CANADA, O CANADA

A judge in Canada has thrown out all federal laws against marijuana
possession-until further notice.

For almost three years, Canada's Parliament, judiciary and federal
government have been trying to figure out what to do about marijuana: In
2000, the Ontario Court of Appeals issued a ruling that Canada's
zero-tolerance marijuana possession laws were invalid because they allowed
no room for medicinal use.

But that judge gave Canada's Parliament one year to write and pass
constitutional medicinal marijuana laws. Instead, the executive cabinet
issued regulations allowing limited access to medical marijuana one day
before the end of the grace period.

That didn't change the original court ruling, which indicated that all laws
against marijuana would become invalid if the one-year deadline passed
without action from Parliament.

In early January, a different Ontario judge said marijuana possession is no
longer illegal for anyone in Canada because all anti-marijuana laws had
become invalid. The judge, Douglas Phillips, dismissed charges of possessing
five grams of marijuana against a 16-year-old Canadian. He said Parliament
was not allowed to delegate the matter to the cabinet.

We wonder how long it will take for President Dubya to add Canada to his
list of nations that comprise the "Axis of Evil."