cannabisnews.com: New Pot Laws Could Be Inconsistent: Advocates New Pot Laws Could Be Inconsistent: Advocates Posted by CN Staff on December 10, 2002 at 12:34:11 PT By CTV News Staff Source: CTV Marijuana advocates are hailing an announcement by Justice Minister Martin Cauchon saying he wants to take steps to decriminalize marijuana within the next four months. But they say there could be inconsistencies in a new law.Monday, Cauchon said he is open to considering recommendations that will be laid out in a Commons committee report Thursday. The panel is expected to call on the government to relax current marijuana laws and possibly even allow Canadians to grow marijuana for personal use. "I'm looking forward to seeing the report," said Cauchon, who has admitted to smoking marijuana in his youth. "Of course, we'll have to analyze all the recommendations. If we're talking about decriminalizing marijuana, we may move ahead quickly as a government."Cauchon declined to give a firm time frame, but pointed to possible action in the early part of 2003. "Give me the four first months of next year," he said.If decriminalized, possession of small amounts of marijuana, likely anything less than an ounce, would still be illegal. But rather than face a court date, offenders would get a ticket and a fine instead. Marijuana possession would be treated more like a speeding or parking ticket and not as a criminal matter. But as Alliance MP Randy White, who is on the drug committee, explained to Canada AM, decriminalization would not mean that Canadians could legally buy and use marijuana."Legalization means you can use it and buy it out of an outlet, a retail outlet or wholesale, whatever you want. Decriminalization is really the term for a summary conviction if you're caught with a certain amount of drugs, marijuana in this case.""It's good news for the three million Canadians who use marijuana, for sure," Marc Emery, president of the B.C. Marijuana Party, told Canada AM Tuesday."It will give us no criminal record, it won't require hiring a lawyer to go to court. It won't precipitate loss of travel privileges to the United States, security privileges in the workplace -- so for the people who use marijuana, this is a great step for them and the minister ought to be commended for it," Emery said.But Emery is concerned that opting for decriminalization rather than legalization would create certain "contradictions" in the law."It raises important questions of criminal law in regards to the other participants in this transaction," Emery said. "I mean, it will take two people committing a criminal act, growing it and selling it, for a person to more or less almost legally possess something."In September, a senate committee report recommended decriminalizing marijuana and making it legal for those over the age of 16. The throne speech in September also promised changes to drug laws.On Monday White said his party remains opposed to the decriminalization of marijuana.But in a conversation with CTV's Mike Duffy, Alliance Leader Stephen Harper contradicted White, saying he was prepared to go along with decriminalization under certain conditions."Our caucus is prepared to support decriminalization of small amounts, but only if the government does a whole lot of things to make that practical," said Harper. "Even with decriminalization we still expect the law to be enforced."Harper said one condition would be tests for people driving while impaired by marijuana, which affects concentration and coordination.Ontario's attorney general said he was "flabbergasted" that Ottawa is considering decriminalization."I'm flabbergasted that the federal government has prioritized the decriminalization of marijuana at this time," David Young, adding that he thought the federal government should be spending its energies on ending "the weak-kneed" young-offender legislation and scrapping mandatory parole laws that see criminals leave jail after two-thirds of their sentences.The Canadian Police Association also expressed concern about the possibility of relaxed drug laws.With reports from CTV's Cortney Pasternak and The Canadian Press. Canada's Drug Strategy Report: http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/SNUD/Studies/Reports/snudrp01/08-toc-e.htm Source: CTV (Canada)Published: December 10, 2002Copyright: 2002 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. Website: http://www.ctv.ca/Contact: newsonline ctv.ca Related Articles & Web Sites:B.C. Marijuana Partyhttp://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmOntario Stone Cold To Ottawa's Pot Planshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14937.shtmlOttawa Set To Ease Pot Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14934.shtmlCauchon Poised To Decriminalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14930.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by mayan on December 10, 2002 at 18:14:45 PT Bluffing? Could it be that Cauchon & the Canadian Parliament are bluffing so that the Supreme Court won't feel obligated to act? The court may not feel compelled to liberalize the cannabis laws if they believe that the parliament is going to anyway. The timing of all this talk of decriminalization & especially the upcoming Commons committe report just seems a little curious(Thursday the 12th - the day before the Supreme Court hears challenges to Canada's cannabis laws).High Society: Supreme Court Speech! http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1664.htmlThe way out is the way in - WTC Surveillance Tapes Feared Missing(Surprise,Surprise!): http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20021209_1938.htmlINS Deporting 'Magic Dutch Boy' Rudi Dekkers: http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/c7/36/200212101145.29c58b60.htmlAftermath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11(QuickTime Video, pts. 1-4) http://www.guerrillanews.com/after_math/The 9/11 Truth Movement - Selected Resources for Researchers and Activists: http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/LEV212A.htmlMore 9/11 Links: http://www.keystonereport.com/911.htmSecret 9/11 Documents: http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2705.html9/11 "Conspiracies" and the Defactualisation of Analysis: http://www.mediamonitors.net/mosaddeq37.html9/11 Skeptics Unite: http://www.osamaskidneys.com/links.htmlPaul Thompson's Complete 9/11 Timeline: http://cooperativeresearch.org/completetimeline/The People's Investigation of 9/11: http://www.911pi.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 10, 2002 at 14:46:38 PT Article from Snipped Source Clement Vows To Block Drug Injection SitesRobert Benzie and Mark Hume, National Post Tuesday, December 10, 2002 TORONTO and VANCOUVER - Tony Clement said yesterday Ontario will not open safe drug-injection sites as long as he is the province's Health Minister.He adamantly rejected a parliamentary committee's recommendation yesterday that Ottawa remove all regulatory and legislative barriers to such sites, so that addicts could shoot up heroin and use other drugs they supply themselves, under the supervision of medical staff.http://nationalpost.com/national/story.html?id=%7BE3C6A4BC-8305-4267-B450-5D8C07F8839D%7D [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 10, 2002 at 12:35:46 PT Videos from CTV http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1039509890772_33///?hub=Canada Canadian Links [ Post Comment ] Post Comment