DEBATE WIDENS OVER POT BUSTS

Marijuana

Is the best solution to illegal pot grow-ops tougher law enforcement or
legalization?

As Parliament considers the merits of decriminalizing marijuana and the
Sunshine Coast RCMP busts a series of big grow shows, the debate over
marijuana policies is heating up.

At opposite ends of the spectrum of pot opinions are Harold Long, MLA for
Powell River-Sunshine Coast, and Adrian Belshaw, Sunshine Coast Regional
District director for Roberts Creek.

Earlier this year, Belshaw spoke out against the police crackdown on
grow-ops during a regional district meeting. He suggested highway safety
and violent crime should be higher priorities.

"The current squandering of [police] resources on busting grow-ops, that
are currently bringing more money into the community than logging is,
should stop," said Belshaw.

Those comments sparked an angry response from Long, who suggested Belshaw
should resign his position.

Long even criticized Belshaw on the floor of the B.C. Legislature Feb. 23
during a speech on addictions.

After praising the Premier for creating a new ministry for mental health
and addiction services and suggesting Revenue Canada confiscate the assets
of big-time drug dealers, Long cited Belshaw's comments as an example of
"how bad it can be."

"How stupid can this person [Belshaw] be?" asked Long. "Maybe I should tell
him half the marijuana grow-ops in B.C. are now being transferred for
cocaine in the States back to B.C."

But Belshaw stands by his earlier statement and says the police crackdown
on pot growing is "out of keeping with public values."

"I support legalization of marijuana in the same way that alcohol is
legal," said Belshaw in an interview. "Sell it through a government agency
and let the revenue go to government, as other luxury revenues do."

Lisa Kirkman, who is awaiting trial on charges of pot cultivation,
considers the RCMP bust of her home last year as harassment.

She said more than 10 officers entered her home with guns drawn and cut off
her Hydro power, although they knew she had two young children and her
husband depends on an electric-powered respirator because of a lung condition.

"They seriously endangered my husband's life," said Kirkman. "It's a
vendetta." Kirkman thinks police are targeting her because of her promotion
of medical marijuana. She founded the Gibsons Compassion Club, which
provided medical marijuana to about 70 people until police shut it down in
2002. Kirkman was arrested but never formally charged in the Compassion
Club bust.

After the RCMP busted Kirkman's home last year, Sgt. Danny Willis said it
is standard practice to enter a grow-op with guns drawn and to disconnect
the electricity to minimize the risks to officers.

In Sechelt provincial court this week, while sentencing a marijuana grower,
Judge Dan Moon listed some ways in which grow-ops hurt society at large:
the costly damage to rented houses, power thefts which damage Hydro
equipment and create dangers of fire or electrocution, growers' use of
weapons and the creation of opportunity for so-called "grow-rips," violent
home invasions for the purpose of stealing a marijuana crop.

Belshaw argues those problems are caused by the fact pot is illegal, not by
the drug itself.

"When you have prohibition, then you get criminal involvement with the
prohibited substance," said Belshaw. "The worst thing we can do to
organized crime is to legalize marijuana, because we'll destroy a lot of
their business."