cannabisnews.com: Brits' New Pot Law Sensible





Brits' New Pot Law Sensible
Posted by CN Staff on July 12, 2002 at 15:16:56 PT
By David Swick, The Daily News 
Source: Daily News
Britain’s new marijuana policy is a weasly, neither-here-or-there, in-between compromise that will satisfy neither pot smokers nor their detractors. It is, in other words, a brilliant solution, and one we should adopt in Canada.Wednesday, the British government announced that marijuana and hashish will have their classifications downgraded. The new rules, to come into effect next July, mean an end to arrests for possession of a small amount. Instead, police may confiscate the drug and issue a warning. Arrests will only be made if public order is threatened or children are at risk.
No one will be happy with this law, but everyone gets something. People who want marijuana to remain against the law get their way: it stays, technically, illegal. But those who want a more reasonable drug policy win some leniency.Home Secretary David Blunkett said the current rules are “disproportionate in relation to the harm it causes” and the law has to be made “open, honest and believable.” Instead of charging 1,400 people a week with cannabis offences, British police will be allowed to concentrate on more serious drugs, he said, such as heroin and cocaine.What a contrast between Britain’s proactive, sensible compromise, and Canada’s endless dithering. Thirty years after the LeDain Commission recommended decriminalization, two parliamentary committees are currently studying the question. In April, a House of Commons move to decriminalize, led by Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin, was killed without coming to a vote.Politicians on the left and right in Canada have openly called for decriminalization. The RCMP and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police support decriminalization, too. But the governing Liberals are refusing to consider the idea.The reason: we are too close to the U.S. Our neighbour continues with its simplistic fantasy that all illegal drugs are bad and all legal drugs good. Against all common sense and the experience of tens of millions of its own citizens, it continues to insist that the only people who smoke marijuana are criminals, freaks and ne’er-do-wells intent on destroying civilization. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=3C447F1F-6C48-4FDB-B58D-A4E78033B22BSource: Daily News, The (CN NS)Author: David Swick, The Daily News Published: Friday, July 12, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Daily News Contact: letterstoeditor hfxnews.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/halifax/dailynews/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmBritain is Right To Ease Law on Pot Possessionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13391.shtmlBritain To Let Pot Smokers Off Lightlyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13384.shtmlHash On The High Street http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13382.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Naaps on July 12, 2002 at 17:00:12 PT
'Sensible' - Not Really
I won’t call the recent British law change ‘sensible’. Sure, some people can now be caught with some cannabis, and even get away without having to pay a fine, but this is only being done to save police time and processing costs. The escalation of the penalties for supplying or growing has increased dramatically, notably to appease the nark community. Cranking up those penalties will adversely affect the cannabis community, increasing both the prices and stakes, as the risks associated with supply are significantly increased. Sensible to me would be recognizing that people are enabled to make their own decisions, to use, to cultivate, to buy or vend. How much damn government do we need in our lives?Where does this ‘sensible’ policy put people like Colin Davies? Set up a compassion club, sell some brownies, vend medical cannabis, there’s no protection from a potential decade, or longer, sentence.In a perfect world, we would legalize marijuana it says in the snipped portion. Yes, I know how Canada is dependent on trade, but if all our decisions are based on looking fearfully south, unable to make independent drug policy, then Canada is nothing more than a colony. Strong, independent, proud leadership needs to step forward, declaring this is our policy, you can have yours, but this is ours. Perhaps there will come a time, but for now entirely adopting or declaring the British policy as ‘sensible’ doesn’t cut it. 
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