Pubdate: Wed, 04 May 2011 Source: North Shore News (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 North Shore News Contact: http://www.nsnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311 Author: Rcmp Cpl. Peter DeVries, North Shore News THE MARIJUANA DEBATE IS A COMPLEX ISSUE Question: My question is quite controversial and I hope it doesn't just get scuffled away because of its subject matter. I would like to state that I am not a sympathizer nor an activist of marijuana, I simply think there is a lot people do not know, and really should. I recently watched an educational movie called The Union that deals with common misconceptions about marijuana and the many myths spread around over the years. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I totally didn't expect. Do your readers know that marijuana has no deaths attributed to it at all? Why does it make sense that we legalize things like alcohol or cigarettes that continue to kill numerous people, but we criminalize something which provides known health benefits, an alternative to cutting down forests for paper, a cheaper fuel alternative to other bio fuels and something which has never claimed a life? Do you agree with this law yourself? Matt Crompton North Vancouver Dear Matt, I agree with you that this is clearly one of our nation's big controversial issues. As such, it is an important one to discuss, and I think your question is valuable. But it is difficult for me to respond adequately to your question. Although I have a fair bit of experience in dealing with marijuana under current laws as a patrol cop, I have limited expertise on marijuana as a multi-faceted issue that encompasses medical, social, environmental, political and legal disciplines. In a very real sense, you are petitioning someone who would be far out of his league to presume to answer with any authority on the larger issue. That said, when I started this column, I committed to answering any question from the public that the editor sends to me, no matter how complex or controversial, and so, since this is technically a "column," I will wade in with an opinion, albeit in a more general manner. As members of a democratic society, we collectively bear a huge responsibility in ensuring that when it comes to making decisions about law and policy on issues such as marijuana, we must do so with the deepest wisdom and with the greatest of prudence. I say this because to stab wantonly at these kinds issues without education and careful consideration does a disservice to our society and risks pointing us in the wrong direction, to say nothing of the harm that might be caused by poorly made decisions. For this reason, I believe that our leading thinkers in political, scientific, philosophical, economic, medical and other fields must bear the responsibility of debating this issue. We, as citizens, have not only the right to influence this process, but also, I would argue, a responsibility to engage in the issue, much as you are doing, Matt. This is a difficult task in our current social climate; the volume of opinions and ideas to which we have access is unprecedented. We must be extremely diligent in filtering truth from propaganda and opinion from fact. That said, we must also be prepared to acquiesce to the authority of the decisions of our leaders, even if we ultimately disagree with them. These community leaders must assess information from established experts that is based on tested and proven science, exhaustively debated assertions, comprehensive case studies and so on, before they can begin to stand with confidence behind one opinion or another. Otherwise they risk adding to the cacophony of emotional, partisan and self-interested opinions already being voiced from both sides of the argument. All this, of course, assumes that there is one single answer to the various questions around this debate. In my experience, only rarely does life present us with the luxury of a clear-cut, simple solution to a complex issue such as this. It is important for me to mention that police officers comprehend the various sides of this issue. We also sympathize with the efforts of those who wish to influence public policy on this and any other issue, and continue to commit to defend those rights with the same vigour as that with which we enforce drug laws and take illegal drugs off our streets. Of course, this includes the right to peaceful protest and lawful political activism. Overall, my response as a police officer must be considered in the context of my role in society. In Canadian law, marijuana possession is illegal. Anyone who chooses to possess it can and likely will be arrested. This is not because the police have an opinion on the law. It is because we are employed to enforce it, without prejudice and free from personal bias. Until we, as a society, decide that the law should change, that is what the police must, and will, do. Cpl. Peter DeVries Media Relations Officer North Vancouver RCMP Follow Peter on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rcmpdevries If you have a question for Ask a Cop, email it to or mail it to the attention of the editor, North Shore News, Suite 100 - 126 East 15th St., North Vancouver, B.C., V7L 2P9. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.