POT: ALTERED STATE

The federal government's proposed new marijuana laws were given poor
reviews by police, politicians and residents of Surrey and Delta on Tuesday.

The new regulations, unveiled by federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon,
would reduce the punishment for possessing small amounts of pot to a
ticketed fine, which would not result in a criminal record, while doubling
the maximum possible prison term for running a marijuana grow operation
from seven to 14 years.

A first-time young offender caught with less than 15 grams of pot (about 20
joints - marijuana cigarettes) could be fined as little as $100, while
punishment for grow ops would range from one year in jail or a fine for
three plants or less, to a maximum of 14 years for 50 or more plants.

If users are caught with pot while driving or on school property, they face
harsher penalties.

Traffickers still face a maximum possible term of life in prison for
dealing marijuana.

Ottawa also plans to spend $245 million a year to beef up policing, educate
the public about marijuana health hazards, and conduct research and
treatment programs to prevent drug use, especially among young people.

A spokesman for the Delta Police Department expressed concern the changes
could increase drug use, especially among young people, and said that could
produce an increase in drug-related crime.

"The impact is not going to be simple, or one-dimensional," Const. Sharlene
Brooks cautioned.

"It's imperative that the federal government provide funding to assist
police in combatting public safety issues that may arise."

Brooks added police hope the government will give judges clear direction
about the need to use the tougher penalties for grow ops. "We need a hard
line (taken with) growers and dealers."

A request for comment from the Surrey RCMP was directed to the force's
national headquarters in Ottawa, where Cpl. Benoit Desjardin said the
command would need to study the law in detail before responding.

Surrey North MP Chuck Cadman, the Opposition justice critic, said the
proposed changes are sending a mixed message to young people by telling
them it's okay to possess a small amount of pot, but it's not acceptable to
grow the plant or sell it.

"It's sucking and blowing at the same time," Cadman told The Leader Tuesday.

Cadman predicted the proposed maximum sentences will only be imposed
rarely, if at all, by the courts.

"If they (the Liberals) were really serious, they'd have set mandatory
minimums," Cadman said.

He complained the changes will do little if anything to combat the
burgeoning problem of indoor grow ops in Surrey, where a recent RCMP study
suggests as many as 4,500 are in business, and some neighbourhoods report
more than half the homes on some streets are being used to conceal the
illicit indoor grows.

Mayor Doug McCallum gives the changes a mixed review, condemning the
decriminalization of possession, but praising the tougher penalties for
operating a grow op.

McCallum also likes the proposed education campaign to raise consciousness
about the health hazards posed by pot, calling it "a good move."

Surrey Coun. Diane Watts, chair of the city's police, fire and public
safety committee, predicted the changes will mean "government-sanctioned
grow ops" because many dealers will simply treat the fines as a cost of
doing business.

Watts and Cadman both expressed concern that the changes will escalate
cross-border drug smuggling through Surrey as Americans take advantage of
this country's more lenient laws.

A former Surrey pot grower, who asked not to be named, said the legal
reform is a step in the right direction, "but it doesn't go far enough."

The government, he said, should go all the way and make marijuana growing
and consumption completely legal.

A resident of one Surrey neighbourhood identified as a "hot spot" for grow
ops (with as many as nine in a one-block area) said the changes may make it
even harder to obtain convictions.

The resident said his experience has been that judges tend to ask for
stricter proof before they impose tougher penalties. "I'm not going to do
cartwheels," said the resident.