RCMP TRAGEDY MUST BE EXAMINED WITH A COOL HEAD

Jasper Booster -- The tragic murder of four young Mounties at a
marijuana grow-op near Mayerthorpe last week touched the hearts of
Canadians across the country. It also touched on a debate that has
been smoldering in Canada for years.

How should the law deal with marijuana?

The horrific events of Mar. 3 should spark some kind of government
policy change, perhaps bringing tighter gun restrictions, legal
reforms or giving Mounties more resources to crack down on serious
crime.

But what exactly does 'serious crime' entail? For some, marijuana
production falls into that category.

Just one day after the shootings, Liberal MP Dan McTeague called the
incident a "wake-up call." The MP said his government must step away
from their plan to de-criminalize pot in light of the tragedy.

RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli called large-scale marijuana
growing operations a "plague" on society that leads to
"incomprehensible" acts of violence.

Last weekend, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein made a similar call for the
feds to back down from their plan to de-criminalize marijuana.

These calls to arms could very well lead to tougher pot legislation.
But increased laws on marijuana growing and possession will do nothing
to protect RCMP members or society in general.

Tougher legislation on pot will not make problems with massive
marijuana growing operations go away. In fact, it will drive the trade
further underground, boosting the price of the product and creating an
even more lucrative criminal activity as only the truly dedicated and
organized criminals deal in the substance.

The small time operations will disappear, but Mounties don't get
killed busting a teenager for growing a couple plants in his bedroom
closet.

Higher risks equal higher profits. It's really as simple as
that.

Any violent crimes associated with marijuana is not a result of the
substance itself, but of the criminal element society has forced this
substance into. Make dealing with marijuana no longer a crime, and the
criminal element surrounding it will disappear.

I fear that social conservatives are using this terrible event as a
lobbying tool to combat the Liberal government's plan to make
possessing a small amount of pot a ticketable offence, which doesn't
lead to a criminal record. It's easy to get caught up in the emotion
of the situation, and attack all those who would oppose harsher
penalties for growing pot. Those who feel prohibition is the cause,
not the solution, to marijuana related crimes make easy targets after
last week.

But the larger scope of the situation must be examined in a cool,
objective manner. The issue of marijuana is simply a convenient
scapegoat, while the far more serious issues of legal reform, gun
restrictions and increased RCMP resources get less attention.

For starters, why was repeat dangerous offender James Roszko, who
killed the officers, repeatedly over looked by the courts and released
without getting effective treatment?

The fact that the shootings occurred at a marijuana grow-op is
irrelevant. Police were there to secure a crime scene - if it had been
a meth lab, a chop shop or a prostitution ring the outcome would
likely have been the same.

Whether or not marijuana should be legal is a moral decision that
society must make. But unless marijuana is decriminalized, in its
entirety, then Mounties will continue to put themselves at risk to
bust people dealing in a drug with health and mental effects
comparable to alcohol and cigarettes.

It's time to put aside the fear mongering, and examine more
affectivity what can be done, if anything, to prevent such a horrific
tragedy from happening again.