I can't believe how easily the Halifax police snowed reporter Cathy
Nicoll about their "priorities" (Pot `Low Priority'... Aug. 13 ).
Your paper informed us on July 31 that last year: "Of the 233
marijuana cases reported, 147 involved possession, 79 dealt with
trafficking, and seven concerned cultivation. Police charged 184
people. Of the 120 cocaine cases reported, 51 involved possession, and
69 dealt with trafficking. Police charged 115 people."

Last year the Halifax police "tripped" over 233 marijuana busts, or
almost five a week on average, and only half as many cocaine cases,
despite spending "90 per cent" of their time on them.

She might have asked, "If 90 per cent of your time is spent on
cocaine, how come the major crime squad busts someone for pot almost
every working day, on average?"

I, for one, would feel much safer if the major crime unit stopped
busting a pothead a day and put the thousands of manhours and tens of
thousands of dollars wasted on pot into investigating real "major"
crimes like rape, murder, and assault.

Chris Donald
Via the internet