A sad day

[cakadu]

The US is already raising concern about the lax drug laws in Canada, so if the stuff gets legalized I guess that will be one more reason to stop most everything at the border.
The justice system, not drugs are likely the cause of this horrible tragedy. When someone has done time for sexual abuse, and has shot at people, threatened people and terrorized his community for years, and is still out walking around owning lord knows how many guns, just how much protection do the RCMP or society have.
The guy should have been locked up for good years ago by the sound of it....but of course our justice system pats the criminal on the wrist and turns them loose.
We look to police officers to protect citizens, but don't give them the tools they need. I am not referring to arms and protective gear, but a judicial system with some clout.

[cakadu]

There are definitely more questions than answers at this point and the public may never hear all of the facts of the case. One of the things I wonder about is how he managed to get all 4 officers in a position to be able to shoot at all of them.

What would happen if we adopted a 3 strikes perspective here in Canada? Would it have helped in this case? Technicalities are what help to get repeat offenders off - that and lawyers that know loop holes.

I don't know that the laws in the US are doing much to deter the drug trade either. What would happen if we adopted the system that countries like Malaysia have where "Da Da" is death? You know what the penalty is up front - work in the drug business and you know the risk you are taking.

[blackjack]

...what a country we live in...tell our teenage kids not to smoke cigs...but its OK to smoke MJ...goverment make laws so the gun trade goes underground...cities filling up with gangs...rural areas more and more becoming homes to these growups...

...heard an Edmonton policeman say it is basically the system ...we arrest them...the judge slaps there wrist...so in my opinion the politicians and lawyers are the problem...crime is obviously big business for the criminals and the lawyers...so nothing will change because we all know who run the country...lawyers and judges...

[gmj]

Lawyers are Politicians; and Politicians are Lawyers who make the Laws we cannot live with

[cowman]

Well the word is there were twenty plants...not exactly a big multi-million grow op? I wonder how come there haven't been any pictures of cops packing out garbage bags full of dope or stories of how many millions of dollars the plants were worth? Anne McClellan was quick to condemn this "organized criminal grow Op" as the reason for this tradgedy! Annie...show us the plants!
I wonder why? Maybe to deflect the real truth...that the senior RCMP staff screwed up big time and got these four officers killed? If they spotted a grow op why didn't they call in the "green Team"? Why did they call in the Auto theft unit?
There are a lot of questions unanswered here? On the first news reports it was reported that a SWAT sharpshooter shot the killer. Later they reported, no he killed himself, and now it is, we don't know for sure who killed him? Something just doesn't add up here?
Why would the RCMP send four inexperienced officers into a situation where they knew the individual was totally irrational and highly violent? He had stated many times he hated cops and would gladly kill them.
Is there a solution? Should we lock up more people? If so who is going to pay? Do we really have the resources to bust all these grow ops(20,000 in BC alone according to the RCMP)? Can we afford as a nation to lock up everybody who smokes dope? I believe a national poll pegged that number at about 37% of the population...that works out to around 10 million people who have broken this law? I wonder how many of our MPs, MLAs, mayors, doctors, teachers, lawyers, judges would have qualified for jail if we had those kind of draconian laws?
The fact of the matter is this "problem" is out of control and isn't going to improve unless we face reality? MJ in Canada is reality and the only way to fix the problem is to legalize and regulate it.

[raymondb]

Legalize and Regulate MJ?? Lets see-tobacco is legalized and regulated and yet statistics and science tell us that the health costs due to tobacco far exceed the tax revenue we receive or will ever receive. Speeding on highway 2 is done by over 80% of the people driving on this highway-Should we just increase the speed limit? Guns are regulated and controlled and yet they are still used to commit crimes.-I wander if we would ever get the costs of gun control showing us that this was a good way to use our tax dollars. I think that the answer is in our courts. If we get appropriate consequences for the crimes committed, we should get less crime-not more.

From all I have seen about teens on hard drugs I have noticed one common element-they all started with mj and graduated to a harder drug and everyone that has had successful rehabilitation states that mj should never be legalized.

From a father who has lived the devastation that mj causes.

[cropduster]

Cowman...please re-read my first post.It is about the Liberal legal system NOT grow ops and MJ or some other wishy washy policy.We need to re-visit values similar to the TEN COMMANDMENTS.Now I know you`ll go ballistic since I may be seen to be endorsing GWB`s values but it(commandments) certainly is more credible than MR.DITHERS!!!!!!!!!

[cowman]

Well I would certainly question the figures that costs outweigh the tax costs on cigarettes? Actually that is completely false as tobacco actually removes a lot of older people from collecting benifits? The fact is when you hit retirement you are actually a major drain on society...not a plus...economically speaking!
raymond: I do understand your concern...I had a daughter involved in drugs. I'm not trying to make light of the problem, but obviously what we are doing now isn't working? And the US experience shows harsher penalties definitely do not work?
Cropduster: Where in the ten commandments is MJ mentioned? I'm not trying to create a fight here...I neither smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or smoke dope! I might like to, but unfortunately my health won't let me! LOL
George Bush truly isn't a good example? He has basically turned Afganhistan back into the major # 1 supplier of opium/heroin? With his insane "war on drugs" he has created more criminals than any man in modern history! I am not a fan of Paul Martin. I do believe the senate got it pretty right when they brought out their report on MJ? The conclusion was #1 legalize it and #2 it is NOT a gateway drug! Now think what you might about the senate, but the fact is these were a group of highly educated older people who studied the situation, really had no axe to grind, no political aspirations...what did they reccommend?

[cowman]

The death of the four officers was not due to MJ, their purpose was to seize a truck, when they entered the property on Wednesday they found the plants and a lot of stolen goods.
The guy was nuts, whether or not he was a drug user ......however, legalizing the damn stuff sure isn't going to save more lives. Until the courts keep repeat violent offenders behind bars law enforcment officers and the public will continue to be at risk of another nutcase doing the same thing.

[cropduster]

Thanks,Emerald!My understanding is the guy at Rochfort Bridge has extensive criminal experience and that`s why I`m complaining about "the legal system". Sorry Cowman you`re missing my point.