cannabisnews.com: Pot Flashback On Tap





Pot Flashback On Tap
Posted by CN Staff on December 10, 2003 at 08:14:13 PT
By Doug Beazley, Edmonton Sun
Source: Edmonton Sun
The federal government's controversial marijuana decriminalization bill is coming back to the Commons in 2004 - and the U.S. ambassador is already warning of reduced border access for Canadian trade and travel. Brian Guest, a spokesman for Paul Martin's office, said yesterday the prime minister-elect backs getting rid of criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of weed, and plans to put the idea to a free vote of MPs after Parliament resumes next month. 
"Paul Martin supports legislation that would remove the threat of a lifetime criminal record for those caught in possession of small amounts of marijuana," said Guest. "The bill will come forward in the next session, and it will be voted on in accordance with the principles of democratic reform." But that could be the bill's undoing - decriminalization has divided the Grit caucus and a free vote might defeat the bill. And while U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci acknowledged yesterday Canada has the right to set its own drug policy, he warned Ottawa could be setting the stage for a border crackdown if the bill makes weed easier to get in Canada. "Our concern is the perception of this is that this is a weakening of the law... that it will be easier to get marijuana in Canada," he said during an Edmonton stopover. "Our customs and immigration officers, they're law-enforcement officers. If they think it's easier to get marijuana in Canada, they're going to be on the lookout for it. "That's going to put pressure on the border at a time when we've been trying to take pressure off it. We don't want to have a lot of young people having their vehicles inspected when they're crossing the border." The bill that fell off the order paper when Parliament shut down last month made possession of a gram or less of marijuana subject to a summary conviction and a fine. Guest said the gram limit might be changed by a parliamentary committee when the bill comes back, but wouldn't speculate further. The bill's return might surprise a few of Martin's longtime supporters in caucus. Many backbenchers believed Martin, anxious to avoid a confrontation with Washington and the far-tougher U.S. drug laws, would let the bill die a quiet death. "Assume he thinks it's not worth the trouble when he's trying to repair relations with the U.S.," said Liberal MP Roger Gallaway. "This bill was a remnant of Jean Chretien's last-minute sharp turn to the left. The fewer pieces of legislation Martin has left over from Chretien, the more he signals a psychological shift to a new regime." Note: Martin to bring back marijuana bill, says aide.Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Doug Beazley, Edmonton SunPublished:  Wednesday, December 10, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:CannabisNews Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmU.S. Warns On Pot Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17948.shtmlCauchon Hopes Martin Will Resurrect Pot Billhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17730.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on December 13, 2003 at 10:00:04 PT
News Article from Snipped Source
Pot Possession Charges Clog Courts: Lawyer 
Ryan Cormier, The Edmonton Journal Saturday, December 13, 2003 
 
 
EDMONTON - While Edmonton lawyers complain that marijuana possession charges are clogging courtrooms, neighbouring British Columbia has turned its attention to bigger drug offenders.On Monday, Justice Canada stayed roughly 4,000 marijuana possession charges laid in a 26-month span because of a legal loophole in medicinal marijuana legislation. Nearly a quarter of those charges, 890 of them, were laid in Edmonton. That's more than all of British Columbia, at 717.While Edmonton Police spokesman Wes Bellmore said he wasn't surprised at the numbers because of the city's "huge drug problem," British Columbia RCMP weren't surprised either -- because of their selective enforcement.Copyright: 2003 Edmonton JournalSnipped:Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/story.asp?id=EB2B1376-9A46-4789-AC43-C8009B4D454E
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on December 11, 2003 at 09:34:40 PT
afterburner
I didn't even think about how it would effect Marc Emery. That is great news. That will save him the trouble of defending himself.
