QUEBEC POT USERS VOW THEY'LL KEEP ON TOKIN'

'We Will Continue To Break This Law'. Top Court Ruling Burns Lobby
Groups; They'll Make Marijuana Election Issue

While the country's highest court has ruled possession of even small
amounts of marijuana remains illegal, self-proclaimed pot-heads in Quebec
say their battle is far from over.

"The gloves are off! It's time for pot-heads to rise up and fight for their
rights," Marc-Boris St. Maurice of the Bloc Pot marijuana party said
yesterday after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the country isn't going
to pot.

Flanked by Hugo Saint-Onge, the leader of the Bloc Pot political party, St.
Maurice likened the ruling to a "slap in the face."

The pot debate has dragged on for nearly 30 years now, ever since the
LeDain commission recommended dropping criminal sanctions for marijuana users.

Since then, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Bar Association,
the Canadian Council of Churches, Association of Police Chiefs, the RCMP
and several political leaders have called for decriminalization - as
distinct from legalization - where criminal penalties such as jail time
would not be imposed on those caught with small amounts of pot.

But if Canada isn't about to become the next Amsterdam West with smokers in
cafes lighting reefers alongside their cafe au laits, yesterday's ruling
hardly changes matters, critics said.

"Millions will be lighting up joints as if nothing has changed," St.
Maurice said. "The sad fact is that this ruling will do nothing at all to
change marijuana usage or attitudes."

But the court was "wrong" in not elevating a recreational pursuit to a
constitutional right, a deeply disappointed St. Maurice said.

"It's entertainment. And the government has no right to decide what kind -
whether Ski-Dooing or skydiving - even if it could be dangerous."

Why not ban Ski-Doos, hockey, or extreme sports as they also pose health
risks? Saint-Onge demanded.

"It was wrong to deny us and we will now take (our rights) back," St.
Maurice said. "We will continue to break this law and this is the best way
that we can show how ridiculous this law is. I can guarantee you there are
no shortage of volunteers (willing to do so) shamelessly and openly."

But don't expects riots in the streets, he quipped: "When it comes to pot,
the substance does wonders in keeping people pacifists."

The marijuana lobby promised "another kick at the can" before the Supreme
Court, next time on the issue of medical use of pot.

Marijuana users are going to make it into an election issue, he warned.

"It's a sad day for Canada," said Benoit Robitaille of the Compassion Club
of Canada, which sells the drug for medical uses.

The court decision doesn't affect what the club does, Robitaille said, "but
I'm very disappointed for the people who have been working on this
diligently for over 30 years.

"In the end it means we have to keep on plodding ahead," he said. "I'm not
prone to hyperbole but I think it's outrageous."

But the ruling pleased the Canadian Professional Police Association, which
opposes legislation promoting the decriminalization of marijuana.

"Police officers need the right tools and training to combat impaired
driving by drugs,"association president Tony Cannavino said.

"We also need to send a clear message to our youth: marijuana is a harmful
drug and the only right choice for them is to 'stay drug free.' "