cannabisnews.com: Canada Considers Easing Marijuana Laws Canada Considers Easing Marijuana Laws Posted by CN Staff on July 15, 2002 at 14:48:30 PT By Barry Brown, News Toronto Bureau Source: Buffalo News Just days after Britain announced plans to soften its laws on possession of marijuana, officials with the office of Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said Canada might follow the British lead. Justice Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said last week that Cauchon is considering lessening the penalties for possession of marijuana to a fine rather than a prison term. A few months ago, the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs issued a preliminary report criticizing the government's current drug policy. According to the report, an estimated 30 to 50 percent of Canadians age 15 to 24 have used marijuana despite efforts to eradicate its use, and nearly 30,000 people a year face criminal charges for simple possession. This amounts to half of all drug charges in Canada, and while 25 percent of those are typically discharged, the rest face criminal records. In 2000, Canadian police departments reported a total of 87,945 drug-related offenses - three-quarters of which involved marijuana. The number of police-reported incidents involving marijuana increased from 47,234 in 1996 to 66,171 incidents in 2000. "When you examine cannabis usage among youth, you realize that (criminalizing it) has absolutely no effect," said Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, chairman of the special committee. The committee also reported that scientific evidence suggests that marijuana use does not automatically drive people to use "harder" drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The federal government has also financed a medical marijuana farm in an abandoned Manitoba mine, though it has yet to offer the government-financed drug for those on its medical-use list. While Canada criminalized marijuana use in 1923 - 14 years before the United States - and the nation still fines tens of thousands of people every year for possession, "compassion clubs" where marijuana is distributed to desperately ill people for pain relief operate openly in several provinces, and police in Vancouver often turn a blind eye to cafes where marijuana is smoked. In Canada, all criminal laws are national, so any change in federal marijuana laws will affect the entire country, rather than just a single province. However, the biggest concern for Canadian lawmakers contemplating a softening of marijuana penalties is not the reaction at home but in the offices of politicians south of the border. Some U.S. politicians are worried that any softening of Canada's marijuana laws would lead to a surge of Americans crossing the border to take advantage of the softer drug laws. In New York State, marijuana-related offenses are punishable by fines ranging from $100 to $5,000 and by prison sentences of up to 15 years. Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Mark E. Souder, R-Ind., chairman of the House subcommittee on criminal justice, drug policy and human resources, warned visiting Canadian politicians that America would crack down even harder on border controls between the two countries if Canada softened its marijuana laws. Souder was the author of a U.S. law that bans Americans with drug convictions from receiving federal student loans. Despite this, Vancouver Mayor Phillip Owen said that drug use was a health matter, not a criminal one, and that the money spent prosecuting marijuana charges represents a staggering drain on public resources. Some observers, however, think that the United States is a toothless tiger regarding Canada's drug policy. Ethan A. Nadelmann, director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a U.S. group seeking changes in drug laws, said that trade between the two nations is too important and that any U.S. reaction would be limited to verbal condemnation. Cauchon is to discuss his plans for changes in marijuana laws during a meeting of the Canadian Bar Association next month. Source: Buffalo News (NY)Author: Barry Brown, News Toronto BureauPublished: July 15, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Buffalo NewsContact: lettertoeditor buffnews.comWebsite: http://www.buffalonews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Marijuana Party Denounces Cauchon's Idea http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13403.shtmlCauchon Might Relax Canada's Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13397.shtmlCanada: The Debate Over Decriminalization http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12697.