POT LAW BUSTED, FIX NEEDED

A comparison between Randy White and birthday-boy songwriter Bob Dylan
is risky at the best of times.

Lord knows I wouldn't make it if the Alliance MP hadn't echoed Dylan
on the phone yesterday -- as in, the times, they are a changin.'

Especially when it comes to marijuana, a smoking hot topic of debate
in Canada these days.

The staunch law-and-order man from Chilliwack isn't about to endorse
Tory Joe Clark's call to decriminalize marijuana possession.

But when asked if there is any room in his office for legalizing or
decriminalizing pot, White admitted "there's a lot of room for me.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm a fairly open individual . . . I just
think it's a matter of how we deal with it, and not so much as
continuing to treat this as a criminal exercise.

"I think you'd just be naive to think that we're going to stop
marijuana on the streets."

White quickly added that he has yet to firm up a position on how to
handle the pot situation.

"I'm probably the most knowledg-able about the drug issue in the House
of Commons, and I just don't have an answer to it."

White hopes to find the answer from a new committee of MPs that he
proposed and won unanimous approval for in the House last week.

The all-party group will commence hearings this fall to study the use
of non-medicinal drugs -- including heroin, cocaine and marijuana --
and make recommendations to the House by November 1, 2002.

"Whatever comes out on this has to be able to affect the street-level
drugs," White said.

"At the end of the day we have to come up with solutions, and not just
another 20 years of rhetoric from politicians."

White wants the committee to focus on four main elements --
rehabilitation, intervention, treatment and enforcement.

Vancouver East NDP MP Libby Davies is suspicious of White's motives
with the committee.

"Their big issue is law and order, and this is an opportunity for them
to seize on that."

Whatever the outcome, it promises to be a heavy debate.

The Canadian Medical Association favours decriminalization; the
Canadian Police Association is against it.

Justice Minister Anne McLellan opposes decriminalization; Health
Minister Allan Rock wants to "make our policies fit current times and
needs in Canada."

A new national survey shows that support for legalization has grown in
recent years, with about half of Canadians in favour. Support was
highest in B.C., at 56 per cent.

Legalization would see marijuana regulated like alcohol, while
decriminalization would merely remove criminal penalties for possession.

The problem with the latter is that it would still leave in place all
the crime now associated with the black-market sale of pot.

A flawed half-measure, alas, may be all that Canada can tolerate --for
now.