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Comment #13 posted by afterburner on December 11, 2003 at 09:31:02 PT:
City Leads in Pot Arrests & McLellan caught lying
All possession charges laid between July 31, 2001, and Oct. 7, 2003, were stayed this week because of a three-year-old Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that found medicinal marijuana users had the right to possess less than 30 grams of pot. The ruling rendered Canada's possession laws unconstitutional, because there was no exemption for medicinal use. The legal bind applied to Ontario only, but the Justice Department felt it had to take the step nationwide."Since Ontario was invalid, and people there would not have been charged during this period, everybody in the country would not be charged during this period," said Justice spokeswoman Pascale Boulay. "Otherwise, it would not be fair."This is great news for Marc Emery since all his charges during the Summer of Legalization 2003 were during this period. The downside is that it prevents him from launching another challenge to the Canadian Supreme Court.Time for more court action as that seems to be the only thing that ever brings sanity to the War on Some Plants:Canadian Health Minister Anne McLellan has defied the Ontario Court of Appeals ruling of October 7, 2003, by refusing to allow medical cannabis growers to grow for more than one patient.The Goose Creek raid has made CNN today because of the lawsuit against the school and the police.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on December 11, 2003 at 08:50:16 PT
News Article from Snipped Source
Pot Law Fight PredictedLawyer sees "good chance" for successful challenge.
 By Ellen van Wageningen Star Justice Reporter 
 Wednesday, December 10, 2003 
 
The Windsor lawyer whose constitutional challenge opened the floodgates for thousands of marijuana possession charges across the country to be thrown out says Health Canada has re-opened the door to such challenges in Ontario.New regulations governing medical access to marijuana announced by Minister of Health Anne McLellan don't comply with a landmark Ontario Court of Appeal ruling made Oct. 7, criminal defence lawyer Brian McAllister said Tuesday."I don't want anybody to act on the basis of this, but I certainly think anybody charged (with possession) in Ontario, as of today, has a good chance of challenging it because we're once again in the pre-Oct. 7 state of the law," he said.The amendments to the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations allow licensed growers to be compensated for their costs. They also eliminate the requirement that some medical marijuana users have the support of more than one physician to be eligible.However, the regulations continue to restrict those licensed to grow medical marijuana to supplying one user. They also maintain a prohibition against more than three licensed growers cultivating a crop together.The Ontario Court of Appeal clearly stated that those restrictions needed to be loosened for medical marijuana users to get a legal supply of the drug, McAllister said."It's so brazen I'm in shock," he said of Health Canada's failure to do so. "This is really back-room dealings circumventing a court order."Alan Young, a Toronto lawyer representing medical marijuana users, has already said he plans to take Health Canada to court for contempt. Medical marijuana users had hoped that the Ontario appeal court decision would open the door for compassion clubs to provide sick people convenient and economical access to the drug.The reason Health Canada's failure to address those issues also affects those charged criminally for possessing marijuana goes back to the appeal court ruling and the Ontario court cases leading up to it, McAllister said. Copyright 2003 Windsor Star Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/windsor/story.asp?id=6FB2F1DF-DA60-4294-AFC8-720EB7F0001B 
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 10, 2003 at 19:10:42 PT
New Prime Minister Taking Over in Canada
Published: December 11, 2003Toronto, Dec. 10 — Former Finance Minister Paul Martin takes over as prime Minister on Friday after a prolonged transition in which he threw bouquets of promises to liberals and conservatives, business and environmental groups, Westerners and urban dwellers. With Prime Minister Jean Chrétien retiring after a decade in office, Mr. Martin will effectively be leading an interim government in preparation for national elections to be held sometime in the spring. Advertisement
 
 
But Mr. Martin will have a handful of vital social issues to deal with before the election, in which he and the Liberal Party will face weak opposition parties.A bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana will be considered soon after the House of Commons returns from recess in January. Mr. Martin has shown less enthusiasm for the bill than Mr. Chrétien has.Complete Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/international/americas/11CANA.html
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Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on December 10, 2003 at 15:30:41 PT
Marijuana and the "Border Controls" theory...
