COMMITTEE TO RECOMMEND 30-GRAM POT LIMIT

OTTAWA -- Possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana should not saddle
someone with a criminal record, a Commons committee will recommend today.

But it will not support an amnesty for people with records for past
possession convictions.

The report from the special parliamentary committee on the non-medicinal
use of drugs won't propose that pot be legalized. Rather, it will recommend
that small amounts be sanctioned with something other than the full weight
of the criminal justice system -- likely a fine.

Committee member Randy White, a Canadian Alliance MP from British Columbia,
said the report -- which will also recommend a 30-gram ceiling for people
who grow their own marijuana -- goes too far.

"You may as well start legalizing it," he complained in an interview.

But New Democrat Libby Davies, another committee member, said the
Liberal-dominated committee didn't go nearly far nearly and she'll be
issuing a minority report. "It's still basically leaving the possession of
cannabis as illegal," said Davies. "Any trafficking would still be illegal.
So it's still leaving in place all of the harms from prohibition."

Davies said the federal government should be considering "a non-criminal,
regulatory approach that doesn't involve fines, for example.

"They're not moving very far at all, even though (the report) says 30 grams."

One source said the 30-gram limit would simply put into law current police
practice of seldom pressing charges in cases where only small amounts of
the drug are found.

The amount corresponds to the old street measurement of about an ounce.
Prime hydroponically grown bud sells for up to $15 a gram. White suggested
that possession of amounts under five grams should be treated with a fine.
But he said permitting home-grown "is just a stupid position" because it's
impossible to enforce a limit.

The Liberals on the committee, he said, were "obviously under directions
from the minister at that point."

On Monday, federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said the government
could bring in legislation early in the new year to decriminalize pot use.

Liberal MP Paddy Torsney, the chairwoman of the committee which held
hearings for 18 months, said the committee focused on a "health approach."