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The Marijuana Mindset
Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jul 2005
Source: Chatham Daily News, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 OSPREY Media Group Inc.
Contact: http://www.chathamdailynews.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1627
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
THE MARIJUANA MINDSET
With terrorists wandering the Western world looking to blow themselves, and
as many innocents as possible, into tiny pieces, it's created for much
tighter border security between Canada and the U.S. And this has sparked
smugglers to take to new highs, and lows, to get their product across the
border.
Enter three Canadians who allegedly went to extremes to get their crop to
market. Someone dug out a tunnel, complete with a ventilation system and
electrical lighting, from Vancouver into Washington State.
It seems the first trip through the tunnel will be the last, as the three
men in question were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and
import marijuana.
This act shows to what extremes people will go to get their cannabis
contraband to its large illicit market. Border security makes overland
routes that much less enticing.
Canada has long been viewed as much less reserved than the U.S., and
British Columbia is about as laid back as a province can get. It's known as
the marijuana capital of Canada, boasts a political party for potheads --
the marijuana Party -- and has a multi-billion dollar weed industry that
rivals tourism and forestry with its economic clout, according to the
Canadian Press.
Such profits, power and smuggling sound like the days of prohibition. Yet
marijuana is just as illegal here as it is south of the border. But in
Vancouver, at least in certain parts of the city, people roll joints in
public, stores even sell seeds. It's almost as if the police have already
decriminalized dope, even consider possession for personal consumption
legal for all the arrests they don't make.
Last time we checked, police don't make the laws. If someone's openly
smoking weed, they should be busted. Ditto for anyone trying to traffic the
stuff. The police shouldn't be as laid back as certain lawbreakers.
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