Just another myth. That's the funny thing about cannabis - they never say "cannabis is hurting our youth" or "marijuana is making people sick" or "Marijauna increased deaths" or "Marijuana caused war". It's always "marijuana may do this" or "marijuana could lead to...." or even "marijuana users are more likely to...".When they raised the speed limit from 55 to 65, did anyone accuse the auto lobby of using 65 mph as a "stalking horse" for complete elimination of speed limits? Was the "camel's nose" in the f***ing tent at that point?  No.
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Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on December 10, 2003 at 14:07:49 PT:
I keep saying this
There won't be any border slowdowns due to the effect that any attempts will have on the border States' economies.The EU recently smacked BushCo across the snout with a rolled up paper with a threat to engage in a trade war over steel tarrifs. BushCo backed down, without mentioning why, only that the tarrifs 'had served their usefulness'. (Yeah, and I suppose that bruise across your nose is leftover Halloween makeup, too, Mr. Bush; your korp-rat buddies got real scared when they realized that many of the counter-tarrifs would hit Florida especially hard. Brothuh Jebbie must have been screaming bloody murder at the prospect.)If Canada calls the BushCo bluff, and decides to quietly pursue further trade negotiations with the EU and Asia, BushCo could well find itself with a nasty situation of having made the economy much worse that it presently is. And there'd be no way he could avoid the reasoning: Wrecking the economy further...because of POT. He'd have to get on national TV and explain how this 'terrible scourge!' - laughing grass - is worth sending a few million MORE people to the unemployment lines. Pure political cyanide in an election year.He won't do it; he might not know better, but his handlers sure do...  
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Comment #8 posted by BigDawg on December 10, 2003 at 12:46:45 PT
Wish I could remember the details...
... but I remember reading an interview with a higher up in federal law enforcement saying that he had gone to the UK in the early sixties, I believe, and that when he raised the subject how they were dealing with the drug problem, they looked at him funny. They didn't HAVE a drug problem. Then the U.S. pressured them into adding drug laws. Just a few years later he returned only to find them asking how to deal with the drug problem... as it was out of control.The laws CREATE the problems.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 10, 2003 at 12:20:42 PT
News Article from Snipped Source
City Leads Nation in Pot ArrestsEdmonton accounts for one in four charges laid-- and now stayed. 
Ryan Cormier, Journal Staff Writer Wednesday, December 10, 2003  
 
EDMONTON - Nearly one-quarter of the estimated 4,000 marijuana possession charges stayed by the federal department of justice this week were laid in Edmonton.Police say heavy drug use and tough law enforcement explain the high numbers."This is no surprise to us at all," said Edmonton Police Service spokesman Wes Bellmore. "We have a huge drug problem here."But an activist for marijuana legalization says the numbers show enforcement is excessive in Alberta."There's not that much difference between Edmonton and Calgary or anywhere else in the country," said Kevin Stewart, owner of the True North Hemp Company. "We're all victims of a wrong view and a wrong policy, and statistics like this just bear that out."All possession charges laid between July 31, 2001, and Oct. 7, 2003, were stayed this week because of a three-year-old Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that found medicinal marijuana users had the right to possess less than 30 grams of pot. The ruling rendered Canada's possession laws unconstitutional, because there was no exemption for medicinal use. The legal bind applied to Ontario only, but the Justice Department felt it had to take the step nationwide."Since Ontario was invalid, and people there would not have been charged during this period, everybody in the country would not be charged during this period," said Justice spokeswoman Pascale Boulay. "Otherwise, it would not be fair."Of the estimated 4,000 stayed charges, 890 were laid in Edmonton. That's more than in all of B.C. (717), or in the four Atlantic provinces combined (859).Calgary had 458 charges -- giving Alberta the highest provincial total, at 1,348.Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/news/story.asp?id=29A6DF53-2B91-4CA6-B046-24D8C6746D27
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Comment #6 posted by Nuevo Mexican on December 10, 2003 at 11:17:33 PT
Kucinich makes Ted Koppel look idiotic!
