CRITICS FUME OVER MARIJUANA BILL

Pot Decriminalization Plan Under Fire In House

The federal government's plan to decriminalize small stashes of marijuana
got off to a rocky start yesterday, with critics warning the move will mean
more young tokers and a rash of stoned drivers on the road.

Stressing that pot will remain illegal, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon
tabled the controversial bill that would fine those caught with less than
15 grams of pot and impose stiffer sentences for those who grow or sell the
weed.

It's part of a sweeping $245-million anti-drug strategy that will focus on
prevention, treatment and enforcement.

But David Griffin, president of the Canadian Police Association, called the
package a hasty "hodgepodge" that will create more problems than it
resolves. The strategy neglects the urgent need for more resources to nab
drug-impaired drivers and crack down on marijuana-growing operations, he said.

"What we need now is to send a clear message to Canada's young people that
drugs are harmful, that drugs and driving kill and that people who sell
drugs to kids will go to jail," he said.

Under the new legislation, possession of up to 15 grams -- the equivalent
of about 15 to 20 joints -- will be subject to a fine of $150 for adults or
$100 for youth. Fines are steeper if you're caught while driving,
committing an indictable offence or near a school.

Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper blasted the government for imposing
"discount" fines for youth -- a move he said will send mixed signals to youth.

"Why lower fines for the kinds of young people that we do not want to start
using drugs?" he fumed.

But critics aren't limited to the opposition ranks -- some Liberal MPs are
also fighting to burn the bill.

'PITIFUL RESPONSE'

Pickering-Ajax Grit MP Dan McTeague criticized the bill for having no
mandatory minimum sentences, no graded fines for repeat offenders and no
real tools to detect drug-impaired drivers. The strategy is a "pitiful
response" to growing operations linked to organized crime, he said.

Believing the bill doesn't go far enough, NDP Leader Jack Layton said
marijuana should be legalized and regulated under LCBO-style control.

"You get a smaller penalty for possessing marijuana, but you can't grow it,
you can't buy it, you can't sell it. Now that is completely illogical," he
said. "It would make a lot more sense to treat it the same way we do
alcohol or cigarettes."

But Cauchon stressed there are no plans to legalize marijuana and said the
renewed drug strategy simply modernizes penalties to fit the crime.

'UNHEALTHY'

"We have to ask ourselves as a society, does it make sense that a person
who makes a bad choice can receive the lasting burden of a criminal
conviction?" he asked.

Other reaction from Ontario:

- - "It's an unhealthy lifestyle decision. It's not the right thing to do,"
said Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement.

- - "This is not a harmless drug and we shouldn't be introducing this into
the community for our young people to smoke," said Ontario Attorney General
Norm Sterling.