MARIJUANA POSSESSION REMAINS ILLEGAL IN CANADA

TORONTO -- Canada's Supreme Court upheld the country's current laws
against marijuana possession on Tuesday, even as Prime Minister Paul
Martin presses to eliminate jail sentences for people caught with
small amounts of the drug.

In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that possession of marijuana
would remain a criminal offense for now. In a separate, unanimous
decision, it maintained that trafficking of the drug was illegal.

The ruling does not preclude Martin from going ahead with a proposed
bill that would soften penalties. President Bush has expressed
concerns over the bill, fearing it could encourage drug smuggling
along the border.

The court ruling prompted praise from law enforcement groups but
disappointment from proponents of marijuana legalization.

"My huge patriotism may slowly be dissipating. I have a lot of faith
in my country, in freedom and justice, but it doesn't seem like we
have a whole lot of that left," said Dominic Kramer, a marijuana
activist who runs a store that sells hemp products and paraphernalia
in Toronto.

Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed
the decision but expressed concern over Martin's intent to pursue the
controversial bill. He said marijuana growing seemed to be on the rise.

"We have more and more 'grow ops' across the country," he said in
Ottawa. "You wouldn't see that 10 years ago."

A key question in the Supreme Court decision was whether Parliament
has the constitutional right to punish marijuana possession, given the
lack of proven serious harms from its use.

Last week Martin said he planned to reintroduce a bill, first proposed
under former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, that would wipe out
potential jail time and criminal records for those convicted of
marijuana possession.

The bill did not legalize the drug, and it maintained or increased
already stiff penalties for large-scale growers and traffickers. It
made possession of less than 15 grams of pot a minor offense
punishable by fines of $100 to $400, much like traffic tickets.