JUSTICE MINISTER MULLS POT PENALTIES

A legal decision ordering the province to pay for a woman's pot has
Justice Minister Ross Landry musing about the merits of
decriminalization.

Landry suggested to reporters at Province House on Thursday that his
department will probably eventually discuss whether prosecuting
someone for possessing a small amount of marijuana is a good use of
resources.

"We have to be more administratively efficient when dealing with
people in the small uses of marijuana," Landry said.

"We have to be more efficient on how you process someone who's in a
small possession of marijuana, and the cost to justice. Whether it
goes beyond that at this time, I think it needs further examination
and reflection."

Landry, a former RCMP officer, said when he worked as a police officer
he found prosecuting such cases time-consuming and believes it's worth
seeing if that process can be improved upon.

"I'm a firm believer (in) 'You do the crime, you do the time,' "
Landry said. "Do the penalties match what the crime is?

"I'll look forward to discussion in regards to that
matter."

But he wouldn't commit to having a firm position on decriminalizing
the drug.

In a decision released Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered
the Community Services Department to pay for a Halifax woman's medical
marijuana.

Sally Campbell suffers from several ailments and has a certificate
from Health Canada that permits her to use marijuana to help alleviate
pain and nausea.

The department had denied Campbell's request that it designate her pot
as a special need and increase her monthly allowance to cover the cost
of it. Campbell appealed that decision to a one-person board, which
also denied her request.

So she went before a Supreme Court justice last month and
won.

Provincial staff are reviewing the decision to see whether an appeal
is warranted.

"I never have a problem if the medical community says this is the best
remedy for a person's health and well-being," Landry said. "So on that
basic principle, I support the medical community. If the court has
made a decision, I respect the decision of the court and will look
from an administrative perspective of how we move the interests of the
court forward."

But Premier Darrell Dexter said the decision worries him because it
could open the door to forcing the province to pay for other kinds of
medication it doesn't cover.

"It appears it could have wide-ranging implications that go beyond
this particular coverage," Dexter said.

"It opens a field of potential liability for the province."