OTTAWA MUST TAKE A STAND

As marijuana activist and pot seed seller Marc Emery sits in a Vancouver
jail waiting on extradition hearings to the U.S., Canada finds itself faced
with a question it hasn't been able to answer for close to four decades.

In which direction should the government go when it comes to dealing with
marijuana?

It is time for the Canadian government to finally take a stand and map out
a clear approach on marijuana and its billion dollar underground economy.

On one hand, the government plans to decriminalize marijuana with its
proposed Bill C-17. If adopted, adults caught with 15 grams or less would
receive a ticket of up to $400. However, in the same breath the bill would
double the length of prison sentences for marijuana growers and introduces
four new offences for growers.

By decriminalizing marijuana, the government is conceding that its approach
of zero tolerance is flawed. Yet, at the same time Bill C-17 uses the U.S.
theory that stiffer penalties will deter growers. According to Statistics
Canada, the U.S. arrested 734,498 for marijuana related crimes - a
statistic that would indicate its decades old "war on drugs" has
accomplished little while punishing many.

The Canadian government has debated the issue for years, dating back most
notably to the LeDain Commission of 1972. In its most recent attempt to
make headway, it established the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of
Drugs in 2001. The committee's final report one year later states Canada
should not only move towards decriminalization but allow the cultivation of
not more than 30 grams of cannabis for personal use. At a time when a
Canadian citizen is facing the possibility of life in prison in the U.S.
for laws it clearly rejects, it makes you wonder just where our government
stands.