DON'T LEGALIZE POT, SAYS PMPB

The public believes marijuana is about to become legal with the
federal government's proposal to decriminalize pot, says Port Moody's
police chief.

But he wants to send a different message.

"The confusion is already out there," said Chief Const. Paul Shrive,
who last week voted with the PoMo Police Board to oppose the
decriminalization of marijuana. "The message to young people, we
think, is just the wrong message to send."

Under the proposed law, adults found with less than 15 grams of
cannabis will face a fine as much as $400 and young people will be
penalized up to $250.

(The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs also has opposed the
proposed decriminalization of pot and the BC Association of Police
Boards will decide its position at a meeting next month after hearing
from municipal police boards.)

Shrive said in 38 years as a police officer, he has never met a drug
addict who hasn't started with pot. "Some of those people started with
alcohol," he said, "but not one of them didn't progress or get
involved with marijuana.

"There's people who argue that marijuana is not a gateway drug but my
experience tells me that if I'm a father and I have a young son or
daughter, and I find they're involved in marijuana, I am really going
to be worried about it because I don't know if they're going to be one
of those people who can just deal with marijuana as if it's a harmless
drug or one who decides to then progress."

This year alone, PoMo Police have uncovered about 20 marijuana growing
operations in the city, most of them in high-end homes on Heritage
Mountain, including two last Friday. That day at a house in the
100-block of Aspenwood Drive, police seized 500 marijuana plants and
arrested a couple in their 60s; an hour later, PMPD executed a second
search warrant at a home on Balsam Drive and discovered 800 plants.
Street value of the pot from the homes is $1 million.

Shrive also said he fears growers will turn to methamphetamine labs to
make even more money. "It's just a matter of time," he said. "The
danger to the community from the meth labs is just unbelievable. When
we discover a lab of any size, we call Ottawa to send us at least one
scientist to help us dismantle it."