LOCAL POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS DEBATE HARPER'S POT STANCE

It's not a good time to get busted for marijuana possession now that
Stephen Harper is the prime minister.

When the Liberals held power in Ottawa, they drafted legislation to
decriminalize possesion of small amounts of marijuana. But the
Conservative Party and Harper have indicated an intention to scrap
that planned legislation. Harper recently expressed that position at
the annual Canadian Professional Police Association conference in
Ottawa.

"Harper adheres to this notion that society should morally sanction
people who use illegal drugs," said Keith Martin, the Liberal MP for
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca.

Martin has called for the decriminalization of marijuana since he was
an MP for the Reform Party.

While Martin has concerns about people abusing marijuana, he said
they shouldn't be treated like criminals.

Martin favours law enforcement agencies taking a tougher approach
against organized crime groups involved in growing marijuana rather
than against recreational pot smokers.

"Prohibition is like music to the ears of organized crime. The day
that the government chooses to decriminalize the simple possession of
marijuana is the day that organized crime gangs are going to have a
big problem," he said.

Organized crime groups in the U.S. experienced major financial
setbacks when the alcohol prohibition was repealed in 1933, Martin
pointed out.

Ted Smith, president of the Victoria-based International Hempology
101 Society, said he doesn't support the draft marijuana
decriminalization legislation introduced by the Liberals when they
were in power. Smith has long been an outspoken proponent of the
outright legalization of marijuana.

"I'm glad they're not decriminalizing cannabis. It's the lawyer's
term for job protection. It still means that the police can take it
away from you, harass you and still have the same powers under the
old law," Smith said.

The draft legislation would have treated minor marijuana possession
like a traffic violation. Smith argued that such a law could prevent
marijuana from ever being legalized outright.

"What we need is a temporary policy of non-enforcement. That's what's
going to lead us toward legalization - not a system of fines," he said.

Aside from having a moral position against people smoking pot,
Harper's tough stance is all about cozying up to U.S. President
George W. Bush, Martin said.

Smith agreed: "The population (of Canada) could be 95 per cent in
favour of legalization and they'll still stick with their position
until the United States changes."

Saanich-Gulf Islands Conservative MP Gary Lunn said that abandoning
legislation decriminalizing marijuana is more about priorities. The
Conservatives are more concerned about the proposed federal
accountability legislation, reducing the GST and justice reforms, he
said.

Lunn also has his own concerns about what might happen if marijuana
were to be decriminalized.

"Do you send the right message out to young people by legalizing
marijuana? Is it a stepping stone to harder drugs? I'm not convinced
it's the right road to go down," Lunn said.