Pubdate: Fri, 27 Aug 2004
Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Contact:  http://www.pqbnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361
Author: Neil Horner
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

BLAME LAWS, NOT THE POLICE

You can't fault the police for enforcing the laws of the land. That's their
job, after all, and they take a solemn oath to do so prior to being issued
the red serge and boots.

One can fault they laws they have to enforce, however, and one can also, on
occasion, fault the manner in which they are enforced. The raid on Lasqueti
island could well prove to be a case where both these instances apply.

At the risk of being labeled as some Hippie from the Central Interior (just
about the only one, from what I can tell), I would have to add my voice to
the chorus calling for the antiquated marijuana laws to be changed.

There are a whole lot of reasons why I feel this way, but primary amongst
them is the basic harm reduction model. Of all the psychoactive substances
currently in use, pot is known to be by far the least harmful, with alcohol
and tobacco topping the list.

TO put it in layman's terms, which would you rather be faced with in a dark
alley -- someone who wants to beat the tar out of you because of the booze
in their system, or someone who is kind of confused and looking for a donut
shop?

There's no really good reason for marijuana to be illegal, as more and more
of our parliamentarians, physicians and sociologists are coming to realize.
Valuable police resources would be far more effectively used by cracking
down on trafficking in cocaine, crystal meth, heroin and so on.

Now, on to the way the raid was conducted. From some of the reports I'm
hearing, it wasn't handled well at all, with choppers scaring animals, water
lines being cut, and an entire island being traumatized.

Allegations that officers entered homes while nobody was there, without a
warrant, have yet to be substantiated, but if true would add an extremely
disquieting factor to the exercise.

People who want police to lay off the pot people shouldn't take their
frustrations out on the police, but rather on their representatives in
Ottawa. Like I said, the police are only doing their job.

And the police should be careful not to let their frustrations with the pot
growers get the best of their judgment while they do that job.
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MAP posted-by: Josh