cannabisnews.com: The Last Word The Last Word Posted by CN Staff on May 07, 2003 at 13:09:36 PT By The Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press Pot has been part of Ross Rebagliati's public image since winning his Olympic gold medal in snowboarding and he didn't shy away from the issue Wednesday when asked if marijuana should be decriminalized. "Absolutely," said Rebagliati."Right now the whole idea of it being decriminalized makes the legal system function at a level that it should be functioning at and not clogging up the courts and the judicial system and even jails or whatever for something like that. "It's becoming more socially accepted now than it ever had been in the past. I think right now it's almost the sign of the times."The 31-year-old from Whistler, B.C., was in Toronto at a downtown Roots store to promote Vancouver's bid for the 2010 Olympic Games.Rebagliati was initially stripped of his snowboarding gold in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, after testing positive for marijuana, but the medal was reinstated on appeal. At the time, Rebagliati said he hadn't smoked up for almost a year and that he was a victim of second-hand smoke at a party.He avoided talking about decriminalization then, but the issue has been in the news in recent weeks and Rebagliati was frank when asked about it Wednesday."It's up to the politicians to decide still," he said. "It's something that comes up. It's not every day that you hear the prime minister talking about decriminalization and I think in the recent weeks, everybody has been talking about it."Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien have both said the Liberal government will introduce legislation soon to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot for personal use.And there are cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, appealing convictions for breaking pot laws on the basis that those laws infringe on the Charter of Rights.While Rebagliati and his lifestyle have benefited from the long shelf life of his Olympic story and his medal, publicly admitting he smoked marijuana has thrown a crimp in his life and it was part of the reason he retired from competitive racing.He's not allowed into the United States. He needed a letter written by Roots co-founder Michael Budman to American authorities to get over the border to Salt Lake City to watch the 2002 Olympics.He hasn't been to Europe since his competitive racing days ended but he believes there would be problems travelling there and he knows for certain going to Australia would be a problem."They use the same computer files and information," he said."It's a big problem actually. I can't compete in snowboarding anymore because I can't get down to the States. Corporately, it's definitely a blow."He is trying to get the travel ban lifted."I have a lawyer in Vancouver who is pursuing it for me," he said. "Right now I'm just trying to play the cards right and not ruffle too many feathers on the U.S. side of things."Meanwhile, Rebagliati has a number of eclectic interests. "I don't want to jump into a nine to five job or jump behind a desk right away," he said. "I've got time right now to pursue more unrealistic things."He's become a golf addict, started racing stock cars, leads snowboard tours in Whistler and he's building a house in Whistler with his girlfriend.He has dabbled in real estate the last few years and is considering obtaining his agent's licence because "you just have to sell one $5-million house a year, and that's pretty easy right?" he said with a grin.He has sponsorship deals with Roots, Salomon snowboards, Bonfire clothing and the Ben Hogan golf company. He raced stock cars for the first time last summer and has aspirations of reaching the CASCAR level."My first race that I ever did and it was the first time I was even in the car and I passed a guy, right," he said. "It doesn't seem like much to pass a guy but when you've got like 15 rednecks out there who have been driving for 10 years and their stock car is their most valuable possession and to pass one of them on my first time in a stock car, everybody was pretty excited about it. It was just a rush."He was scheduled to star in a movie shot last month in Montreal — he was to play a famous snowboarder forced to share accommodations with a rock star at a snowboard event — but production has been delayed."I think there's probably a chance that it might happen still," said Rebagliati. "I'm not devastated it didn't happen, but if it comes back up, I'll be available."All these sorts of opportunities that are showing up. I haven't said no to any of them. I'll get into anything." Source: Canadian Press Published: Wednesday, May 7, 2003 Copyright: 2003 The Canadian PressRelated Articles: Why More Jocks Turn To Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16194.shtmlChrétien Ready To Ease Pot Possession Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16113.shtmlNo Marijuana for The Snowboarders http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11874.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by mayan on May 07, 2003 at 20:19:21 PT freedom fighter... Heck, both Clinton & Bush II have used illicit drugs. I bet they don't have any trouble at the borders! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by freedom fighter on May 07, 2003 at 19:46:33 PT Paul McCarthy can come to the states but not Ross.. despite the fact that Ross was never arrested for possesion of pot other than failing the damn piss test.I can understand how Ross would feel about this issue. What I do not understand is how Americans would dare to let this happen??pazff [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 07, 2003 at 13:44:08 PT News Brief from the CBC Rebagliati in Favour of Pot Decriminalization Wednesday May 7, 2003CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Canadian snowboard goald medallist Ross Rebagliati is in favour of decriminalizing marijuana. "Right now the whole idea of it being decriminalized makes the legal system function at a level that it should be functioning at and not clogging up the courts and the judicial system and even jails or whatever for something like that," he told the Canadian Press. "It's becoming more socially accepted now than it ever had been in the past. I think right now it's almost the sign of the times." Rebagliati made his comments at a Roots store in downtown Toronto. The 31-year-old Whistler, B.C. native was in Toronto to promote Vancouver's bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Rebagliati tested positive for trace amounts of marijuana at the 1998 Nagano Games and was initially stripped of his gold medal. The medal was reinstated on appeal. At the time, Rebagliati said he hadn't smoked pot for about a year. The positive test, he said, was the result of second hand smoke at a party. Recently, Prime Minister Jean Chretien indicated that his government will soon introduce legislation to Parliament that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. The issue has also made it to the Supreme Court of Canada where it is considering appeals to convictions for breaking pot laws on the basis that those laws infringe on the Charter of Rights. With files from the Canadian Press http://www.cbc.ca/pcgi-bin/templates/sportsView.cgi?/news/2003/05/07/Sports/pot_ross030507 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 07, 2003 at 13:32:17 PT This Is News To Me! This is the first time I've read that Ross Rebagliati has come out for Cannabis unless I missed reading it somewhere before. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment