cannabisnews.com: $200-Million Program Aims To Battle Drug Use $200-Million Program Aims To Battle Drug Use Posted by CN Staff on May 27, 2003 at 07:02:49 PT By Les Whittington, Ottawa Bureau Source: Toronto Star Ottawa — The federal government will today announce a $200-million anti-drug program meant to take the focus off its controversial decision to soften penalties for possession of small amounts of pot, sources said.Under pressure from police and opposition MPs critical of the relaxed treatment of marijuana, the government is stressing that the legislation is part of a broader National Drug Strategy that will include a wide range of measures meant to address the causes and damage of illegal use of narcotics. "One part of this is the changing of penalties for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana. But that one piece is set in a much larger context, which is the renewal of the National Drug Strategy,'' Health Minister Anne McLellan told reporters."(Justice Minister Martin) Cauchon's changes in penalties for simple possession of small amounts of marijuana will be part of that strategy,'' McLellan said.And she insisted that the update to the anti-drug strategy is not packaging to make decriminalization easier for critics to swallow."We have been working on the renewal of the national drug strategy for over 18 months,'' McClellan said. In addition to easing penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, the government will introduce measures to increase drug treatment, expand education on the effects of illegal drugs, address the spread of disease through drugs, step up enforcement against marijuana growers and toughen sentences for traffickers. In all, the program will cost more than $200 million over the next five years.Today's legislation is expected to make possession of less than 15 grams of pot a minor offence that would incur a $100 fine but not a jail term or a criminal record.For a person caught with between 15 and 30 grams of the drug, police would be able to choose to lay a criminal charge or issue a ticket, sources say. Possession of more than 30 grams would still be a criminal offence punishable by a jail term upon conviction.Sentences for drug traffickers and illegal growers of marijuana will double under the new bill, and authorities would be given more resources to fight smuggling of pot to the U.S. Critics of the changes said it will result in tighter restrictions at the U.S. border and raise concerns about the eventual legalization of pot in Canada."The Americans will watch it very closely," said Canadian Alliance MP Randy White (Langley-Abbotsford)."I don't think there will be an overreaction to it but they'll be watching the borders very closely.Note: Part of Ottawa's plan to ease marijuana rules. Penalties to be reduced for small amounts of pot. Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)Author: Les Whittington, Ottawa BureauPublished: May 27, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Toronto Star Contact: lettertoed thestar.com Website: http://www.thestar.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Bill To Be Paired with Anti-Drug Initiative http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16396.shtmlOttawa To Preach Perils of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16395.shtmlNo Laws Ban Possession of Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16321.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by TroutMask on May 27, 2003 at 08:32:26 PT Very good point! Yes, if the new law continues to state that possession is illegal for *everyone* (ignoring medical need), then the Canadian Supreme Court would obviously strike it down without a second thought.That's how these "law no longer exists" cases got started in the first place: the Supreme Court said the laws would go away if they weren't changed to provide for medical access. The laws were never changed, thus the laws went away. Repeating the same mistake certainly won't change the ruling of the courts concerning medical access!-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by ErikGhint on May 27, 2003 at 08:20:56 PT It is still invalid I would presume i could succesfully argue in court that their is still no valid law due to the fact that the government is continuing to not think about the sick people while introducing the legislation. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by TroutMask on May 27, 2003 at 08:10:52 PT But... But there is still the issue of whether the law existed over the span of one or two years. People were arrested and prosecuted during that time and some cases are still pending and awaiting the final decision.If there was no law during that time, then anyone who was convicted during that time should have their convictions overturned. I have no idea how many people that could be, but the government is certainly not going to admit there were no laws, so the fight over whether there were any laws will certainly continue even after any "decriminalization".-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on May 27, 2003 at 08:05:55 PT As I understand... If there are no laws now, then there will be if/when this "decriminalization" goes through.In other words, they will be re-criminalizing not de-criminalizing.-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 27, 2003 at 07:05:31 PT What Happens With The Court Ruling Now? No Laws Ban Possession of Marijuana, Court Rules Toronto and Ottawa -- Canada has no laws prohibiting marijuana possession, an Ontario Superior Court judge said yesterday in a ruling that will be binding on judges in the province and may soon be picked up across the country. http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16321.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment