POT BILL GOES ASHES TO ASHES

OTTAWA -- A bill to decriminalize marijuana has gone up in smoke, failing
for the second time in six months and prompting criticism that the Martin
government deliberately killed the proposal.

"As we speak, it doesn't look too good," Mario Lague, a spokesman for the
Prime Minister's Office, said as the House of Commons wrapped up its last
voting day before an anticipated election call this month.

Critics contend the Liberals lacked the political will to pass the
controversial legislation proposing to decriminalize possession of less
than 15 grams of pot, making it an offence punishable with a fine rather
than a criminal record.

The bill also called for harsher penalties against marijuana grow operations.

The legislation had been languishing in limbo for two months after the
Conservatives, trying to block passage, introduced amendments during
Parliamentary debate.

The Liberals then moved on to legislation they considered more pressing --
including redrawing electoral boundaries, reforming political donations and
providing AIDS drugs for Africa -- leaving the pot bill to die.

"They never really intended to go with it," said Conservative MP Randy
White. "If a majority government in this country wants to make a bill go
through, that's a piece of cake."

The bill has been fiercely criticized by groups who say that what Canada
really needs is a new national drug strategy to deal with the country's
multi-billion-dollar illicit drug problem.

The latest reincarnation of marijuana legislation was proposed in February,
reviving a Jean Chretien bill introduced last spring.

Its death means the next Parliament will have to start all over again on an
issue that has been debated for more than 30 years.

The House of Commons is on a break next week and Prime Minister Paul Martin
is expected to call an election the following weekend, so Thursday was
believed to be the last day to vote on legislation .

Several other government bills have also failed, including whistle-blower
legislation that would protect civil servants who report government
misdeeds, a law to enable police to take saliva, blood and hair samples
from people suspected of driving while impaired by drugs, and another to
expand a data bank that stores the DNA samples of people who have committed
serious crimes.

Legislation to toughen laws against child pornography collectors, ocean
polluters and people who are cruel to animals are all on their deathbed in
the Senate, which is not expected to sit next week.

Lague said Martin still supports marijuana decriminalization and the
Liberal government intends to introduce another bill if it wins the election.

"I think the prime minister has been very clear on many occasions on what
he thought of the bill," said Lague. "He stated his position quite clearly
about having problems with somebody having a criminal record for life for
being caught with a small quantity."

Martin has suggested, however, that the amount of marijuana to escape
criminal penalties should be lowered.

The U.S. has vocally opposed Canada's move toward decriminalization, saying
it would mean more potent Canadian pot moving south.

But the bill also thrust Canada into the international spotlight on other
fronts, drawing praise from The Economist, a leading international
magazine, that the country is becoming "rather cool."