MARIJUANA LAW A BUST

In Brief: The federal government's proposed legislation to decriminalize
marijuana possession sends out conflicting messages.

Perhaps the best thing about the Liberal government's proposed
marijuana legislation is that it may never become law.

There is so much resistance, both from Opposition ranks and Liberal
backbenchers, and so little time that it's highly unlikely the
legislation can be passed before the House rises for summer recess in
the third week of June. However, the bill would remain on the order
paper because the House is simply adjourning, not proroguing, and
would be considered when the sitting resumes in the fall.

That's where the bill's future could become cloudy. It seems likely
that when the bill is finally considered by the justice committee, it
will recommend several weeks of public hearings. This makes it
doubtful the bill will be passed before Prime Minister Jean Chretien
resigns and there is no guarantee his successor will have the same
interest in passing the legislation. Given the inherent contradictions
in the legislation, we would hope he or she does not.

The bill sends out mixed messages. While it would stiffen the
penalties for illegally growing marijuana, at the same time it would
decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot by making it a minor
offence that no longer carries a criminal record. The maximum sentence
for illegally growing marijuana would be doubled from seven to 14
years while possession of up to 15 grams of pot would be punishable by
fine. What's the message here? That it's not too bad to smoke pot, but
you'd better not grow it?

Even more confusing are the messages the bill would send to young
people. The bill would create a two-tier system of fines with fines
for those under 18 ranging from $100 to $250 and those for adults from
$150 to $400. What is the message here? That it's not as serious for
young people to smoke pot as it is for adults?

And what about the fact the government has committed to spending $240
million on an education and communication strategy to reinforce the
fact that smoking marijuana is not only a substantial health risk, but
also that it is still illegal. What's the message here?

This is a badly crafted piece of legislation and should be scrapped.