Pubdate: Tue, 15 Feb 2000
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2000 The Province
Contact:  200 Granville Street, Ste. #1, Vancouver, BC V6C 3N3 Canada
Fax: (604) 605-2323
Website: http://www.vancouverprovince.com/
Authors: W. J. Cook, John Dell, Chuck Beyer, Bob Poulton, Edgar Bernardo
Note: Caption under photo reads "A proposed bylaw to allow random
searches of Langley rental homes for marijuana grow operations like
this one is bunk, readers say."
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n202/a10.html

SNOOP BYLAW A BAD IDEA

Langley Councillor On Wrong Track

When bylaws like those which Langley City councillor Evan Williams and
Mayor Marlene Grinnell are proposing, I can see why people feel
privacy is deteriorating.

You come home from a day's work to find someone knocking at your door
wanting to come in and inspect your house. Do you take them on the
tour? Or do they go where they want?

And what if you don't open the door? Do they break it down? This is
what the Nazis did in the Second World War.

If people are growing marijuana in rental homes, what about those who
own their homes? What does the law have in store for them?

This is a loss of freedom and nothing else. Our grandfathers fought to
have this freedom.

And for Williams' sake, I would like to add that it's better to have a
bleeding heart than no heart at all!

Edgar Bernardo, North Vancouver

~~~~~

What a marvelous idea -- raiding rental houses on the suspicion they
are part of a marijuana grow operation.

Why didn't anyone think of this sooner?

But the plan doesn't go far enough. If the goal is to nip the problem
in the bud, so to speak, then we have to go to the top.

What about all these fancy houses?

How do we really know they haven't been financed in whole or in part
by the proceeds from drug transactions?

And the big parties? How do we know that drugs aren't a part of the
evening's merriment? After all, if the market wasn't there, the source
would dry up.

Therefore, I believe the proposed bylaw should include inspections of
the books for owners of houses worth more than $500,000 as well as
inspections of the houses by the drug-squad. Say, on a one-to-one
basis (one rental unit for one expensive house). As Langley councillor
Evan Williams said: "If you are not doing anything illegal you should
not have a problem with this."

Bob Poulton, Surrey

~~~~~

While I am sure that Langley councillor Evan Williams and Mayor
Marlene Grinnell would love to have the power of arbitrary search and
seizure, these are the tools of fascists and are not allowed under the
Canadian Constitution. Also there is that nasty "innocent until proven
guilty" paradigm they must also get around.

I question their motives as well. They don't want these powers to find
some of the missing Vancouver women, or to pursue violent criminals,
but to pursue growers of a plant that apparently two out of three
British Columbians want decriminalized.

I hope these politicians can find time in their schedule to enforce
laws we do want.

Chuck Beyer, Victoria

~~~~~

Check out these quotes:

- - "Well, peddling drugs is not a right, and if you are not doing
something illegal you should not have a problem with this."

- - "The bleeding hearts are going to say that we are infringing on
their rights."

- - "And if you vote against this bylaw you are voting for the drug
dealers."

It is amazing to listen to this tinpot tyrant.

Evan Williams must be a first-time member of Langley city council with
delusions of God-like powers. Obviously, our education dollars have
been wasted on him in regards to elementary civics and the Canadian
Charter.

John Dell, Williams Lake

~~~~~

If people are worried about the new Austrian government, they should
look closer to home! This new bylaw proposed by Langley councillor
Evan Williams is pure madness and is a move towards Fascist and
Communist tactics.

How did the people of Langley elect this bunch?

W. J. Cook, Summerland
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake