CANADA NOT READY FOR LEGAL POT: JUSTICE MINISTER

Wait And See If Medicinal Use Works, New Cabinet Minister Says

MONCTON, N.B. -- Canada's new justice minister said Thursday he is against
legalizing marijuana, even possession of small amounts.

"Being minister of justice is to make sure that we keep having legislation
that reflects our society," Martin Cauchon said. "To legalize marijuana, as
a general point of view, I don't think we're there yet."

Cauchon stressed that the country should focus on whether Ottawa's recent
move of permitting marijuana smoking for medicinal purposes is working
rather than jump into legalization of pot for the general public.

"Let's start at that very first step," he said in a brief interview after
concluding his first meeting with his provincial counterparts.

The federal government was forced by the Ontario Court of Appeal almost two
years ago to permit marijuana smoking for medicinal purposes.

Cauchon's position appears to be a bit of a retreat from that of his
predecessor, Anne McLellan, who maintained during her tenure that
decriminalizing marijuana for recreational purposes merits debate.

The prospect is being examined by a House of Commons committee, which was
formed last year to examine illicit drugs. A Senate committee has also
undertaken a study of drug laws and has heard mainly from witnesses pushing
for decriminalization.

There has been growing pressure on the federal government to decriminalize
possession of small amounts of marijuana, including a call from the
Canadian Medical Association Journal, which said last year that the more
than 1.5 million Canadians who smoke pot should not risk being saddled with
a criminal record.