cannabisnews.com: Drugs: Ottawa Will Consider Decriminalization





Drugs: Ottawa Will Consider Decriminalization
Posted by CN Staff on September 30, 2002 at 13:09:36 PT
By Oliver Moore, Globe and Mail Update
Source: Globe and Mail 
In what may prove to be the most contentious part of the activist agenda unveiled Monday, the governing Liberals announced that they will consider decriminalizing the possession of marijuana.Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Adrienne Clarkson told a packed Senate Chamber that a new national drug strategy will try to balance helping addicts with protecting the public.
"The government will . . . expand the number of drug treatment courts. It will act on the results of parliamentary consultations with Canadians on options for change in our drug laws, including the possibility of the decriminalization of marijuana possession," she said.A 600-page Senate report earlier this month recommended legalizing marijuana and putting its distribution in the hands of the state, arguing that the drug is not harmful to health. Based on two years of studying drug policy and hundreds of interviews, the Senate report also called for an amnesty for any person convicted of possession of cannabis under current or past legislation and greater access to medicinal marijuana.Marijuana decriminalization remains a political hot potato in spite of polls which show that at least half of Canadians accept the idea. Roughly 5 per cent of Canadians smoke marijuana regularly, and about 25,000 possession charges are laid annually. Marijuana possession accounts for almost half the drug charges laid in Canada — possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana will net most suspects a criminal record, a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.The Canadian Police Association is firmly opposed to loosening of drug laws, even as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has spoken in favour of a new approach. Britain recently announced that simple possession of marijuana and hashish will no longer be cause for arrest, and the Netherlands have long operated a laissez-faire attitude towards drug use. But the hardline U.S. adminitration of President George W. Bush remains firm in its belief that marijuana is a dangerous drug that must be stopped, by harsh prison sentences if necessary. Some Ottawa and Washington officials have warned privately that any Canadian move to soften drug laws will cause a rift between the countries. But others say that Washington will simply beef up its borders and look for other allies in its long-running war against drugs. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: Oliver Moore, Globe and Mail UpdatePublished: Monday, September 30, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.ca/Related Articles:Canada Explores Legalizing, America Escalates Warhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14230.shtmlCanada's Pot Policy Under Fire from U.S.http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14095.shtmlLegalize Marijuana, Senate Committee Sayshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13989.shtml 
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Comment #15 posted by schmeff on October 01, 2002 at 11:59:31 PT
It's all about "job security".
"The Canadian Police Association is firmly opposed to loosening of drug laws..."Asking the police why we need drug laws is like asking the executioner why we need the DEAth penalty.
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Comment #14 posted by afterburner on September 30, 2002 at 17:46:17 PT:
medicine line
Sitting Bull, the Lakota Sioux supreme chief who fled to Canada after the Little Big Horn battle which defeated Custer, referred to Canada as "grandmother's land", meaning Queen Victoria, and the U.S.-Canada border as the "medicine line."Colonel George Armstrong Custer had said, "Without regard to age, sex, or condition, kill all Indians you may encounter belonging to the Sioux or Cheyenne. Do not burden your command with prisoners."Commander, General William Tecumseh Sherman said, "War is hell. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it."Quotes cited in Chiefs series, Sitting Bull episode, produced by Galafilm.Sound familiar? Thanks to the declaration by then U.S. President Richard Nixon of a "War on Drugs," marijuana users, no matter whether medical, spiritual, or recreational, have been subjected to military-style persecution. Soldiers in a war have only one objective: win, don't lose. No wonder they attack gentle medical marijuana providers, like Mike and Valerie at WAMM. There is no place for discussion. Thank God for the Internet where the truth can be presented to counter the outdated lies of propaganda used by the power elite and parroted by the mass media.March on with a smile on your lips and a song in your heart.
Galafilm
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 30, 2002 at 17:21:23 PT
Free Cannabis Virgil! La! La! La! La! La!
Free Cannabis! Yes that sounds just perfect. What a shame that such a kind, pretty, nice smelling plant has been bound in chains and locked away from the world to learn about.It's so wrong I can't think of words to convey how wrong it has been.
