THE LAW OF THE LAND

How Canadian Cops Feel About Possession These Days

Prosecuting pot smokers costs Canadian taxpayers $300- to $500-million a
year, with 70 per cent of that used to deal with simple possession charges.
In the wake of Justice Steven Rogin's confirmation of a lower court
decision that marijuana possession laws in Ontario were "null and void,"
some police forces announced that they will no longer lay simple possession
charges.

Here's a breakdown of some accommodating and not-so-accommodating cops:
Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino was first to declare his department
would no longer lay charges; the Ontario Chiefs of Police Association soon
followed, and other municipal departments jumping on the bandwagon include
Ottawa-Carleton, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Peterborough and Sault-Ste-Marie;
Port Hope, Cobourg and Northumberland police, meanwhile, say they will
continue laying possession charges until they're told otherwise.

You'd think the nation's biggest law enforcement organization might have
something to say about what is arguably the biggest law enforcement story
of the decade, but you'd be wrong.

When told that Hour was looking for someone to comment on pot, "Louise" at
the RCMP's Ottawa HQ actually giggled, "Well... it's certainly not going to
be me..." She promised to find us someone. We're still waiting.

Quebec's Surete are 'pur et dur' hardliners on pot. First, SQ
Director-General Florent Gagne answers no questions not previously faxed,
second, he answers no faxes - at least not Hour's.

An SQ flack, Jason Gauthier, finally pushed his rhetoric button and gave us
this: "We are not legislators," said Gauthier. "We are applicators of the
law. Until there is a change in legislation, we will continue to apply the
law and continue to lay charges for simple possession of marijuana. That's
the official position of the Surete. Thank you and have a nice day."