cannabisnews.com: Cauchon: 'No Pressure' to Tighten Drug Laws Cauchon: 'No Pressure' to Tighten Drug Laws Posted by CN Staff on August 13, 2002 at 14:49:24 PT By Tara Brautigam -- Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says he's felt no pressure to back off from possible decriminalization of marijuana despite criticism from the United States. Two committees from the House of Commons and the Senate are looking into the decriminalization of the drug. Recommendations are expected in the fall. "I will just like to wait for the recommendations from the two committees and we'll see afterwards," Cauchon said Tuesday. "I've heard nothing from the United States. I'm working within Canada, within my home government . . . we'll see what will be the recommendations of the report, we'll see where is our society exactly." But just moments before Cauchon spoke, a senior official in Washington openly criticized Canada's possible foray into decriminalization. "If you decriminalize the use of drugs, you are increasing the vector by which the disease of addiction is spread," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "I fear that even in Canada, our own ignorance has also contributed to an attitude that marijuana is not a dangerous, addictive substance that is particularly a vice for children," he said. "Again, the drug problem is not about 25-year-olds or 35-year-olds or 40-year-olds making maybe unwise decisions in the privacy of their own home about what they use for entertainment or fun. The drug problem is about children." Walters added that if people stopped experimenting with drugs as teenagers, addiction problems likely wouldn't surface later in life. Back in Toronto, Cauchon also discussed possible reform to divorce laws, same-sex marriages and legal aid. The minister, who said on Monday the adversarial terms "custody" and "access" will be eliminated from divorce legislation this fall because the words create a "perception" of winners and losers, stressed the importance of social services for couples in crises and children in need of help. "Sometimes I feel that there's not enough services in order to guide them, in order to help them out," he said. "The human goal is to try to make sure that families won't get to the divorce. We're talking about a prevention mode." Cauchon declined to give his personal view on same-sex marriages, saying it was inappropriate to do that as federal justice minister. "I believe we're facing a different decision from one province to another, from one court to another. We need to keep all our options open," he said. Addressing possible legal aid reform, Cauchon said he was willing to look at the models of other countries to improve access to the courts in Canada. Cauchon made his remarks after announcing an $8.6 million infusion to fight youth crime in Ontario. The money, which was allocated for in the December 2001 federal budget, is intended to combat substance abuse, poverty, home violence, lack of education, and hunger -- all underlying causes of youth crime, Cauchon said. "Where there are safe, healthy and happy children, there is invariably a safe, healthy and happy community," Cauchon said. "Sadly too many Canadian children do not enjoy a healthy start to life." The cash will go to 145 community organizations throughout the province, such as Big Brothers and Sisters branches and the Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre in Toronto. Neethan Shanmugarajah, program co-ordinator for the Centre, said the funds will help run projects similar to a recent one-year examination it conducted into Tamil youth gang structure. "It shed a lot of light into youth issues that the Tamil youth face," said Shanmugarajah. Source: Canadian Press Author: Tara Brautigam -- Canadian PressPublished: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Canadian Press Related Articles: Justice Minister Nixes Legalizing Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13735.shtmlNo Plans for Legal Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13731.shtmlWashington Fumes as Canada Moves To Decriminalise http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13580.shtmlWould Softer Pot Law Stir Wrath of U.S.? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13401.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #20 posted by mayan on August 14, 2002 at 17:52:20 PT Action! Donahue BREAKS 9-11 CONSPIRACY STORY!!! Please send this on & act now! http://www.rumormillnews.net/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=22083 [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by mayan on August 14, 2002 at 17:05:09 PT Thanks again, FoM! Just got around to reading the transcript. Very interesting! I never imagined Donahue would turn out to be so cool! [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by John Tyler on August 14, 2002 at 13:49:32 PT The children "Again, the drug problem is not about 25-year-olds or 35-year-olds or 40-year-olds making maybe unwise decisions in the privacy of their own home about what they use for entertainment or fun. The drug problem is about children." Walter seems to have conceded a bit in this statement, but his continued argument that cannabis should remain illegal and a jailable offense "to protect the children" is weak and unsupportable. