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Guns, Drugs and Money

I think the shooting of four RCMP officer in Alberta is tragic.

But I don’t understand why this means we need to “crack down on grow-ops.”

The fact that growing marijuana is illegal is what builds a criminal culture around the enterprise. The more illegal marijuana growing is, presumably the more dangerous it is for police.

If we “crack down on grow-ops,” then marijuana will be more scarce, hence more valuable, hence more “criminal.”

If we decriminalized the growing of marijuana, then police resources wouldn’t be wasted trying to stamp the “problem” out, there would cease to be a criminal culture around it, and the police would be in much less danger.

What am I missing?

Saturday, March 5, 2005 - 2:47pm
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Comments

Steven Garrity's picture
Steven Garrity on March 5, 2005
I don’t think you’re missing anything - it’s just a knee-jerk reaction. Our office-mate, who I’ll call iZak, predicted this reaction as soon as the horrible event was publicized.
David Richardson's picture
David Richardson on March 5, 2005
The CBC published a story today with more details. The ‘grow-op’ apparently consisted of 20 plants. While indeed a tragedy, this seems to be more about a confrontation with an anti-social rural guy gone bad.
Dave's picture
Dave on March 5, 2005
You’re not missing anything. I’ve often thought the war on drugs was incredibly futile and recently posted about it. Making something illegal doesn’t make anything change except create more desperation to do it.
Ken's picture
Ken on March 5, 2005
Cultivation for your personal use should be promoted because it stops cash from going into the black market. Growing marijuana for money is very different than growing it for your own use. We should all be allowed to grow about 6 plants if we want to, so money wouldn’t have to change hands like it does now. Less pitbulls, less giant grow operations, less violence. And a more cultivated society.
Ken's picture
Ken on March 5, 2005
I’ve decided to make a donation to NORML Canada as a response to the killing of the four RCMP officers. I’m sick of insane drug laws that lead to such crime, violence, and killings over marijuana. Other campaigns in Canada to reform the law can be foundhere. If you think it is time this all stopped, do something about it now. Write a letter to The Canadian Minister of Justice and let them know it is time for change.
Alan's picture
Alan on March 5, 2005
Yo might as well make a donation to the Canadian Autoparts vendors association as it turns out this was not a grow-op just 20 personal use plants and the officers were investigating stolen car parts. The guys shot because they came on his land. He shot a kid with a shotgun before for coming on his land. He was a freak-show waiting to blow.
Ken's picture
Ken on March 5, 2005
Grow-op bust led to killings, that’s the story. Too late for the facts now, when people think of this story they think marijuana. This perception matters more than the facts in this case; the story broke as a marijuana related slaughter. Did journalists sensationalize the grow-op angle or was that how the authorities wanted it spun? Liberals are talking tough on grow-ops, not auto part theft. Marijuana was blamed, rightly or wrongly, so it is the issue. So I fight the issue. If you want to make a donation based on the facts as we know it, the Canadian Mental Health Association would probably be most appropriate. You might as well make a donation to CBC if you believe auto parts or marijuana caused this tragedy.
Alan's picture
Alan on March 5, 2005
Fair enough but I would like to point out that you have captured the triumph of blogs in six words, Ken: “Too late for the facts now.”
Rob L.'s picture
Rob L. on March 6, 2005
There’s certainly been a lot of knee-jerkin’ going on concerning the pot, but I was also expecting people to jump all over this incident as evidence that the gun registry is somewhat useless in cases where it matters most. Was this guy’s “assault rifle”, or whatever it was, registered? Who cares about the pot?
Ken's picture
Ken on March 8, 2005
Here is some reporting that speculates about how this tragedy was scripted into a war on drugs story.

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