Canadian police officers, who publicly oppose decriminalizing possession of marijuana, are quietly backing away from pursuing charges despite catching a growing number of people with the drug. Statistics for 1999, the last year in which figures are available, show that police reported almost 40,000 cases of catching Canadians with marijuana, but they did not pursue criminal charges in 13,500 cases, roughly 34 per cent of the total. A decade earlier, police caught 29,000 people with marijuana and pressed charged in all but 4,700 cases, or 16 per cent. His sentiment, backed by several academics and politicians, is to be studied by a House of Commons committee struck two weeks ago to examine illicit drugs. Poverty is a problem.
War is a problem.
The plight of women in Afghanistan is a problem. Addiction is a problem. Let's all get a grip here and legalize the damned stuff. A Senate committee is currently hearing presentations on the consequences of decriminalizing illicit drugs. In Parliament, Justice Minister Anne McLellan and Prime Minister Jean Chretien have given the go-ahead for a similar House of Commons look.