30-GRAM POT LIMIT TOO HIGH: ALLIANCE

Commons committee recommends fines for possession of marijuana

OTTAWA -- The Canadian Alliance pounced yesterday on a Commons committee
recommendation that

Canadians caught smoking small amounts of marijuana should face fines --
not a criminal record.

The latest call for a relaxing of the country's hard line on drugs comes
just days after federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said the government
may introduce legislation to decriminalize pot by the spring.

The special committee on the non-medical use of drugs said yesterday pot
poses health risks and it would be a mistake to legalize it.

However, the committee also said it would be wrong to continue to treat the
large number of Canadians who smoke small amounts of cannabis as criminals.

"We contend that the penalty of a permanent criminal record represents a
case where the punishment exceeds the crime,'' said Paddy Torsney, the
Liberal chairwoman of the committee. Torsney's committee said possession of
less than 30 grams of marijuana should be dealt with by tickets and fines
that could be paid without a court appearance or result in a criminal record.

But, the Alliance said the 30-gram limit -- an amount which could allow
some 40 joints to be rolled -- is too much.

"It is impractical to spend millions of dollars each year advertising the
bad effects of cigarettes, then loosen the reins on marijuana,'' the
Alliance said in dissenting opinion.

"How could anyone recommend 30 grams of marijuana be decriminalized and not
say they are legalizing it is a mystery.

"Even Holland, the most Liberal of all countries, only accepts five grams
as the maximum amountthe recommendation is irresponsible and only serves to
support the Liberal cabinet's objectives.''

Of the 90,000 drug-related offences in 2001, 65,000 involved marijuana. And
of those pot-related offences, 70 per cent were for simple possession.
However, the Canadian Alliance said the 30-gram limit -- an amount which
could allow some 40 joints to be rolled -- is too much.

"It is impractical to spend millions of dollars each year advertising the
bad effects of cigarettes, then loosen the reins on marijuana,'' the
Alliance said in dissenting opinion.

"How could anyone recommend 30 grams of marijuana be decriminalized and not
say they are legalizing it is a mystery.

"Even Holland, the most Liberal of all countries, only accepts five grams
as the maximum amountthe recommendation is irresponsible and only serves to
support the Liberal cabinet's objectives.''

The committee recommends any trafficking in marijuana should remain a crime.

The Torsney report follows after a senate committee recommended in
September that marijuana should be legalized and sold in government-run stores.

Cauchon -- who has admitted to smoking pot -- congratulated the Torsney
committee for the "excellent work'' and again repeated his desire to
introduce legislation to decriminalize simple possession.

"Of course I will take the time to review the whole report,'' Cauchon said.
But the report did not go over as well with John Walters, a director of the
U.S. office of drug control policy.

Walters warned a softening of Canada's drug laws could result in tougher
border checks to try to catch highly potent marijuana grown in Canada from
entering the United States.

Walters was also wary of what he called lax attitudes "left over from the
Cheech and Chong years of the '60s.''