POT PUNDITS PONDER MARY JANE LEGISLATION

It's all good or it's not good at all, depending on who is asked.

The federal government has reintroduced a bill to reform marijuana laws and
local political leaders, scholars and marijuana activists agree the
legislation needs work.

"We're going to oppose this," said Abbotsford Conservative MP Randy White.
"It's woefully inadequate."

Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler introduced Bill C-17 for first
reading Monday, legislation that is identical to a bill that died with the
federal election call earlier this year.

The bill means possession of small amounts of marijuana will be treated
much like a speeding ticket, should the bill be adopted under the minority
Liberal government.

Anyone holding 15 grams of marijuana or less - enough to roll about 30
joints - would face a fine of $150 for adults and $100 for minors under the
new legislation.

Anyone caught with over 15 grams of pot will still face jail time - a
possible six months in prison - and a maximum fine of $1,000.

Cotler said the legislation is intended to target large-scale marijuana
cultivation, with penalties for serious operations doubling to 14 years
under proposed reforms.

University College of the Fraser Valley Dean of Research Yvon Dandurand, a
former criminology instructor, said decriminalizing small quantities of pot
is a good idea.

"It's a good idea to avoid criminalizing people who are experimenting with
the drug, especially youth," he said. "I'm not saying there shouldn't be a
consequence, but the consequence should fit the act . . . having a joint is
not a major crime and there should not be a major consequence."

Dandurand said a standardized fine would remove discretion from police
officers in whether or not to charge an individual, something that can now
vary among jurisdictions.

Dandurand pointed to a 2002 UCFV study that found many Canadians charged
with trafficking possessed "very, very low" amounts of pot. He saw an
increased maximum sentence for trafficking and grow ops as largely
symbolic, since judges rarely impose full sentences.

White agreed.

"They say they're getting tough on grow-ops, but they're putting maximum
penalties in place . . . maximums don't mean anything," he said.

"No one recalls ever having a maximum sentence issued. There's no point
having a maximum if it's never issued."

Other problems with the proposed legislation, said White, include the fact
there is no mechanism or funding in place in order for police to deal with
the new fines.

"[Police[ have a hard enough time collecting fines that have to do with
parking violations," White said. "Who's going to keep track?"

The fines also send a message to minors in that "if you're a kid, you get a
discount," said White.

He is also concerned about negative effects on trade with the United States.

"I think there's a very real possibility that [Bill C-17] could be another
nail in the coffin of U.S.-Canada relations," White said, but added that he
supports a bill the Liberals retabled, one that will toughen the rules
against drug-impaired driving that would give police the power to force
motorists to submit to drug testing.

Refusal to comply would be punishable by the same laws against drunk driving.

Abbotsford pot advocate Tim Felger said the legislation widens the net of
people caught in the system.

"[Bill C-17] increases enforcement. I say we're moving further into a
police state," said Felger, who believes prohibition of the substance only
increases the opportunities for organized crime. "And where are people to
buy the pot?" Felger said, adding he is having problems opening a store
locally that would offer marijuana to its patrons.

'Prohibition is a joke," Felger said. "The question we should be asking is,
is prohibition making society more violent?"

- - with files from Christina Toth