MARIJUANA LAWS KEEP DEMAND, PRICE HIGH, STU PROFESSOR SAYS

Until marijuana is decriminalized, production of the drug will continue to
be a serious problem in this province, says a criminology professor at St.
Thomas University.

"The war on drugs is over a century old now and we still haven't won it
despite all of the arrests that have been made over the years, the large
seizures," Michael Boudreau said. "As long as we outlaw marijuana, it is
going to keep the costs high and the demand high."

Boudreau's comments follow news that the RCMP recently removed close to
one million marijuana cigarettes from the illegal drug market in New
Brunswick.

Between May 18-25, RCMP seized, among other things, close to 2,000
marijuana plants.

The largest of the busts occurred May 25 near Hartland. More than 1,000
marijuana plants were taken by police - enough to produce up to 500,000
joints.

A week earlier, close to 850 marijuana plants in various stages of growth
- - enough to produce more than 400,000 marijuana cigarettes - were removed
from a residence in Bass River in the Richibucto area.

Another seizure May 25 at a home in Baxters Corner, near Saint John, saw
police take possession of around 100 marijuana plants and a pound of
harvested marijuana.

Staff Sgt. Gary Hadley, who heads up the drugs/organized crime unit at
RCMP J Division, said the recent seizures represent the removal of a huge
quantity of the drug from the market.

"These are significant grows for New Brunswick," he said. "Often it ends
up in the hands of suppliers at the street level (and this) reaches kids.
We have just cut that out."

The fact marijuana grow-ops, capable of producing nearly a million pot
cigarettes, exist in New Brunswick highlights an ongoing problem, Boudreau
said.

The province needs to put pressure on the federal government to legalize
the drug, he said.

"I am not calling for the legalization of things such as heroin or more
serious drugs, but the argument that marijuana is the gateway drug is
silly."

Until decriminalization occurs, the public should expect to hear and read
about more police seizures of marijuana, Boudreau said.

"Unless we see decriminalization, if not outright legalization of
marijuana, then this is going to continue to be a serious problem ... and
a battle that won't be won."

Boudreau said decriminalization was close a few years ago under the Paul
Martin government, but the effort was lost on the order paper when
Parliament died. It would have decriminalized possession of small amounts
of the drug.

Hadley said he disagrees that decriminalizing marijuana will decrease
demand for it.

"As long as the demand is there, there will be people growing it," he
said. "Often, it's another way of subsidizing other criminality for other
types of harder drugs."

Hadley said RCMP have always considered marijuana to be a gateway to other
drugs.

Hadley said his experience working with young and old people shows that
marijuana leads to harder drugs.

"It seems that it always turns back to when you make that decision to take
drugs. It always goes back, it seems, to marijuana as being the gateway
drug to many (other) drugs."