O CANNABIS: OTTAWA MAY EASE UP ON ITS MARIJUANA LAWS

Even The Mounties Favor Decriminalizing Pot; Boon For U.S. Dealers?

OTTAWA -- The Canadian government is seriously considering decriminalizing
marijuana, a move that some American antidrug activists fear would
undermine U.S. efforts to curb the drug trade.

In a step toward possible further loosening of Canada's restraints on
marijuana, the country's House of Commons last month formed a committee to
examine the merits of decriminalization, and Justice Minister Anne McLellan
is encouraging the debate. The proponents of decriminalization include some
unlikely parties, such as a member of Parliament for the neoconservative
Canadian Alliance and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's federal
police force.

While decriminalization wouldn't legalize marijuana, it would make
possession a civil rather than criminal offense, with punishment reduced to
a ticket and fine, similar to those issued for traffic infractions.
Possession of marijuana currently earns offenders a criminal record, a
maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 2,000
Canadian dollars (US$1,300). U.S. antidrug activists argue that
decriminalization in Canada would depress marijuana prices and increase
supply in the U.S.

The RCMP estimates that 800 tons of marijuana are produced in Canada
annually, much of it shipped to the U.S., though exact figures aren't
available. Data from Statistics Canada show there were 39,541 arrests for
marijuana possession in Canada in 1999, up 37% from 28,773 arrests in 1989.
The Canadian Medical Association, which has also called for
decriminalization, estimates that 1.9 million of Canada's 30 million people
smoke pot regularly, 400,000 of them for medicinal purposes.

U.S. government officials say the liberalization of Canadian drug laws
would create border security problems. "It's an ongoing discussion in
Canada, and we are watching closely," said one official. Another said
decriminalization would be a "disaster" for U.S.-Canada relations,
especially "given the conservative bent in the White House."

Robert Maginnis, vice president of policy at the Family Research Council, a
conservative, nonprofit Washington, D.C., think tank, said the quantity and
variety of marijuana flowing into the U.S. from Canada would increase
significantly if Canada decriminalized the drug.

The debate follows moves by Ottawa in recent years to allow marijuana use
for certain medicinal purposes. In 1999, Canada's Liberal government
amended the country's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act so people
suffering from diseases such as cancer and epilepsy could apply for
permission to possess and smoke pot, the marijuana plant's leaves and
flowers. Its euphoric effects, some believe, ease seizures and pain, reduce
nausea from chemotherapy and stimulate the appetite. So far, 264 people
have been given permission, Canada's Health Ministry says. Canada recently
broadened this law to allow select third parties to grow and supply
marijuana to seriously ill people.

Ottawa has awarded biotechnology company Prairie Plant Systems Inc. of
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a five-year, C$5.8 million contract to grow 880
pounds of marijuana annually in an abandoned mine in Manitoba. The
government plans to use the crop to further study the purported medical
benefits of marijuana and supply marijuana cigarettes to ill people who
have permission to use the drug. In contrast, the U.S. Supreme Court last
month upheld, in a unanimous, 8-0 decision, a federal ban on medical
marijuana, finding that marijuana "has no currently accepted medical use in
treatment in the United States."

While pro-marijuana activists cheer talk of decriminalization, support for
the move is also coming from surprising sources. In addition to the RCMP,
the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which represents chiefs
across the country, publicly supports decriminalization. Barry King, chief
of the Brockville, Ontario, Police Service, says decriminalizing pot would
free up valuable resources and allow law officials to concentrate on bigger
problems, such as trafficking in hard drugs like heroine and cocaine.

Even some conservative politicians support the move. Joe Clark, leader of
the Progressive Conservative Party, says softer penalties for marijuana
possession are warranted, though many in his party balk at the idea. Keith
Martin, an MP for the Canadian Alliance, Canada's largest opposition party,
has introduced a bill that would replace criminal penalties for marijuana
possession with a fine of up to C$1,000. While Mr. Martin's bill is
unlikely to become law under Canada's current Liberal government, his
involvement highlights the widespread support for decriminalization.

"Serious criminals, rapists, pedophiles and murderers aren't getting
prosecuted because our courts are tied up with kids who have been caught
with a joint in their pocket. It's a losing battle and a waste of
taxpayers' money," says Mr. Martin.