Marijuana

BORDER AND DECRIMINALIZATION

U.S. officials are upset they have not been consulted about Ottawa's plan
to decriminalize marijuana and they are threatening to tighten border
restrictions if it goes ahead.

We should seriously consider the U.S. reaction. It's true that an argument
can be made in favour of decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of
marijuana. But even though no one should have a criminal record for getting
caught with a joint, there is no real urgency for Ottawa to go through with
the plan at this time.

We do know that Canada-U.S. relations are tenuous and decriminalization
would only serve to further irritate the U.S.

Already, U.S. drug czar John Walters has warned that Ottawa's
decriminalization plan could lead to tighter security checks for Canadians
crossing the border. Large amounts of marijuana coming to the U.S. from
Canadian cities "is a dangerous threat to our young people," said Walters,
"and it makes the problem of controlling the border more difficult."

Increased border tie-ups are the last thing the Windsor area needs. They
would hurt the local economy, especially in terms of tourism and trade.
Local businesses that rely on border trade might close, or relocate to the
U.S. And local jobs could be lost in the process.

In the greater scheme of things, it is not crucial for the Chretien
Liberals to ease Canada's marijuana laws at this time. We can't afford to
have the U.S. impose tighter border controls.