CHRETIEN'S FLIP-FLOP: MOVE TO DECRIMINALIZE

After appearing hesitant before Christmas, Prime Minister Jean Chretien is
now ready to move quickly to decriminalize possession of marijuana.

"The PM is strong on this," said a spokesman from the Prime Minister's
Office. "The government is determined to address this issue."

The spokesman, who did not want to be named, denied that Mr. Chretien has
changed his mind since he said in an interview with Global TV last month
that there would have to be a full debate on the issue and that the
government would make a decision "one day." "I don't think he has ever had
a change of heart," said the spokesman.

"I just think that he really wanted to make sure that before legislation is
introduced, that caucus and cabinet and everybody who is involved in this
have their opinions expressed before moving ahead."

In the Christmas interview, Mr. Chretien, who turns 69 today, went out of
his way to say that he has never tried marijuana and that he does not even
know what it smells like.

In an offensive move to show that Mr. Chretien and Justice Minister Martin
Cauchon are in sync, the PMO supplied transcripts yesterday of a justice
committee hearing in 1980, when Mr. Chretien, who was then justice
minister, said that he supported decriminalization of small amounts of
marijuana so that young people "will not have a stigma for the rest of
their lives."

But he stressed at the time that he did not think the government should
legalize marijuana, so that people caught with marijuana would receive no
penalty at all.

Despite Mr. Chretien's stated intentions, marijuana possession has remained
a criminal offence. Decades of failed government promises has sparked
criticism from marijuana enthusiasts who say they are skeptical that the
law will ever change.

Mr. Cauchon, 40, has confessed to smoking marijuana in his youth and he has
made no secret of his belief that people caught with less than 30 grams --
about 25 or 30 cigarettes -- should be fined rather than criminally charged.

He is currently in Europe, where marijuana decriminalization is on the
agenda in meetings with his counterparts in France, England and Germany.

Mr. Cauchon says he intends to introduce legislation in the next couple of
months.

Skeptics have suggested Mr. Cauchon's plans will never come to fruition
before a cabinet change that will accompany Mr. Chretien's retirement.

A recent poll conducted for the Citizen showed Canadians are evenly divided
on whether marijuana should be decriminalized.