cannabisnews.com: Cauchon Considers Relaxing Marijuana Law





Cauchon Considers Relaxing Marijuana Law
Posted by CN Staff on July 16, 2002 at 08:19:09 PT
By Janice Tibbetts, National Post 
Source: National Post
Ottawa - Martin Cauchon, the Minister of Justice, says Canada is seriously considering decriminalizing marijuana possession because the current system encourages a patchwork of criminal charges across the country.After years of debate, Mr. Cauchon's revelation that he is contemplating action is the closest any minister of justice has come in recent years to acknowledging that saddling people with criminal records for recreational drug use might not be fair or an efficient use of police resources.
"There is discussion to find ways to be more efficient, more effective," Mr. Cauchon confirmed yesterday. "We're not talking about making it legal; we're talking about the possibility of moving ahead with what we call decriminalization."The proposal would mean handing small-time users a fine akin to a parking ticket rather than criminally charging and arresting them and forcing them through the court system.Mr. Cauchon said he would wait for recommendations from a Senate committee studying decriminalization and consult widely with Canadians before replacing the federal law.The Senate committee, which has held hearings across the country, will produce a report by late summer that is expected to recommend relaxing marijuana possession laws.Mr. Cauchon acknowledged Britain's move last week to reclassify cannabis is a factor in his decision.However, his proposal goes further than that in the United Kingdom, which still plans to maintain marijuana possession as a criminal offence, but is instructing police not to lay charges if people have the drug for their personal use.Mr. Cauchon said the current system in Canada, in which police in some provinces lay charges while others do not, might not be working as it should. Also, some people are getting off entirely because police do not want to lay charges when a criminal record is at stake, he said."If you look at the system that we have in place, keeping it criminal, it's not very efficient," he said. "Depending where you are across Canada, they apply or they don't apply the legislation that we have." Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.nationalpost.com/national/story.html?id=88F35488-7B54-4161-BC2D-44511C7D4644Source: National Post (Canada)Author: Janice Tibbetts, National Post Published: Tuesday, July 16, 2002Copyright: 2002 Southam Inc.Contact: letters nationalpost.comWebsite: http://www.nationalpost.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Laws Could Be Eased, Cauchon Says http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13427.shtmlOttawa May Ease Laws on Marijuana Possession http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13426.shtmlCanada Considers Easing Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13424.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by Naaps on July 16, 2002 at 09:35:23 PT
The Long Term Picture
The patchwork of the application of the federal laws in various provinces certainly exists, caught in British Columbia with under 30 grams, and you have a good chance of suffering no more than confiscation. Caught with the same quantity in Prince Edward Island would give you a criminal record. So if nothing else, the decriminalized state of marijuana possession will be entrenched across the country.It really looks as if the Senate Committee recommendations could carry the day. I observe that this National Post article doesn’t even mention the House Committee, nor the outspoken staunch prohibitionist Randy White, vice-chair of the aforementioned committee.Last week, I was skeptical of the recent developments in Britain and Canada, but what can an ardent activist really expect? Sometimes it is important to step back from the daily or weekly parade, and consider the long term consequences of the news. My friend, Randy Caine, likes to point out that when he was busted on the beach at White Rock, ten years ago, precipitating the constitutional challenge, the entire structure of the argument against prohibition was less sophisticated, and the number of activists and dissenting voices was less. Credit the internet, the coming of age of baby boomers, a better understanding of the medical applications of cannabis, the increased cooperation of various groups and organizations; but the result is a groundswell surpassing the expectations of the man thrown unceremoniously into the back of a police cruiser, gawked and pointed at by parents educating their child about the dangers of cannabis. Yes, some of the small steps annoy me for not going far enough, for not being fairer, for not understanding the racket behind cannabis prohibition, but looked at from a less urgent, less impatient position; it is a tidal change.    
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