POT RULING WON'T BE APPEALED

Ottawa will not fight Ontario court striking down marijuana law

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government will not appeal an Ontario court
ruling that struck down marijuana laws because they don't allow for
medicinal use, a justice spokesperson said yesterday.

The government made the decision Thursday, a week after Health Minister
Allan Rock announced he would make changes to regulations that would allow
Canadians access to marijuana for medical purposes.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in July that Canadian laws prohibiting
possession of marijuana failed to recognize that pot can be used for
medical purposes.

It gave Ottawa a year to change the law, after which there would be no law
prohibiting possession in Ontario.

Rock said last week the new approach, once in place, would define the
circumstances and the manner in which use of marijuana will be allowed for
medical purposes.

Currently, Canadians can apply to the government for exemption from the law
for medical purposes with the supervision of a doctor.

In August, following the Ontario court decision striking down the
possession law, federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan said she was willing
to consider the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana.

"I think we do have to be concerned about the best use of our law
enforcement resources, and the best use of our judicial resources and court
facilities," McLellan said.

"Is the best use in pursuing possession charges for small amounts of soft
drugs?" she said.

"That's a legitimate question that one needs to fully comprehend and talk
to a lot of people about."