cannabisnews.com: Cauchon's Pot Proposal Going To Caucus





Cauchon's Pot Proposal Going To Caucus
Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2003 at 07:14:10 PT
By The CTV.ca News Staff
Source: CTV
Liberal MPs will get a look Wednesday at an outline of a controversial new marijuana bill, one day after Justice Minister Martin Cauchon took it to Washington.Cauchon met with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft Tuesday evening to brief him on the government's plan in an attempt to calm concerns over Ottawa's plans to decriminalize pot. The meeting was private and Cauchon's office would not discuss what the pair spoke about.
But it was expected Cauchon would stress that although the penalties for possession would be changing, marijuana would remain illegal.Back in Canada, opposition leaders lashed out at Prime Minister Jean Chretien, saying the legislation should have been presented in Canada before it went to the United States."There goes Canadian sovereignty up in smoke,'' complained NDP Leader Jack Layton. "Here's the American government advising on what Canadian policy will be before the House of Commons even has a look at it. It's quite astounding.''Conservative leader Joe Clark agreed that Cauchon should have come to Parliament "before he went trotting off to the White House." And Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe wondered why it was so important to "obtain the permission of Washington."Chretien rejected claims that consultations with Ashcroft would compromise Canadian sovereignty, saying he has no objection telling them "something that Parliament will ultimately decide on."CTV News has learned some details of the new bill, which have not been made public yet. The maximum sentence for growers will double from seven to 14 years. But possession for 15 grams or less would result in fines of $200 to $300.The government is also widely expected to announce new spending on drug prevention and treatment, aimed at discouraging pot use.The United States has expressed concerns that the bill would cause an increase in border delays, with customs officers having to spend more time checking for drugs.There is already some evidence the Liberal plans has been affected by the criticism from south of the border. The 15-gram limit for non-criminal possession is half the 30 grams recommended by a Commons committee.The bill was originally expected to be tabled in the House of Commons on Thursday but reports now say it will come by next week. Cauchon said it will definitely be tabled before the summer recess.With a report from The Canadian PressSource: CTV (Canada)Published: May 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. Website: http://www.ctv.ca/Contact: newsonline ctv.ca Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmU.S. Briefed on Ottawa's Marijuana Law Planshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16285.shtmlPenalties To Double for Growing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16284.shtmlNew Drug Strategy To Target Traffickers http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16283.shtml
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