POT ARRESTS JUMP BY OVER ONE-THIRD

The number of people arrested for smoking pot rose dramatically in
several Canadian cities last year after the Conservatives took office
and killed a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

The spike in arrests for simple possession of cannabis appears in data
compiled by The Canadian Press from municipal police forces through
interviews and Access to Information Act requests.

National statistics will be released next week, but preliminary
figures suggest the number of arrests jumped by more than one-third in
several Canadian cities.