POT LAW NEEDS FULL STUDY FIRST

It's not that the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of
marijuana in Canada is a patently ridiculous idea.

It's just that, once again, the federal Liberals are demonstrating their
amazing capacity for simultaneous sucking and blowing -- wanting it both
ways, parachuting into the Canadian landscape solutions to fractious social
issues in isolation from any context or meaningful national debate, then
hoping for appeasement all around.

Think Kyoto. Think Iraq. Think marijuana. Same modus operandi.

The federal government's Bill C-38 would sweep away criminal records for
those who merely possess small amounts (15 grams or less) of weed -- those
caught with the illegal substance would face simple fines instead. The bill
also contains harsher penalties for pot growers (often associated with
organized crime) and retains the current maximum penalty of life in prison
for trafficking. Accompanying the bill is a five-year, $245-million Health
Canada initiative (most of the money to be spent toward the end of the five
years) for anti-drug advertising campaigns and drug prevention and
treatment programs.

Fines for possessing minimum amounts range from $100 (for those under 18)
to $400 (possession while driving, committing an offence or being in or
near a school). Growers, however, would see maximum sentences doubled, to
14 years in prison.

So which message are Canadians now to receive?

That possession of marijuana for personal use is frowned upon, but really
is no more serious than jaywalking or parking in front of a fire hydrant?

Or that it's a harmful substance that impairs judgment and provides users
with a recreational first step into a drug culture that can wreak personal
havoc?

Even police can't figure out where the Liberals are going. London police
Chief Brian Collins warned this week of Ottawa's mixed messages; Canadian
Police Association executive director Dave Griffin called the proposals "a
hastily put together package hung together with Band-Aids and duct tape."
Sarnia-Lambton Liberal MP Roger Gallaway, in a shot at the fading
Chretienites, said Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and his department "do
not think of the larger implications of this type of stunt."

It may well be time to reform Canada's drug laws -- but that should happen
in the wake of a comprehensive review of the drug culture (legal, illegal,
prescription) in which we live, and a strategy that sends clear and
consistent messages.

This hazy law -- confused, piecemeal -- is best left to chill out on the
order paper.