COLEMAN RAPS COURTS ON MARIJUANA SENTENCING

KAMLOOPS - British Columbia's solicitor general says Ottawa's
latest proposed legislation aimed at decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of marijuana is missing the point.

Rich Coleman said Tuesday doubling fines for possession of larger
quantities of pot is meaningless without tougher rulings from the courts.

"So what, if you're not going to give your message to the judicial
system that penalties at the lower end is where your problem is?"
Coleman said.

"We already have strong enough penalties, in my opinion, for
incarceration in trafficking and cultivation of drugs. But if the
court system never gives out those penalties, it makes no difference
whether you double them again because they're still not being used."

On Monday, the federal Liberal government re-introduced legislation
decriminalizing possession of marijuana for personal use.

Like identical legislation that died with the federal election call,
Bill C-17 would treat possession of small quantities of pot much like
a highway speeding ticket.

Instead of jail time, the punishment would be a $150 fine for adults
and $100 for minors holding 15 grams or less -- enough to roll about
30 joints.

But anybody caught with more than 15 grams would still face jail time
- -- with a possible six months in prison -- and a maximum fine of $1,000.

The Liberals also retabled a bill to toughen the rules against
drug-impaired driving. Police would gain the power to force motorists
to submit to drug testing, and refusal to comply would be punishable
by the same laws against drunk driving.

But Coleman said the legislation includes none of the measures he's
been asking for in the legislation, such as a mechanism for collecting
the fines and there's no new money to step up the fight against
organized crime.