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Simplepowa
In Pursuit of Knowledge


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 4,310
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Canadian Police Chiefs Want Ticket Option for Marijuana Possession
#18735091 - 08/20/13 11:32 PM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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by Phillip Smith, August 20, 2013, 06:58pm, (Issue #797)
Canada's police chiefs are ready to quit arresting people for marijuana possession. Meeting in Winnipeg over the weekend, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police passed a resolution recommending "an expansion of enforcement options" to deal with pot possession offenses.
The "enforcement option" they have in mind is issuing tickets instead of criminal charges. That sounds a whole lot like decriminalization, even though CACP denies it.
"The current process of sending all simple possession of cannabis cases under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act to criminal court is placing a significant burden on the entire Justice system from an economic and resource utilization perspective," said CACP President Chief Constable Jim Chu in a statement announcing the passage of the resolution.
"The CACP is not in support of decriminalization or legalization of cannabis in Canada," Chu continued. "It must be recognized, however, that under the current legislation the only enforcement option for police, when confronted with simple possession of cannabis, is either to turn a blind eye or lay charges. The latter ensues a lengthy and difficult process which, if proven guilty, results in a criminal conviction and criminal record."
More than 50,000 Canadians are arrested each year on marijuana charges, the vast majority for simple possession.
Canada's Liberals toyed with marijuana law reform when they held national power a decade ago, proposing a ticketing scheme similar to that now recommended by the top cops, but failed to push it through. The ruling Conservatives, on the other hand, have moved to toughen marijuana penalties.
Federal Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau has this year called for legalization. That puts him in line with the Canadian public, which consistently returns majorities for legalization in national polls.
Winnipeg Canada
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2013/aug/20/canadian_police_chiefs_want_tick
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HardTrippin
The Ambivalent



Registered: 11/05/09
Posts: 1,303
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 7 years, 5 months
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Re: Canadian Police Chiefs Want Ticket Option for Marijuana Possession [Re: Simplepowa]
#18737112 - 08/21/13 11:55 AM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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God, keep our land
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my3rdeye



Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 4,354
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 2 years, 9 months
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Re: Canadian Police Chiefs Want Ticket Option for Marijuana Possession [Re: HardTrippin]
#18737846 - 08/21/13 02:35 PM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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Be careful I know people convicted for a gram 20 years ago who still can't go to the USA or get a job where you need a clean record. As it stands now you might get off with a warning, but leaving it up to officer discretion means they can charge the people they don't like. Those 50 000 people busted each year are probably a lot of young people, black people, natives, homeless. How many were rich old white guys? I bet not very many. And one little pot bust is a load of paperwork for cops, this clearly is a waste of their time. As much as I oppose the whole drug war, small time pot busts are just an insane waste of my tax dollars. When you calculate all the costs from police man hours to courts to probation, that 500 dollar fine doesn't even come close to covering it. Prohibition is costing a lot of money, tying up court system, and causing law enforcement resources to be used poorly.
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Heffy
BrauMeister



Registered: 08/30/04
Posts: 3,262
Loc: International Traveller
Last seen: 5 years, 9 months
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Re: Canadian Police Chiefs Want Ticket Option for Marijuana Possession [Re: Simplepowa]
#18738371 - 08/21/13 04:08 PM (10 years, 6 months ago) |
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The Canadian parliament never passed a new marijuana law after Parker VS Regina declared the CDSA unconstitutional. The MMAR was passed through the courts, which is a ridiculous misuse of the courts. New laws are to be passed only through parliament.
I bet these guys want pot to be a fine and citation, instead of a criminal offense, because it will make their departments money instead of costing them money. Doesn't change the fact that they are enforcing a law which was declared unconstitutional more than a decade ago.
-------------------- I am the king of Rome, and above grammar! - Emperor Sigismund
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