CANADA COURT REAFFIRMS BAN ON MARIJUANA POSSESSION

TORONTO (AP) - Canada's supreme court upheld the country's laws against
marijuana possession on Tuesday, even as Prime Minister Paul Martin presses
to eliminate jail sentences for people caught with small amounts of the drug.

In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that possession of marijuana would
remain a criminal offense. In a separate, unanimous decision, it maintained
trafficking of the drug was illegal.

The ruling does not preclude Martin from going ahead with a proposed bill
that would soften penalties. President Bush has expressed concerns that the
bill could encourage drug smuggling.

The court ruling prompted praise from law-enforcement groups but
disappointment from proponents of marijuana legalization.

A key question in the Supreme Court decision was whether Parliament has the
constitutional right to punish marijuana possession, given the lack of
proven serious harms from its use.

Last week, Martin said he planned to reintroduce a bill that would wipe out
potential jail time and criminal records for those convicted of marijuana
possession.

The bill did not legalize the drug, and maintained or increased already
stiff penalties for large-scale growers and traffickers.