OTTAWA ROLLS OUT BILL TO EASE PENALTIES FOR MARIJUANA USE

Self-described marijuana connoisseur TM displays a handful of recently
purchased pot in his home in Bedford, N.S., on Monday. The federal
government moved yesterday to eliminate criminal penalties for simple
possession of marijuana, but promised tougher penalties for manufacturers
and dealers.

It's a bust.

In a bid to tackle the root causes of drug abuse, Ottawa yesterday proposed
eliminating criminal penalties for simple possession of marijuana and
promised a tougher line against growers and dealers.

But everyone from police to potheads to opposition politicians said the law
was a downer.

Under legislation introduced by Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, possession
of up to 15 grams of pot -- enough to roll about 15 or 20 joints -- would
be a minor offence punishable by a fine.

Youths could face fines of up to $250 for minor possession, while adults
could be fined $400.

Penalties could be greater if "aggravating" factors are present, including
possession while driving or while on school property.

By contrast, the maximum sentence for illicit growers would be boosted to
14 years in prison from the current seven. The penalty for trafficking
would stay the same, with a maximum life sentence.

Ottawa also plans to set aside an additional $245 million for
law-enforcement efforts and education, information, research and treatment
programs aimed at curbing drug use, especially among youth.

Cauchon and Health Minister Anne McLellan said yesterday that
decriminalization does not mean legalization. "I want to be clear from the
beginning: We are not legalizing marijuana and have no plans to do so,"
Cauchon said.

McLellan insisted the bill is not aimed at encouraging drug use.

"Let me be very clear. We do not want Canadians to use marijuana," she said.

"We especially don't want young people to use marijuana."

B.C. Solicitor-General Rich Coleman said that the increased penalties for
growers would be only of limited use without more re-sources to investigate
and prosecute major grow-ops.

"They [Ottawa] don't have any idea how the tickets will be collected. They
don't have any idea how the infrastructure will be set up," he said.

Gurmant Grewal, Canadian Alliance MP for Surrey-Central, said the country
is one step closer to legal pot. "This legislation will do nothing to save
our community from the ravages of marijuana or the violence and crime that
accompanies it."

Paul De Felice, a full-legalization advocate from Nelson who smokes three
to six joints a day, said it's a bad law. "Now it's much easier to write a
fine than charge people criminally and I think you're gonna see a lot more
people ticketed than charged under the old law."

A Vancouver man who would only give his name as Daniel and who admits to
providing pot to terminally ill people, predicted the move would just jack
up the price of pot from the current $2,400 a pound to $3,000 a pound, the
going rate several years ago.

"There's more risk involved and people are going to be more scared. There's
going to be more consequences involved. This isn't going to resolve
anything at all."

Rosemary Kaholokula, deputy prosecutor in Bellingham, Wash., said a
crackdown on trafficking makes her job easier, but questioned the softer
possession penalty.

"As far as decriminalizing 15 grams or less, frankly, I don't think that'll
make much of a difference. We get a lot more than that coming across the
border."

Not everybody gave the new legislation the thumbs-down.

The Canadian Medical Association welcomed the government's national drug
strategy as "an important and needed initiative in addressing illicit drug
use and drug addiction in Canada."

Possession of pot, even for personal use, would still be against the law
under the new regime. The changes would simply eliminate the threat of jail
time and a criminal record for small-time users.

The federal government had been promising action since last fall to
decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Pressure increased with a recent series of lower-court rulings against the
current federal drug law, and a constitutional challenge currently before
the Supreme Court of Canada.