bush is behind the misery at the border, the misery overseas, the misery here, the misery everywhere. what a joyful day it will be for the world when this man is overthrown from his stolen pResidency. In preparation for the day, I'd consider writing a book on the impact of this event on history, in advance, as it is a 'given' that it will happen, and should be presented now as something we have to look forward to, as a source of hope for all of us in the dark, dark times! A World Party!!!!Please go to http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/10/1445210 and watch todays show. The highlights of last night great debate were shown, so you don't have to watch the whole thing. Not that you shouldn't, but if you don't have time, this makes it easy for you.Dennis Kucinich ROCKED! I've watched the debate 3 times now and Dennis delived the knock out punch on Iraq and bush over and over again. Thanks Ted for making yourself look like a Republican wonk, which you are. It back-fired, and Dennis got to address the medias criminal complicity with the bush boys, as he pointed out Koppels first question was about Deans endorsement, not about the candidates views and not about a Debate. He called it 'trivializing' the debates and the candidates. This man sees right through everything, and lets nothing slip by, as though he was raised on the wrong(poor) side of the tracks. Oh, thats right, he was. Well, no wonder!Dennis ripped Ted Koppel and the media in the most excellent of ways. Articulate, funny, appreciated by the audience more than anyone, though Al, and Carol were dynamic, funny, intelligent, and outside the white male Democrat insider routine.This debate gave Dennis lots of air time to explain his views of the war, (this was GREAT!) why it was illegal in the first place, and directed the audience to go to his website Kucinich.us to see his 90 day plan for withdrawing troops. Please copy, paste and send this info widely. A Green in San Francisco just barely lost to a Clintonian Democrat, Yuppie-gentrificationist. OF course, With the help of Bill, AND AL, thanks Al! Proving the Dems are more afraid of Greens than Republicans, their evil twin, but twin nevertheless!Clinton, bushes appointed president (mena drug smuggling pals from way back), still shills for the people who tied his hands for 8 years. A deal must've been made to make this hollow man rich down the road. Now Hillary gets behind Clark, dissing Al, no wonder Gore didn't fight the stolen election, he didn't have any back up from Billy boy, Hillary or even Lieberman. Now its pay back time!Compared to Dennis, Al and Carol, Dean appears stiff, too 'white' (just because your anglo doesn't give you an excuse to be clueless on issues that matter to 'non-whites, like the war on cannabis, the murder of Iraqis for bushes lies, defending the need to STAY in Iraq, geez, this guy hasn't gotten it has he?) In case you think i'm prejudiced towards caucasians, I am not, I'm 'white', just tired of people (Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and most programming on TV) of my skin color putting a racist face on all of us, and I intend to fight that stereotype.Any Democrat can beat bush, don't forget it.But would you want Joe? Kerry? Edwards? Clark (anti-war, pro-occupation, I don't get him on this one)?Kucinich, Carol, Al, Dean, Clark, Gephardt, in that order.Otherwise we get another Bill Clinton, useless to the Dems, convenient to the Republican-corporate Military Order.Something Dennis Kucinich won't tolerate in his administration:Whatever Happened to the Plame Investigation? An Act of Treason by the Bush Administration Gets Buried Alive.http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/12/con03369.htmlMedia Alert: 9/11 Widow Sues Bush, Cheney, et. al.http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0312/S00058.htmPresident Bush has been trying to prevent a full investigation of 9-11 for two years now. Only due to the courage of the 9-11 family members has an official investigation begun, which is still being thwarted by the Bush Administration's refusal to release critical documents. The 9-11 Commission is a bi-partisan Commission created by Democrats and Republicans in Congress to investigate the unprecedented intelligence and air defense failures of 9-11. Bush's obstruction of this commission is an outrage and a scandal. Demand the truth! Get involved today in the 9-11 Truth movement!http://www.septembereleventh.org/E.J.s hope of the day dashed, Pro-pot? Arnold lies:Attorney Gloria Allred said she will seek to bring the governor into court in connection with the suit she filed Monday on behalf of client Rhonda Miller, who claims Schwarzenegger groped her on two movie sets.She added that her questioning would not be limited to the claims by Miller but would include inquiries about claims