cannabisnews.com: Under The Maple Leaf: Pot Politics 





Under The Maple Leaf: Pot Politics 
Posted by CN Staff on December 13, 2002 at 12:53:48 PT
By Mark Blanchard
Source: United Press International
Lawmakers this past week moved quickly past a billion-dollar boondoggle formally known as Canada's federal gun registry and focused on a more pungent issue -- marijuana.Yes, an all-party parliamentary committee has decided that penalties for possession of pot are too harsh. It has recommended that marijuana be decriminalized, so those caught with 30 grams or less of the drug are simply given tickets instead of criminal records.
Liberal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon seems to like the idea and promises to ease marijuana laws early next year."What we're talking about is decriminalization," Cauchon said. "We're not talking about to legalize."With that cleared up, Washington lobbed its criticism of the Canadian plan across the border -- literally.U.S. drug czar John Walters flew from Washington to Buffalo and warned Americans that Canada poses a "dangerous threat" to their country's war on drugs."It's not my job to judge Canadian policy," said Walters, who is officially known as director of the U.S. National Drug Control Policy."But it is my job to protect Americans from dangerous threats. And right now Canada is a dangerous staging area for some of the most potent and dangerous marijuana at a time when marijuana is the single biggest source of dependency-production in the United States."Walters threatened in a not-so-neighborly way that liberalized marijuana laws would be met with tighter security at the border -- perhaps tougher than it already has become since 9-11."We have to make security at the border tougher because this is a dangerous threat to our young people and it makes the problem of patrolling the border more difficult," he added. The subtle message, of course, is that the billions of dollars in trade between Canada and the United States could be slowed down.On the Canadian side of the border, marijuana advocates were suspicious of both countries' motives."It's a lot of political rhetoric and people getting mileage out of marijuana without any real intention to do anything," said Marc-Boris St. Maurice, leader of Canada's Marijuana Party."It's just blowing smoke."Note: Canadian politics has gone to pot.Source: United Press InternationalAuthor:  Mark BlanchardPublished: December 13, 2002Copyright 2002 United Press InternationalWebsite: http://www.upi.com/ Contact: http://www.upi.com/about/contact.cfmRelated Articles & Web Sites:Marijuana Party Of Canadahttp://www.marijuanaparty.com/Committee Report: Cannabishttp://freedomtoexhale.com/cr.htmCannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Penalties Out of Whack, MPs Say http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14963.shtmlU.S. Frets Canada May Ease Marijuana Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14961.shtml
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