LEGALIZE DOPE, SAYS FORMER CITY MAYOR

Legalizing marijuana is the first step in addressing the Lower
Mainland's recent spate of public shootings and gang violence, says a
former mayor of Vancouver.

Larry Campbell, now a Liberal senator in Ottawa, says gang violence is
directly linked to the drug trade.

"It's all about money and it's all about power and it's all about
territory," Campbell, a former drug squad cop, told 24 hours in an
interview. "So until we do something about the issue of drugs and drug
addiction, we can expect to see this happen with certainty."

There have been at least nine targeted gang shootings in the Lower
Mainland since August. The immediate political reaction in Ottawa has
revolved around a discussion of policing levels and stiffer jail sentences.

But that's missing the point, said Campbell, who argues the majority
of anti-drug money already goes into policing, while street-level
gangsters aren't afraid of jail time compared to the potential profits
they can pull in.

"You could certainly cut the profit motive out of it by simply
legalizing marijuana," Campbell said. "But let's be blunt. We're not
going to police our way out of this problem."

The officer in charge of the region's new anti-gang squad, however,
isn't so sure.

"When the marijuana's gone, that's not the end of it," said VPD Insp.
Dean Robinson, who will lead the newly christened Violence Suppression
Team on behalf of Lower Mainland police forces. "If we took that trade
away from them they'd just shift gears and go straight into
methamphetamine or cocaine."