LOCALS VOICE OPPOSITION TO DECRIMINALIZING POT

Prince George-Bulkley Valley MP Dick Harris said he's opposed to a
parliamentary committee recommendation to decriminalize the use of small
amounts of marijuana.

A report by a special parliamentary committee, released this week,
recommends that people caught with up to 30 grams of marijuana should be
fined for a regulatory offence, instead of being charged criminally and
forced through the courts. Past convictions would not be wiped out and
trafficking in any amount of the drug should remain a crime, the report said.

The document doesn't go nearly as far as a Senate committee report in
September that proposed legalizing the use of pot for anyone over the age
of 16.

Alliance MP Harris said 30 grams of marijuana is too much to consider for
decriminalization, and suggested 10 grams would be more reasonable. "I've
been told 30 grams is enough to start a little business," he said. One
committee member has said 30 grams is enough to produce 50 joints. But even
if the amount were reduced, Harris said he has serious reservations about
lifting legal sanctions for possession, although he supports the medicinal
use of marijuana. "Call me old-fashioned, but I'm not comfortable with
recreational use of marijuana. I would likely not support decriminalization
of even 10 grams, but I definitely wouldn't support it if it were 30
grams," he said.

He said he plans to discuss the issue with Alliance MP Randy White, who sat
on the all-party committee but recommended a five-gram limit for
decriminalization.

A provincial anti-drug program based in Prince George says the proposal is
a step in the wrong direction.

"I'd like to think that prevention of usage and not decriminalization is
better for our society," said Tom Griffiths, president of the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (DARE) program. "I'd prefer to keep the law as it is."

Decriminalization sends a confusing message to youths that using marijuana
is still wrong, but it's not that bad, he said. Research has shown that
marijuana is an "entry-level" drug that leads to the use of other
narcotics, Griffiths said.

But Griffiths said he's pleased that the report recommends more
government-led education and prevention programs and $3 million in annual
funding from the federal government for the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse. DARE doesn't currently receive any financial support from the
provincial or federal governments.