CHANGES TO POT LAWS MUST BRING HEALTH FOCUS

McLellan Wants Education Part Of New Drug Strategy

EDMONTON - Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan supports decriminalizing
marijuana possession if the move is accompanied by a new national drug
strategy of education, information and treatment.

"Nobody should be under any illusions that it's healthy to smoke
marijuana," McLellan said in Edmonton Saturday. "It isn't."

The federal government is expected to unveil legislation this week aimed at
decriminalizing possession of marijuana in amounts below 15 grams.

The proposals would also include a new strategy designed by Health Canada
to discourage the use of drugs.

"I think you have the support system you have to have in place to make sure
people don't misinterpret what you're doing on the decriminalization side,"
McLellan said.

"I focus on the health elements of this, and the national drug strategy --
education, information, treatment, and making sure young people and their
families understand that this in no way sends a message that marijuana is a
good thing, and that smoking marijuana is a good thing."

Ottawa is still conducting clinical trials to determine whether or not
marijuana has medicinal benefits, McLellan said.

"But we know that smoking the stuff is not a healthy thing."

Canada's proposals to soften marijuana laws have come under sharp criticism
from United States officials. McLellan said American concerns about
cross-border trafficking of Canadian marijuana must be heeded.

"There is absolutely no way that we can be an exporter of this new
high-potent strain of marijuana into the U.S. or even into other parts of
the Americas," she said.

"Some of this stuff from B.C. is now ending up in the streets of Mexico
City. That is simply unacceptable and that is where interdiction is important."

Canadian police must be given the resources they need to shut down illegal
grow operations, she added.

"The police at this point seem to be fighting pretty much an uphill battle
in some parts of British Columbia, perhaps even in some parts of our own
province. As you look at things like decriminalization, you also have to
make sure you're doing all the other things as part and parcel of this,
like shutting down illegal grow operations.

"And, yeah, the United States has every right to be upset that we've got so
many of these illegal grow-ops in places like the interior of British
Columbia. We have got to make sure we are providing the resources to shut
them all down."

Sources told The Globe and Mail that under the new law, individuals found
with less than 15 grams would be ticketed and fined under the federal
Contraventions Act.

The Toronto Star reported Saturday that a person convicted of possessing a
small amount of pot would not register a criminal record. Sources told the
paper that the Liberal government will propose tougher measures to target
illegal marijuana-growing operations, including the doubling of penalties
for drug trafficking.

Currently, anyone found with 30 grams or less can be charged with common
possession of the drug, while anyone with more than that amount can be
prosecuted for intent to sell.

Federal officials decided on a 15-gram limit because the drug has become
more potent in recent years, the Globe reported. Depending on how they are
rolled, 15 grams of cannabis can produce about 20 joints.

Those pushing for decriminalization say the current law unfairly
stigmatizes those who are caught, causing difficulties with crossing the
border and finding work.

Police must also spend substantial amounts of time processing the
paperwork, and the law is often applied unevenly, with some people being
let off with a warning while others are charged.