GET TOUGH WHEN EASING MARIJUANA LAWS, URGES CELLUCCI

OTTAWA -- U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci suggested on Friday that the
Canadian plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana may
not lead to border friction if the change includes tough penalties for
criminal trafficking and cultivation.

Contrary to recent warnings by other U.S. officials, including U.S. drug
czar John Walters, Cellucci said people will have to "wait and see" whether
such a law would lead to congestion and other problems at the Canada-U.S.
border.

Cellucci noted several U.S. states already have de-criminalized the
possession of small amounts of cannabis and said much will depend on whether
the drug will appear easier to get if de-criminalized in Canada.

"This is a decision for Canada to make, just as it was a decision for
jurisdictions in the United States to make," Cellucci said. "We'll have to
wait and see what it (the law) is to know whether it will have any impact on
the border."

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, arguing thousands of Canadians should not
be saddled with criminal records for using small amounts of marijuana, has
promised to introduce a bill by June decriminalizing possession of 30 grams
or less of pot. He has also indicated the government would launch and new
strategy on drugs and toughen enforcement against growers and traffickers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other agencies in Washington have
already singled Canada out as a source of marijuana and other drug shipments
to the U.S.

In Canada, judges in three provinces, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward
Island have recently tossed out marijuana possession charges because of
Ottawa's plans for a new law.

The federal Justice Department, which is drafting Cauchon's bill to
decriminalize pot, is also appealing the provincial court rulings.

Top U.S. officials have predicted border tie-ups if Canada eases laws on
marijuana.

Although some U.S. states have made possession a misdemeanour, it remains a
federal offence to transport the drug across the U.S. border.

Cellucci, however, said no one can predict what will happen. "I think a lot
depends, and no one has seen the proposal yet, does it actually make it more
difficult to get marijuana?" he said.

"Is the enforcement of the civil penalty going to be a strong one? Are the
criminal penalties for those who grow marijuana, are they going to be
strengthened?"

The ambassador went on to say, "I think it comes down to perception, if the
perception is that it might be more easy to get marijuana here, then that
could lead to some pressure on the border because U.S. customs and
immigration officers are law enforcement officers and they would have their
antennae up as people are travelling from Canada into the United States."