STUDENTS ASK ABOUT POT

It was only a matter of time before the discussion made its way into
the murky realm of marijuana decriminalization.

After all, the audience at the all candidates' meeting at Lively
District High School Wednesday was full of about 50 Grade 12 students.

Sudbury riding Green Party candidate Luke Norton began his comments by
clarifying his party was not, "contrary to popular belief," the
Marijuana Party.

He went on to tell the crowd his party supports decriminalization, but
from a first-hand perspective, told the students to stay away from
pot.

"I smoked pot heavily everyday for three years," he said.

That got their attention.

"I realized it wasn't for me," he continued. "I was failing out of
college, I had no girlfriend because I had no money for a girlfriend.
I just sat in front of my TV and played video games constantly. I
wasn't going anywhere.

"I wouldn't be here (running in the election) if I was still smoking
pot. It's fun for a little while, but when you do it for a long time,
it's a bad, bad thing."

Most of the candidates present agreed the decriminalization of
possession of small amounts of marijuana would be a good thing for
Canada and Canadians.

Liberal incumbent Diane Marleau, though careful to highlight the
negative impact smoking has on health, said her party supports
decriminalization because it would un-clog the justice system.

About three quarters of drug related charges each year in Canada are
marijuana-related. Half of that total are simple possession charges.

It is estimated marijuana enforcement costs the Canadian government
between $700 million and $1 billion annually.

NDP candidate Gerry McIntaggart said that's too much to ask of
taxpayers, never mind the fact that police tied up in dealing with a
pot charge - whether arresting a possessor, filing paperwork or
appearing in court - aren't on the streets protecting the public.

Norton and Marleau both noted Canadians who decide to smoke up once in
a while shouldn't be made in to criminals. A "hefty" fine would
suffice, Marleau said.

Tory candidate Stephen Butcher said his party has no concrete policy
on pot, but chided Marleau for implying that it's OK to smoke pot by
supporting decriminalization.

The pot discussion was by far the liveliest one among the five topics
covered by the student-focused forum.

Others included tax policy, health-care, the military and same-sex
marriage.

Travis Morgan, a 19-year-old student at the school, helped organize
the event.

"It went better than I expected," he said. "The students actually
showed interest and asked good questions. The NDP and Liberals went at
it, but that's to be expected in such a hot election."

Emily Wyszynski, 18, found the session very helpful since she had no
idea what the candidates stood for before she attended.

"I just turned 18 and I really want to vote," she said. "It was
definitely helpful. I formed some opinions."

Cody Walter, 17, would have liked to see an all-out debate rather than
a question and answer session.

"It would have been more interesting," he said. "When it's a debate
going back and forth, you can see more who is telling the truth - it
comes out better when they're in each other's faces."