MARTIN WANTS TO TOUGHEN MARIJUANA LAW

Decriminalization Bill

OTTAWA - Paul Martin is putting his political weight behind amendments that
would toughen the government's marijuana bill.

The prime-minister-in-waiting would "be more comfortable" with the proposed
legislation if the government came down harder on marijuana growers,
traffickers and repeat offenders, Scott Reid, a spokesman for Mr. Martin,
said yesterday.

"There are rumours that the government may be thinking about toughening up
the penalties and if that were the direction that were taken, he would be
very pleased with that," Mr. Reid said. "It would conform to his perspective."

Although Jean Chretien is trying to fast-track the marijuana legislation so
that it passes this fall, even Liberals doubt it will clear the necessary
hurdles in time, meaning it could be Mr. Martin's to deal with when he
becomes prime minister in February.

The government's proposed bill would decriminalize marijuana possession for
users caught with less than 15 grams, but instead fine them $100 to $400.
Conversely, there would be an array of penalties to counter an escalation
in marijuana grow houses run by organized crime, with the maximum sentence
being doubled to 14 years.

Martin Cauchon, the Justice Minister, is considering several amendments,
including a minimum mandatory sentence for people convicted of running
marijuana growing operations. Critics say judges routinely impose sentences
of six months to one year for the most serious offenders.

The government may also lower the amount of pot that would escape criminal
charges to 10 grams from the proposed 15 grams, and impose criminal
sanctions instead of fines on repeat offenders.

Mr. Reid said Mr. Martin supports decriminalization, but he would not shed
light on the amount of marijuana the future prime minister thinks should
result in criminal charges.

"He doesn't feel comfortable with determining what that amount should be
because he is not an expert in that area. It's got to be clearly an amount
that is for nothing but personal use."

In the past, Mr. Martin has only said that he supports decriminalization of
"very, very, very small amounts."

Several Liberal backbenchers, along with the Canadian Alliance, say it
should be criminal to possess more than five grams -- about five cigarettes.

"Do you really need to carry more than that on you?" asked Randy White,
Alliance MP for the B.C. riding of Langley-Abbotsford.

The government has given the bill to a special committee to hold public
hearings on the legislation before writing a report for Parliament.

Mr. Reid said Mr. Martin supports the government's approach "by and large."
But there has been wide speculation that the decriminalization component
will be reviewed as Mr. Martin tries to repair Canada's troubled
relationship with the United States.

In Washington yesterday, White House drug czar John Walters underlined that
pressure, accusing the Canadian government of "1970s-era thinking on
marijuana."

This week, he said Canadians are ashamed of Mr. Chretien for joking about
smoking a joint after he retires.

"It would be regrettable if our Canadian neighbours continued down a path
that relies on 1970s-era thinking on marijuana, rather than on what we have
learned after 30-plus years of research and heart-wrenching addiction," Mr.
Walters, the director of the White House's National Drug Control Policy
Office, said in a statement.

Mr. Chretien joked last week in an interview that he might try marijuana
"when it will no longer be criminal" because he could afford the small fine
if he got caught.

The cross-border drug dispute was also played for laughs at a White House
briefing, with questions about Mr. Chretien's pot joke drawing chuckles
from the press corps.