DON'T LEGALIZE DRUGS, TOP MOUNTIE SAYS

OTTAWA -- New RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli will not support the
legalization of drugs, saying narcotics are a social problem the entire
country has to tackle.

"Police only play one role," Zaccardelli said Thursday in response to a
series of stories that are also running in The Vancouver Sun about the
failure of the United States' war on drugs to stem the tide of drugs and
related crime and violence.

"There is the health role, the education role, all these other issues that
have to be tackled," the commissioner said.

Reiterating the official RCMP position of support for the
de-criminalization of small amounts of marijuana, Zaccardelli said all
elements of society must deal with the demand for illegal drugs while
police forces enforce laws against trafficking and smuggling.