MARIJUANA ON THE MENU TUESDAY IN MP'S CHILLIWACK TOWN HALL MEET

The pros and cons of legalizing marijuana have been the subject of many a
recent letter to the editor of the Abbotsford News.

On Tuesday, it will be the subject of a town hall meeting in Chilliwack,
organized by Fraser Valley MP Chuck Strahl.

Strahl's mailout, sent to thousands of area homes, details the meeting, to
be held at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Rainbow Country Inn, Lickman Road at
Highway 1.

The meeting will pose three questions: Marijuana: Legalize? Decriminalize?
Penalize?

In the same mailout, three questions ask if the Criminal Code should be
changed regarding punishment for marijuana:

- - Yes marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol and tobacco n
Yes, marijuana should be decriminalized so that simple possession for
personal use results in a fine but no criminal record.

- - No, marijuana should stay illegal, and police and the courts should
continue going after those who use it.

Norm Siefken, a candidate for the Marijuana Party in the last federal
election, praised Strahl for presenting "both sides" of the issue in the
mailout.

He is "putting a crew together" to appear at the meeting, a crew that will
include a 76-year-old cancer patient who uses marijuana.

This spring, MPs will be asked to vote on what Strahl calls one of "the
biggest social questions we've faced in some time," the decriminalization
of marijuana.

Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin has introduced a private member's
bill that calls for fines for simple marijuana possession. He is scheduled
to be one of the speakers at Tuesday's meeting.

Said Strahl: "I want to hear as many opinions as possible on where we
should go on this issue."

However, according to Seifken, the marijuana community believes it is
"phoney decriminalization bill.

"There's going to be huge fines. Most people now get a $50 fine. Under the
new plan if you're caught with a joint it's a $250 fine, the second time
it's $500 and the third time it's $1,000," said Seifken, who works in the
health care field.

In April of last year, the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute released a
survey that asked for public opinion on decriminalization.

The results were an indication of how the issue divides society in half,
said Strahl. A slim majority of 51 per cent favored decriminalization, 45
per cent though the use of pot should remain illegal.