CHIEF AND COLLEAGUES AREN'T SUPPORTIVE OF SENATE IDEA

Jim Cessford Says Legalizing Marijuana Will Increase Crime

A Senate report recommending the legalization of marijuana has the B.C.
Association of Chiefs of Police hitting back.

"We had to respond because we are simply not in agreement," said Delta
police chief Jim Cessford, who chairs the association.

The group of provincial police chiefs has spent time developing a strategy
on the question of decriminalization. Its focus has been public safety.

"Police, for some reason, seem to have a need to discuss the health issues
when our area of expertise is public safety," said Cessford. "So what we're
saying from a public safety perspective is, we don't support this."

Cessford said there is no doubt in his mind the crime rate will increase,
particularly property crime, because legalization will make it more
socially acceptable to smoke marijuana. However, he said, people will still
have to find the money to purchase the drugs.

"I guess if they (the federal government) as going to give the marijuana
away free, people won't have to commit crimes to get it. But really, if it
became available, they still have to pay for it and somehow they have to
get the money to buy it. So we'll see more break and enters, we'll see a
definite increase in crimes."

Cessford said he hopes the federal government is prepared to increase
police funding should it decide to decriminalize pot.

Delta-South Richmond MP John Cummins agrees that crime could increase.
Cummins has spoken to people who have attended Narcotics Anonymous
specifically on the issue of legalizing marijuana.

"My position on it is it's not as benign as some people would have you
believe," said the Canadian Alliance MP. "It can lead to the use of harder
drugs and that even people who kick the harder stuff and they stay on pot
still have a problem until they quit that too. It's (pot) debilitating in
itself."

As for the recommendation that amnesty be given to the estimated 300,000 to
600,000 people who have criminal records for possession, Cummins said it's
something he could support as long as it was for possession of a small
quantity.

Cessford said the amnesty issue would have to be looked at carefully.

"If someone was charged with having $5 worth of marijuana in his pocket, I
don't exactly see him as being one of Canada's most wanted."

But the police chief cautions that many of those convictions may have been
born out of more significant charges such as possession for the purpose of
trafficking and may have involved people who had large amounts of marijuana.

"I would suspect that a lot of those charges were laid because they were
large amounts and then they were reduced to simply possession," Cessford said.