REEFER MADNESS

Alberta's Top Cop Says No To Decriminalizing Pot

Alberta's top cop is "totally opposed" to a federal Liberal plan to
decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot.

Solicitor General Heather Forsyth said yesterday that marijuana use
eventually leads to the intake of harsher illegal drugs like cocaine or
heroin.

"Let's be very clear here - marijuana is a gateway drug," Forsyth said. "We
have huge grow operations in this province and B.C. we're trying to deal
with, and I think to take it just one step defeats everything so I am
totally opposed to it. Period."

However her boss, Premier Ralph Klein, said he supports medicinal use of
marijuana and will ask Tory MLAs their thoughts on the proposal that was
floated by Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Tuesday.

"It's worthwhile (raising the topic at caucus) because, you know, there are
strong feelings one way or the other," the premier said. "It does have some
medicinal benefits."

Chretien announced an amended pot law and an anti-drug strategy are to be
unveiled in the next few weeks.

He stressed the government is not legalizing pot possession, but rather
decriminalizing it so an offender will be given a fine similar to a traffic
ticket rather than a mandatory court appearance and a criminal record, if
convicted.

The new legislation would also crack down on trafficking.

But the suggestion won't change St. Albert RCMP Const. Mike Moulds's message
to kids.

"I have Grade 6 kids saying to me, 'Const. Moulds, they're decriminalizing
marijuana and you're telling me not to use it, why is that?' " said Moulds,
who runs the detachment's school-based DARE program, where officers try to
deter drug use among kids.

"And I tell them, the negative effects of marijuana outweigh the positive
ones. And what are the positive effects? I say there are no positive
effects."

And Mayor Bill Smith said yesterday he's not sure what practical effect
decriminalization will have.

"If it's going to open things up (to more drug use), then I think that's a
concern," Smith said.

The Edmonton Police Association also has "deep-seated concerns" about a move
which tells people it's OK to smoke pot, said executive director Bob Claney.

"All of a sudden, you've got all these people out running around, driving
vehicles, who are impaired," Claney said.

"The consumption leads to problems, and they become insurmountable problems
because the whole situation gets out of control."

But Det. Clayton Sach of the joint city police/RCMP Green Team - which
targets grow operations - said while he doesn't see the number of pot
smokers increasing much, he does expect more people will start growing pot.

"It's already socially acceptable, so is this going to make it more
acceptable? Probably so," he said.

"So I think our work would increase because there will be more customers,
and they're going to create more growers."