TIME TO TOUGHEN UP DRUG LAWS

On March 3, four RCMP officers paid the ultimate price in their
pursuit of justice in a Northern Alberta community.

As they executed a search warrant at a suspect's home, they were
gunned down in cold blood.

In the hours following that incident, Justice Minister Anne McLellan
was on TV expressing her sympathy for the officers, their families and
colleagues.

Give her credit - she also addressed the need to come down with
tougher sentences on grow-operation owners.

This tragic incident will surely refresh the debate about the
decriminalization of marijuana. It should serve as an example of why
tougher laws - not more lenient ones - are needed to crack down on
these criminals.

Advocates, both for and against the decriminalization of marijuana,
have their propaganda about how the drug does, or does not, affect
lives, lead to harder drugs, etc.

However, nothing is more concrete for the argument than four dead
police officers, four dead fathers, four dead husbands, four dead
sons, four dead brothers.

Another question that will rise from this incident deals with gun
control and the gun registry.

The $2-billion registry, which turned out to be a waste of taxpayers'
time and money, wouldn't apply here.

Unfortunately, that registry punishes law-abiding citizens because no
criminal is going to register his or her weapon.

We hope this event has jolted the government to turn its attention to
the issue of dealing with drug dealers.

Here in B.C., marijuana grow operators have factored the costs of
fines into their "business plans."

With an election on the horizon, maybe it's time to ask the candidates
what they are going to do to make our police officers' lives easier by
ensuring judges hand down harsher sentences to drug dealers and drug
makers.