Drug warrior victims

Four officers were shot dead while conducting a raid on a suspected grow-op in Canada. Last One Speaks offers sincere condolences to their family and friends but I'm troubled by the sensational headline that implies cannabis was somehow responsible for the violent behavior of this disturbed individual.

Buried deep in the article are the facts that suggest more plausible reasons. The police were also searching for stolen property and since there is no mention of finding any cannabis, one wonders how big a grow it could possibly have been, or if it even existed. It seems possible the grow-op raid was merely a ruse to get on the property. Furthermore, the suspect has a long history of violent behavior and mental instability. It was also widely rumored that he has long had a cache of weapons stored on his land.

Ironically, if there was actually a grow on the premises, it sounds from this report that the suspect was probably self-medicating his mental illness. It's likely that the reason he hadn't killed anyone prior to this was because he used the herb.

Either way, it's a needless tragedy. If we had sensible drug policy these Mounties would not have been put in that danger and there would be four less victims of the war on some drugs. One has to ask if it was worth the price of four men's lives to arrest someone for growing a plant.