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Comment #12 posted by p4me on September 30, 2002 at 16:56:35 PT
FoM, no FCFE tee shirt for you
F C For Everyone.You remember when I defined Extremist as anyone that thought growing marijuana was a patriot act. Now using your knowledge of knowing Extremist doctrine could you tell me what the F C stands for? I ask you FoM of CannabisNews what are the two words the Choir of CannabisNews would sing if but two? What two words would you sing? Come on FoM sing two words for us from the bottom of your heart.If you are a member of the Choir, have you not rehearsed the shout of your heart. Free Cannabis. Free Cannabis For Everyone. Free for the patients. Free for Everyone. Where is the Choir. Sing "Free Cannabis" in Nevada. Wear it on your shirt in California. Wear it on your Bumper Sticker in North Carolina. Piss it in the snow on Washington. FoM, I would like everyone to sing "Free Cannabis For Everyone." I would like to log in with a new name Virgil, sometime. Name change into the future.Free Cannabis For Us All. Not onward throught the fog, but onward for us all.Free Cannabis For Everyone. Vote November 5th for John Roberts and the Extremist Party that demands a majority and a return to thoughts of the majority.Free Cannabis Nevada.
Free Cannabis California, and quit pissing around with nonsense and legalise it out flat and beat back the federal fascist.Free Cannabis Everyone. Everyone needs U.1,2
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 30, 2002 at 15:46:05 PT
Hiya Virgil!
I am not sure I understand but I'm not a very deep thinker but keep it up!
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Comment #10 posted by p4me on September 30, 2002 at 15:38:10 PT
Just call me Virgil
I have a Bumper Sticker to offer again today. I would like thank everyone for the congratulation on my recent awards. I think I am going to the awards ceremony in Kansas. It is the Saturday after the elections. More about today's offer later.I guess most people did not believe there was a LB&O.sux until they ordered some BS from BS of A. I guess a lot of the new people do not really believe there is an Extremist Party. All you have to do is look in the Hickory, NC phone book under Extremist party. I said we are a small group of people. We get some contributions but we do not request money. John Roberts founded the party shortly after West Hollywood Raid last year. Alarms went off after Tom and Rollie's death got no coverage. I mean some people were already asking questions.There is an Extremist Party. I do sell Bumper Stickers because they sell, not that I have any business conquest issues. My Bumber Sticker, BSA#1 will be distributed under an agreement with the BSDA. This means each sticker you see from a BSDA distributor gives me money. I got my early retirement and I was never after profit. But now I will get royalties from the BSDA.Just call me Virgil by the way. Have any of you ever thought what my old Taurus looks like. It's Bumperstickerville. No emails on the space issue. It's not 13 letters long or industry tradition. I am going to BS you but I won't. The hell I won't: RESPECT MY SPACE. I mean we have about 1200 registered Extremist and John Roberts is running against Dole and Bowles. John Roberts is a fine man. We will be heard. There is no Reason out there to interfere with Extremist Reason.See, I was just going to put up my BS of the day, and I can just sense the question. I am compelled to say that the main objective of the Extremist Party is to fragment the two parties that go back and forth with power parties while turning the country along with Congress and the Courts to the monied. Our main purpose is just to wash lose the disillusioned as they come to a new reality. The fascist reality, the hell with WETHEPEOPLE. Give them poisoned air and water and give us profits they say. I digress. The main objective of the Extremist Party is about election reform. We can accept a President only by a majority of voters. We don't need delegates. We need votes that count. Whoever has 50% of the direct vote wins. Less than that means runoff. I can tell you about John Roberts someother time. So, now you know I am Virgil Johnston, as if any Extremist couldn't tell you. And my car really gives me away.Well today's Bumper Sticker is about the Children's Chants from the Cavedwellers. I get sidetracked all the time. Now I want to talk about when I say we chant back T&A. We do not chant "T&A". We chant "Tobacco and Alcohol". Good grief people what kind of chant is "T&A". Try "Tobacco and Alcohol" or if that is too hard just divide into groups and sing the same word over and over. People are driving me crazy, you have to excuse me.Well, now I am pissed again because of my chant line "Don't Feed The Yellow Parrots". Ok, remember when the first coalition came out, I mean it was on Cnews, with their press conference and all the little red stop signs that said "Don't Buy The Lies"? I said then that they were really stupid. I mean that is one of my BSA#'s. We were on both sides using the same words. Look and see if I did not say that that was one stupid thing they did. See if I did not say I would like to have some of those stickers. That belongs to be a winner in The Stupid Category. Well, I have BS to support my BS. This years winner in the BS Magazine for the chant words "Don't Feed The Yellow Parrot". I say a group of those prohibitionist zealots chanting "Don't buy the lies" in their most fervent Jesus-loving, salvation-saving voice- Don't buy the lies. Don't buy the lies. I knew we would silence them just as we do when we shout "Tobacco and Alcohol" when they start those old children chants.Oh, well. Todays special, is for the reply. You will get 6 card size questions that phrase the question, we have heard chanted over and