POT SMOKERS ARE STUPID, MCLELLAN SAYS

OTTAWA - Anne McLellan, the Public Safety Minister, said yesterday the
government is committed to eradicating marijuana grow operations and
that people who smoke pot are stupid.

"I see grow-ops as one of the single biggest problems we face in our
communities -- they do represent a serious threat to public safety,"
Ms. McLellan told Canada's first national conference on the illicit
operations.

She suggested delegates at the RCMP-hosted event embrace further
integration of law-enforcement agencies to better combat large-scale
cultivators.

She later denied that the Liberal government's move to decriminalize
marijuana was counter-productive to the objectives of the conference.

"The message, whether it's from me, whether it's from the Minister of
Justice, the Minister of Health, is that marijuana continues to be
illegal in this country, and you're pretty stupid, in most cases, if
you smoke it," Ms. McLellan said.

She said "the jury's still out," when it comes to the drug's medicinal
effects.

The Minister said Ottawa has re-introduced its cannabis reform
legislation, which would double the maximum sentence for large-scale
cultivation to 14 years in prison if passed.

Justices would have to submit, in writing, their reasons for not
imposing prison terms for some large-scale cultivators.