Pubdate: Sun, 11 May 2003
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: Bill Rodgers, Sun Ottawa Bureau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

FEDS MOVING TOO FAST ON MARIJUANA, MADD SAYS

OTTAWA -- Two influential lobby groups say the Chretien government is 
putting the cart before the horse in its rush to decriminalize small 
amounts of pot for personal use.

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is to introduce the legislation along with 
a national drug strategy as early as next Tuesday, a senior official has 
told Sun Media.

Under the proposed legislation, possession of small amounts of marijuana 
would remain banned in the Criminal Code, but someone caught on a first 
offence would face the equivalent of a traffic ticket.

As with any traffic or parking ticket the choice would be to plead guilty 
and pay a fine within 30 days or take a chance with the courts. And while 
there would be a record of the offence, the accused would not face a 
criminal record.

"We're very concerned that decriminalization will be perceived, especially 
by our young people, as legalization. Even though that's not really what's 
happening, it's the public perception and yet Parliament hasn't dealt with 
the whole drugs and driving issue," said Andrew Murie, the executive 
director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

A recent survey of Ontario high school students by the Centre for Addiction 
and Mental Health showed that 20% of students drove a vehicle within two 
hours of using cannabis, while 15% drove after drinking alcohol.

David Griffin, the executive officer of the Canadian Police Association, 
said: "Kids are getting a message time and time again from our elected 
officials that smoking marijuana is not a big deal. Yet their parents and 
everybody else is trying to encourage them to make healthy choices."

Griffin accused the Liberal government of changing the law before putting 
the proper tools in place.

"What we're seeing is a political rush to introduce legislation but police 
officers don't have the tools to deal with such issues as impaired driving 
by drugs and we're seeing more problems with marijuana use in our schools 
than we are with alcohol."

Police can't demand the roadside test for marijuana use like they can 
demand the breathalyser test for alcohol. Any change would allow police to 
demand a saliva, urine or blood test.

"It's a very easy process for Parliament to put those things in (the 
Criminal Code). And we're very disturbed that there's all this talk about 
decriminalization but (the government) hasn't done the fundamentals yet," 
said MADD's Murie.

The federal Justice minister admitted in a recent interview with Sun Media 
that his department hasn't dealt in a detailed way with the issue of 
driving while under the influence of pot.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom