cannabisnews.com: Canada May Allow Small Amounts of Marijuana 





Canada May Allow Small Amounts of Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on May 27, 2003 at 20:39:55 PT
By DeNeen L. Brown, WP Foreign Service
Source: Washington Post 
Toronto -- The Canadian government introduced legislation today to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, a move that U.S. officials said could increase the amount of marijuana smuggled across the border.Under the bill, possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana, about half an ounce, would become punishable by fines of up to the equivalent of about $290 U.S. for adults and $182 for minors.
Backed by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's ruling Liberal Party, the measure has a good chance of passing because of the party's strong majority in Parliament, political analysts said.Chretien is proceeding despite firm opposition from the Bush administration, which views the measure as encouraging drug use and creating an environment of permissiveness."Some of the strongest and most dangerous marijuana on the U.S. market is coming from Canada," John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a telephone interview today. "That production has been rapidly expanding and is largely unchecked."Canadian officials estimate that $4 billion to $7 billion worth of Canadian marijuana is sold in the United States each year.The proposed law is also unpopular with some Canadian groups, including opposition parties and police organizations.Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, who introduced the bill in Parliament, said at a news conference in Ottawa, the capital, that most Canadians prefer that possession of small amounts of the drug become a "ticketing offense." "We are not legalizing marijuana. We have no plans to do so. We are changing the way we prosecute certain offenses," Cauchon said."Cannabis consumption is first and foremost a health matter," he continued. "It should not result in criminal penalties. We have to ask ourselves as a society: Does it make sense that a person who makes a bad choice can receive the lasting burden of a criminal record? . . . The legislation I introduced today will make sure the punishment fits the crime."Decriminalization, officials said, would be accompanied by a national campaign to alert Canadians to the dangers of drug use.The bill would also increase penalties for people who grow marijuana illegally. Small amounts may be grown legally by Canadians who need marijuana for medical reasons.As the United States moves toward tougher penalties for drug crimes, Canada appears to be mellowing toward small-time drug use, focusing instead on "harm reduction" strategies for users.In some Canadian cities, notably Vancouver, heroin users shoot up in broad daylight on street corners littered with needles, and some people openly smoke marijuana in pot cafes. Some provincial officials have proposed setting up supervised injection sites where heroin and cocaine users could receive clean needles and inject themselves.In 2001, Canada passed a law allowing people with serious illnesses to use marijuana for medical purposes with government approval. The Canadian Senate this year released a proposal to legalize marijuana and allow it to be grown by licensed dealers and sold in corner stores to anyone 16 or older. The proposal was widely criticized in the United States, and U.S. officials were taken aback when Chretien announced plans last month to move head with decriminalization.Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, warned that the border between the two countries could be tightened as U.S. customs officials intensified drug searches. That could harm trade.Cauchon traveled to Washington two weeks ago to meet with his American counterpart, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft. When he returned, he was criticized for sharing ideas with U.S. officials before introducing the measure in Parliament. Officials would not discuss what happened at that meeting, but some said the bill introduced today was a watered-down version of what was discussed there.In the interview today, Walters said he was happy that the bill did not include outright legalization. He also praised plans to launch an education campaign.But Walters said the United States remained concerned about the flow of drugs from Canada. "The indoor [marijuana growing operations] have exploded," he said. "They are now showing up in Manitoba, Ontario and in Quebec."Mike Murphy, a spokesman for Cauchon, said the legislation addressed the supply issue. "The legislation being proposed will take tough action against the growing operations, which are a concern not only to Canadians but to the U.S. as well," Murphy said.Canada's health minister, Anne McLellan, said her agency would implement a national program to educate Canadians on the harmfulness of drug use, using mass media campaigns targeted at teenagers. "Let me be very clear, we do not want Canadians to use marijuana," McLellan said. Some Canadian critics said officials were sending a contradictory message."We should be sending a message to young people that drugs are dangerous," said David Griffin, executive officer of the Canadian Police Association, "but here we have members of Parliament suggesting they are no big deal." Source: Washington Post (DC)Author: DeNeen L. Brown, Washington Post Foreign ServicePublished: Wednesday, May 28, 2003; Page A01Copyright: 2003 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada Moves to Ease Marijuana Possession Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16407.shtmlOttawa Causes a Stir With Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16406.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 27, 2003 at 21:50:27 PT
Unlikely Allies Pan Pot Bill
INTERVIEW: B.C. Almanac's Mark Forsythe speaks with Marc Emery. May 27 2003(Runs 7:36)CBC VancouverVANCOUVER - B.C.Solicitor General Rich Coleman and the head of the B.C. Marijuana Party both say they're disappointed by the federal government's new bill to decriminalize marijuana.The bill will eliminate criminal penalties for possession of 15 grams of pot or less.For possession of 15 to 30 grams, police can decide whether to issue a ticket or lay criminal charges.But Coleman says the federal government has not given law enforcement authorities any more resources to enforce the law."They don't have any idea how the tickets will be collected. They don't have any idea how the infrastructure will be set up."Coleman predicts police will end up charging thousands more people for simple possession of marijuana. But he says there's no indication how much more that will cost police and courts.The leader of the Marijuana Party agrees with Coleman. Marc Emery says the new law will mean hundreds of people ignored by police in the past will now be facing fines.And Emery says the new legislation makes no provision for people to grow their own pot, and in fact increases the penalties for cultivation."Most people I know who smoke marijuana grow marijuana," he says. "And thosepeople are now facing enormous jail penalties."Emery says what the government is peddling as more liberal marijuana laws are in fact the opposite, and that it will lead to more financial penalties and some people going to jail. 
  
 
 http://vancouver.cbc.ca/clips/Vancouver/ram-audio/bc_emery_030527.ram
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