Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2013
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2013 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n265/a03
Author: Bill Vandergraaf

ANTI-POT ACTIONS WIDESPREAD

Your June 10 story "Arrested for legal pot, man claims" is really 
just the tip of the iceberg. As a medical marijuana licensee myself 
and a retired Winnipeg Police staff sergeant, I know that such 
actions by the police, where citizens produce evidence of lawful 
possession, then are handcuffed, detained and their product seized, 
is tantamount to unlawful arrest and seizure.

The smell of marijuana coming from a car is not sufficient grounds to 
arrest and search, whether the subject is licensed or not. But the 
oppressive and apparently violent arrest of a licensed 
medical-marijuana user because the officers are not familiar with 
medical-marijuana laws is outright nonsense. Ignorance of any law is 
no excuse from a citizen. Why should we let police officers get away 
with this kind of attack?

I have seen and heard of this many times before with people in 
possession of a small amounts of drugs, legal or illegal, because our 
drug warriors in policing seem to get confused about what is really 
important and what is even a crime.

It is time to legalize drugs, take them off the streets away from 
children, and stop the violence by organized crime and the police in 
our communities.

Bill Vandergraaf Winnipeg
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom