MOUNTIES' DEATHS SHOW COST OF CRIME

The death of four police officers in Alberta Thursday drove home again
the cost of crime.

Information from the police states the officers were killed by a man
with a high-powered rifle after returning to the scene of a marijuana
grow-op, the like of which has, sadly, become a routine call for police.

A tragedy like this inevitably raises questions about who's to blame -
but one cause has to the growing tolerance of some kinds of crime. For
now, marijuana is largely outlawed in Canada, except for those who
purchase government-produced pot with medical permits.

Debate around if this should change is heated. Those who support
legalization of the drug say it provides relief from chronic pain and
a form of harmless recreation, if subject to restrictions similar to
those placed on cigarettes and alcohol. Those opposed point to health
concerns from smoking - which rival and in some cases exceed those of
cigarettes - and the possibility of marijuana use being a gateway to
harder drugs.

Its use is so prevalent - and accepted - that many people believe it
should be legal and don't think too much of buying a bit of bud and
enjoying a joint.

But the cost for flouting the laws of our country - foolish as they
may seem - are higher than the street price of pot.

The economic costs of illegal marijuana production can be measured in
the price of enforcement by police and city workers charged with
finding and dismantling grow-ops - a cost borne even by those who
abide by the law and refrain from the drug.

In a recent study, a Fraser Institute economist estimated that the
17,500 grow ops in B.C. yield about $7 billion a year in profits to
the owners - which could translate into as much as $2 billion in tax
revenue if the drug were legalized and regulated.

But whatever a person's personal opinion about marijuana, the price of
a lax attitude toward crime, especially by those who buy it, was
underlined by the death of the Alberta police officers.

Growing, selling and buying marijuana - like much other illegal
activity - is linked to the criminal elements of society which
threaten the safety, rights and security of all Canadians. Frequently,
marijuana is found in the company of hard drugs and illegal weapons.
This past Tuesday - for the second time in less than a month - a
police raid in Oliver netted charges of possession of marijuana, crack
and weapons.

As long as the drug remains illegal, the huge profits it garners for
those who grow and sell it make it an irresistible cash crop for
small-time crooks and organized crime alike. Even if it was legalized
in Canada, the temptation to illegally export the drug to other
jurisdictions where it remains controlled - primarily the United
States - would mean that profits for the criminal element would likely
remain.

Canada is founded on the principles of peace, order and good
government. As Canadians we have the right to change the laws that
don't make sense. But we also have the responsibility to follow the
laws - even the ones we don't like - in the interest of protecting our
rights and security and the rights and security of others.

When we fail to do so we jeopardize not only the values we treasure,
but the lives of those charged with protecting them.