TURNING BLIND EYE TO DRUG SALES MAKES MOCKERY OF LAW

The problem with so many of Vancouver's marijuana activists,
well-intentioned though they may be, is that they want to have their
cake and eat it too.

They say they want to live in a civilized society. But, they don't
want to abide by its rules -- or at least those they don't like.

The same goes for so many of our political leaders. They say they
don't like the violence, family disruption and other misery caused by
illegal drugs. But, they don't want to appear unfriendly towards the
drug trade -- for fear of offending those who still think drug-taking
is cool.

The nonchalant attitude by Vancouver police and other officials
towards drug sales at a Commercial Drive cafe is a case in point.

They admit they knew that the cafe, the Da Kine Smoke and Beverage
Shop, had been openly selling marijuana for months, but say they
didn't act because of a lack of resources. Though, as local community
leaders point out, that is hardly a valid excuse.

What message does it send to the more than 1,000 students at nearby
Britannia High School?

"We have a lot of people going in there smoking, getting high and then
wandering up and down the Drive, and I don't see why the city
sanctions it," noted Eileen Mosca, who heads the Grandview-Woodlands
Community Policing Centre.

And what message does it send to those small businesspeople who are
trying to make an honest living selling legal substances?

"They [the cafe] should never have been allowed to open in the first
place," noted Pia Tofini Johnson, of the Commercial Drive Business
Improvement Association

Well, the message sadly is that Vancouver is more than simply a
drug-friendly city. It's a positive haven for drug-dealers.

No wonder some U.S. border officials give visitors to their country
from Vancouver such a hard time. And no wonder our children have so
many drug problems.

For now, the Da Kine cafe says it has stopped selling pot. But, cafe
owner Carol Gwilt vows to be back in business soon.

"Marijuana is part of B.C. and it's part of Canada," she told Province
reporter Stuart Hunter.

Selling marijuana, however, is still illegal in Canada -- and for good
reason. Smoking it can lead to host of health problems, including
impairing one's judgment while driving a motor vehicle.

So, until the law is changed, it should be obeyed and enforced.

The alternative is anarchy.

What do you think?