MARTIN FAVOURS RELAXED POT LAW

OTTAWA -- Decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot for personal
use has the support of Grit leadership frontrunner Paul Martin.

"I think the idea of giving a young person a criminal record because they
happened to get caught with a very, very small quantity (5-30 grams) once
in their life -- I don't think that's what we should be doing," Martin told
Sun Media.

But he added: "I would not, under any circumstances, make it legal."

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon hopes to have new legislation before the
Commons before its summer recess.

The plan would be to ticket offenders caught with small amounts for
personal use, rather than drag them through the courts and leave them with
a criminal record that could haunt them for a lifetime.

Martin also noted the unequal treatment of the current law across the
country, and the estimated 30,000 people charged with simple possession of
pot every year.

"You know, if you take a look at the situation, the backlog of cases out
there is huge and this is part of the problem," he said.

"The other thing is in some parts of the country you're prosecuted and in
other parts of the country you're just let go."

Another leadership contender, Sheila Copps, is also backing a change in the
current law.

A Sun-Leger poll found that 83% of Canadians who responded want lighter
laws for pot possession. Only 14% of respondents believed pot should be
illegal in all circumstances.

Politicians are increasingly coming out in favour of mellower pot laws
alongside the general population -- a phenomenon the Ontario NDP House
leader says may come a result of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

"There are grannies out there smoking pot as a result of their glaucoma,"
Peter Kormos said.