NO RIGHT WAY TO STOP POT USE

It's very possible that sometime in the new year, it will no longer be a
crime to possess small amounts of marijuana.

The federal government, according to Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, plans
to decriminalize the substance, a move which may take place as early as the
first four months of 2003.

Similar measures are also expected to be taken in Britain this year.

Some say decriminalizing pot will make the drug less appealing to youth
looking for a way to rebel against authority.

Marijuana use may even drop, according to some proponents of
decriminalization.

Of course, decriminalization would only cover those caught with small
amounts of pot, under 30 grams, as has been suggested.

However, a private members bill is still on the table, calling for
decriminalizing marijuana possession for people found with 100 grams or
less.

That's not likely to happen. What is likely, is instead of being tagged with
a criminal record, those busted for simple possession may instead receive a
fine.

According to a recent story in the Globe and Mail, about 600,000 Canadians
have criminal records for possession of marijuana and about 1.5 million
smoke pot on a recreational basis.

Legalizing marijuana will likely have little impact on recreational users of
the drug, who would likely experiment with pot either way.

But an argument can be made that by lessening the severity of a minor drug
offence, cases of simple possession in Canada may rise.

That said, a strain could also be lifted from the country's justice system
if a specified fine structure was put in place.

This would certainly lessen the stress on the legal system.

While lenience could be taken on those recreational users, those who supply
the drugs need to be dealt with severely.

If police and the court system can spend more time dealing with and
convicting traffickers, perhaps the changes are worth considering.