SENATE RECOMMENDATIONS PUT POLICE, POT ADVOCATES AT ODDS

Marijuana advocates in the Capital Region are delighted with a Senate
committee's recommendations to call off the drug war against marijuana, but
not area police are less than thrilled with the liberal attitude the Senate
has taken towards the drug.

The 600-page Senate report, which among other things suggests granting
amnesty to anyone convicted of simple possession of pot and creating easier
access to marijuana for medicinal purposes, hasn't exactly been applauded
by Victoria police officers.

They're the people who must deal not only with the bad judgment of
"compassion club" members who allegedly re-sell pot bought for medicinal
purposes, but the fallout from the drug trade on the street.

"It's just the opinion of a bunch of Senators," offers Sgt. Keith Lewis,
who taught anti-drug and alcohol programs at local schools for three years.
"When the legislation changes we'll react to that," he says. "In the
meantime, if you look at the amount of policing that's been targeted to
simple possession, it's far less these days. But there's an increased
attention paid to grow-ops and to the people who actually deal."

In situations where trafficking appears to be occurring, Lewis says, the
policy will remain straight-forward.

"We don't care where you got it, if you've got it, you're going to get
charged."

Specifically in the case of the Cannabis Buyer's Club, one of two
compassion clubs in Victoria, most of the police raids on its store have
followed the arrest for trafficking of club members who allegedly used
legitimate doctor's permission slips to purchase pot, then turned around
and re-sold the stuff street.

While those who run the compassion clubs have claimed blanket seizures of
club supplies hurt the people who need them the most, Lewis says the police
do use their judgment when dealing with club activities.

"Nothing's changed for us, we try to enforce the laws and we use
discretion," he says. "The world's not black and white. We exercise
discretion every day."

Philippe Lucas, who heads up the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, sees
the Senate recommendations as "another step along the way" toward
decriminalization of marijuana.

He admits it may take some time for any of the suggestions to be acted
upon, if ever, but says it's about time some accurate research information
was released to the public.

Lucas points to numbers in the Senate report that found marijuana-related
charges amounted to 70 per cent of total drug arrests across the country in
1999, 45 per cent of which were for simple possession. Not only are
valuable police resources being tied up, he says, the costs of "dragging
100 people a day into court" for such charges is immense.

University of Victoria political scientist Norman Ruff says it's hard to
say just where the Senate recommendations will lead.

"There does seem to be some movement, but it's very slow," he says of
efforts to legalize pot. "But at least it's on the (government) agenda." In
recent weeks, many people have argued that federal Health Minister Anne
McLellan's reluctance to take strong action on medical marijuana access
problems, and on addressing legalization in general, comes from a fear of
the strong anti-drug lobby in the U.S.

"I hope that's not the case," Lucas says of the American influence. "If we
continue to arrest and incarcerate Canadians in order to appease the U.S.,
then we truly have sacrificed our identity."

Ruff says there's a sovereignty issue at stake when it comes to the
Canadian government's views on marijuana. But despite the American
government's continuing "Reefer Madness" mentality on marijuana usage, he
says it's not as simple as just saying as a country, 'we're going to do
what we feel is right and the rest of you be damned'.

"The bottom line with all these kind of arguments is we are part of North
America," Ruff says. "There has to be a major consideration of the American
reaction if we were to go this route (legalization)."

While debates about the medical, social and ethical implications of
legalizing pot are being waged in both countries - some U.S. states have,
in fact, made simple possession a non-criminal offence - such issues as pot
users crossing into the U.S. would present interesting challenges, he says.
When asked whether he agrees with the notion that marijuana is a "gateway
drug" that leads to more destructive habits, Lewis says it certainly
doesn't lead to the use of harder drugs for everyone. But he said it does
act as a gateway for some.

"I think that's what meant by gateway; that's the door, now you're in
there," he says.

Senators and MPs may be the only people with voting privileges when it
comes to changing the laws on marijuana. But Lucas recognizes that the
views of police departments and officers will play a large role in
determining what happens next.

"I hope they give this report the due time that it deserves," he says.
"It's a matter of priorities. If their model truly is to preserve law and
order, there's better things they can be doing than arresting cannabis users."