Canada moves to lower pot penalties
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TORONTO, May 27 ? 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 borderUNDER 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.
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.?
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN PLANNED
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 ahead with decriminalization.
BORDER WORRIES
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 U.S. 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.?
? 2003 The Washington Post Company
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN PLANNED
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 ahead with decriminalization.
BORDER WORRIES
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 U.S. 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.?
? 2003 The Washington Post Company
