FOR AND AGAINST NEW MARIJUANA LAW

Local News - Dude, Pass The Joint -- And The New Federal Legislation?

The federal government's move yesterday to eliminate criminal penalties for
simple possession of marijuana has left some local pot smokers looking
forward to their next toke.

"I think it's a good idea," said Mandy, a high school student who smokes
the occasional joint and did not want her real name used.

"When people are stoned, they just sit around and laugh at themselves."

The legislation, introduced by federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon,
would make possession of up to 15 grams of pot a minor offence punishable
by a fine -- a maximum of $250 for youths and $400 for adults.

"Cigarettes, you can smoke them and they're not good for you," said
Cassandra, another high school student who inhales and who did not want her
real name used. "Why not be able to smoke marijuana too?"

Not everyone is rejoicing in light of the government's decision. Christina
and Nicole D'Andrea, sisters who attend high school in Barrie, have never
smoked pot and do not plan to start now.

"I have one friend, she's been smoking up a lot, she has a lot of problems
in her life," Nicole said. "But (the problems are) still there."

Others say the government decision -- one which involves steeper penalties
for possession while driving or while on school property, and which will
take a tougher line against growers and dealers then was previously the
case -- could be a sound financial move.

"It'll save the government money," said Jeff Smith, sitting at the
skateboard park on High Street. "Now (they won't be) arresting all these
people," continued the 16-year-old pot smoker.

While the decision may free up government resources, it does not appear to
have had much impact on how local police go about doing things.

"We have nothing in writing at this point that changes the Criminal Code,"
said Barrie police chief Wayne Frechette about the bill that Cauchon hopes
to have pushed through Parliament by the end of the year. "With us it's
business as usual, with the exception that instead of setting court for
when we usually would, we'll set it for (a few) months down the road" -- in
the hopes that the situation will be clearer by the time those court dates
come up, Frechette said.

"We don't go looking for small amounts of marijuana (right now)," he
continued, stressing that police do not ignore small possession -- only
that they don't actively seek it out.

All legalities aside, some say that decriminalized pot could have negative
social implications.

"My concern is that use is going to become more wide-spread (because of
decriminalization) and we're going to get all the problems associated with
that," said Jack Vandenberg, coordinator of Addiction Services, a
department of the Royal Victoria Hospital that works with people who are
intoxicated or in withdrawal from the substance they're using. In the case
of marijuana, this typically means working with people between 16 and 30
years of age who are suffering psychological symptoms of withdrawal.

In Vandenberg's eyes, a major problem that could stem from increased pot
use is the drug's functioning as a gateway to harder substances.

But for one pot smoker at least, this argument is really just another way
of blowing smoke.

"It's all in your nature...(and) who you surround yourself with," said
Tiffany, a high school student who declined to have her real name used.

"Whether it's legal or illegal, people are still going to smoke weed."