made by more than a dozen other women who say they have been groped or accosted by Schwarzenegger over the past two decades.http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ca/story/7929888p-8867413c.htmlJesse Jackson weighs in on Skipper Jones brutal murder:Something happened in that gap to turn a jovial, gentle man into an angry one, willing to take a swing at an officer. Police claim that the camera was turned off because they were certain that everything was under control . . . and then turned on again when it went out of control. Given Cincinnati's history, it would take a heroic act of faith for the African-American community to believe that. More telling, the paramedics left the scene when the police arrived. That probably cost Jones his life, since they were not there to deliver CPR or render other assistance, and the police left him lying on his face, his hands handcuffed behind his back for crucial minutes without moving to help. http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/ejack10_20031210.htmThese kids were killed BEFORE the other 9 kids!Will God strike America for its 'evil' actions?No WAY, we aren't evil, remember our president told us THEY'RE the EVILDOERS! And he was elected!Wrong!Military Says 6 Children Died in U.S. Raid in AfghanistanA military spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, said the bodies of the children and two adults were found under a collapsed wall when troops searched the raided compound. The assault took place last Friday but the military only acknowledged that they knew of the deaths today when asked about them at a news briefing.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/international/10CND-AFGHAN.html?ex=1071723600&en=fb24417273e67a74&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
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Comment #5 posted by escapegoat on December 10, 2003 at 11:16:51 PT
Anne McClellan caught lying on national television
A bunch of activists crashed one of McLellan's little press conferences at the
Royal York Hotel in Toronto yesterday, and called her on her lies: specifically,
why she is in contempt of the Ontario Court of Appeal, why she announced in
Parliament that there was an ongoing research program for AIDS, after cancelling
the funding for it a few months previously, and why she is hurting medical
marijuana patients.She skated, obfuscated, and the lapdog press never mentioned it later (except,
of course, when it went out on the live feed from the conference).
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on December 10, 2003 at 10:50:14 PT
Flashback?
Pot flashback? What is that? Thanks for the propaganda guys!A friend of mine is a recovering alcoholic - he knew 2 or 3 people that collapsed into full-on grand mal seizures merely from stopping drinking. Meanwhile, people that stop smoking cannabis become "irritable". From the recent stats on Canadian pot smoking, the whole country must be hippies! Because everyone that ever smokes pot is a total hippie, right? 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 10, 2003 at 09:11:55 PT
Coffeeshops Under Threat: 13:59 Audio Report
http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/rnw/HollandEN/031210dh.rm 
 
By Bertine KrolDecember 10, 2003 
 
The Dutch reputation for tolerance towards soft drugs is embodied in the nation's many coffeeshops, where customers can buy and smoke marijuana. The first of these establishments, Sarasani, was founded in Utrecht 35 years ago in a basement on one of the city's canals. Despite the long tradition, however, dark clouds are now beginning to gather over Dutch coffeeshops.Coffeeshop Sarasani has a colourful history. Its founder, Holly Hasenbos, was an eccentric hippy pioneer who organised rock concerts and named his coffeeshop after a German circus. Hasenbos was shot dead by a policeman in 1984 under mysterious circumstances; his cousin Ton Hol decided to continue the business, changing as little as possible. He still runs the coffeeshop together with his wife Fanny Venier. 
Complete Article: http://www.rnw.nl/holland/html/031210mull.html
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on December 10, 2003 at 08:55:11 PT:
So?
"That's going to put pressure on the border at a time when we've been trying to take pressure off it. We don't want to have a lot of young people having their vehicles inspected when they're crossing the border." Better to have their vehicles inspected than to get a criminal record or be caged like a zoo animal.
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Comment #1 posted by BlakNo1 on December 10, 2003 at 08:37:22 PT:
Cellucci the scumbag
I am still, after all this time, embarrassed to have had Cellucci as "my" governor. Fade into obscurity already, dammit!
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