POT'S NOT A CRIME TO COPPS

OTTAWA -- Add 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.

The 50-year-old Copps, who attended the University of Western Ontario and
university in Rouen, France, freely acknowledged 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.