Pubdate: Mon, 05 May 2003
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2003 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Jason Proctor

LIGHTEN MARIJUANA LAWS BUT REMEMBER, IT'S STILL ILLEGAL AT THE BORDER: U.S.

As Prime Minister Jean Chretien muses about decriminalizing possession of 
small amounts of marijuana, authorities south of the border say Canadians 
should remember that no matter which way the smoke blows, laws in the 
United States are not changing.

County court officials in Bellingham say their system is already strained 
by a string of border busts of B.C. truckers.

"It's a terrible situation. The judges don't like them. The jails are full, 
and we wish they would stop," said Whatcom County prosecutor Rosemary 
Koholakula. "It's my time. It's the judge's time. It's court time and 
finding them a place in jail."

About 200 people in Vancouver joined supporters in more than 250 cities 
worldwide on Saturday in a march for the legalization of marijuana.

The federal government intends to introduce legislation this spring to 
decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill would not 
make marijuana use legal but would replace criminal penalties with fines -- 
and those fined would not have records.

U.S. Ambassador Paul Celluci has suggested that the plan may not create 
tension at the border if Canada remains tough on criminal trafficking and 
cultivation.

U.S. border authorities say there has been a spike in busts since the 
introduction of heightened customs vigilance in the World Trade Center attacks.

Just last week, inspectors in Blaine seized more than $3 million worth of 
marijuana, charging a Port Moody trucker with importation and possession to 
distribute controlled substances. The bust was one of six major marijuana 
seizures which totalled 700 kilograms in April -- up from 185 kg in April 2002.

In some cases, prosecutors believe the trucking companies are agents of 
smugglers and, in others, they are working independently. Koholakula 
rejects the suggestion that any are unwitting victims.

"In none of these cases do we think that the truckers don't know what's 
going on," she said. "I don't know about tightening up of Canada's laws -- 
part of our problem is that it's so easy to manufacture marijuana."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom