Inspector Brad Desmarais is in charge of the anti-gang and drug section for the Vancouver Police Department. He's upset that the senate committee amended Bill C-15 by increasing the number of marijuana plants required to trigger a minimum jail term. It used to be six plants, but the minimum will now be two hundred if the bill passes. He is quoted in this Vancouver Sun
article:
The committee altered the controversial bill last Thursday, allowing a judge discretion when sentencing offenders convicted of growing fewer than 200 plants, something Justice Minister Rob Nicholson wanted to prevent.
Other provisions of the bill that would allow automatic sentences for a variety of drug-related convictions remained intact.
Desmarais said the creation of smaller but more numerous growing operations will be an administrative and enforcement headache for police as it already requires many hours of work to produce the evidence sufficient for a search warrant.
“This will only further deplete our already overtaxed, resource-starved department. If we have to prove someone has a 1,000 grow operation broken down into five separate units it will be a huge undertaking,” he said.
However, the VPD has witnessed a
huge drop in grow op busts over the last eight years:
The number of marijuana growing operations dismantled by the Vancouver Police Department has dropped significantly in the past decade. Statistics released to the Courier show police have so far busted 47 grow-ops this year as compared to 455 for all of 2001. The drop has been steady, with 224 dismantled in 2004 and 89 in 2007.
This decrease occurred under Canada's existing laws.
I doubt grow-ops have declined but maybe just moved out of Vancouver to less obvious locales. Anyway, C-15 won't do anything except improve profit margins for criminal gangs.
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteI have an idea for him to end his "administrative and enforcement headaches," out and out legalize marijuana!
Case closed!
But, but ... ChristiansAgainstProhibition ..., that would take away all their overtime pay, not to mention the satisfaction they get from destroying a plant that helps millions of people.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to write CAP or Drew, much less typing. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling there are still opportunities for overtime. But I have no sympathy for the destroyers of God's Green Earth. They will be shown the same sympathy they've shown others come Grand Payback Time (i.e. Judgement Day).
I was a night guard once. Did I pine for "excitement?" Did I long for troublemakers to show up so I could exert my authority? Ha! I was the Ferdinand the Bull of security personnel. I prayed the nights would be eventless so I could read my book, play my guitar, or literally smell the roses (it was at a nursery). I wanted to watch the sunrise every morning in peace and not be caught up in filing police reports.
If my boss told me he was going to keep my pay level as-is, keep my hours as-is, but cut my responsibilities in half, I'd be overjoyed. Clearly this is, like you say, about perceived overtime pay, love of lording authority over others, and/or some incorrect religious conviction. And if anyone thinks otherwise with regards to religion, I invite you to pay a visit to my website and to give me your best arguments.