LIBERALS BRINGING MARIJUANA BILL BACK

MPs Can Amend Law: New Justice Minister

OTTAWA - The Martin Liberals plan to bring back the same marijuana
legislation that died when Parliament adjourned last month, instead of
making any immediate amendments.

Irwin Cotler, the Justice Minister, said he will "maintain the
legislative policy docket as it was," instead of lowering the amount
of marijuana possession that will be decriminalized.

That means the bill, to be introduced along with several other failed
justice bills, will propose decriminalization of 15 grams or less, so
offenders would be fined instead of slapped with a criminal record.

Fifteen grams is the equivalent of about 15 cigarettes.

The government plans to proceed with its decriminalization agenda,
despite a Supreme Court of Canada ruling this week it is within the
federal government's criminal-law power to continue to make marijuana
possession a crime.

Mr. Cotler added the bill could be amended by Parliament as it goes
through the legislative process.

"As to the particular details of whether an amount may be lower or a
penalty may be higher, we will re-introduce the bill and then it will
be considered by Parliament and Parliament may choose to make some
refinements," Mr. Cotler said in an interview. His comments clear up
confusion about whether the Liberals would revive the same bill
proposed by the Chretien government.

Former justice minister Martin Cauchon seriously considered lowering
the amount of pot possession that would escape criminal sanctions from
15 grams to 10, but he backed away from the last-minute change.

Paul Martin, the Prime Minister, revealed last week that the pot bill
would be re-introduced, and hinted he supports lowering the
decriminalization amount and increasing fines for offenders.

The former bill proposed fines of $100 to $400.

In the past, he has said he favours decriminalization of "very, very,
very small amounts."

John Walters, the U.S. director of drug policy for the White House,
praised Mr. Martin this week for his apparent tougher stand against
drugs.

Meanwhile, Vancouver pot enthusiast David-Malmo Levine, who lost his
marijuana challenge in the Supreme Court this week, said the
government should abandon its decriminalization plans.

"Their version of decriminalization is worse than not doing anything
at all," he said.

He said the federal bill will be harder on marijuana users because
police will be more apt to ticket people than charge them criminally.

As a result, Mr. Malmo-Levine predicted, police will have a much
larger database of offenders and he said that information could get
into the wrong hands, including U.S. authorities.

His concerns were raised this fall by a special parliamentary
committee and it suggested the government should make it illegal to
share information on marijuana smoking Canadians with foreign
jurisdictions.

Mr. Cotler would not comment on whether that proposed amendment would
be included in his revived bill.