CANADA'S POT PLAN HAS AREA OFFICIALS BURNING

A proposal in Canada to reduce the penalties for possession of marijuana
would set a bad example in Michigan, local law enforcement officials said.

The plan, which is sometimes described as a decriminalization of marijuana
possession, is being considered in the Canadian Parliament. It was
introduced this week.

"They are taking a very liberal stand on their position of drug use," said
Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer. "They are going to experience
an increase of drug addiction, starting with marijuana."

Marijuana would not be legal under the new law, but the criminal aspect
would be removed for some cases.

Under the proposal, the possession of 15 grams of marijuana or less would no
longer result in an arrest or a criminal record, though $100-$400 fines
would be levied.

The law would increase penalties for distribution or the growing of
marijuana, said Dennis Moore, public affairs officer for the Consulate
General of Canada in downtown Detroit.

Local police say it would send the wrong message to users and young people.

Both Dwyer and Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said marijuana, while
not as dangerous or addictive as harder drugs, is a gateway drug that leads
some users into experimentation with other narcotics, such as cocaine or
heroin.

"It's not this harmless drug that people talk about," Bouchard said. "Most
people are unaware of the difference between marijuana of today and the
marijuana of yesteryear.

The marijuana of yesteryear that many people have in their mind is not at
all the same." He said the tetrahydrocannabinol content, the mind-altering
chemical in the drug known as THC, is at times about 100 times stronger than
the stuff puffed in the 1960s and 1970s.

Both Bouchard and Dwyer see potential problems for the United States.

"I envision young people from the U.S. traveling to Canada for purchases of
marijuana and, in some cases, attempting to smuggle it into the U.S.," said
Dwyer, who is the immediate past president of the Michigan Association of
Police Chiefs.

That concern has caused some grumbling from the Bush administration that
drug searches by Customs officers hinder the flow of trade across the border
and interfere with security concerns.

Increased border patrols and inspections following the 9/11 terrorist
attacks have resulted in more drug seizures at the Canadian border.
According to a Canadian lawmaker quoted in an Associated Press account,
seizures of marijuana at the border rose from 814 pounds in 1998 to 2,650
pounds in 2001 to 20,893 pounds last year.

"Since 9/11, we have hired additional inspectors along the northern border,"
said Cherise Miles, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman based in
Chicago. More than 6,000 trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit each
day, and both the bridge and the Windsor Tunnel see about 7,000 cars cross
into the United States each day, said Kevin Weeks, director of Field
Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Detroit. The other two
crossings in Michigan are the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron and the
International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie.

Moore said that the decriminalization will not result in hash bars or the
open selling of pot. In fact, the law would stiffen sentences for selling or
growing pot, and it sets aside money for education to discourage young
people from getting high. Intoxicated motorists also face larger fines.

"A pot stand is not going to be next to the hot dog vendor in Windsor,"
Moore said. He said part of the purpose of the law is to make a more uniform
system for the enforcement of drug laws. Arrests for possession of small
amounts vary throughout Canada, with police in urban areas less likely to
arrest an offender.

In Oakland County, possession of small amounts of marijuana is a misdemeanor
offense, said Beth Hand of the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. According
to state law, possession is a possible one-year misdemeanor, but local
county ordinances give it a possible 90-day sentence.

Hand, who heads the narcotics division, said jail is rare if possession is
the only charge for a first-time offender. Often though, people arrested for
other offenses - such as drunken driving, domestic violence or shoplifting -
are also charged with possession.

Also in Michigan, a judge is allowed to sentence such offenders to a program
that allows for no criminal record if probation is completed successfully.
Hand does not favor the Canadian plan because it takes away one of the steps
- - criminal action - to control the use. She said that would lead to more
abuse because "if you legalize it, then you legitimize its use."

Another problem would be people who go over to use marijuana then cause
problems, such as impaired drivers getting into accidents, after returning
to the United States. Bouchard said 19- and 20-year-olds already are
crossing the border to drink in Canada, where the minimum drinking age is
19.

"We've seen a number of instances when they've come back and found trouble
here," Bouchard said.

The sheriff said he doesn't like the idea of first-time and young offenders
ending up in jail or with a "ruined life," as proponents of the Canadian
plan have said of the criminal record. But Bouchard favors a diversion
program, such as boot camp or drug courts, where treatment and probation are
emphasized.

He said a drug lifestyle makes it more likely for a person to end up in
prison for other offenses, while a clean lifestyle encourages success.

"The tone of (the legislation) is that it's no big deal," Bouchard said of
marijuana use. This change, if it is approved, could even be the start of
something, but Dwyer doesn't see that change crossing the border.

"I see it toward a movement in a later time to legalize other drugs in
Canada," Dwyer said. "I don't see the U.S. following the Canadian trend.

"I just think it sends the wrong message out to young people and to those
who use illegal drugs."