Bill C-17 stupid

Editor, The Journal

Re: Trustees Split on Pot Bill, Oct. 4.

I agree completely that the Liberal's wrongly named "decrim" bill is a
joke. But it is not "decriminalization", it is an "alternative penalty
program". Cotler said so himself. Why the media insists on calling an
"apple" an "orange" is a mystery to me.

The bill would make pot a lighter fine for youths than for adults,
suggesting that it is okay for kids to use pot, which it is not!

Offering 14 years for growing, the bill would also drive the small-time,
personal growers out of business, and leave cannabis growing the exclusive
domain of organized crime. This will drive up the profit, the competition,
and the violence.

Furthermore, what the trustees fail to understand is that marijuana is
already legal in Canada.

Because of the Terry Parker ruling of 2000 (among others), and the case in
the spring of 2003, where an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that the
law prohibiting the possession of cannabis was "of no force an effect", the
law against possession for personal use is dead. Just like the laws against
abortion or same-sex marriage.

The decision was overturned on appeal, but in Canada, a dead law cannot be
"resurrected", it must be legislated back into existence by an Act Of
Parliament. This never happened, so for at least two years, and maybe as
long as five years, police have been arresting people, and we have been
trying them, for laws that don't even exist anymore.

Don't believe me? Look it up on Google.

Russell Barth

Federal Medical Marijuana License Holder, Ottawa