BILL PUSHES DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

Keith Martin has his fingers crossed the federal government will eventually
throw out the current laws governing marijuana possession.

So far, the Canadian Alliance MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca has managed to
get his private member's bill - Bill C-344 - ccepted for debate in the
House of Commons. The Bill pushes for the decriminalization of simple
possession of marijuana a.

The debate began last Wednesday and three more sessions will be held in the
near future.

Martin says his private member's bill stipulates anyone caught with
marijuana would not receive a criminal record. Rather, they would be
treated in the same way as a driver who commits a traffic violation. A
person caught with a small amount of pot would be fined $200 for the first
offence, $500 for the second offence and $1,000 for the third.

As it currently stands, says Martin, dealing with marijuana cases in the
judicial system is costing taxpayers a lot of money. "It will save about
$150 million from judicial costs for the prosecution of people for simple
possession of marijuana," he says.

Martin says the money saved from not prosecuting people busted with
marijuana could be invested in programs that deter young people from using
drugs.

He notes the national Headstart program, which he managed to get passed in
the House of Commons in 1998, is one area where money could be used. But
first the feds have to first put the program into action, says Martin. The
money saved from not dealing with marijuana possession through the judicial
system could also be used to combat large-scale drug trafficking by
criminal organizations.

Martin notes the notion of decriminalizing marijuana is gaining support
from the RCMP and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

"This will prevent people from actually having a criminal record," says
Martin about his bill. "Why should a 19-year-old get convicted of simple
possession of marijuana and receive a criminal record that prevents them
from pursuing a lot of job opportunities later on?"

He notes Great Britain is planning to decriminalize marijuana.

The push to change marijuana laws has historically come from liberal and
left-leaning politicians.

However, more recently, such views are being expressed on the right side of
the political spectrum.

While Martin isn't particularly right-wing, the party he represents is
right-leaning.

The governor of New Mexico - a Republican - recently spoke to Canada's
senate committee examining the current drug laws and expressed his view
that decriminalizing pot is the way to go.

Norman Ruff, a political science professor at the University of Victoria,
points out the existence of the BC Marijuana Party when explaining the
notion of marijuana decriminalization being supported by individuals who
wear a variety of political stripes.

The Marijuana Party, he notes, attracts supporters and members, who in some
cases, are right-leaning civil libertarians (other members of the party are
left-leaning).

As well, right-leaning libertarians -- who don't think the state should be
telling people they can't smoke pot -- can be found among supporters of the
Canadian Alliance and the Republican Party in the U.S., says Ruff. "It's
taken on a whole new dimension and the dimension is the role of the state
in our lives," says Ruff.

Still, there is plenty of resistance against decriminalizing marijuana in
the U.S.

And until the issue of changing the laws on pot gain more acceptance in
Washington D.C., Ruff argues the marijuana laws won't change in Canada.

But it's quite possible that, in another 10 years, people in both countries
won't have to worry about being charged as criminals simply because they
get caught with a small amount of pot, he speculates.

Bill C-344 isn't just about decriminalizing pot.

Martin says he's hoping by raising the issue of decriminalizing marijuana
he will be able to have the larger issue of how the international drug
trade fosters drug consumption addressed.

Martin says one of his major objectives is to find ways to reduce drug
consumption by having the necessary powers to go after those who pull the
strings in the international drug trade.

He says he would also like to see the development of new progressive
medical models for treating addicts who use hard drugs.

"The bill I'm using is a stepping stone to break the glass ceiling on how
we actually approach drug abuse in Canada," says Martin.