over. God dam. Excuse me, but have you shut your mind down from this constant brainwashing and you do not know the words. You will be reminded at yet again of the chant that shut down people's brains. It will be a collector's item after Reason prevails, so save them in a book you never read. It gags me to have to say this Cannabisnewsers. I will give you the answer first. You will also get 6 replies along with one full size BSA#1 absolutely free. The answer is, "Well, you go first."Yes, that unneeded well is a poke at Ronald Reagan's wife. You know the one that got the nations highest honor for "Just Say No." No to what? People without jobs. OK People without insurance even though they are being feed and polluted into sickness? OK Well that is stupid and they had to spend billions to explain it to the unbrainwashed that wonder what the f it means. But I have what BS Magazine called the "Destined to be the BS of the Decade" Who said "Don't abuse drugs"? Who said "Don't Abuse Drugs-DAD"Well I will offer one free STOP sign sticker, ideal for placement on ping-pong paddles and quaranteed to stick, for having to type the prohibitionist warn out clant and I have warned the Choir that the dreaded words are coming. "What kind of message does that send the children" and "Well, you go first are bookend card size stickers. Order now from our portal at LB&O.sux.I am Virgil Johnston and I want my medal. And if they are short of one, then they should take the one Nancy got and give it to me. I want my medal, but I wouldn't take it from the Fascist in Residence. Well, that sure calmed me down. I hate to bore everyone with my petty little life, but I was trying to change the world. I have always been easy to find and I never was hiding. I guess I was saying that I feel like we have common currency in the group and out lives and efforts will be intertwined until Prohibition ends. I just thought you might as well know me as Virgil. Now if you want to know how to find me when you are in North Carolina, you can ask for Virgil instead of looking for the Taurus with all the Bumper Stickers. Or you could have called the Extremist Party all along, Dorothy. Explanations are over. Sorry. Copyright September 30, 2002 by Virgil Art Johnston
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Comment #9 posted by CorvallisEric on September 30, 2002 at 15:21:13 PT
Hopeful Prediction on Canada
Legalization, as envisioned by the Senate committee, may be a long shot for a couple years, but I think that decrim (including a plant or two) combined with amnesty for all past possession cases could fly. I really don't see much political downside once they get past the financial stakeholders. Amnesty would be a powerful admission of past error, just what I would expect of humane, relatively just and uncorrupt Canada. Let the Big Bully be damned!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 30, 2002 at 15:01:10 PT
It's different
It might be worth reading. My mind doesn't go that far. I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get the powers that be to stop the nonsense with Cannabis. When the laws are changed on Cannabis is when I plan on stopping doing news. So many things to do and so little time. I hope my husband and I will be able to do a little traveling off in the future like to Vancouver some day. Might not come home though! LOL!
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 30, 2002 at 14:56:38 PT
VitaminT Done!
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread14305.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by VitaminT on September 30, 2002 at 14:40:34 PT
FoM
I didn't think it was a treatment article - more of a Racism in the War on Drugs article. It doesn't mention Cannabis per se so you probably wouldn't ordinarily post it. It may be of interest to some so they can find it if they want to. I really just wanted to let folks know about the poll so they could vote if they so choose.There were some valuable comments RE: the growth of opposition to the WoD by religous groups which I found encouraging and the fact that 2/3 of federal criminal prosecutions are of Native Americans, well THAT was an eye-opener for me!I recommend the article but it's a little outside of our usual focus here.
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Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 30, 2002 at 14:36:07 PT
Freedoms
Freedom is errupting almost everywhere, what is the US to do?If in Nevada please vote Yes to help stop the instanity.
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Comment #4 posted by Dankhank on September 30, 2002 at 14:28:59 PT
Post It
Post It ... FOMwe must know their thought ...
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 30, 2002 at 13:28:17 PT
VitaminT
I have this article set up to post but have been hesitating. I don't know if people are interested in a drug treatment article. I don't know what to do with it honestly. I could archive it for research. I could post it to the front page too. When I'm not sure I wait and think about it a little more. What should I do? Help!
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Comment #2 posted by VitaminT on September 30, 2002 at 13:20:45 PT
A good article and a poll question
Los Angeles conference on the Drug War and Racism Well written. Go cast your vote.
Santa Fe New Mexican >>>> POLL lower left
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Comment #1 posted by malleus on September 30, 2002 at 13:20:00 PT
The last line is what lets the Canucks of the hook
But then the problem is: who is so dumb to pick up the torch that's been dropped by our (First World) allies? The only people interested in continuing the nonsense are the dictatorial countries who need Uncle's greenbacks as foreign aid.
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