POT SPAT

U.S. Should Butt Out Of Canada's Marijuana Laws

The Bush administration should stop threatening the Canadian government
about its plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The Canadians have introduced legislation that would essentially treat most
pot smokers like people with misdemeanor traffic tickets. At the same time,
the bill would increase penalties for illegal growers and traffickers, and
launch a national education campaign on the dangers of drug use.

The Bush administration has criticized the plan and hinted it could make
getting Canadian goods into the United States more difficult. This
heavy-handed approach has bugged many Canadians. First they were too soft on
Saddam Hussein. Now they're too soft on bud.

U.S. officials worry that relaxed Canadian drug laws would lead to more
smuggling and more people crossing the border to smoke marijuana. Maybe,
maybe not. It's plenty easy to buy and smoke pot here, even though the drug
is illegal. As for increased smuggling, Canadian officials argue that police
will now have more resources to go after large growers to reduce
trafficking. They could easily complain about the drugs flowing their way
from the United States.

If U.S. officials feel they have to step up enforcement at the border, which
has already tightened since 9/11, so be it. But Canada is a sovereign nation
and should be treated as such. Imagine the reaction if another country tried
to influence U.S. drug policies.

Canada has been a good neighbor and a vital, billion-dollar-a-day trading
partner, as people in Michigan well know. There's no reason to jeopardize
that relationship over a policy that only Canada can set for itself.