cannabisnews.com: Canadian Pot Protesters Join Global March Canadian Pot Protesters Join Global March Posted by CN Staff on May 03, 2003 at 17:54:37 PT By CBC News Online Staff Source: CBC Toronto - Hundreds of Canadians, some smoking marijuana, held rallies in several cities Saturday, and repeated calls to make possession of cannabis legal. "We're not criminals," said one man during a march in Toronto. Protests were also held in Vancouver and Montreal. "We're here. We're high. Get used to it," said another man. Organizers expected people in as many as 100 cities around the world to join what they called the "Million Marijuana March" – but the crowds were relatively small in Canada, and it was not clear what fraction of that figure actually took part in rallies. On April 29, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced plans to decriminalize marijuana – making possession of small amounts similar to a minor traffic violation. People would be fined but wouldn't wind up with criminal records. "It's definitely a step in the right direction," said a woman at a rally in Toronto on Saturday. People who back Ottawa's plan argue that the country is wasting its time trying to prosecute the roughly two million Canadians who use marijuana, according to Osgoode Hall Law Professor Alan Young. The justice system ends up "chasing something that is relatively harmless," he told CBC News. But some police officers consider possession of pot too serious an offence to remove from the Criminal Code, arguing that it's often linked to drug trafficking and other illegal activity. "We feel we're sending the wrong message to our kids out there," said Mike Niebudek, an RCMP officer and one of the vice-presidents of the Canadian Police Association. The Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to begin hearings next week into whether the country's marijuana possession laws are Constitutional. Some lawyers think the case will be postponed now that the federal government has announced plans to change the penalty for possessing small amounts of the drug. Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Published: Saturday, May 03, 2003 Copyright: 2003 CBCWebsite: http://www.cbc.ca/Contact: cbcinput toronto.cbc.caMillion Marijuana Marchhttp://www.millionmarijuanamarch.comCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 03, 2003 at 21:20:53 PT News Brief from The Canadian Press Vancouver Marijuana Activists Stage Pro-Decriminalization RallySunday, May 04, 2003 VANCOUVER (CP) -- About 200 protesters gathered Saturday at a downtown art gallery to rally for marijuana decriminalization. The protesters then marched one block to the B.C. Supreme Court while a handful of Vancouver police officers stood watch. "I'm very optimistic that we'll see the end of pot prohibition within the next year or two," said B.C. Marijuana Party president Marc Emery, who attended the rally. "We hope that a year from now, this will be a celebration rally." Last month, Prime Minister Chretien said his government will push ahead with plans to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Million Marijuana March News 2003 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 03, 2003 at 20:27:24 PT puff_tuff Thank you. I want to know what he meant at the end of the video about the court cases that are coming up next week. They are very important. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by puff_tuff on May 03, 2003 at 20:08:50 PT CBC Video Video Link: http://www.cbc.ca/clips/ram-lo/charles_marijuana030503.ramRon Charles reports for CBC TV (Runs 2:14) [ Post Comment ] Post Comment