cannabisnews.com: The State in the Pot Dens of The Nation





The State in the Pot Dens of The Nation
Posted by CN Staff on January 18, 2003 at 07:56:38 PT
By John Ibbitson
Source: Globe and Mail 
Next week Justice Minister Martin Cauchon returns from Europe, determined to introduce legislation decriminalizing marijuana possession. It now seems likely that he'll succeed.Mr. Cauchon is convinced that Canadians are ready to join the Europeans in effectively legitimizing the recreational smoking of pot. Toking on the continent has become so commonplace that people light up on trains and in bars. Police ignore simple possession.
Mr. Cauchon would like the same to apply here. But he is only a cabinet minister, and Edmonton is not Paris. Before he can hope to get "decrim" (get used to the word) through Parliament, he must first pass the Cerberus of the Prime Minister's Office. At this point, the all-important gatekeepers who surround the Prime Minister appear ready to endorse the bill. And the Prime Minister himself has signaled he will acquiesce.Jean Chrétien has rarely, if ever, been a crusader on social policy. He prefers to act only if and when he believes society is moving toward consensus on a subject. Society appears to have moved.A decade ago, only about four in 10 Canadians thought pot possession should be reduced to a misdemeanour offence. By the late 1990s, that number had risen to five in 10. Recent American surveys suggest the number is now six or seven in 10. As the baby boomers age, they cling to at least a few old beliefs.Internal government polling in Canada has similarly revealed steadily increasing tolerance for pot possession in recent years, sources say. Partly that's because so many people have tried it at one time or another (about half the population, according to one U.S. poll). And the debate over the medicinal use of marijuana has influenced public opinion, further softening attitudes. Mr. Cauchon says he had a few joints in his college days (ah, youth), and Paul Martin recently acknowledged the same.Success, however, is still not guaranteed. Health Minister Anne McLellan is far from convinced the legislation is a good idea, and may oppose it in cabinet, as will some of the Liberals' more law-and-order backbenchers.The legislation will also have to be carefully crafted and marketed. A national antidrug campaign will be needed to complement the law. Trafficking, and anything involving selling to minors, will still be severely punished.The Americans will also be a problem. Drug czar John Walters fervently opposes decriminalization, and has already protested against Canada's proposal.But Mr. Walters is fighting a losing battle within his own country. Eight states have legalized the medical use of marijuana and several have virtually eliminated all penalties.Assuming the legislation can navigate the remaining internal and external obstacles, it should be possible to smoke a joint in Canada without fear of criminal proceedings as early as this summer.But if society is ready to take another step toward legalizing pot, the same cannot be said of legalizing gay marriages, another one of Mr. Cauchon's key files. Recent polls show the Canadian public is split almost 50-50 on the issue, with older and some religious voters intensely opposed.While Quebec and Ontario courts have ruled that the Canadian government must legalize same-sex unions, the issue is almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, Mr. Cauchon has shipped the issue over to a parliamentary committee for discussion, where it is expected to languish until the arrival of a new prime minister.A few Liberals -- none with any real influence -- are urging Mr. Cauchon to enter the Liberal leadership race, if only to ensure there is a francophone on the ballot. If Mr. Cauchon does run, decriminalizing marijuana possession might help people to forget that he is also the minister presiding over, and defending, the gun registry.The odds against Mr. Cauchon running are high, however. He is a friend and supporter of Finance Minister John Manley. It would take a direct appeal by Mr. Manley and Mr. Chrétien to get him interested in a race where even the chance of a respectable finish is remote.Still, if tradition holds, the Liberal leader who succeeds Paul Martin will be francophone. Mr. Cauchon might be anxious to be seen as the leading francophone candidate next time out. Unlike Allan Rock, who figured a poor showing would ruin his chances down the road, Mr. Cauchon is sufficiently obscure that even coming third or fourth might actually help to raise his profile.Pierre Trudeau got the state out of the bedrooms of the nation. Martin Cauchon says we can smoke 'em if we got 'em. The times just keep on a-changin'. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: John IbbitsonPublished: Saturday, January 18, 2003 – Page A21 Copyright: 2003 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmThe Coming Canadian Drug Revolutionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15192.shtmlAmerican Thinking Fuzzy on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15183.shtml PM To Move on Decriminalizing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15171.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on January 18, 2003 at 16:02:02 PT
Canada: Canada, O Canada
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n082/a06.html?397From the Boulder (Colorado) Weekly.
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