Pubdate: Tue, 02 Oct 2012
Source: Comox Valley Echo (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Comox Valley Echo
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/comoxvalleyecho/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/785
Author: Philip Round

VESTED INTERESTS OPPOSE CHANGES TO POT LAWS, SAYS GRIEVE

There are a lot of people with vested interests opposing changes in 
the law on marijuana, says the chair of Comox Valley Regional 
District, Edwin Grieve.

He joined two local mayors - Paul Ives (Comox) and Leslie Baird 
(Cumberland) in voting in favour of decriminalizing the drug at last 
week's conference of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Of 
the four local civic leaders, only Courtenay Mayor and former RCMP 
member Larry Jangula opposed the idea.

Grieve said it was time everyone took a step back and looked at the 
issue through fresh eyes. Stereotypes from 40 years ago were out of 
the window and no longer appropriate.

He had followed the debate over the years and views were changing, 
and that was reflected among professionals too.

People recognized that alcohol was a major cause of road accidents, 
and it was legally available. But after alcohol, people might be 
surprised to learn the next biggest cause of impaired driving was the 
use of prescription drugs, not illegal drugs.

But while attitudes in society were changing, that was not the case 
in all areas.

"There are a lot of vested interests in keeping the law as it is," said Grieve.

One of those was the police themselves. He suggested that over ten 
years police budgets had increased by 360 per cent. A lot of time, 
effort and expense went in to pursuing drug issues, and 68 per cent 
of charges related to marijuana were for personal possession.

"That's basically a harassment charge, and it's taking up a lot of 
police time," he said.

So many cases were being put forward to the Crown that they had 
difficulty handling the caseload, and countless lawyers were kept 
busy dealing with clients over the issue. So that gave both those 
groups a vested interest, too.

Grieve said people had suggested decriminalization would damage 
relationships with the U.S., but he noted that there were States 
where similar proposals - or some that went even further - were being 
put forward, including neighbouring Washington.

"I think the USA is coming around and in some respects they're 
actually ahead of us," he suggested.

But he was not confident much would happen about the vote at UBCM. 
"It's only a statement advocating that we look in to this," he said. 
"And let's face it, the present government in Ottawa has got deaf 
ears on the issue."
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