COPPS BACKS RELAXED MARIJUANA 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 CP.

But while Copps joins most Canadians in wanting to see less-stringent
marijuana laws, a Sun-Leger poll found one-third still believe smoking pot
leads to the use of harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The cross-Canada survey, completed April 1-6, found 35 per cent of
Canadians believe the so-called "gateway" theory. Gateway drugs are those
people experiment with first, which lead to the use of more dangerous drugs.

"It's interesting that we found that a majority of people want relaxed
marijuana laws, but 35 per cent still believe smoking it will lead to an
increase in the use of harder drugs," said Leger pollster Leslie Martin.

While the debate continues, provincial courts have thrown federal
possession laws into limbo by staying minor charges for pot possession.

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 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.

Since then, Senate and Commons committees have recommended more lenient
legislation or outright legalization. The Commons group proposed in
December that Canadians be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of marijuana
without facing jail time. Fines would supplant a criminal record for such
misdemeanours.

Cauchon welcomed the findings and promised legislation by this month,
although he later backed away from the time line. The Justice Department
has also argued that until new legislation is brought in, the existing laws
should be applied without reservation.

Leadership candidate Paul Martin is on the record as saying possession of
small amounts should not lead to a criminal record.

In the Leger poll, nearly half the respondents -- 49 per cent -- said
marijuana would not lead to harder drugs, while nine per cent said smoking
pot would decrease the use of hard drugs and another nine per cent said
they didn't know.

The poll of 1,501 respondents can be considered accurate to within 2.5
percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The "gateway hypothesis" has long been at the centre of the legalization
debate and a guiding principle of the federal government's drug policy
since the 1950s.

"This continues to be one of the leading misconceptions in Canada," said
lawyer John Conroy, who has worked on some of the country's biggest
marijuana court challenges.

"What is the first drug people try? It's tobacco. If you want to find this
gateway drug, look to tobacco or even caffeine."

South of the border, legislators and the U.S. drug czar have promised grim
reprisals, starting with longer lineups at border crossings, if Canada
moves to decriminalize pot.

Copps, for one, doesn't appear to be fazed by the tough American talk of
barring Canadian tokers from U.S. travel.

The 50-year-old, who attended the University of Western Ontario and
university in Rouen, France, freely acknowleged she smoked marijuana in her
salad days.

"As a young person? Of course," said Copps, before laughing self-consciously.

"My mother's going to be reading this," she lamented.