cannabisnews.com: Why Canada's Dope Has The US Fuming





Why Canada's Dope Has The US Fuming
Posted by CN Staff on May 31, 2003 at 17:11:44 PT
By Ros Davidson
Source: Sunday Herald
Flin Flon may soon have competition. The small town in Manitoba is currently Canada's cannabis capital. That is because Flin Flon is where thousands of 6 ft-high pot plants are legally grown, deep in an old copper mine. The farm, not exactly an underground operation, sells its crop to the Canadian government for use in the official five-year medical marijuana programme. Cannabis can be used to dull pain or help those with cancer or Aids recover their appetite for food.
But Flin Flon may soon lose its status.Five days ago, Ottawa introduced a bill to decriminalise small amounts of pot possession, although the penalties for possessing or growing larger amounts and for selling will be upped. Political commentators differ on whether the legislation will become law, even by the end of the year, though Premier Jean Chrétien's party have a comfortable majority. Canada's attention is consumed by other issues: the Sars epidemic, a faltering economy, and trade wars with the United States. The administration of President George W Bush is also ramping up its war on drugs.Yet Chrétien, whose Liberal Party is divided over the issue, is famously persistent. The legislation is also heightening debate over the issue, and will do so for the foreseeable future. Public opinion on decriminalisation has moved from a 50-50 split to about 70-30 in favour over the past few years.'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 conviction?' asked Justice Minister Martin Cauchon when the bill was launched. He added: 'A criminal conviction can limit career opportunities and make travel to other countries difficult.'These factors, coupled with the possibility of a jail sentence, amount to sanctions that are disproportionate.'Ottawa's stance might be getting an extra push from Chrétien's much- publicised differences -- and his clear dislike -- of the Bush administration. Chrétien recently blamed Bush publicly for the dramatic devaluation of the US dollar. Canada is America's major trading partner. And Canada did not back the war in Iraq. The tension between the two has been high for years. In 2000, after al-Qaeda's attacks on New York and Washington, US officials described Canada as a 'haven for terrorism'.Under Chrétien's proposal on cannabis, anyone caught with up to 15g -- enough for 20 joints -- would not face criminal charges but could be fined up to £180, or £110 for young offenders.Maximum sentences for such 'traffickers' of more than 15g would double from seven years to 14 years. Ottawa would also spend £100m on drug education. Currently, penalties vary tremendously, depending upon the amount and on whether it is a first offence.Supporters of the legislation argue that it will allow them to police organised crime traffickers more effectively and that existing marijuana laws are largely ineffective and enforced unevenly. Police, many politicians and some pro-marijuana activists are speaking out against the change. One of them is Canada's 'Prince of Pot' Marc Emery, who runs the Marijuana Party Bookstore in Vancouver, a city sometime dubbed 'VanAmsterdam' because of its openness to cannabis. 'The amounts to be decriminalised are too puny,' said Emery.'Superficially, it is going to be better for people who smoke pot in a public setting ... but they're going to be paying more and going to be paying fines more routinely.'He runs a lucrative mail-order seed distribution company and owns an internet-based business, Pot-TV. He estimates there are between 75,000 and 95,000 illegal 'grow-ops' in British Columbia. Chrétien's bill, he said, is to placate Canada's bigger neighbour. 'This is for the United States,' Emery said as he pointed to the section of the new bill dealing with tougher criminal penalties for people caught growing or possessing large amounts of marijuana.Yet, when Chrétien and other top Canadian politicians recently travelled to Washington to try and calm US fears, Bush's drug czar John Walters warned that the law would lead to a clampdown on the US-Canada border and -- he said pointedly -- could harm legitimate trade. The trade is estimated to be worth £630m daily.'It's completely ridiculous to suggest that Canada is locking up users in significant numbers. That's not happening.'In fact, to claim they're even being arrested in large numbers is a distortion. That's what Canadian law enforcement tells me,' he said.'Some of the strongest and most dangerous marijuana on the US market is coming from Canada,' he told the Washington Post.And he told Canada's official TV network: 'The problem is that the high-potency marijuana business is (already) growing uncontrollably in Canada -- you're sending us the crack equivalent of marijuana.' The issue is currently hot in the US too. Several states, including the most populous, California, as well as Oregon, New York and Ohio, have decriminalised cannabis. But their laws are at odds with US federal law.Not in dispute is that seizures of cannabis from Canada to the US have increased five-fold since 1998, although that is partly because the border is more heavily policed in response to terrorism, as well as the Bush administration's hard-line on drugs.Canadian officials admit too that large-scale marijuana farms are becoming more common, especially in British Columbia and Quebec. In BC alone -- famous for its potent 'BC Bud' cannabis -- the crop is thought to be worth more than £4bn annually. An estimated £4.5bn worth of Canadian marijuana is sold in the US every year. So many Americans travel to Canada now to use cannabis legally for medical problems, that their supporters have dubbed them 'medical marijuana refugees'. Chrétien and Bush are at the G8 summit in France this weekend. White House aides say that Bush plans to ease international tensions, a description of the likely behind-the-scenes agenda that makes America's critics scoff. Bush will never back Chrétien on marijuana. And some wags have also suggested a change to 'O Canada' -- the national anthem. When it is played in Evian, it should be renamed 'O, Cannabis,' they say. Note: Ros Davidson reveals how moves to liberalise Canadian cannabis laws have only worsened the already strained relations with their sensitive southern neighbours.Source: Sunday Herald, The (UK)Author: Ros DavidsonPublished: June 01, 2003Copyright: 2003 Sunday HeraldContact: editor sundayherald.comWebsite: http://www.sundayherald.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Pot-TVhttp://www.pot-tv.netThe Drug War Refugeeshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/smk.htmPrince of Pot Pans Canadian Marijuana Bill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16412.shtmlNew Pot Laws Could Be Inconsistent: Advocateshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14939.shtml
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