ROCK 'OPEN' TO MORE POT LAW REFORM: ROCK SUGGESTS MORE LENIENCY

Health Minister Welcomes Future Commons Review

Health Minister Allan Rock says he has an "open mind" on calls to
decriminalize marijuana and welcomes an upcoming review of the
contentious matter by a Commons committee.

Rock made the comments Thursday, after he toured an underground mine
in Flin Flon, Man., where the first official crop of
government-sanctioned pot is being grown. The so-called medical
marijuana will be made available to sick Canadians who are granted
government approval to smoke it for the alleviation of pain and the
debilitating symptoms of various diseases.

Rock said Canada's medical marijuana policy -- which is far more
liberal than other countries -- is based on "compassionate" grounds
and he predicted it will eventually be matched by other nations
around the world.

'Right Choice'

"I'm absolutely convinced we've made the right choice, we're on the
right path. And we're going to improve the lives of many people."

Moreover, he didn't shy away from questions over whether this country
should take an even bolder step by decriminalizing -- or even totally
legalizing -- the use of marijuana for all purposes. Rock noted that
members of Parliament decided in May to establish a special
committee of MPs that will begin cross-country hearings this fall.

"Of course, we will pay close attention to whatever they recommend,"
said Rock. "I think it's a question worth examining."

The committee is expected to review whether Canada's legal approach
to marijuana possession should remain unchanged, whether the drug
should be legalized, or whether it should be decriminalized -- a
compromise that would ensure the use of pot remains illegal but that
the penalties would be less severe.

"They might look at that option, they might look at other options,"
said Rock. "I don't know. And I've got to tell you -- I've got an
open mind."

Rock said that when he was federal justice minister for four years,
it was his job as attorney general to pay lawyers "to go into court
and prosecute drug cases" -- even though many involved prosecutions
against "young kids" who possessed small amounts of pot.

"The question often arose as to whether that was a good use of
dollars, whether it's a good use of the criminal justice system and
whether some other approach might be taken which would reflect
society's views, perhaps differently."

Worried Dad

At the same time, Rock candidly said that as the father of three
teenagers, he worries about the "drug culture" and the "messages
we're sending kids and where we draw lines."

One possible approach, Rock suggested, would be to treat possession
of marijuana like a traffic offence, in which the offender would be
slapped with a ticket and a fine rather than be charged with a
criminal offence.

"I think there's a lot to think about here. I'm glad that the
committee is going to be working on it. I'm glad that people are
going to be asking these questions and looking at different
approaches. I think it's time for a discussion in Canada about all
this. And I look forward to the results."