Thread: Legalizing pot won't curb illegal drug trade, Winnipeg police inspector says

Legalizing pot won't curb illegal drug trade, Winnipeg police inspector says

'Organized crime is not going away,' Winnipeg police Insp. Max Waddell told a crowd at CMU Wednesday



Caroline Barghout · CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2017 11:12 PM CT | Last Updated: November 16, 2017



A panel discussion on the legalization of marijuana took place at the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg Wednesday night. (from left: Moderator Chris Huebener, CMU Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy, Winnipeg Police Service Inspector Max Waddell, Nelson Martens, medical marijuana producer Bonify, Erin Morash, pastor at Crystal City Mennonite Church and Trinity Mennonite Church, and Daniel Dacombe, rehabilitation counsellor Addictions Foundation of Manitoba) (CBC/Jeff Stapleton)

Legalized cannabis was a hot topic of conversation at Canadian Mennonite University Wednesday night as a pastor, a police officer, a rehabilitation counsellor and a medical marijuana producer shared the stage for a panel on the subject.

More than 100 people showed up to a panel titled "Our Need for Weed?", which was open to the community and free to anyone who wanted to attend.

"The goal of this isn't to develop a position. CMU has no official position, we're not looking to work towards that, so much as bring people who care about this issue together to hear from a range of folks who are involved in it in a variety of ways," said Chris Huebner, CMU Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy.

'Organized crime is not going away'



Winnipeg police Inspector Max Waddell said based on information out of Colorado and Washington, two American states who legalized cannabis in 2012, legalizing cannabis in Canada will not curb the illicit drug trade. (CBC/Jeff Stapleton)

Winnipeg police are in the process of developing a training package for officers ahead of the July 1, 2018 deadline.

"We know Bill C-45 states that a person can have up to 35 grams on their person at anytime, so how are officers gonna enforce that if it's above the 30g?," said Winnipeg police Insp. Max Waddell. Despite the big learning curve, he said officers will be ready in the next seven months. But Waddell — who is also the head of the organized crime unit — warned the legalization of cannabis will not put an end to the illegal drug trade.

"Organized crime is not going away," said Waddell. "We've seen some history down in Colorado and Washington specifically around organized crime, and those types of outlets, where we really haven't seen significant changes in the illicit market. There's still being marijuana sold illegally."

• Cannabis legalization and the black market: what will change in Manitoba?

He said right now in Canada most people with medical marijuana prescriptions are getting their drugs on the black market.

"They're still buying up to 90 per cent of their marijuana through illegal means, so that tells me that there's significant change that needs to be made ahead if we want to truly regulate and control this new change."

'Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's safe'

A rehabilitation counsellor who works with young people told the crowd that Canada has the highest youth cannabis use in the developed world — a figure he said was three times higher than the number of adult users.

Daniel Dacombe, rehabilitation counsellor with Addictions Foundation of Manitoba said just because cannabis will become legal, does not make it safe. (CBC/Jeff Stapleton)

"The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Abuse released a study last year, which revealed that youth perceptions of marijuana in Canada are typically very positive. There's a lot of misinformation in the youth populations," said Daniel Dacombe, a counsellor with the school-based services at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba.

• High time to talk to kids now that marijuana is about to become legal in Canada

Dacombe said young people think just because cannabis isn't produced in a lab, that it's somehow safe and okay for them to use.

"There's realities about using marijuana as a young person that will impact them long-term and that can result in some harms to their lives," said Dacombe.

"During the adolescent years, the brain is going through a rapid period of development and growth. This means that it's very vulnerable to change, both positive and negative. And some of those negative changes can result from introducing chemicals into the brain that wasn't really meant to contain."

Pastor hopeful legalization will open discussions in church

A pastor at two Manitoba Mennonite churches hopes the legalization of marijuana will generate discussions in her congregations.

• Private stores will sell pot while province will control distribution

Erin Morash, pastor at two Manitoba Mennonite Churches said she hopes the legalization of cannabis will open up discussions within her congregation about marijuana use and misuse. (CBC/Jeff Stapleton)

"The medical users that I have come across in my work in their church families, they all have said that they keep their use very quiet for fear of stigma," said Erin Morash, pastor at Crystal City Mennonite Church and Trinity Mennonite Church.

​"I'm not thinking that when this becomes legalized next summer that that's suddenly gonna lift and they're suddenly gonna be able to light up in the church foyer. That's not going to happen. I am hoping though, that it might allow them to become less afraid of judgement in their families, their wider family communities and perhaps in their church communities," said Morash.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manito...anel-1.4404592

Then don't worry about it. Whatever portion goes legal you don't have to worry about and you won't have to waste your resources chasing down pot users. Less work for you and less money for law enforcement.

Oh wait .... less arrests, less officers needed, less money appropriated .... well, now we know one of the reasons law enforcement is opposed to ending the War on Weed. Plus, the less illegal there is, the less payola you get. It's all clear, we get it!!

LEGALIZE NOW and SHUT THESE CROOKS DOWN.

If everybody gets high on pot, then we can all live in a fantasy, like Judy!

Originally Posted by jtdc

If everybody gets high on pot, then we can all live in a fantasy, like Judy!

LOL!! You don't need pot to live in Judy World.

What we have here is Judy wrapped in the thrill of victory (Adult Legal Weed Proposition 64 passed 57 to 43, a bold, decisive, huuuge 14% margin of victory by a vote of the people of California on November 8, 2016, so happy for them) and poor jtdc writhing in the agony of defeat in his home state, like a poor critter hit by a semi on I-5.

So much good will come from this, it will be amazing to see the data as time marches on. Pot prisoners will be released, pot records will be purged, people can get good jobs again, police corruption will be curbed, good police officers freed to fight real crime, illegal weed crossings at border will decline and illegal aliens running the pot in and the money out will be greatly reduced, and so much more good to come.

Californians absolutely did the right thing on their Proposition 64, and I am so proud of them.

And I am unanimous on that!!

Originally Posted by Judy

And I am unanimous on that!!

At least Judy has one person who agrees with her, herself.

And 57% of the voters in your home state of California (Proposition 64).

And 59% all Americans who support legal weed, 61% of all Americans who support States Rights to regulate weed in their state, and 64% of Republicans who support States Rights to regulate weed in their state (CBS poll, April 20, 2018).

Originally Posted by Judy

And 57% of the voters in your home state of California (Proposition 64).

And 59% all Americans who support legal weed, 61% of all Americans who support States Rights to regulate weed in their state, and 64% of Republicans who support States Rights to regulate weed in their state (CBS poll, April 20, 201.

Polls can be skewed to represent whatever you want them to. President Trump is proof that polls are an unreliable source at best, at worst they are an agenda pusher. I've seen you regularly hide behind polls. Well, I personally don't give them a lot of credence. Heck, I'm still waiting on my polling call on the marijuana legalization issue.

That's why I gave jtdc both types of information, actual election results in California in 2016 on Legal Weed (Proposition 64), which passed with 57% approval and the CBS poll two years later in April 2018, which has 59% approval.

Originally Posted by Judy

That's why I gave jtdc both types of information, actual election results in California in 2016 on Legal Weed (Proposition 64), which passed with 57% approval and the CBS poll two years later in April 2018, which has 59% approval.

From what I've seen, Republicans are only polling around 50-51% for legalization. Because of the importance on this issue, I don't mind being in such a small minority.

In your own words, you can't trust the polls so don't try to hide behind them. 64% of Republicans support states rights to legalize and regulate weed.