$8,750 for Each Pot Conviction

[baconbits]

Seems like a waste of money for simple possession the majority of the time

http://www.theprovince.com/news/cost+ta ... story.html

[Veovis]

It is a waste. Would be nice if people who like pot could show some simple discretion and stop wasting taxpayers money.

You see in my mind the person committing the crime is the guilty party, not the person doing their job in regards to that activity.

Sure the law should be changed, but until it is, show some discretion and responsibility.

[steven lloyd]

Sure the law should be changed, but until it is, show some discretion and responsibility.

One day we will teach social and civic responsibility to high school students and Martin Luther King will be required reading.

[Graham Adder]

It is a waste. Would be nice if people who like pot could show some simple discretion and stop wasting taxpayers money.

You see in my mind the person committing the crime is the guilty party, not the person doing their job in regards to that activity.

Sure the law should be changed, but until it is, show some discretion and responsibility.

I show discretion by not smoking around the public.
Much the same as I did when I was smoking tobacco.'
I show responsibility by not smoking, discussing or leaving paraphernalia around minors.

I'll never understand why some people are so comfortable bending over a pool table to take their shot.
I'll grab for the bridge every time.
See the parallels?

[Donald G]

The $8,000.00 cost to prosecute simple possession charges is more a measure of the tremendous inefficiency of our criminal court system and financial billing by court lawyers enjoying political patronage then it is a true measure of the actual costs involved. The costs inherent in satisfying the rules of evidence requirements set by the judges also plays a large role ... as does the ability of the courts to set court on a police officers time off, regardless of the costs. The tendency of defense lawyers to try to delay trials until after the officer has been transferred can and does result in large and repetitious travel costs as well as overtime costs. What some defense lawyers pull to try to get their clients off is not only expensive but disgraceful in terms of justice.

[Relentless]

The minimum fine for Pot conviction should be $8750.00
If your stupid enough to smoke the junk, you should pay the price to break the law.
Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for idiots to get away with smoking pot.
Nobody needs that stuff.......Nobody!

[steven lloyd]

Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for idiots to get away with smoking pot.

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to continue paying the prohibitive cost of enforcing unenforceable, counterproductive and unwanted (by the vast majority of Candians) laws just because there exist moralistic ideologues who think they should be able to tell everyone else how to live their lives – in spite of the huge fiscal costs and social problems created by such arrogant thinking.

p.s. I don’t use marijuana

[flamingfingers]

"UltraViolet" wrote: Taxpayers shouldn't be paying for idiots to get away with smoking pot.

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to continue paying the prohibitive cost of enforcing unenforceable, counterproductive and unwanted (by the vast majority of Candians) laws just because there exist moralistic ideologues who think they should be able to tell everyone else how to live their lives – in spite of the huge fiscal costs and social problems created by such arrogant thinking.

p.s. I don’t use marijuana

NB: And neither do I.

[Graham Adder]

since nobody else is/has, I'll say it:

We need to legalize all drugs.
Not decriminalize.
Legalize.

Make it legal for any adult to buy any drug of their choice.
It's the ONLY way to control drugs.
It's the ONLY way to regulate it, tax it and keep the criminal element out of the loop.

The money made from sale and tax should then be returned to the system to fund health care and programs to deal with addiction issues and the like.

You will NEVER stop people driven to use hard drugs, from using hard drugs whether legal or not.
You will NEVER stop organized crime from running the show so long as the laws that govern us abstain from taking control.

[logicalview]

I hear what you are saying GA and they have tried this in Holland. It didn't work.

[CorkSoaker]

I hear what you are saying GA and they have tried this in Holland. It didn't work.

The Netherlands has decriminalized small amounts of cannabis for personal use. They have not fully legalized and fully regulated the drug trade but have instead adopted more of a non-enforcement model for certain situations. Their legislation reflects a non-moralistic and more pragmatic approach to drug (ab)use and they accept the inevitable existence and use of drugs in modern society. Their model places more emphasis on rehabilitation and harm reduction unlike the North American standard which seems to place enforcement first. I personally have not read a study that disproves the efficacy of their model or that it is more of a failure than the model practiced here. If you have it'd be nice to take a gander at.

[cutter7]

It is a waste. Would be nice if people who like pot could show some simple discretion and stop wasting taxpayers money.

You see in my mind the person committing the crime is the guilty party, not the person doing their job in regards to that activity.

Sure the law should be changed, but until it is, show some discretion and responsibility.

exactly! there are still people around who are freaked out by drugs of any kind, there are people who will phone the police for any reason... have some respect and keep your drug use to your self.

[StraitTalk]

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to continue paying the prohibitive cost of enforcing unenforceable, counterproductive and unwanted (by the vast majority of Candians) laws just because there exist moralistic ideologues who think they should be able to tell everyone else how to live their lives – in spite of the huge fiscal costs and social problems created by such arrogant thinking.

p.s. I don’t use marijuana

That's a wrap.

[Graphite]

If people do not follow the law, the answer does not involve giving law breakers their way. Seems backwards to me.

[Woodenhead]

Laws aren't always right.

Someone mentioned the Netherlands - bad example, unless you want to illustrate exactly how not to do it. Look into Portugal instead.