MARIJUANA LAWS NEED CHANGING, CAUCHON SAYS

OTTAWA (CP)-- Decriminalizing marijuana might be a "first step" in
reforming drug laws which seem out of date, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon
said yesterday.

The marijuana law needs to be changed, he said, and decriminalization --
which would let people possess and use small quantities of cannabis without
facing a criminal record -- is a logical option.

"It probably would be feasible as a first step," Cauchon said outside a
cabinet meeting.

"I feel that there is a strong support. I feel that the population is there.

"To keep it the way it is now doesn't make any sense to me in the year
2002... The legislation in place is sort of disconnected with Canadian
reality."

Cauchon's musing didn't sit well with Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen
Harper, who told reporters he'd rather see his kids drinking booze than
smoking pot. Harper, father of a three-year-old girl and five-year-old boy,
said he doesn't buy the argument that alcohol is more harmful than marijuana.

"As a parent, I would be more concerned about pot use than alcohol use by
my children, even in moderation," said Harper, an asthmatic who has never
smoked.

Cauchon said he'll have a new policy ready early next year, but first he
wants to see the report of a Commons committee which has been studying the
issue of illicit drugs. That report is expected in November.

A special Senate committee recommended Wednesday that cannabis be
legalized, but Cauchon said that may be going too far.