RULINGS CLOUD POT CHARGES: LAW PROF

Criminal charges for possessing small amounts of pot could be put on hold
in provinces across the country following court rulings in Ontario and
P.E.I., says a prominent legal expert.

A judge in P.E.I. ruled this month that an Ontario decision which prompted
the adjournment of all simple possession charges should be binding in other
provinces.

He was referring to a case in Windsor which saw charges thrown out against
a 16-year-old boy on the argument that the federal Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act no longer effectively prohibits possession under 30 grams.

Justice officials last week similarly stayed all pot possession charges in
P.E.I.

Alan Young, a professor at Osgoode Hall law school in Toronto, said judges
in other provinces may also follow suit out of frustration with the federal
government's sluggishness in dealing with marijuana possession laws.

As well, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has promised to introduce new
legislation to decriminalize marijuana.

The legislation, originally promised by the end of April, could take until
the end of June, Cauchon said.