cannabisnews.com: Liberals To Water Down Marijuana Bill Liberals To Water Down Marijuana Bill Posted by CN Staff on May 10, 2003 at 08:02:46 PT By Janice Tibbetts, CanWest News Service Source: Ottawa Citizen The Justice Department will introduce a bill as early as next Thursday to decriminalize marijuana, but there has been a sudden retreat on the amount of marijuana possession that will escape criminal sanctions. The government will also propose stiffer penalties against marijuana grow operations that are springing up across the country.Justice Minister Martin Cauchon had until now planned to hand out fines instead of criminal records to people caught with less than 30 grams of marijuana, the equivalent of 25 or 30 cigarettes. But the proposed law will lessen the amount to an undisclosed quantity that will fall short of 30 grams, which critics have said is too much.The change of plans comes amid pressure from the United States, which has repeatedly warned that softer marijuana laws in Canada will lead to delays at the U.S.-Canada border and further threaten relations between the two countries.U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci has recently indicated that decriminalization might be acceptable to Washington if it was accompanied by stiffer penalties for traffickers and growers of the drug.The Liberal's legislative package will also include stiffer penalties for marijuana grow operations, which are currently punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. An RCMP intelligence report has warned that Canada, as a result of weak sentencing laws, has become a "haven" for indoor marijuana grow operations that are run by outlaw biker gangs and Vietnamese gangs prone to "extreme violence."The marijuana bill will be introduced at the same time as the Health Department announces a revamped national drug strategy that will spend millions on drug education and prevention.Included in the strategy will be a campaign to stress that drugs, including marijuana, are a health hazard and that police will be instructed to be more vigilant in enforcing the law, particularly against traffickers.The Liberals promised a new national drug strategy during the 2000 federal election campaign.The amount of marijuana to be decriminalized is a retreat from the 30-gram recommendation from a House of Commons committee last December. It also is far stricter than a Senate committee's recommendation that the marijuana be outright legalized.People caught with small amounts will be given a fine akin to a parking ticket rather than punished with a criminal record."My primary concern here is to make sure we're going to have an effective policy, sending a strong message that marijuana is illegal in Canada; it can be harmful to your health; it is not good for society as well; and making sure as well that we are going to be stronger in law enforcement," Mr. Cauchon said recently when asked whether he was worried about the U.S. position.Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)Author: Janice Tibbetts, CanWest News Service Published: Saturday, May 10, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Ottawa CitizenContact: letters thecitizen.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htm Marijuana Legislation Expected Next Week http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16243.shtmlOttawa Backs Off Pot Law Planshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16242.shtmlOttawa's Marijuana Plan Irks US http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16241.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on May 11, 2003 at 06:59:30 PT Okie from Muskogee Contrarty to the sentiments of the song Merle Haggard used many substances. Even this song praises "white lightnin'" which is made by illegal and sometimes dangerous operations. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 10, 2003 at 12:47:43 PT Wolfgang I understand because I am upset too. It isn't over yet. If it is over it will really be over in my opinion. We've come too far to turn back now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by WolfgangWylde on May 10, 2003 at 12:42:20 PT Its over... ...we lost. Got screwed, blued, and tattooed. Played for suckers by Cauchon and his cronies at the DEA. Once Canadian law enforcment gets at taste of U.S.-style power under the tougher laws against growing, they'll be no turning back. God, I can just picture them drooling over the prospect of asset forfeiture (almost surely to be included in the new law). The Supreme Court case is the last hope, and I don't think they're going to take a position contrary to the government. The Ontario Court of Appeals ruling obviously meant nothing at all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on May 10, 2003 at 10:51:00 PT: 30 grams of Pot too much; 200 grams of tobacco OK Tobacco, which is proven to be far more harmful to individuals and society than cannabis, can be purchased in Canada in loose-leaf form in a can of 200 grams. A carton of 200 tobacco cigarettes can be purchased at most grocery stores and newsstands. Solution: just legalize 10 grams of cannabis for purchase by adults. We don't care how small the quantity if you just remove the stigma of illegality.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, heart by heart, until eventually there is no problem. Even the ill-advised UN treaties that prohibit legalizing cannabis can be repealed or altered.We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee; ....And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee, - A place where even squares can have a ball. - We still wave 'Old Glory' down at the courthouse, - And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all. -Lyrics, Okie From Muskogee, Merle Haggard. http://www.coquet-shack.com/lyrics/Lyrics_O/Okie_From_Muskogie_0229.htmAh, yes, white lightnin', highly distilled alcohol, the product relegalized by the repeal of US Prohibition I, after years of gang violence and public disrespect for the law. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment