SAFE-INJECTION CLINICS ARE OKAY, LEGAL CANNABIS IS NOT, DION SAYS

VANCOUVER -- The federal Liberal Party has no intention of advocating
the legalization of cannabis, but Leader Stephane Dion made it clear
yesterday that under a Liberal government, other Canadian cities
could have safe-injection sites like the one in Vancouver. Mr. Dion,
whose party could be embroiled in an election campaign this spring,
took about 20 questions at a town-hall meeting at the University of
British Columbia. The questions were wide-ranging and included the
Liberal Party's position on Afghanistan, the economy, climate change
- - and marijuana.

"It's not something we will campaign on in the next election," Mr.
Dion said. "But we need to have an approach about drugs that is more
effective than the one the government has to date."

Without being asked about it, he told the crowd of about 150 students
that Canada's only safe-injection site - known as Insite and situated
in the Downtown Eastside - "is something in which we believe.

"I think the current government has an ideological approach about
that," Mr. Dion told the gathering, which was co-ordinated by the
Young Liberals of UBC.

The Harper government has said that the city's safe-injection site
can remain open until June. Health Canada announced in October it
would extend the exemption from Canada's drug laws that allows Insite
to operate. The exemption was set to run out at the end of the year.

Another student suggested that Canada often kowtows to the United
States on many issues and wanted to know how Mr. Dion would deal with
the U.S. administration.

"For us Canadians, the United States is a friend," Mr. Dion said. "It
is an ally but it is not a model," he said to loud applause.

"This difference between a friend and a model is not well understood
by the current Prime Minister and it will be by me."