Roachclip
New Member
OTTAWA -- The number of people charged with possession of cannabis fell by 30 per cent last year as police appeared to turn a blind eye to dope smokers due to uncertainty over Canada's pot laws, Statistics Canada reported yesterday.
"This drop may have been, in part, a result of a climate of uncertainty among police, given recent court rulings questioning the constitutionality of current laws regarding cannabis possession," the study said.
The drop in cannabis charges in 2003 contributed to an overall 8-per-cent drop in drug prosecutions in Canada, the first such decline since 1993.
Last week, Prime Minister Paul Martin said he plans to reintroduce legislation this fall that would decriminalize possession of small quantities of marijuana -- 15 grams or less. A bill to that effect died when the last election was called.
Police were more likely to use discretion due to the proposed law in possession cases involving small amounts of pot, said Brian Miller, chief administrative officer for the Ontario Police Association.
"For a while there, it was hard for us to get convictions because of the challenges in court," he said. "It's pretty rare for officers to charge first-time offenders in these cases. There's a lot of discretion involved."
A total of 41,237 marijuana possession charges were reported last year. Cannabis possession accounts for nearly half of all reported drug crimes.
The report also found that B.C. has the highest rate of drug crimes among the provinces for the past 20 years. It was the only province to show an increase (by 6 per cent) in reported drug charges in 2003, including a 3-per-cent hike in prosecutions of cannabis possession.
Conservative justice critic Vic Toews criticized Ottawa for taking so long to move on its cannabis reform bill. He said it leaves law enforcement officers in limbo on how to proceed on marijuana possession cases involving small amounts as pot laws remain uncertain.
"It results in unequal justice across the country," he said. "It's not consistent."
Mr. Toews said the federal government must implement a national drug strategy if it proceeds with the bill to decriminalize marijuana possession.
Yesterday's report follows a Statscan study released last week that showed the percentage of Canadians who have admitted using marijuana has almost doubled -- from 6.5 per cent to 12.2 per cent between 1989 and 2002.
The Liberal government wants to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and have the offences dealt with through tickets and fines instead of criminal charges. Supporters argue that simple possession cases take up too many resources that could be better used to fight more serious crimes and that the offence does not warrant a criminal record.
Globe and Mail
By KIM LUNMAN
Thursday, July 29, 2004
© Copyright 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/ser...ory/LAC/20040729/CANNABIS29/TPNational/Canada
"This drop may have been, in part, a result of a climate of uncertainty among police, given recent court rulings questioning the constitutionality of current laws regarding cannabis possession," the study said.
The drop in cannabis charges in 2003 contributed to an overall 8-per-cent drop in drug prosecutions in Canada, the first such decline since 1993.
Last week, Prime Minister Paul Martin said he plans to reintroduce legislation this fall that would decriminalize possession of small quantities of marijuana -- 15 grams or less. A bill to that effect died when the last election was called.
Police were more likely to use discretion due to the proposed law in possession cases involving small amounts of pot, said Brian Miller, chief administrative officer for the Ontario Police Association.
"For a while there, it was hard for us to get convictions because of the challenges in court," he said. "It's pretty rare for officers to charge first-time offenders in these cases. There's a lot of discretion involved."
A total of 41,237 marijuana possession charges were reported last year. Cannabis possession accounts for nearly half of all reported drug crimes.
The report also found that B.C. has the highest rate of drug crimes among the provinces for the past 20 years. It was the only province to show an increase (by 6 per cent) in reported drug charges in 2003, including a 3-per-cent hike in prosecutions of cannabis possession.
Conservative justice critic Vic Toews criticized Ottawa for taking so long to move on its cannabis reform bill. He said it leaves law enforcement officers in limbo on how to proceed on marijuana possession cases involving small amounts as pot laws remain uncertain.
"It results in unequal justice across the country," he said. "It's not consistent."
Mr. Toews said the federal government must implement a national drug strategy if it proceeds with the bill to decriminalize marijuana possession.
Yesterday's report follows a Statscan study released last week that showed the percentage of Canadians who have admitted using marijuana has almost doubled -- from 6.5 per cent to 12.2 per cent between 1989 and 2002.
The Liberal government wants to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and have the offences dealt with through tickets and fines instead of criminal charges. Supporters argue that simple possession cases take up too many resources that could be better used to fight more serious crimes and that the offence does not warrant a criminal record.
Globe and Mail
By KIM LUNMAN
Thursday, July 29, 2004
© Copyright 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/ser...ory/LAC/20040729/CANNABIS29/TPNational/Canada
