cannabisnews.com: We're Going To Pot! We're Going To Pot! Posted by CN Staff on December 10, 2002 at 07:12:08 PT By Sun Media Services Source: Edmonton Sun The federal government may introduce legislation early in the new year to decriminalize the use of marijuana, says Justice Minister Martin Cauchon. "If we're talking about that question of decriminalizing marijuana, we may move ahead quickly as a government," he said yesterday outside the House of Commons. "I don't like to give you a date or a time frame, but let's say the beginning of next year, the four first months of next year." But Sgt. Peter Ratcliff, president of the Edmonton Police Association, said the federal government has essentially already decriminalized simple possession of modest amounts - no more than 30 grams - of pot. Simple possession offenders are not fingerprinted or photographed, he said. "It's a lot of marijuana," he said. "It's a sandwich baggie full of marijuana. If you plead guilty to the charge, you might get a fine, and a small one, likely about $150 or less than that, depending on the amount. "It no longer has the stigma to it, it no longer has the penalty to it." He said cops don't target people with simple possession of marijuana. "We've got bigger fish to fry." Cauchon said the long-awaited bill would depend partly on the views of a special Commons committee which studied the use of non-medical drugs. The committee released the first of two reports yesterday, recommending that heroin addicts in major cities should have safe injection sites and needle-exchange programs. It also said two prisons should be converted into treatment centres for inmates. A second report is due Thursday. That report is expected to recommend that growing pot for personal use should not be a crime. Sources familiar with the work of the committee said the move to decriminalize marijuana would still make the possession of pot illegal, but the punishment would be a fine rather than a criminal record. "If you're going to decriminalize marijuana, where is a person supposed to get it?" said one well-placed source who confirmed that the committee is in favour of letting Canadians grow their own pot. A Senate committee report issued in September went even further, saying marijuana should be legalized for use by anybody over the age of 16. The committee found that moderate use of the drug poses no serious long-term dangers for adults and could be sold under controlled circumstances like liquor or in drugstores. Note: Decriminalization next year, says justice minister. Canada's Drug Strategy Report: http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/SNUD/Studies/Reports/snudrp01/08-toc-e.htm Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Published: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: sun.letters ccinet.ab.ca Website: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCauchon Says Pot Could Be Decriminalized Soonhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14931.shtmlCauchon Poised To Decriminalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14930.shtmlDecriminalizing Pot Could Come Early in New Year http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14929.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by druid on December 10, 2002 at 08:59:27 PT: The Video I didn't think the video was really all that biased. The only part that I did think was lame were the stereotypical pot shots of hippies puffin it up. I have been a stoner for 20 years and I don't look anything like those people that get shown toking on news stories. I have short hair, I am college educated and I work in a professional capacity. All the stoner friends I have look just like everyone else also. You can't really differentiate anymore between your typical Cannabist and the average Joe with the exception of maybe some teens.The term Cannabist was originally coined by long time Australian Cannabis Law Reform advocate Steve Dimitriou to describe an individual who has responsibly integrated cannabis into their daily life style, a cannabis user NOT a cannabis abuser. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by pokesmotter on December 10, 2002 at 08:35:36 PT: going to pot?? what does that does that mean? going to pot? when i think about it i cannot come up with much. pot is used here as a verb when it is in fact a noun. headlines like this one frustrate me, but the story was a good one. go canada! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by markjc on December 10, 2002 at 08:02:20 PT the video that video seemed slanted and biased. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 10, 2002 at 07:27:02 PT Video on Decriminalizing Cannabis http://www.canada.com/national/globalnational/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment