POT NEEDS TO BE MADE COMPLETELY LEGAL

American shock and awe notwithstanding, it appears Canada is about to
decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

While the change will mean a fine instead of a criminal record for those
who are busted, it will be business as usual for organized crime groups
which have been reaping enormous profits from our predilection for pot.

Instead of cutting criminal gangs off at the knees by completely legalizing
marijuana, Ottawa has just signalled that expanding their massive fortunes
is as easy as the next grow-op.

An RCMP report released last week notes that with a small initial
investment, a grower can potentially rake in profits of more than $1
million within the first year.

"The sheer size of these operations has also reached unprecedented levels,"
says the study.

Because of the huge profits to be made, the low risk and the lenient
sentences meted out to growers who are caught, it's difficult, if not
impossible, for police departments to make a dent in the pot industry, the
report observes.

"Since marijuana is by far the most popular and widely available illicit
drug, it is unlikely that the current trend will change in the near
future," it concludes.

Certainly, we're not losing our taste for weed. Pot accounted for
three-quarters of all drug-related offences in 2001.

Of the 70,000 marijuana-related offences, 70% were for possession.

In contrast, in 2001, there were far fewer offences involving other drugs:
12,000 for cocaine, 965 for heroin and 8,000 for other drugs.

But it is the hard drugs that cause so much harm. And where does organized
crime get the money to manufacture methamphetamines and import ecstasy and
coke? From the pot grow-ops, of course.

Legalize marijuana, a relatively benign substance, and you steal organized
crime's money tree. Without the marijuana black market, the activities of
criminal gangs are seriously hampered.

Let people freely grow, sell and smoke pot and police services will vastly
improve. According to the RCMP report, investigating marijuana grow-ops
represents more than half of the cases probed by some police forces.

Legalize pot and cops will have the time to investigate real crime.

Consider that police are now wasting their time and plenty of taxpayers'
money destroying wild marijuana found in fields every year.

"Police resources are now being taxed to the point where difficult choices
must be made when faced with competing priorities," warns the RCMP report.

For what it's worth, here are my priorities. Legalize pot and use the money
saved by not going after grow-ops and traffickers for more important things.

Last year's parliamentary report on the non-medical use of drugs noted that
there's an abysmal lack of treatment services for drug addicts. We should
expand those services.

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) has no youth detox
centres, for instance. We need them.

The agency has three-month day treatment programs for youth in Edmonton and
Calgary but none elsewhere in the province.

As well, AADAC's adult program has no outreach counsellors in Edmonton and
there is still no methadone program in Calgary.

Without comprehensive supports, drug addicts end up in the revolving door
of jail, mental hospitals and emergency rooms.

Dr. Garnet Cummings, site chief of the Royal Alexandra Hospital's emergency
department, estimates that 30% of the ward's night patients have problems
camouflaged by drugs and booze.

The department is nearing the end of a three-year research project to see
what percentage of patients have addiction difficulties.

Last month alone, of 300 patients interviewed, 26% said they had problems
with alcohol, drugs or both. And only one person wanted addiction
treatment. Nevertheless, the staff keeps trying.

Says Cummings: If we give up on them, who the hell is going to care about
them?"