CANADIAN MARIJUANA ACTIVISTS SKEPTICAL ON DECRIM

Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's announcement last week that he
supported marijuana decriminalization, coming just days before the House of
Commons called for the same thing, ignited a firestorm of commentary,
positive and negative, in the Canadian press, and led to much wailing south
of the border.

But while some outside of Canada hailed the move, the reaction from
Canadian marijuana activists has been decidedly lukewarm.

Some are criticizing the proposed decriminalization for not going far
enough; others believe the proposal is a subterfuge by a Liberal government
that has no intention of actually acting.

All the reformers DRCNet spoke with displayed a skepticism toward
government officials somewhat shocking to their southern cousins, who are
inclined to view Canada's political culture as less dysfunctional and less
polarized than that in the US.

"Forgive me for questioning the sincerity of a politician, but we've heard
all of this before," said Marc-Boris St.-Maurice, head of the Canada
Marijuana Party (http://www.marijuanaparty.org), referring to Justice
Minister Cauchon's plea to "give me four months" to set decriminalization
in progress. "It can't be done in four months, bills must be proposed and
drafted, which then have to have readings in the House of Commons," he told
DRCNet. "This is not going to happen unless Cauchon has something up his
sleeve."

Leading marijuana attorney Alan Young, one of the lawyers arguing the
marijuana cases scheduled to be heard by the Canadian Supreme Court last
week, agreed. "I don't believe Cauchon's proposal was sincere," he told
DRCNet. "I think much of this is posturing. A clear majority of Canadians
want to see some form of decriminalization, so floating such a proposal
gains favor with the electorate. But because there will be a new government
within 18 months, almost any legislative effort between now and then is
doomed to failure for lack of time before the elections. I don't think the
government is really ready to move forward, but it would then be able to
say 'we tried and will continue to try,' as they postpone the inevitable
confrontation with the Americans."

Ah, the Americans. "There are certain practicalities in North America that
make decriminalization easier said than done," Young explained. "In Europe,
for example, they have been able to move forward without real fear of the
US response. But the Americans will be very assertive with us. John Walters
has already made his position clear," he said. "There is no reason to think
the US will not take retaliatory measures, and this weighs on the
government's mind. Still, I think the Americans will learn to live with
this. If we stand on principle, this will become a non-issue."

Even if the Canadian government surprises observers and promptly implements
a decriminalization scheme, Canadian activists are not exactly thrilled.
"While we applaud any changes in the law that lessen the penalties for pot
smokers, this decriminalization is not the endgame," said Dana Larsen,
editor of Cannabis Culture magazine (http://www.cannabisculture.org) and
leader of the British Columbia Marijuana Party
(http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca). "This could even make it harder on pot
smokers if it passes, with its schedule of escalating fines. When they
tried that in South Australia, people who couldn't pay the fines went to
jail when they wouldn't have under the old law," he told DRCNet. "This is
being proposed to make it easier on the police and the courts, not the
marijuana smokers. It is not really what we want, but we're glad they're
talking decriminalization and not increased penalties."

St.-Maurice seconded that notion. "Our platform is in line with the Senate
report, which called for full legalization," he said. "Under this proposal,
I would be paying more fines than I am right now. Right now, there is not
much targeting of pot smokers, but this makes it easier to arrest and fine
people."

That's right, said Brian McAndrew, longtime cannabis activist and
production manager for the fledgling Cannabis Health magazine
(http://www.cannabishealth.com). "With decriminalization, you still have
the main problem -- prohibition," he told DRCNet. "A fine is still a
penalty, law enforcement is still in your face, and it's all for something
that isn't really a problem. When you look at what's available to the
public for relieving their pains and tensions, pot is one of the most
innocuous things there is, and it would remain penalized. What hypocrisy."