ANTI-MARIJUANA MESSAGE KEY AT MONDAY'S TOWN HALL

Abbotsford MP Randy White is mounting a town hall campaign against Bill C-17.

The outspoken MP held a town hall meeting in Abbotsford last night, a
pattern he hopes to repeat across the country to get his anti-marijuana
message out to the public.

Bill C-17 was reintroduced by the federal Liberals Nov. 1 and if adopted,
will mean that possession of 15 grams of marijuana [enough to roll about 30
joints] or less will be treated similar to a traffic fine. Adults would pay
$150 and minors would pay $100, under the new legislation.

"It's a discount for kids is what it is," said White Friday. "It sends the
wrong message . . . I want to bring peoples' awareness to what the Liberals
want to do and how serious it is." White says the Liberals are talking
about fines for marijuana quantities up to 30 grams [60 joints].

"In essence, that's going to legalize 60 grams or more of marijuana -
again, it's sending the wrong message."

The legislation, if introduced, would double the penalty for large-scale
grow operations to 14 years, but White says minimum, not maximum penalties
are needed.

"They haven't ever issued a maximum penalty yet," said White. "What's got
to happen is minimums have to be put in place."

White also wondered how police and RCMP officers throughout the country
would collect the new fines when "there's $4.5 million in outstanding
[traffic] fines already."

White's town hall meeting took place at Garden Park Towers in Abbotsford
Monday night.