cannabisnews.com: Cop, Pothead Find Common Ground Cop, Pothead Find Common Ground Posted by FoM on March 21, 2000 at 07:37:28 PT By Kim Bradley, Edmonton Sun Source: Edmonton Sun An Edmonton Police Service deputy chief and a local pot grower have something in common. They both agree decriminalizing pot may actually drive down the street price and force street dealers out of business. A local 20-year-old pot grower with a lengthy criminal record for marijuana trafficking said he would stop selling pot if he could buy it legally. "There's always going to be independent dealers, but the price would go down because it wouldn't be so risky anymore," said the man, who cannot be named because he was convicted as a youth for pot trafficking. "And what would be the point if there's no money in it?" "There's a certain logic to that," agreed deputy chief Colin Vann after hearing the dealer's opinion. "The price of any product, if it can be legally obtained, is subject to competition ... and lower prices. "The profit margin would be reduced and therefore so would the number of participants in growing pot. I suppose it wouldn't be a great deal different than making wine and brewing beer in the basement." The comments come after the federal Liberal party passed a resolution supporting the decriminalization of pot possession during a convention on Sunday. The local grower, who has seven plants worth about $3,000 flourishing in his home, said it's about time. "We're not hard-core criminals," he said. "The cops should be worrying about the murderers. They should be thanking us for keeping the population glued to the couch in front of their TVs with a bag of chips." Vann didn't agree. "I'm not an advocate for decriminalizing it, but I do believe the issue needs to be examined. The quality of marijuana over the past number of years has increased in potency significantly, so I think that whole issue has to be looked at again." In Ottawa, Justice Minister and Edmonton MP Anne McLellan said decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot is not on the government's legislative radar. "I am not going to move on it any time soon," McLellan said after giving a speech to the Canadian Police Association. The police association wants the law to remain intact while the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs says possessing 30 grams or less of pot should not lead to a criminal record. The chiefs argue dwindling police resources could be better spent on other crimes instead of busting potheads. Published: March 21, 2000Copyright © 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. Related Articles:Grits No Party Poopershttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5137.shtmlLiberals Support Decriminalization of Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5124.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by Symmetric on March 21, 2000 at 20:19:28 PT: question Do you guys think they are going to make this an election issue (the half million canadians with criminal records that would be erased is a rather large voting block, not to mention current consumers). Or is this just good old fashioned stalling? I've heard repeatedly that the people are ahead of the politicians on this issue but now it's seeming like even the majority of politicians are ahead of our justice minister.> But CPA president Grant Obst says decriminalizing tiny amounts would make it harder for police to nab drug traffickers. Well that's a no brainer, if you can get it in coffee shops it's going to be harder to find illegal drug traffickers because there will be a hell of a lot less of them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 21, 2000 at 07:42:40 PT Liberals Won't Cut Grass Law - Related Article Liberals Won't Cut Grass LawTuesday, March 21, 2000 By Mark Dunn, Ottawa BureauToronto Sunhttp://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/home.htmlOTTAWA -- The Feds are in no hurry to change the law to allow Canadians to legally fire up a joint. Justice Minister Anne McLellan said yesterday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot is not on the government's legislative radar. "I am not going to move on it anytime soon," McLellan said after giving a speech to the Canadian Police Association, where she announced $20 million in new funding over four years to assist victims of crime. Grit Convention:Her comments come a day after delegates to the Liberal convention in Ottawa overwhelmingly rejected a motion to legalize the use of marijuana, but passed a watered down resolution to decriminalize possession of small amounts. The CPA wants the law to remain unchanged, while the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs says possessing 30 grams or less of pot should not lead to a criminal record. The chiefs argue dwindling police resources could be better spent fighting other crimes instead of busting potheads. But CPA president Grant Obst says decriminalizing tiny amounts would make it harder for police to nab drug traffickers. Copyright © 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: