seize cash, property and assets of those who derive income from
illegal activity, including drug trafficking.

But it also highlights how complacent we in B.C. are about the
criminal effects of "B.C. bud." We joke about how it's hard to commit
a crime when you're on the couch eating chips, but the reality is that
marijuana trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal industry,
fuelling gangs and their associated violence.

The marijuana itself is relatively benign, certainly compared with
alcohol and other drugs.

The business of illegally selling and shipping it, however, is
anything but - as the recent carnage on the streets of Vancouver has
made deadly clear.

So while we applaud the province's action to start cracking down on
gang activity, we also urge the federal government to take the next
obvious step to put a crimp in gang income: Decriminalizing the
possession of personal quantities of marijuana, and perhaps even
permitting the growing of a limited number of plants for personal use.

The former Liberal government sensibly introduced legislation in 2003
to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot. But it was never
passed and the Harper government is committed to treating possession
of the drug as a crime.

The benefits to Canada's justice system of legalizing marijuana would
be immediate. Police would have more time to investigate real crime,
including cracking down on harder drugs. The courts wouldn't be bogged
down by trivial pot charges. Jail cells could be reserved for actual
criminals.

Canadian society as a whole would benefit as well. The millions spent
on fruitless efforts to curtail pot use could go to educating young
people about the real risks of marijuana, alcohol and all drugs and to
better treatment for those who are addicted.

Decriminalization has not increased use in other jurisdictions. In
fact, as our experience with tobacco shows, it allows for better
control and more effective efforts to reduce use.

Of course, gangs have their tentacles in far more than just the
marijuana business: Hard-drug trafficking, weapon smuggling and
extortion are just some of the way they finance their operations.

But taking the pot income away would be an effective and punishing
start.