MILLS DOESN'T SUPPORT POT DECRIMINALIZATION

The idea of decriminalizing the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana
goes too far for Red Deer MP Bob Mills.

Mills disagrees with the amount of pot a parliamentary committee has
recommended be treated as a fining offence instead of criminal matter.

Thirty grams "is enough to fill a baggie, a sandwich bag," said Mills, who
thinks 5 grams is more like it.

"I've heard that would be enough for a couple of joints," said Mills, who
added he's never tried marijuana.

But Red Deer's Alliance MP has heard pot can be a "gateway" drug that leads
some young people to try harder drugs and get addicted.

Mills said his Alliance Party would go along with treating up to five grams
of marijuana as a fining offense, as long as two conditions are met: that
more emphasis be put on catching drug traffickers and that roadside tests
be developed, similar to breathalysers, to catch motorists who drive while
high.

Earlier this week, a special parliamentary commission recommended bringing
fewer marijuana offenses in front of judges.

Rather than taking up "scarce criminal justice resources," the committee
recommended fines be paid without a court appearance or criminal conviction
for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana.

Red Deer lawyer Kevin Sproule thinks the recommendations should have gone
further. Sproule hates to see otherwise upstanding citizens be branded with
a criminal record for being "Saturday night pot smokers."

Rather than drawing the line at 30 grams, Sproule said he would like to see
marijuana be treated more like tobacco, where all purchases for personal
use be allowed. He said a Canadian Senate review recently debunked the
notion that marijuana is the "slippery slope" leading to the use of more
dangerous drugs.

Countries such as Holland are more lenient and haven't gone to ruin, said
Sproule, who noted fewer adult pot smokers were found in that country, per
capita, than the U.S., which has a no-tolerance policy.

Sproule has already noticed that few Red Deer area residents are being
charged for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Local police "feel their
efforts are better spent elsewhere," he said.

Dave Elliot, owner of the local Hempnstuf boutique, believes marijuana
should be tightly controlled, like liquor, and not allowed in public
places, but possession for personal use should not be an offense.

"There are better ways of dealing with it than in the criminal justice system."