Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jun 2015
Source: Vancouver 24hours (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Vancouver 24 hrs.
Contact: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/letters
Website: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3837
Author: Michael Mui
Page: 7

B.C. IS CANADA'S DRUG OFFENCE CAPITAL

B.C. has undoubtedly the highest drug offence rates reported by police
across the country and its reputation has remained steadfast over
three decades, according to data compiled by Statistics Canada.

The statistics agency says that apart from 2012, British Columbia has
had the highest reported drug offence rate among all provinces from
the early '80s to 2013.

Within the province, it's the Kelowna and Metro Vancouver regions that
are leading the pack. And regardless of whether charges are laid or
not, marijuana appears to be a big reason.

According to the figures, about 60% of all drug-related offences in
B.C. logged by police in 2013 was for simple marijuana possession.
It's important to note, however, that only 3,600 people were charged
out of 16,085 reports of possession.

Vancouver Police Department Const. Brian Montague said it's important
to remember that officers encounter people carrying small amounts of
pot on a daily basis. Often the drugs are seized, but police don't
necessarily have to recommend charges.

"We get 500 calls a day in Vancouver, the chances of us coming into
contact with someone suspected of committing another offence and is in
possession of marijuana is extremely high - it happens multiple times
a day," he said.

"A shoplifter in possession of marijuana will probably only get
charged for the theft - the officer will seize the marijuana (and that
will be reported as an offence statistically) but he can't give it
back."

Cases, then, that do result in charges are often when someone has an
excessive amount of pot, beyond what's reasonable for personal use.
Montague said those cases wouldn't be direct trafficking charges, but
instead they'll be classed as a serious possession offence.

In Vancouver city proper, there were 1,332 cases of marijuana
possession logged by police in 2013. Among those cases, 210 people
received a charge.
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MAP posted-by: Matt