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Low pot priority not discussed
Source: 2004 Hacker Press Ltd., Abbotsford News (CN BC), 10-21-04

Snorts and chuckles filled the room as those attending Tuesday's police board meeting reacted in opposite ways to the board's decision not to immediately discuss a proposal to make marijuana enforcement the police department's lowest priority.

"The board has chosen not to make any comments or discussions," said police board chairwoman Mary Reeves after a presentation by a pro-marijuana artist, actor, author and photojournalist.

"It's obviously not the answer you want," she told presenter Laurence Cherniak.

During a presentation punctuated by reminders that Cherniak was beyond the five minutes allotted to him, he told the board about a longstanding scheme to destroy hemp production and urged them to check out research on several Web sites.

"Also on the Internet you will find more confirmations that we are clearly moving towards normalization of the marijuana issue being accepted in Canadian society," said Cherniak.

"Marijuana is a proven aid to relieving stress. Yet marijuana is still projected by people in the public service . . .saying pot has unknown toxic attributes of some kind or another. In the meantime, during the last 35 years, tens of thousands of studies, all over the world, state it has multiple beneficial uses," he said.

In documents given to the police board, he also points to the estimated $7 billion annually in street sales of marijuana, and says taxes on that amount could help address several challenges, including the beef closures, avian flu, lack of rapid transit, SE2, being stuck with hazardous waste, and a lawsuit against the Abbotsford school board.

Cherniak's requests included a plea for the police department's support for him to make a similar presentation to city council, ensure the city and police make marijuana the lowest priority arrest, and give a paper written by former Vancouver police officer Gil Puder more attention.