PROPOSED POT LAW A BURNING ISSUE

Fraser Valley MP Chuck Strahl is going to the "grass" roots tonight for
their views on marijuana.

A private member's bill to decriminalize marijuana is coming to the House
of Commons in a few months, and Mr. Strahl is seeking input from Fraser
Valley residents.

"I've got to vote on this one way or another," he says, and there are
"powerful arguments on both sides" of the controversial issue.

The 7 p.m. meeting tonight (Tuesday) at the Best Western Rainbow Country
Inn won't decide his vote, but the MP says he wants to know how people in
the Fraser Valley riding view the issue. A questionnaire has also been sent
out to area homes.

"I hope we're going to get a good cross-section of people at the meeting,"
Mr. Strahl says, including police officers and parents.

Marijuana Party candidate Norm Siefken says for sure he will be at the
meeting, arguing against the proposed legislation which he says offers only
"bogus" decriminalization.

"Real decriminalization allows you to carry a certain amount of marijuana,"
he says. But the proposed bill carries a $250 fine for the first offence of
marijuana possession, $500 for the second offence and $1,000 for the third.

While removing marijuana possession as a criminal offence is "a step in the
right direction," he says, the bill authored by Alliance Party MP Keith
Martin "does nothing to end the war on pot."

Mr. Strahl agrees that the amount of police time and energy "chasing casual
users" does not seem to be a solution to the country's on-going drug problem.

And he says a cross-Canada survey also indicates an even split among
Canadians who want marijuana legalized, and in B.C. 63 per cent say they
support decriminalization.

The MP says he is "doubtful" that Fraser Valley residents will want to see
marijuana legalized, but may agree to its decriminalization.

"Whatever we're doing now isn't working," he says. "I'm convinced the
status quo is a bad option."

The $150 million spent on chasing casual users for simple possession would
be better spent on arresting drug traffickers, growers and organized crime
gangs, according to Mr. Martin.

However, marijuana is also considered a "gateway" drug by many, and leads
60 per cent of users to harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. Marijuana
smokers also had more sick days and doctor visits for respiratory problems,
according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.