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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Web: Pot Laws Challenged At Supreme Court
ccguide Wednesday 07 May 2003 Pubdate: Tue, 06 May 2003 Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada Web) Copyright: 2003 CBC Contact: Website: http://www.cbc.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1412 Audio Link: http://www.cbc.ca/clips/ram-audio/hall_w6030506.ram Chris Hall reports for CBC Radio (Runs 2:08) Video Link: http://www.cbc.ca/clips/ram-lo/ditchburn_potlaw030506.ram Jennifer Ditchburn reports for CBC TV (Runs 2:00) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) POT LAWS CHALLENGED AT SUPREME COURT OTTAWA - Lawyers for the federal government began Supreme Court arguments Tuesday to defend marijuana laws that the prime minister says he wants to repeal. The court is being asked to throw out criminal penalties in three cases for possession of small amounts of pot. Arguing that marijuana is harmless, the convicted smokers are challenging the constitutionality of the country's possession laws. David Malmo-Levine was convicted ten years ago in Vancouver on charges of possession and trafficking. He ran the city's Harm Reduction Club, which offered safety advice for marijuana users. He says he smoked pot before appearing in court to help him "focus and be attentive." He wants marijuana legalized, not decriminalized. Paul Burstein, a lawyer representing one of the two other men involved in the challenge, is only fighting for decriminalization. He said Ottawa is using the "heavy hammer" of the criminal law to prevent what he says is a harmless activity. "What's the harm the criminal prohibition is trying to prevent? Can't you come up with a less severe way to deal with the problem?" asked Burstein. Federal lawyer David Frankel said the law should be upheld because it deters drug use. Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and Prime Minister Jean Chretien have both said they intend to introduce laws to decriminalize pot, although it's unlikely the new laws will be passed before the next federal election. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh
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