DECRIMINALIZE POT, COMMONS COMMITTEE ARGUES

Possession Would Carry Fine, Not Criminal Record, Under Proposal

OTTAWA -- A special parliamentary committee studying marijuana laws is
expected to recommend that the government decriminalize pot possession,
according to a draft report.

Several members on the House of Commons committee said in interviews that
they favour eliminating a law that can saddle people with a criminal record
for smoking marijuana.

"I think no one on our committee is gritting their teeth about marijuana,"
said Liberal member Derek Lee.

"I am extremely uncomfortable as a legislator devoting scarce resources to
a drug that doesn't really matter very much on the harm scale. We are more
concerned with lives lost, squashed in the gutter because of fatal
addictions to harmful drugs."

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is awaiting the committee's report before
making a final decision on legislation to decriminalize marijuana
possession by making it punishable by a fine rather than a criminal record.

The Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs has until Nov. 22 to
report to the government.

A new law decriminalizing marijuana could follow early in the new year,
said Government House Leader Don Boudria.

The special committee's public hearings wrapped up during the summer and
the 13 members are to meet, probably next week, to tweak the draft report.

The committee is not expected to go as far as a Senate committee, which
recommended in August that marijuana possession be legalized.

Rather, the majority of the Commons committee is expected to endorse a
scheme in which people caught smoking pot could be given some sort of
non-criminal penalty.

"My feeling is that in our society, we like rules," said Lee. "And Canada
has become a party to treaties that regulate the use of drugs so we're not
in a position legally or socially where we can do right away for marijuana
what we've done for alcohol."

Most of the opposition members on the Liberal-dominated committee are on
side in moving toward decriminalization, with two Canadian Alliance members
- -- Randy White and Kevin Sorenson -- being potential holdouts.