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on August 14, 2002 at 08:01:00 PT mayan Here Is The Info! DONAHUE: Welcome back. In his book, “Forbidden Truth”-”U.S.-Taliban Secret Oil Diplomacy and the Failed Hunt for bin Laden” its subtitle-author Jean Charles Brisard makes some disturbing allegations regarding a connection between oil, Saudi Arabia, the Clinton and Bush administrations and al Qaeda. Well, Mr. Brisard, sir, your book is the talk of Europe. It’s a best-seller. Obviously, Europe has grabbed this with both hands. Not so here. We’re paying-it’s not that you’re being ignored, but...JEAN CHARLES BRISARD, FRENCH INTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATOR: It just arrived.http://www.msnbc.com/news/794011.asp?cp1=1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by kaptinemo on August 14, 2002 at 06:12:19 PT: A correction is in order The lady's name is Shor. I kept thinking she might be related to the journalist Daniel Schorr who's mixed it up with more than one Administration. My bad. :( [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by kaptinemo on August 14, 2002 at 05:58:22 PT: Unrelated(?) You decide:Psychic and Political Numbing in Preparations for War http://www.counterpunch.org/shor0812.htmlI bring this article up for a reason Ms. Schorr, like most "Liberals", keeps forgetting.In her article she writes:Part of the political numbing that the Bush Administration has visited on the American public is intimately connected to the fear and intimidation launched by the Ashcroft's jack-booted Department of Justice (sic). With overwhelming Congressional support, the USA Patriot Act was passed, establishing a wide variety of legal mechanisms to undermine the Bill of Rights. Although still used against those swarthy others, legislation is in place to deter real opposition to the policies of an increasingly authoritarian government. Added to this is the recent FBI reorganization, a reorganization that facilitates spying on the public without any court orders or even evidence of wrong-doing. Moreover, the Bush Administration has made clear its intent to deny constitutionally-mandated judicial oversight in its refusal to turn over documents to the judge overseeing one of the cases of a so-called enemy combatant."Perhaps it may be time to raise the whole matter of the "F" word. It certainly seems reasonable to call this erosion of liberties and rights creeping fascism, albeit a postmodern fascism that does not need to rely on mass mobilization for realizing a proto-fascist agenda.What Ms. Schorr and so many others of her ilk keep forgetting is that the very model of 'post-modern' fascism she says we might be heading (oh, you gotta love these timidly-crawling-on-their-bellies-with-flashlights Liberal 'point men') has already been tested and proven in America's streets.That's right friends, the very thing she writes about has already been tested upon a blindly accepting populace. The target population for this 'dry-run' of fascism...is reading these words, right now. That is, the ones who have not been murdered outright in "Oops!-wrong-house" drugraids or died of a communicable disease after being homosexually gang-raped in prison.Or simply denied medicine needed for continued survival.Wake up and smell the brimstone, Ms. Schorr; the fascism you so oh-so-delicately forward as 'possibly' existing has been savaging illicit drug users for years.Now it's the rest of the country's turn... [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by kaptinemo on August 14, 2002 at 05:15:58 PT: While we are on the subject of photo ops and other ideas for getting out point across, how about some ideas for a commercial?You have The Hutchster, Ashcroft and Walters intoning about how the DrugWar is 'all for the children'.Sharp segue to the home of Alberto Sepulveda the night of the raid. A banner crawls across the bottom of the screen, explaining where this is and what's about to happen - a botched drug raid on a house with no drugs in it. A dramatization takes place of the events showing young master Sepulveda being shotgunned in the back by an adrenaline tripping cop at point blank range while laying on his stomach screaming for Mommy.Then segue to the statistics of groups that benefit most handsomely from the DrugwWar: Breweries, distilleries, pharmaceutical corporations, bureaucrats, prison guards, cops, judges, etc.Then we see the Unholy Trio again mouthing their platitudes about 'saving the children'. Quick flash shot of the 'dead' Sepulveda boy laying in his own blood.Then a voice over saying, "Yes, it's all to save the children." And finally, with a cynical rejoinder, another voice says with a tone dripping with cynicism: "Yeah, right." Too bad few people with the money have the guts to put this or something similar on. