U.S. FEARS CHANGE IN MARIJUANA LAWS

Canada Will Pose A 'Dangerous Threat' If It Decriminalizes Pot, Drug Czar Says

OTTAWA -- The man known as President George W. Bush's "Drug Czar" in the
U.S. war against drugs said Canada will pose a "dangerous threat" south of
the border if it brings in laws to decriminalize marijuana.

John Walters, Director of the National Drug Control Policy in Washington,
D.C., made the comments at a news conference in Buffalo hours after a
special parliamentary committee in Ottawa recommended decriminalizing
possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

Mr. Walters said any moves to liberalize marijuana laws in Canada could
result in longer waits and tougher scrutiny at the border, already
heightened in the wake of the U.S. terrorist attacks last year.

"It's not my job to judge Canadian policy," Mr. Walters said. "But it is my
job to protect Americans from dangerous threats, and right now Canada is a
dangerous staging area for some of the most potent and dangerous marijuana
at a time when marijuana is the single biggest source of
dependency-production in the United States.

"That's a problem. We have to make security at the border tougher because
this is a dangerous threat to our young people and it makes the problem of
patrolling the border more difficult."

The report by the special parliamentary committee on the use of non-medical
drugs recommends decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of up to 30
grams of cannabis for personal use.

In its list of 41 recommendations, the committee of MPs concluded marijuana
be treated as a regulatory offence and not land someone a criminal record.

It recommends the possession of cannabis continue to be illegal and
trafficking of marijuana remain a crime.

"Smoking any amount of marijuana is unhealthy, but the consequences of
conviction for a small amount of marijuana for personal use are
disproportionate to the potential harm," said Liberal MP Paddy Torsney, who
chaired the committee.

Ms. Torsney said nearly one-third of Canadians have admitted to using
marijuana and that it makes sense to redirect policing resources to the
prosecution of more serious crimes.

Possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana would still be considered
illegal but would not result in a criminal record under the recommendation.

It would be treated instead like a traffic ticket and punishable by fines.

Martin Cauchon, the Liberal Minister of Justice, said earlier this week
that he would be introducing legislation in the new year to decriminalize
marijuana.

In September, a Senate report called on Ottawa to legalize and regulate the
distribution of marijuana.

At the time, Mr. Walters said such a move could strain relations between
Canada and the United States, which has a zero-tolerance policy toward drugs.

"I think Mr. Walters should not worry about Canada," said Senator Pierre
Claude Nolin, a Progressive Conservative who chaired the Senate report on
illegal drugs.

Mr. Nolin said the report yesterday "stopped short" of and will not result
in any meaningful change in Canada's drug policy.

"It's going to be business as usual," he said. "Prohibition all the way."

Mr. Cauchon brushed off Mr. Walters' comments. "Other countries are
actually living in a situation where they have decriminalized . . . in
small quantities."