MARIJUANA PARTY TAKES A POTSHOT AT DECRIMINALIZATION

MONTREAL -- Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is simply trying
to put more money in federal coffers by considering fines rather than
prison time for marijuana possession, the leader of the federal
Marijuana party says.

"What is most worrisome is that these fines will become a source of
revenue for the state. It will become profitable to stop people for
possession," Marc-Boris Saint-Maurice said yesterday. "So we will
effectively be taxing the consumer with a ticket.

"That is very unfair, because most of the people who will be targeted
will be young or poor."

Highly placed sources in the Justice Department say Cauchon is
considering relaxing marijuana laws to make possession punishable by a
fine, but he's neither considering making the drug legal nor relaxing
punishment for trafficking.

Saint-Maurice feels that's where Cauchon has gone wrong.

"It is very nice of Mr. Cauchon to think of us cannabis consumers, but
my major problem with what was announced is that we could see an
increase in the police stopping people for cannabis," he said. "It
would be much more appropriate to legalize the product and tax it at
the source so that all consumers can contribute to the state."

Saint-Maurice was also concerned quotas would be placed on the amount
of fines that had to be levied each month, making police all the more
vigilant at the end of the month.

"Will it be like speeding tickets?" Saint-Maurice asked. "Will there
be teams of police officers combing the city at the end of the month
looking for consumers to boost that month's budget?"

Saint-Maurice said his main reason for favouring total legalization is
to protect the health and safety of consumers, who must trust drug
dealers that the product they are selling is safe.