Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Gregory Azeff

POT LAW WOULD FREE UP POLICE

Re Make pot legal: Senate panel, Sept. 5.

It is good to see that a Canadian Senate committee has finally recognized 
what millions of people have known for a long time -- that the 
criminalization of marijuana use is nonsensical and cannot be justified any 
longer.

The bipartisan committee, chaired by Senator Pierre-Claude Nolin, took an 
unbiased look at the current legal situation and has recommended that pot 
be legalized. I find it unsurprising that the strongest dissenting voice is 
that of the Association of Canadian Police Chiefs, an organization whose 
members depend heavily on the so-called war on drugs to keep them employed; 
imagine how many hours of pointless police work will be saved each year by 
pot legalization (leaving the cops free to investigate crimes that actually 
hurt people).

Canadian Police Association executive director David Griffin's comment that 
the Senate report is a "gift" to drug pushers is patently ridiculous; one 
must wonder whether Griffin would also like to see alcohol criminalized, 
too, as his convoluted reasoning would apply equally to booze. The only 
reason that drug pushers exist on the street is because their wares cannot 
be sold in stores.

Gregory Azeff

Toronto
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