GRASS CLIPPINGS:

Marijuana Party Head Fears A Federal Ripoff

OTTAWA -- Police and the government will milk the proposed
decriminalization of pot like a cash cow, warns the leader of the Marijuana
party.

"The day that the government realizes there's money to be made by fining
marijuana users, I guarantee there's going to be an increase in
repression," said Marc-Boris St-Maurice.

Agreeing it's a step toward legalization, St-Maurice is fuming about a
Commons committee recommendation that would see those caught possessing at
least 30 grams get off with a ticket and no criminal record.

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has said he's ready to roll on the
decriminalization of marijuana for personal use by early next year.

St-Maurice, a former Montreal musician who now works full time to legalize
pot, said the decriminalization proposed by the Commons committee could
make life "potentially worse" for pot users.

"Like we have with speeding tickets where at the end of the month they've
got to up the quota, so they put out radar traps, I wouldn't be surprised
to see groups of police ... go out and hustle up some marijuana users ...
because (they) need money to buy bullets for (their) guns," St-Maurice fumed.

St-Maurice came fourth in the 2000 election - ahead of the Tories, the
Canadian Alliance and the NDP - but failed to beat Bloc Quebecois Leader
Gilles Duceppe in his Montreal riding.

St-Maurice said 30 grams of pot could make six "very large" joints or 100
"very, very small joints," adding that a daily user could be expected to
burn up about 30 grams a month.