PROPOSED POT CHANGES IRK LOCAL COP

While the debate about the decriminalization of marijuana rages on, a local
cop still doesn't agree with proposed changes.

Taber police Const. Graham Abela said while he can understand the
government wanting to minimize the costliness of dealing with simple
possession charges, decriminalization of small amounts of pot isn't
necessarily the answer.

"We don't necessarily disagree with that," said Abela of the potential that
a special penalty option could be less costly than a court process.
"However, we don't want to legalize the stuff."

Abela, also president of the Taber Police Association and a director of the
Alberta Federation of Police Associations, said he wouldn't mind if police
had more time to pursue traffickers.

"If they want to make it easier for us, that's fine. We can give them
specified penalty fines," said Abela. "Let us spend our time dealing with
the traffickers, that's fine. I'm not opposed to that at all."

Abela said he doubts whether Taber's police will face a lighter workload as
a result of the committee's recommendations.

"I think simple possession may go up because with the decrease in the
severity of the offense, people will take more of a chance of possessing it
when they know the consequences are less severe. So to say that our
workload might drop would be naive."

He said that before marijuana is further decriminalized, however, more
studies should be done on the addictive and carcinogenic effects of the drug.

"It's obvious that the federal government is still on a path to a more
liberal use of the drug," said Abela. "We think that's giving the wrong
message to youth."

A Parliamentary report released in September on Canada's drug strategy
includes a recommendation that possession and cultivation of marijuana
under 30 grams be decriminalized.

Rob Reimer from the Edmonton office of the Canadian Department of Justice
said there were 551 cases of simple possession in Calgary between April 1,
2001 to March 31, 2002 and 411 cases in Edmonton.

There were 370 cases of marijuana possession in the rest of the province,
though Reimer said it isn't specified how many of those cases are under 30
grams.

"Whether they were over or under... I cannot tell you, although probably
most of them would've been under 30 grams because the vast majority of our
marijuana possession cases are under 30 grams," said Reimer, who added the
total number of new files opened province-wide last year could be anywhere
from about 1,300 to 1,600.

"Most of the time when people get caught with more than 30 grams it's not a
personal use situation, they're going to get charged with trafficking."

Reimer also said there were 350 cases of possession in Alberta where the
agents who reported the cases to headquarters didn't specify which drug was
involved.

"It's certainly possible that many of those, if not most of those, are also
cannabis possession cases."

Abela said a large portion of Taber's drug charges are for simple marijuana
possession.

"I'd say that's the majority of charges that we lay under the controlled
drugs and substances act," said Abela.