|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
Canada: Decriminalize Pot, Commons Committee Argues
Janice Tibbetts Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Saturday 05 Oct 2002 Possession Would Carry Fine, Not Criminal Record, Under Proposal OTTAWA -- A special parliamentary committee studying marijuana laws is expected to recommend that the government decriminalize pot possession, according to a draft report. Several members on the House of Commons committee said in interviews that they favour eliminating a law that can saddle people with a criminal record for smoking marijuana. "I think no one on our committee is gritting their teeth about marijuana," said Liberal member Derek Lee. "I am extremely uncomfortable as a legislator devoting scarce resources to a drug that doesn't really matter very much on the harm scale. We are more concerned with lives lost, squashed in the gutter because of fatal addictions to harmful drugs." Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is awaiting the committee's report before making a final decision on legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession by making it punishable by a fine rather than a criminal record. The Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs has until Nov. 22 to report to the government. A new law decriminalizing marijuana could follow early in the new year, said Government House Leader Don Boudria. The special committee's public hearings wrapped up during the summer and the 13 members are to meet, probably next week, to tweak the draft report. The committee is not expected to go as far as a Senate committee, which recommended in August that marijuana possession be legalized. Rather, the majority of the Commons committee is expected to endorse a scheme in which people caught smoking pot could be given some sort of non-criminal penalty. "My feeling is that in our society, we like rules," said Lee. "And Canada has become a party to treaties that regulate the use of drugs so we're not in a position legally or socially where we can do right away for marijuana what we've done for alcohol." Most of the opposition members on the Liberal-dominated committee are on side in moving toward decriminalization, with two Canadian Alliance members -- Randy White and Kevin Sorenson -- being potential holdouts.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!