cannabisnews.com: Ottawa Still Undecided on Pot Appeal 





Ottawa Still Undecided on Pot Appeal 
Posted by FoM on August 02, 2000 at 15:26:13 PT
Government has 60 days to consider ruling 
Source: Toronto Star
The federal government hasn't yet decided how to respond to a court decision that called for new rules on medical use of marijuana and struck down the law making it a crime to possess pot. ``It's a pretty complex decision so we need to take the time to look at it,'' said Farah Mohamed, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Anne McLellan. The government has 60 days to decide whether to appeal Monday's Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is unconstitutional. 
``So the decision itself is being looked at from all angles,'' Mohamed said. The court said the law forces people like Torontonian Terry Parker, who smokes pot to prevent epileptic seizures, to risk arrest for seeking effective treatment. The court gave Parliament 12 months to rewrite the appropriate sections of the law to include clearer medical exemptions from prosecution. The law stays in effect until then. Under the current law, it is illegal to possess and cultivate marijuana. People who need it for medicinal purposes can apply for exemptions, but the criteria on medical use - which are the responsibility of the health department - are fuzzy and only about 50 such exemptions have been granted. Police said it's business as usual. ``Possession of marijuana is still an offence in Ontario,'' said Detective Inspector Jim Hutchinson, who heads the Ontario Provincial Police's drug enforcement section. The provincial force was in Barrie yesterday to mark the launch of an annual program to locate marijuana crops from the air, which will last until Thanksgiving. The OPP has a helicopter dedicated full-time to the hunt for marijuana plants. But Hutchinson said it likely won't be a great year for marijuana growers; their plants are being stunted by the bad weather. ``This hasn't been a good growing season for corn and other crops, and I think it's going to be the same thing for marijuana,'' Hutchinson said. Toronto police Chief Julian Fantino said he was pleased that the court ruling will force Ottawa to consider its pot policy. Fantino does not favour legalizing marijuana, but said the government has to take a very serious look at how to handle its use for medicinal purposes and decriminalizing possession of very small amounts. By Allan Thompson, Toronto Star Ottawa BureauContact: lettertoed thestar.com Published: August 2, 2000 Copyright* 1996-2000 Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Related Articles:Reefer Madness Reduxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6594.shtmlMarijuana as Medicinehttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread6593.shtmlRewrite Law on Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6589.shtmlOntario Court Says Law Against MJ Unconstitutionalhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6576.shtmlOntario Court of Appeal Upholds Decision http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6571.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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