BOARD TO STIFFEN DRUG POLICY

Decriminalized Or Not, Pot 'Has No Place In Our Schools,' Director Says

While the House of Commons Thursday debated decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of marijuana, the local public school board was working on
beefing up its own drug policy.

"Whatever the legal status is, our position is it has no place in our
schools," said Mary Jean Gallagher, director of the Greater Essex County
District School Board.

The province's Safe Schools Act refers to alcohol and "illegal substances."
Foreseeing a situation where a student could argue that the quantity of
marijuana they possess is no longer considered illegal, public board
administrators are suggesting cannabis be named in their policy as a banned
substance.

The recommendation will be put to trustees at the board's next meeting
Wednesday, Gallagher said.

"We don't want to be in a situation where if a kid brings a bottle of beer
he can be suspended, but if he brings a bag of weed he may not be. That's
not exactly what we had in mind for our schools."

Ottawa's proposed Cannabis Reform Bill is causing havoc with school drug
policies.

At 10 French high schools in Montreal, students who show up for class
stoned are no longer automatically suspended. In a suburb north of Toronto,
a student is fighting his suspension for marijuana use.

The local Catholic school board is not amending its drug policy, said
superintendent Tim Byrne.

While the policy does not address marijuana specifically, it refers to both
alcohol and drug abuse violations.

A former high school vice-principal with first-hand experience enforcing
the board's drug policy, Byrne said students will continue to be suspended
if found to possess or be under the influence of marijuana. Police will
still be notified in instances of trafficking.

The public board calls in police for drug possession too, said Gallagher.
An ironic twist of the federal bill, said Gallagher, is that "schools will
have stronger consequences to deal with smaller amounts of marijuana than
the police would."

The Liberal government, meanwhile, sent cautious signals Thursday that it
may agree to toughen some provisions of its marijuana decriminalization
bill in response to domestic critics.

But Justice Minister Martin Cauchon stood fast against harsher attacks from
south of the border, rejecting claims by John Walters, the U.S. drug czar,
that Canada's approach is out of step with the rest of the hemisphere.

The double-barrelled message came as the Liberals moved to fast-track
legislation that would eliminate the threat of jail terms and criminal
records for anyone in possession of 15 grams or less of pot.

"The government is listening and willing to consider amendments to ensure
we get it right," Cauchon told the House of Commons.

He did not elaborate, but senior sources say the justice minister is
prepared to look at lowering the possession limit to 10 grams.

He is also reportedly willing to consider tougher penalties for repeat
offenders and minimum mandatory prison terms for people involved in
marijuana grow operations.