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May 15, 2003 - Montreal
The Canadian Federal Government has delayed the much anticipated marijuana decriminilization legislation. Political squabbles and apprehension by the American government have caused Ottawa to tip toe around the evil weed. |
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According to this story at Canada.com, the bill will be introduced during the last week in May. According to sources, the bill will decriminalize possession of fifteen grams or less of pot (possibly to include a fine in the $200-$300 range) and will double the maximum prison term for marijuana traffickers. The possession amount of fifteen grams (half an ounce) is reasonable. Originally, the Feds intended on making it thirty grams, however, they reduced the amount as a result of mounting pressure from the American government, whose success on the War on Drugs is comparable to their success in Vietnam. American drug czar John Walters described Canada's drug problem as "out of control." Apprently, Mr. Walters is lumping marijuana in with |
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other hard and destructive drugs, such as heroine and crack, which have led to significant social decay in many American cities. Despite harsh American laws which hand out severe punishment to drug offenders, one can argue it is the US drug problem which has gone well beyond "out of control". Canadian Health Minister Anne McLellan has predicted marijuana decriminalization will lead to an increase in pot smoking by Canadians. Does Ms. McLellan actually believe the current possession laws are actually deterring anyone who wants to smoke from smoking? Ms. McLellan is obviously still reeling from her department's questionable handling of the SARS outbreak in Toronto. This law should mostly benefit recreational marijuana users, who currently risk sustaining a criminal record for the vicious and unforgivable activity of smoking a joint. The legislation should also free up the legal system to handle more pressing criminal offenses such as murder, rape and robbery. In addition, the collected fines can fund a national drug awareness program which properly educates the youth as to the pitfalls of narcotic, alcohol and tobacco usage. Until the recent delays, Ottawa moved in surprisingly swift fashion to decriminalize marijuana. Obviously, the government realized that modernizing the drug laws is an important issue to a responsible Canadian population who no longer support draconian, outdated and counterproductive laws. For now, we will take Mr. Chretien's suggestion and relax, as we patiently await this "top secret" bill. Once the bill is introduced and made available to the public, it can then be determined if the amount of taxpayer's money spent by Ottawa researching this issue was well spent. In a truly democratic system, society norms should dictate laws, not the other way around. |
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