THE MARIJUANA DEBATE IS A COMPLEX ISSUE

Question:

My question is quite controversial and I hope it doesn't just get
scuffled away because of its subject matter. I would like to state
that I am not a sympathizer nor an activist of marijuana, I simply
think there is a lot people do not know, and really should.

I recently watched an educational movie called The Union that deals
with common misconceptions about marijuana and the many myths spread
around over the years. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things
that I totally didn't expect. Do your readers know that marijuana has
no deaths attributed to it at all? Why does it make sense that we
legalize things like alcohol or cigarettes that continue to kill
numerous people, but we criminalize something which provides known
health benefits, an alternative to cutting down forests for paper, a
cheaper fuel alternative to other bio fuels and something which has
never claimed a life?

Do you agree with this law yourself?

Matt Crompton

North Vancouver

Dear Matt,

I agree with you that this is clearly one of our nation's big
controversial issues. As such, it is an important one to discuss, and
I think your question is valuable. But it is difficult for me to
respond adequately to your question. Although I have a fair bit of
experience in dealing with marijuana under current laws as a patrol
cop, I have limited expertise on marijuana as a multi-faceted issue
that encompasses medical, social, environmental, political and legal
disciplines. In a very real sense, you are petitioning someone who
would be far out of his league to presume to answer with any authority
on the larger issue.

That said, when I started this column, I committed to answering any
question from the public that the editor sends to me, no matter how
complex or controversial, and so, since this is technically a
"column," I will wade in with an opinion, albeit in a more general
manner.

As members of a democratic society, we collectively bear a huge
responsibility in ensuring that when it comes to making decisions
about law and policy on issues such as marijuana, we must do so with
the deepest wisdom and with the greatest of prudence. I say this
because to stab wantonly at these kinds issues without education and
careful consideration does a disservice to our society and risks
pointing us in the wrong direction, to say nothing of the harm that
might be caused by poorly made decisions.

For this reason, I believe that our leading thinkers in political,
scientific, philosophical, economic, medical and other fields must
bear the responsibility of debating this issue. We, as citizens, have
not only the right to influence this process, but also, I would argue,
a responsibility to engage in the issue, much as you are doing, Matt.

This is a difficult task in our current social climate; the volume of
opinions and ideas to which we have access is unprecedented. We must
be extremely diligent in filtering truth from propaganda and opinion
from fact.

That said, we must also be prepared to acquiesce to the authority of
the decisions of our leaders, even if we ultimately disagree with
them. These community leaders must assess information from established
experts that is based on tested and proven science, exhaustively
debated assertions, comprehensive case studies and so on, before they
can begin to stand with confidence behind one opinion or another.
Otherwise they risk adding to the cacophony of emotional, partisan and
self-interested opinions already being voiced from both sides of the
argument.

All this, of course, assumes that there is one single answer to the
various questions around this debate. In my experience, only rarely
does life present us with the luxury of a clear-cut, simple solution
to a complex issue such as this.

It is important for me to mention that police officers comprehend the
various sides of this issue. We also sympathize with the efforts of
those who wish to influence public policy on this and any other issue,
and continue to commit to defend those rights with the same vigour as
that with which we enforce drug laws and take illegal drugs off our
streets. Of course, this includes the right to peaceful protest and
lawful political activism.

Overall, my response as a police officer must be considered in the
context of my role in society. In Canadian law, marijuana possession
is illegal. Anyone who chooses to possess it can and likely will be
arrested. This is not because the police have an opinion on the law.
It is because we are employed to enforce it, without prejudice and
free from personal bias. Until we, as a society, decide that the law
should change, that is what the police must, and will, do.

Cpl. Peter DeVries

Media Relations Officer

North Vancouver RCMP

Follow Peter on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rcmpdevries

If you have a question for Ask a Cop, email it to editor@nsnews.com or
mail it to the attention of the editor, North Shore News, Suite 100 -
126 East 15th St., North Vancouver, B.C., V7L 2P9.