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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Cauchon: Marijuana Decriminalization Possible By Summer
ccguide Saturday 05 Apr 2003 Pubdate: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Shannon Kari, CanWest News Service CAUCHON: MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION POSSIBLE BY SUMMER Justice Minister Martin Cauchon repeated his commitment yesterday to introduce legislation to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, possibly as early as this summer. "The criminal law is a blunt tool; it is only effective if it is applied consistently and if it reflects true social consensus on an issue," Mr. Cauchon said during a luncheon speech in Toronto at the Empire Club of Canada. "I am troubled by the inconsistent application of the criminal law to the possession of small amounts of marijuana for criminal use." "Your children or grandchildren may not be charged if they are caught in Toronto, but kids in small towns across Canada are being charged for exactly the same behaviour. This means that kids are ending up with a criminal conviction," Mr. Cauchon told the business audience. "This can have a devastating impact on their lives -- from the types of jobs they can get, to travelling or going to university in other countries, particularly the United States," he added. Mr. Cauchon did not respond directly to a question about whether the federal government will be able to change the marijuana laws in the face of strong opposition on the issue from the U.S. government. But he suggested Australia's "ticketing regime," which involves fines for possession of small amounts of marijuana "would be more efficient for law enforcement" in Canada and free up resources to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. Last December, the justice minister pledged to introduce new marijuana legislation by the end of April. "At one level, his comments are very encouraging," said Toronto lawyer Paul Burstein, who has been involved in a number of high-profile challenges to the marijuana possession and medical marijuana laws. However, Mr. Burstein noted that Mr. Cauchon's comments about the impact of a criminal conviction for marijuana possession "are completely inconsistent with the position that his lawyers have taken in a factum filed with the Supreme Court of Canada." The Supreme Court was supposed to hear arguments last December to decide if potential criminal sanctions for marijuana possession violate the Charter of Rights. The court decided to postpone the hearing because of the apparently conflicting positions put forward by Mr. Cauchon and Justice Department lawyers. A new hearing date of May 6 was announced last week by the Supreme Court and Mr. Burstein said he does not believe it is a coincidence that Mr. Cauchon is again talking publicly about decriminalization of marijuana. He predicted that the Justice Department will ask to postpone the Supreme Court hearing for a second time "because the government is about to do something." - --- MAP posted-by: Alex
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