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." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom