EASED POT LAW COULD SAVE POLICE MILLIONS

OTTAWA -- The federal government's plan to decriminalize pot possession
would free up millions of dollars and thousands of police hours, the latest
statistics suggest.

Police laid a record number of drug-related charges in 2002 and most
offences involved marijuana, Statistics Canada reported yesterday.

Seventy-five per cent of 93,000 drug-related incidents in 2002 involved
pot. Almost three-quarters of those were possession offences, and more than
half of those convicted were fined.

The numbers highlight a rift between police, who support tight enforcement
of pot laws, and more tolerant attitudes by the public, politicians and the
courts.