cannabisnews.com: Loosen Pot Laws and Face Tighter Border U.S. Warns Loosen Pot Laws and Face Tighter Border U.S. Warns Posted by CN Staff on December 13, 2002 at 08:03:13 PT By David Gamble, Free Press Parliamentary Bureau Source: London Free Press Looser marijuana laws in Canada will lead to even tighter security at the border, U.S. officials warned yesterday. Drug patrols soon could shift their attention north from the Mexican border once the Liberal government decriminalizes pot possession, says a spokesperson for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. U.S. President George W. Bush's anti-drug czar John Walters also took aim at yesterday's Commons committee recommendation that possession of 30 grams of pot should result in nothing more than a ticket and no criminal record. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesperson Will Glaspy said the U.S. still views pot as "an illegal, harmful and dangerous substance" and he hopes Canadian authorities get the information they need to make a "good" decision. "What it would mean for the United States obviously would require us to put more emphasis and place more security along our northern border," Glaspy said. Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has already said he's ready to roll on the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use by early next year. Walters used a visit to Buffalo to sound off on the evils of marijuana, the increasing $5-billion US cross-border flow of Canadian-grown high-potency marijuana known as "B.C. Bud" and the dangers of easy marijuana laws. "It makes security at the border tougher because this is a dangerous threat to our young people, given what we see and it makes the problem of controlling the border more difficult," Walters said after being asked about the committee recommendation. Walters said the U.S. recognizes Canada is "a sovereign country" but the U.S. example shows pot use is addictive and expensive to society -- and shouldn't be encouraged. Cauchon rebuffed the U.S. views, insisting Ottawa is only talking about decriminalizing "small quantities" -- not full legalization of pot, which he agreed would be a cause for concern for the Americans. "I will analyse the report and I will analyse the future positions of the federal government on what is good for the entire Canadian society," Cauchon said, insisting Canada and the U.S. have "wonderful co-operation" in the war on drugs and organized crime. Other recommendations by the Commons committee include: * More money for the government's drug abuse prevention program for young people. * A "renewed" national anti-drug strategy head by a commissioner with regular reports to Parliament. * No amnesty for the 600,000 Canadians who have been convicted of pot possession. Canadian Alliance MP Kevin Sorenson agreed there could be trouble at the border if pot is decriminalized as the committee recommended. He also and argued the possession limit should be five grams. Source: London Free Press (CN ON)Author: David Gamble, Free Press Parliamentary BureauPublished: Friday, December 13, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The London Free Press Contact: letters lfpress.comWebsite: http://www.fyilondon.com/londonfreepress/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmU.S. Fears Change in Marijuana Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14968.shtmlU.S. Frets Canada May Ease Marijuana Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14961.shtmlDrug Czar Talks About Tightening at Borderhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14955.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by Whirrlin on December 14, 2002 at 06:50:50 PT: It Cost Us Millions! Waltes said it that Marijuana use costs the citizens Millions, well what the War On Drugs has cost of Billions! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment