Posted by Larry Hoover on August 22, 2003, at 9:14:27
In reply to Re: Ontario has not only *decriminalized* pot......... » Ame Sans Vie, posted by jay on August 21, 2003, at 4:27:53
> > I don't know, the news story I read said it had been completely legalized. So the woman reported her stolen pot to the police, and apparently they're actually following up on it! (though they *did* say it was probably the weirdest police report they'd ever taken, lol)
> >
> >
> Ya, it is likely cops are treating most possession as perfectly legal. (I think the only exception would be if say you had a massive 100 ton greenhouse operation or something like that..heh.) Cops here in Canada don't really want to have to be bothered by policing people for such a silly offence as pot possession. If you read the excellent book "Fire and Ice : United States and Canada and the Myth of Converging Values" , you will see Canada is heading more into the open, European direction with pot use.
>
> JayAs a resident of Ontario, may I enter here?
Certain aspects of the criminal law with respect to marijuana possession were struck down as unconstitutional, and the judge gave the feds a time limit to enact new legislation, or the case before him would be thrown out. Guess what? The feds missed the time limit.
So, technically, simple possession is no longer illegal. Laws only have effect once a judge has ruled on them, and last time I looked, no judge has ruled on the new law (if it's even on the books yet.....I haven't been following that aspect too closely).
The young lady who was robbed of her marijuana was more or less mugged for it, and she knew who did it (or could identify them somehow). So, as she was robbed, and that law is not under constitutional challenge, she had a right to seek police intervention. I bet her stolen property (the evidence) is neither identifiable, nor actually still in existence. No evidence, no theft conviction, eh?
Grow operations are being vigorously prosecuted, but convictions do not bring the massive jail time that Americans would expect. I've seen some grow-house operators given house arrest (i.e. a curfew in their own home).
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:252569
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253054.html