POT LAW CHANGES WILL BOOST PRODUCTION: POLICE

More Expected to Smoke Up With Decriminalization

OTTAWA'S impending decriminalization of Canada's marijuana possession
laws has police across the country shaking their heads in frustration
and dismay.

The reason is that because of the change - treating marijuana
possession like a speeding ticket instead of a criminal offence -
police expect demand for cannabis to go up, meaning growers will have
to step up production.

And that means more work for already-stretched police agencies.

To counter that, the Canadian Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police
Association want Ottawa to usher in a new National Drug Strategy that
cracks down on marijuana growers and smugglers.

Both also say that strategy should include a funding commitment for
better drug prevention and treatment programs and more education
campaigns about the harms of soft drug use.

"There has to be increased enforcement," said Brockville Police
Service Chief Barry King, CACP secretary-treasurer. "People who run
grow operations should get jail terms. Right now, many of them get
conditional sentences. We haven't got the sentencing that the
community needs. We have to realize that these people are the scourge,
not the user or addict." King said police also want federal
legislation that gives them the power to deal with drugged-up drivers.

That means more drug recognition training for police and the ability
to demand suspected drug-impaired drivers give blood or urine samples
to police. Right now, police haven't got the legal right to do that.

King said it's also possible new roadside tests, like mouth swabs, and
technology, like eye scanners, will be in the hands of front-line
police to deal with drug-impaired drivers.

'We're Talking Drugs'

"We're not talking about a bottle of beer you can pour out on the side
of the road," King said. "We're talking drugs."

The CPA is also lobbying Ottawa for tougher enforcement. In a letter
sent to Prime Minister Jean Chretien Wednesday, the CPA said they also
want new legislative tools to combat the illegal drug trade, including
organized criminals, drug traffickers, manufacturers and cultivators.
Dave Griffin, CPA executive officer, said police fear the message out
of Ottawa is that smoking marijuana is OK.

"The government spends millions of dollars on the affects of tobacco.
Why are they changing perceptions about a drug that has the combined
affects of tobacco and alcohol?"

Chretien said May 3 that his government would soon amend the Criminal
Code of Canada to make possession of small amounts of pot --
supposedly less than 30 grams -- a minor offence that would be treated
something like a traffic violation. Those charged and convicted would
not have a criminal record, and only pay a fine.

In Manitoba, police say decriminalization will make their jobs easier,
as they only have to issue a ticket to an offender instead of
processing them as a criminal.

However, they also say the relaxed laws will mean more people will
smoke. That means more cultivation and more cross-provincial smuggling
to meet that demand.

Marijuana cultivation in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, is
already worth billions of dollars to growers, smugglers and the
organized crime networks that support them -- the Hells Angels and
Asian-based gangs. That won't change with decriminalization.

Neither will smuggling, which is already huge. In the past few months
between Broadview and Moosemin, Saskatchewan RCMP have seized eight
pounds shy of a ton of marijuana.

"We already have to pick and choose what we do now," a city police
officer added. "There is just so much of it." Already, city police
have seen a marked increase over last year in the number of indoor
grows shut down so far in 2003.

Statistics are still being compiled, but it's estimated police have
seized about 200 per cent more pot since the beginning of the year
than from all of 2002.

In 2002, police shut down 82 indoor grows and seized 6,999 plants. The
total street value of the seizures was $11,641,254.

Officers also say they now typically go for the larger grows and
ignore smaller ones, just because of the amount of work involved. It's
worth more to police to go after the bigger ones because of the time
it takes dismantling the grow and tabulating the evidence.

In most cases, those charged with running a grow operation are
generally released several hours after being arrested. The same goes
with people caught smuggling pot from B.C. eastwards.

Police also say they expect to see more home invasions associated with
the marijuana trade. Winnipeg has already seen several crimes in which
drug users hit the wrong house in a bid to steal marijuana and other
drugs.