CANADA POT PLAN WORRIES OFFICIALS

If Canada decides to reduce the penalty for possessing small amounts
of marijuana, authorities say some Snohomish County residents may make
a trip north to light up, and could try to bring the illegal drug back
with them.

Under the Canadian Cannabis Reform Bill introduced in Parliament on
Tuesday by Canada's justice minister, the proposed new penalty for
getting caught there with 15 grams of marijuana - about half an ounce
- - would become like a traffic ticket.

If the law passes, "we may well see Canada become a more popular
tourist destination for people who live on the border states,
including Washington," said Dominic Holden, Seattle director of the
state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
Laws. "People would like to use marijuana without the threat of harsh
criminal penalties."

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy and several Snohomish
County officials contend that liberalizing Canada's drug law could
boost drug use and bring more pot into the United States.

Canada is already a major source of marijuana for the United States,
with an estimated $2.5 billion worth smuggled in each year, much of it
from British Columbia.

"Any easing of the prosecution in another country that is so closely
adjoining us is going to impact people's importation" of marijuana,
said Pat Slack, commander of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

Although it's possible more people would try to bring small amounts of
pot across the border, changing the law probably wouldn't trigger a
wave of large-scale pot smuggling, he said.

"I don't expect it to have a whole lot of impact here. I hope it
doesn't," said Mark Roe, Snohomish County's chief criminal deputy prosecutor.

Canada has no plans to cut penalties for growing or selling B.C. bud,
which is popular because of its high potency.

The proposed law would actually increase the maximum sentence for
illegal growers to 14 years in prison, from the current seven, while
trafficking would remain punishable by up to life in prison.

Under the law, possession of marijuana would also remain illegal.
Violators would be ticketed and ordered to pay fines of up to about
$182 U.S. for minor possession, while adults could be fined the
equivalent of $292.

In Washington state, possession of 40 grams of marijuana or less is a
misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The minimum penalty is one day in jail and a $250 fine.

Even so, police say there's plenty of evidence marijuana use is a
problem here.

According to a recent study of 512 men booked into the Snohomish
County Jail between November and February, about 40 percent tested
positive for marijuana.

In addition, 59 percent of people 20 and younger who sought publicly
funded drug treatment in Snohomish County last year said they were
addicted to marijuana, said Cammy Hart-Anderson, a county drug and
alcohol counselor. In contrast, about 23 percent said they were
addicted to alcohol.

"Based on those numbers, we already have a significant problem with
marijuana," Hart-Anderson said.

Changing Canada's law would send the wrong message, said Dave
Rodriguez, director of the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area, which is part of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"The whole strategy is faulty," Rodriguez said. "It encourages the
whole industry to grow. They're going to have a ready market, because
they can say, 'Try a little bit. If you're caught, you'll only have to
pay a fine.'"

Canada is already lax in enforcing its existing pot laws, he argued.
Reducing the penalty for small amounts could lead to less of a
crackdown on major marijuana growers and sellers.

Canadian marijuana growing operations "have increased exponentially,
and a lot of that is due to the fact they have essentially
decriminalized marijuana up there," he said.

Marijuana is more potent than it was 20 years ago, Slack said, adding
that he's "a total believer that it's a gateway to other drugs."

Holden of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana
disagreed.

If Canada lowers the penalty for possessing small amounts of pot, that
"will disprove some of the extreme claims of the federal government
and show that reefer madness isn't a result of marijuana
decriminalization," he said.

But that doesn't mean more pot will flow into Washington, he
argued.

"Realistically, marijuana is readily available throughout Washington
state," he said. "While people might consume it in Canada, people
won't take the risk of bringing back such a small amount when they can
buy it here."