POLICE OFFICERS LAUNCH DRIVE AGAINST POT DECRIMINALIZATION

Group Cites 'Weakening' Moral Values

OTTAWA -- Canada's police officers will counter a growing movement to
decriminalize marijuana by making a public call today for possession of the
"gateway drug" to remain a criminal offence.

The Canadian Police Association, which will make its pitch to a Senate
committee on illicit drugs, is at odds with both the Canadian Association
of Police Chiefs and the RCMP, which both endorse decriminalization of
possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The police association, in a written brief to be presented to the
committee, decries the "weakening perceptions of risk of harm in drug use
and the weakening moral disapproval of drug use."

The association, which represents Canada's 30,000 officers, makes no
distinction between decriminalization and legalization, unlike other police
organizations that oppose legalization but believe possession should merit
a penalty similar to a traffic ticket rather than a criminal record.

"The costs of legalization will be astronomical," warns the police
association. "As legalization and permissiveness will increase drug use and
abuse substantially, the costs of health care, prevention, productivity
loss and enforcement will increase proportionately."

The association will also hold a press conference today in Ottawa to urge
the government to exercise leadership by showing staunch opposition to more
liberal drug laws.

Until now, the Senate committee, which was charged late last year to
undertake a two-year examination of Canada's drug laws, has mainly heard
evidence supporting decriminalization from witnesses who maintained there
has been scant evidence of health hazards or increased usage in countries
that have wiped pot possession from their criminal codes.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal also kicked off debate outside the
hearings in an editorial two weeks ago calling on the government to
decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

All five political parties in the House of Commons have agreed to strike a
committee to examine the prospect and Tory leader Joe Clark has added his
voice to the decriminalization call.

But Justice Minister Anne McLellan has maintained her longstanding position
that she is open to debate on the issue but has no plan to drop possession
from the Criminal Code.

The police association, which disputes claims that there is no dependency
potential in marijuana, asserts that there is no such distinction as "hard
drugs" and "soft drugs" and that marijuana is a starter drug for other drug
addictions.

"Marijuana is internationally recognized as the gateway drug for other drug
use," says the submission, to be presented by executive officer David
Griffin. "Risk factors for marijuana dependency are similar to those for
other forms of drug abuse and much higher than those for alcohol."

The association then goes on to list health and social problems arising
from smoking the drug, ranging from respiratory damage to memory loss,
psychiatric problems and poor performance at school and work.

The warning of health risks comes after the Canadian Medical Association
Journal said there are "minimal negative" health risks when marijuana is
used in moderation.

The Canadian Association of Police Chiefs and the RCMP both went on the
public record two years ago saying they support decriminalization of
possessing small amounts of pot. But they cautioned that their endorsement
was conditional on introduction of new government initiatives for drug
prevention, education and treatment.

The police chiefs want the law softened so that officers would have the
option of ticketing first-time offenders who are caught with 30 grams or
less, sparing them a criminal record.

The chiefs argue it could free up police resources to tackle more serious
crimes.

Both organizations, however, are against outright legalization.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal, in its editorial, detailed the
legal and social fallout of continuing to criminalize possession of small
amounts of pot, saying the law resulted in 31,299 convictions in 1995.

In the last 30 years, it is estimated that about 500,000 Canadians have
amassed criminal records for marijuana possession.