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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: McLellan Puts Conditions On Easing Marijuana Law
ccguide Tuesday 13 May 2003 Pubdate: Mon, 12 May 2003 Source: London Free Press (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media Corporation. Contact: Website: http://www.fyilondon.com/londonfreepress/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243 Author: Canadian Press MCLELLAN PUTS CONDITIONS ON EASING MARIJUANA LAW The Health Minister Says the Move Must Be Accompanied By a New Drug Strategy EDMONTON -- Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan supports decriminalizing marijuana possession if the move is accompanied by a new national drug strategy of education, information and treatment. "Nobody should be under any illusions that it's healthy to smoke marijuana," McLellan said in Edmonton. "It isn't." The federal government is expected to unveil legislation this week aimed at decriminalizing possession of marijuana in amounts below 15 grams. The proposals would also include a new strategy designed by Health Canada to discourage the use of drugs. "I think you have the support system you have to have in place to make sure people don't misinterpret what you're doing on the decriminalization side," McLellan said. "I focus on the health elements of this, and the national drug strategy -- education, information, treatment, and making sure young people and their families understand that this in no way sends a message that marijuana is a good thing, and that smoking marijuana is a good thing." Ottawa is still conducting clinical trials to determine whether marijuana has medicinal benefits, McLellan said. "But we know that smoking the stuff is not a healthy thing." McLellan said American concerns about cross-border trafficking of Canadian marijuana must be heeded. "The United States has every right to be upset that we've got so many of these illegal grow ops in places like the interior of British Columbia," she said. "We have got to make sure we are providing the resources to shut them all down. "Some of this stuff from B.C. is now ending up in the streets of Mexico City. That is simply unacceptable and that is where interdiction is important." - --- MAP posted-by: Alex
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