LOCALS DEBATE HARPER'S STANCE ON POT

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

When the Liberal Party held power in Ottawa they drafted legislation
calling for the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.

But the Conservative Party and Harper have indicated an intention to
scrap 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 he
doesn't believe that they should be treated like criminals.

Martin favours law enforcement agencies taking a tougher approach
against organized crime groups involved in growing marijuana rather
than recreational pot smokers. Prohibition only makes organized crime
groups involved in the sale of marijuana rich, Martin said.

"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 law prohibiting alcohol, established in 1920, 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repealed in 1933, Martin pointed out.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 lawyers 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," he said.

The draft legislation would have amounted to minor marijuana
possession being treated like a traffic violation where people would
be fined but wouldn't receive a criminal record.

If such legislation were to become law, Smith argued it 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 Harper's moral position against people smoking pot, Martin
argued that Harper's tough stance is all about cozying up to U.S.
President George W. Bush.

"He's trying to get on the good side of Mr. Bush," he
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," he said.

Saanich-Gulf Islands Conservative MP Gary Lunn said that abandoning
legislation decriminalizing marijuana is more about priorities.

"This is not one of our priorities, this is not one of our policies -
so we're not going there," Lunn said.

The Conservatives are more concerned about such issues as the
proposed federal accountability legislation, reducing the GST and
justice reforms, he said.

Lunn acknowledges that the party's position on pot is about more than
being concerned about other priorities. And he also has his own
concerns about what might happen if marijuana was
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.