COPPS 'ABSOLUTELY' SUPPORTS DECRIMINALIZING POT; 'OF COURSE' SHE'S SMOKED IT

OTTAWA (CP) - 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.

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.

South of the border, American 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.