GRITS TAKE POT PLAN TO U.S.

Canada isn't going soft on recreational use of pot by decriminalizing
possession of small amounts of weed, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said
yesterday.

Cauchon went to Washington yesterday to meet with his U.S. counterpart,
Attorney General John Ashcroft, to present Canada's new plan to revamp its
pot laws -- a move that drew criticism from the opposition because MPs
haven't seen the plan.

Cauchon said he was going to Washington to inform Ashcroft about the "broad
principles of the policy."

It appears that the government is backing off its original plan to
decriminalize possession of 30 grams of pot. Cauchon said yesterday the new
bill will now target either 10 or 15 grams as the benchmark.

Under the new law, expected to be tabled in the Commons by the end of the
week or early next, it will no longer be a criminal offence to possess
small amounts of pot.

Instead, offenders will face a fine and not a criminal record.