STECKLE OPPOSED TO MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle will not support decriminalization of marijuana
should it come forward in the House of Commons this year.

While decriminalization was not on the agenda on Monday when MPs returned
to the House of Commons -- most of the debate concerned a possible war with
Iraq -- Steckle said he expects to hear more about the topic later this year.

"How can I, as a member of Parliament hearing these kinds of things and
knowing what it's doing to young people, advocate for legalization?"
Steckle said in a recent interview. "Decriminalizing would be like me
saying you can have one gun and two bullets and you're not a criminal but
if you have five bullets and two guns then you are a criminal.

"It's a big story and a big subject and I'll have a lot of people come to
me and say what's wrong with your head because they're not going to like my
position."

A Senate committee on illegal drugs sparked the debate last September when
they recommended that cannabis be legalized. The committee also suggested
the government should wipe clean the records of anyone convicted of
marijuana possession.

"That we should be even looking at decriminalization of marijuana is going
to lead us into all kinds of problems," Steckle said. "We can make the very
best of arguments as to why we shouldn't create more criminals in the
courts because of marijuana but one needs to look at someone who has the
experience and the background of what marijuana does to a person."

Steckle questioned the effectiveness of marijuana for medicinal purposes
saying if it was so effective why haven't the drug companies and
pharmaceutical companies picked up the fight. He also questioned the 15 per
cent THC levels present in today's marijuana -- a far cry from the three
per cent that used to be present.

"The main source for U.S. marijuana today is Canada -- decriminalization or
legalization would only make it worse," Steckle said. "What message are we
sending to our children (if we legalize)? This is not the kind of message
that we want to give to our children."