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by canaman on August 13, 2002 at 22:58:16 PT or a photo op ....... With Walters picking the baby up out of the mud puddle, smiling all dressed up in his pressed Czar costume? [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by karkulus on August 13, 2002 at 21:34:34 PT For the Sake of The Babies!! I think Walters should trot Sally Struthers out "For the sake of the babies!" and they could show a kid lying in a mud-puddle because of decriminalization... [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on August 13, 2002 at 20:52:22 PT mayan They bumped it for Breaking News. They stretched the news conference just long enough that they had to bump that part. Maybe someone who gets Donahue on the West Coast might catch it for you when it repeats at 12pm Pacific Time. I tried. The transcripts will say and they should be up fairly soon. I've noticed they often post the transcripts after the west coast has seen the show. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 13, 2002 at 18:41:04 PT mayan I'm sorry but I went and looked and they didn't have the current show information posted. I'll keep my eyes open for when the show repeats tonight and try to catch the name of the book and the author. Here is the transcript page. They might have them up late tonight but it will be for todays date and Michael Moore was on first and then the author and then a wife who lost her husband on 9-11 trying to get answers. It was a very good show. http://www.msnbc.com/news/MSNBCTRANSCRIPTSMAIN_Front.asp?0ct=-330 [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by mayan on August 13, 2002 at 18:32:44 PT Thanks FoM! I'll make a note of it! Do you remember who the author was? I love Michael Moore also. I just finished reading "Stupid White Men". It seems as though he has lost faith in the RepubliCrats as well. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 13, 2002 at 17:46:38 PT mayan I am watching Phil Donahue and Michael Moore was great and they just had an author on that was blaming Bush Senior because of the oil connection for 9-11. It was good. Make sure you check the transcripts for todays date when they get them posted in a day or two. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by mayan on August 13, 2002 at 17:39:26 PT Heard Nothing? "I've heard nothing from the United States. I'm working within Canada, within my home government . . . we'll see what will be the recommendations of the report, we'll see where is our society exactly." ...YEAH,RIGHT!!!unrelated -They Let It Happen On Purpose! 9/11 The final Dots - Top 20 LIHOP Suspects: http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/4c/5d/200208131710.6145c696.htmlSENATE AND HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES SET TO PROBE 9/11 INFESTED WITH CFR, BILDERBERG, TRILATERAL, FREEMASON, SKULL AND BONES AND CARLYLE GROUP INTERESTS: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/whitewash.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by observer on August 13, 2002 at 17:32:00 PT Jail, John ... Jail "Again, the drug problem is not about 25-year-olds or 35-year-olds or 40-year-olds making maybe unwise decisions in the privacy of their own home about what they use for entertainment or fun. The drug problem is about children." John, John, John ... How did you miss that little detail of prison? You know, jail? Carcel? The pokey? Slip your mind, perhaps? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on August 13, 2002 at 16:29:01 PT Screams "If you decriminalize the use of drugs, you are increasing the vector by which the disease of addiction is spread," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. As the wall of prohibition falls we'll hear more screams from the anti's. Perhaps we could think of the screams as sounds the wall makes when it crumbles. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by JHarshaw on August 13, 2002 at 15:39:18 PT AlvinCool I do wish you luck and I hope your Congressman is in a receptive state of mind!Peace and Pot [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 13, 2002 at 15:13:37 PT AlvinCool Good Luck To You! Let us know how it goes! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by AlvinCool on August 13, 2002 at 15:11:24 PT Congress Hey I'm going to go and speak to my Congressman tomorrow about medical marijuana and not blocking DC from voting. Wish me luck [ Post Comment ] Post Comment