POT LAWS CONSTITUTIONAL

Federal laws making possession of small amounts of marijuana illegal
do not violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada's top court
has ruled. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 6-3 Tuesday that jailing
someone with small amounts is constitutional.

Any changes to the law must be made by Parliament, the decision
states.

However, local marijuana activist Tim Felger said keeping the status
quo means more money will be wasted on pot busts, money he believes is
better spent in areas such as improving the national infrastructure.

On the other side of the issue, Langley-Abbotsford (Canadian Alliance)
MP Randy White vows to table legislation in the House, calling for
"more teeth" to proceeds of crime laws, especially when it comes to
grow-ops and crystal meth labs.

Felger, who intends to seek the nomination for the federal New
Democrats in the expected spring federal election, told the Abbotsford
News "the CIA is making money off drug prohibition.

"Forget the arguments about what it is doing to society -- the real
problem is, we're wasting all our resources," said Felger, who ran
unsuccessfully for mayor in the last civic election. He said the
recent earthquake in California shows the need for billions in cash on
hand to repair and improve buildings, roads and other infrastructure.

"The police budget takes up 25 per cent of the city of Abbotsford
budget. I don't understand why people don't become more tolerant.

"I was hoping to find relief in the courts," he said, adding "the
police have no moral courage and politicians are self-serving.

"My whole goal in January is to educate the local media on what
prohibition really is - a money machine."

White expects a parliamentary committee on the non-medical use of
drugs to be re-constituted in the New Year.

"What amazes me is that while the Supreme Court comes down with a
decision, there's all kinds of provincial courts making the opposite
decision," he said. "They should follow the law. The law has always
said it is illegal."

White said he will push for "a re-look at this whole marijuana law and
put greater emphasis on (seizing) the proceeds of crime," to help
police bust grow ops and meth labs.

Both pot and meth operations result in major property damage, White
believes.

"The money or assets seized from convicted drug traffickers must be
kept out of the hands of judges and lawyers.

"Recently a judge gave $400,000 in cash back to the dealers, saying
the Crown couldn't prove it was received illegally."

The Supreme Court decision comes as Ottawa prepares to reintroduce
legislation that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts
of marijuana. Three marijuana users, including two from B.C., had
challenged sections of the country's Narcotics Act that makes
possession a criminal offence.

Lawyers, including Abbotsford's John Conroy, argued that the
government has no right to tell people what they can put in their bodies.

But lawyers for the federal government argued the law should be upheld
and that Parliament should set federal drug policy.

Prime Minister Paul Martin said last week that the government will
reintroduce a marijuana bill that died in November when Parliament was
prorogued.

The bill would decriminalize pot, which means people caught with small
amounts would face fines rather than prison.