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on July 16, 2002 at 06:27:33 PT: Not so much a toothless tiger but a dangerously powerful Alszheimer's victim. Someone only demi-conscious as to the damage he causes in the world, continually forgetting in the next second the harm he's already caused and oblivious to the harm he is presently causing.But even this dim-witted creature is subject to outside stimuli; the bit about Americans flocking to Canada to toke up is quite valid. But there's another aspect of this the American government is (selectively) quite lucid about: the trade imbalance which would ensue.That's right, folks, a trade imbalance with Canada. Imagine what would happen to the economies of the Provinces bordering the US. A huge influx of American dollars would make up for the lackluster performance of most Provincial economies. Which would in turn lead to banks making more loans, more industries opening up, more jobs being created, etc. The ripple effect is a palpable one.Yepper, all those American dollars would vanish into Canada...and probably never be seen again. That's what the Powers That Be in the States are truly afraid of, as only those States bordering those Provinces would get any sniff of the windfall which would take place just across the border. And that would be mainly petrol and snacks on your way to the real fun. Any wonder why the antis are so scared? It's not just that the truth about cannabis's lack of deleterious effects would be so evident in the 'traveller's tales' brought back by happy vacationers; the economic ramifications of prohibition have had for the individual States would be made so crystal clear even a Down's Syndrome victim would tumble to it in a heartbeat. And that's something the antis don't want you to look at; after all, how can they explain the expenditure of half a Trillion dollars over the last 20 years with nothing to show for it but bulging jails and cheaper, more plentiful and purer addictive drugs?Uncle may stamp his feet and bellow, but in the end, he'll lose as he did when Canada stuck to her guns - like she did with the Vietnam Draft Resisters. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 16, 2002 at 05:59:57 PT Poll update Now it's almost 80% to 20% in favor of not reporting the grow-op... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on July 15, 2002 at 16:10:03 PT Poll: Would You Report a Grow-Op? Would you report a grow-op in your neighbourhood? Current Results: Yes -- 32 -- 30.19 % No -- 74 -- 69.81 % Vote Here: http://www.vancourier.com/index.shtmlGoing to Pot By Mike Howell It's just after 9 a.m. on a Wednesday when four police cars roll up to an old grey stucco bungalow on Charles Street. The wide tree-lined boulevards, manicured lawns and well-kept houses in this pocket of East Vancouver catch the attention of Sgt. Rollie Woods as he steps from his unmarked cruiser. "See," he says, as fellow cops draw their guns in the front yard of the bungalow, "this is a nice neighbourhood and the house fits in with the rest of them. Most people probably wouldn't suspect anything." Nor should they-the lawn is cut, roses are growing in a garden below the front window, the trim has recently been painted pink and the female tenant, by all accounts from neighbours, is friendly. Complete Article: http://www.vancourier.com/073102/news/073102nn1.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by mayan on July 15, 2002 at 15:52:03 PT MMJ TV Ads! The Libertarian Party is raising money to produce medical marijuana television ads. They are also seeking mmj patients for these commercials.Libertarian Party Seeks Medical Marijuana Patients for TV ads.Please forward this message to any appropriate local drug reform groups or medical marijuana patients you may be aware of. The Libertarian Party is looking for medical marijuana patients who are willing to speak out publicly in TV commercials. As part of its Drug War Focus Strategy, the Libertarian Party will produce and run TV ads on the issue of medical marijuana. These ads will be used by the LP to raise public awareness of the issue, and to help defeat the worst Drug Warriors in Congress and State legislatures. We will produce ads that can be used by our 50 state parties, and that can also be customized for our more than 1,300 candidates running this year. While 73% of Americans favor medical marijuana, 90% of congress opposes it. These ads will help pressure congress to respect the will of the voters, and pass meaningful legislative relief for medical marijuana patients. We will specifically target Bob Barr with pro-medical marijuana advertising. Barr is the congressman most responsible for the war on medical marijuana users. Even among his strongest supporters, Barr is out of step on this issue. Due to this year's redistricting, Barr is very vulnerable, and we hope to ensure his defeat.In the commercials, patients will announce their profession, their medical condition, and state how medical marijuana helps to alleviate their symptoms. If you are a medical marijuana patient, and would possibly be willing to appear in a commercial, please contact me at your earliest convenience. My E-Mail is: RonCrickenberger hq.lp.orgThank you. With your help, we will end the war on medical marijuana patients.Ron Crickenberger Political DirectorTo learn more about the LP's Drug War Focus Strategy, or to sign up for the Drug War Task Force E-Mail list, go to: http://www.lp.org/issues/drug-war-task-force.htmlContribute now to produce a hard-hitting Medical Marijuana TV Commercial! http://www.lp.org/contribute?prog=medmjad02&fund=2002-0119&display=more [ Post Comment ] Post Comment