Pubdate: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2003 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Sean Gordon, CanWest News Service PM Open to Easing of Pot Law To reintroduce bill, stiffen sanctions. Move could still strain relations with U.S.; PM also opposes death for Saddam Hussein Prime Minister Paul Martin has pledged to revive the government's moribund marijuana legislation early in the new year, but it may bear only a passing resemblance to the bill tabled by the Chretien government this fall. The new bill will still impose fines instead of criminal convictions for simple possession, but it's expected to feature stiffer penalties for pot growers and repeat offenders. Martin said he also favours higher fines for possession and stricter limits on the maximum permitted amounts. Canadian Alliance MP Randy White, a strident critic of the legislation, said he is encouraged by Martin's stance. "It sounds like he's got a better perspective than the previous prime minister and the hacks he installed on the parliamentary committee to study this bill," said White, adding he'll ask for a meeting with Martin to emphasize the importance of taking a non-partisan approach to the bill. A national survey published by Health Canada in October showed marijuana consumption is at a 25-year high among teenagers; 54 per cent of 15-to-19-year-olds admitted to smoking the drug more than once. The original bill to decriminalize pot possession had made it to the committee stage but died on the order paper following former prime minister Jean Chretien's decision to prorogue the House of Commons ahead of last month's Liberal leadership convention. The legislative proposal would have allowed people to possess up to 15 grams of marijuana. Martin telegraphed his intentions in October by supporting amendments from Liberal backbenchers and Canadian Alliance MPs to toughen former justice minister Martin Cauchon's bill. A spokesperson for Alliance caucus leader Stephen Harper accused Martin of "playing with political optics" by promising to bring back the marijuana bill. "Mr. Martin is looking to bring forward an inconsequential bill to be defeated in the House of Commons so he can use it as a symbol of how he's slain the democratic deficit. If he was really sincere about eliminating the democratic deficit, he would bring in a bill that people really care about and risk having it defeated," Jim Armour said. The final makeup of the bill also depends on a number of external factors. The Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to issue a long-anticipated ruling Tuesday on whether current marijuana possession laws violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And although Martin has repeatedly emphasized his wish to improve Ottawa's relations with the United States, the new pot legislation won't win him any friends in President George W. Bush's Republican administration. In separate yearend interviews, Martin said he does not believe ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein should be executed for crimes against humanity. Martin told CHUM TV and CTV yesterday he does not agree with Bush on capital punishment and that international law reinforces his position by not permitting the death penalty. Martin, a staunch Catholic, said he is confident the Canadian public supports him in his general views on capital punishment. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake