MIKE THE GANJA SLAYER

It's not often we find ourselves more pro-cop than the premier. The
basis of our newfound respect for the police is an April 21 motion by
the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in favor of
"decriminalizing" marijuana possession. The chiefs would like to
replace the current penalty of jail and a record with a ticket and a
fine. A few days later, the RCMP announced they too support decrim.

By decriminalizing, Canada would join the 11 U.S. states and several
European countries that have already reduced pot penalties to the
level of non-criminal offences.

Mike Harris, however, says he'll fight any move toward decrim. Attention,
Mike: all drug laws are federal in Canada, which means there isn't much you
can do if the Liberals decide to adopt the police chiefs' recommendation.

It's safe to say Harris hasn't thought the issue through.

First, he admits to having no personal experience with pot; unlike
Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP leader Howard Hampton, Harris
has never smoked up. Then he smugly announces he "preferred booze" as
a young man.

We hope this doesn't send the wrong message to kids, because alcohol
costs our health care system a lot more than cannabis does.

According to the Addiction Research Foundation, alcohol costs health
care nearly half-a-billion bucks a year. Tobacco's price tag is double
that. And marijuana? It drains a mere $8 million from provincial
health care each year.

The Institute of Medicine in the United States recently issued a
report refuting prohibitionist claims against pot. To wit, marijuana
generally doesn't drive you insane, doesn't lead to hard drugs and
doesn't cause violent crime. A judge in Toronto came to the same
conclusions in 1997 when he threw out a case against an epileptic
medical marijuana user named Terry Parker, now Canada's only legal
toker.

Harris feels obliged to oppose decrim because he's riding into an
election on a law-and-order platform. Evidently being smart on crime
doesn't enter the equation. If Harris is going to ignore the police --
and the majority of Canadians who now, according to opinion polls,
support decrim -- he might want to listen to what other Conservatives
say about pot.

Back in the late '70s, Joe Clark promised a Tory government would
decriminalize marijuana.

Last year, Reform MP Jim Hart launched a private member's bill to
legalize medical pot.

Last month, fellow Reformer Keith Martin, who happens to be a doctor,
introduced a private member's bill to decriminalize possession for all
use.

Like the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs, Doc Martin thinks pot
prohibition is a waste of time.

"I would like to see our police officers pursuing rapists and
organized crime barons, not people for simple possession," Martin told
reporters.