ALLIANCE DROPS IDEA TO LOOSEN MARIJUANA LAWS

Some MPs Choke on Proposals in Party's Platform

OTTAWA - The Canadian Alliance has dropped proposed policies to loosen
Canada's marijuana laws after some of its MPs balked at including them in
the party's campaign platform.

The change was so last-minute that party officials didn't get a chance to
delete mentions to pot in a version of the platform posted to the Alliance
Web site.

It said the party, if elected, would remove the threat of jail terms for
simple possession of small amounts of cannabis.

As well, the Alliance would allow its use "for serious medical reasons."

But those policies were stripped from a platform brochure that the Alliance
handed out to reporters last week. They've also disappeared from the Web
site.

Alliance spokesperson Phil von Finckenstein said they were dropped because
of the objections from some of the party's MPs.

"Caucus felt it wasn't something they were comfortable campaigning on," he
said.

"It was not a priority for Canadians."

Alliance Leader Stockwell Day has said he would hold a free vote on
decriminalization of simple possession. He also supports medicinal use of
marijuana.

"Mr. Day has personal beliefs but at the end of the day, we're a team and we
got together and decided this as a team," said von Finckenstein.

The party's flip-flop on pot has not gone unnoticed.

NDP MP Nelson Riis (Kamloops) pointed out the Alliance had also backed away
from a proposal to immediately implement a single tax rate of 17 per cent.

"It begs the question: what else will come off the list?" said Riis.

Alliance MP Paul Forseth said he supported taking the pot references out of
the platform - but only because Canadians aren't going to jail for simple
possession anyway.

"My thinking was why have it in there if there's no policy change," said
Forseth (New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby). "We weren't really stating
anything new."

Some Alliance MPs said they'd still support decriminalizing possession of
marijuana.

"I've met with the RCMP on this," said John Reynolds, a former party justice
critic. "They want it decriminalized. I support them."

Reynolds (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast) said he has polled his constituents
and almost two-thirds want cannabis possession to be decriminalized.

MP Chuck Cadman (Surrey North) also said he'd consider supporting
decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana - making it an
offence that might carry a fine but not jail time.

"I'm prepared to look at it, but I'm not prepared to consider it unless it
goes hand in glove with dealing with major traffickers and top-end drugs,"
said Cadman.

Day, meanwhile, was in Montreal yesterday where he used a subway to pick up
seven of the Alliance's approximately 50 Quebec candidates on the way to the
opening of a party office.

Earlier in the day, the Alliance leader told supporters in Bathurst, N.B.,
that Jean Gauvin, a former provincial Tory cabinet minister and a lobbyist
for the fishing industry, has agreed to seek the party's nomination in the
next election.

With files from Tim Harper and Canadian Press