OTTAWA'S POT STAND HURTS WAR ON DRUGS: POLICE

EDMONTON - Local efforts to curb illegal drug use are being complicated by
the federal government's mixed message on marijuana, a high-ranking
Edmonton police officer said Friday.

"Messages that may be coming from some prevention programs don't
necessarily jibe with the message from the feds. Of course that's
problematic," deputy chief Mike Bradshaw said.

"I'm sure there are some young people that are out there now who believe
the possession of a small amount of marijuana is OK."

Bradshaw made the comments after a private meeting organized by Mayor Bill
Smith that brought participants from organizations like the Alberta
Solicitor General's office, the Capital Health Authority, the Alberta
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission and the local school boards together to
discuss ways to collectively combat drug use in the city.

It was the group's third meeting since Smith called on all Edmontonians to
declare a "war on drugs" in October. He issued the call to action after an
incident which police described as a drug deal gone bad left a third young
man dead in four weeks.

At previous meetings, participants agreed there could be better
coordination between all the agencies that have a role in fighting drug
use. Friday, they worked to identify problem areas and the best way to move
forward.

Smith said he hopes the efforts will lead to a "made in Edmonton" anti-drug
strategy that focuses on education, intervention, enforcement and treatment.

The federal government could help local efforts by clarifying its
intentions towards marijuana legislation, Bradshaw said on Friday.

The federal government is considering decriminalizing marijuana so that
anyone caught with possession of a small amount would be ticketed, not
taken to court on a criminal charge.

Police Chief Bob Wasylyshen and Smith are both on record opposing any such
change.

But local organizations also can do a great deal of work to help
themselves, Bradshaw said.

"We tend to paint ourselves into a corner and we police would just deal
with the enforcement aspect," Bradshaw said. "We're saying, you know what,
our role probably goes much beyond that."

For example, he said, if police recognize someone is at risk of illegal
drug use, but has yet to do anything that requires police intervention, it
would help to know where to direct that person to go for help.