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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Canadian bill seeks pot decriminalisation
Independent Online, South Africa
Tuesday 02 Nov 2004 Ottawa - Canada's Liberal government re-introduced legislation on Monday to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of marijuana, drawing criticism that this could prompt a clampdown at the US border. The bill would replace criminal sanctions with fines for small amounts, 15g or about half an ounce, with youths getting smaller fines than adults. Opposition Conservative Member of Parliament Vic Toews voiced fears that the legislation could end up jeopardising the world's richest trading relationship, valued at more than $1 billion (R6,1-billion) a day. "We know that the Americans are very opposed to this bill," he told reporters in the lobby outside the House of Commons. "How does this government guarantee us that there won't be retaliatory action by the Americans?" US drug enforcement officials have warned that the relaxed laws could mean a surge in smuggling of potent Canadian marijuana - a business already worth about 5-billion Canadian dollars (R24,1-billion) in the Pacific province of British Columbia. Opponents in both countries have also warned this could lead to longer line-ups at the border if the United States tightens security further. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said he did not want young users to have criminal records, which could hurt their job prospects and block entry into the United States. Similar legislation got scuttled by the June federal election, which automatically killed all outstanding bills. Canadian police had also warned that reliable tests needed to be developed for marijuana-impaired driving before decriminalising the drug. To that end, Cotler re-introduced a separate bill on Monday on drug-impaired driving, granting police the authority to force suspects to submit to tests. Government officials said there was no reliable machine that police can use at the roadside to determine drug impairment, but they can look for involuntary jerking of the eyes and make drivers try to stand on one leg. If they suspect drug use, they can take the driver to a police station to conduct further physical tests, and possibly to give blood, saliva or urine samples. Officials also said police did not have enough training yet to be able to administer these tests across the country
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