COPPS BACKS CHANGES TO POT LAW

OTTAWA -- Add prospective prime minister Sheila Copps to the list of
Canadians who would like to see the federal government decriminalize simple
possession of marijuana.

With a growing legal clamour for Justice Minister Martin Cauchon to roll
out the long-promised and frequently delayed legislation, Copps said she
"absolutely" backs a change.

"I support it, but I haven't been on record, so I am now," the Liberal
leadership candidate told The Canadian Press in an interview.

Provincial courts have thrown federal possession laws into limbo by staying
minor charges in the face of mixed signals coming from Ottawa.

Last month, a provincial court judge in Nova Scotia stayed charges against
a woman caught in possession of a small amount of pot. The judge cited
similar stays in Prince Edward Island and Ontario.

The impasse took root almost three years ago when the Ontario Appeal Court
ruled that federal drug laws violated the rights of a man who smoked pot
for medical reasons. The court gave Parliament a year to revamp the law.