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Pot bill shelved until after next election
CTV.ca News Staff | CTV.ca | 09/12/2005


The Liberal government's controversial bill to decriminalize marijuana will be shelved until after the next election, CTV News has learned.

The contentious cannabis bill has been sitting in legislative limbo for more than two years.

While the Conservatives oppose the proposed marijuana legislation, the NDP and Bloc Quebecois support decriminalization but they want major amendments, including an amnesty.

"It's been estimated about 600,000 Canadians have a criminal record as a result of personal possession," says NDP MP Libby Davies.

The government now concedes the bill will likely be put off until after the next federal election.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has pledged he will call the next election about a month after Justice John Gomery releases his final report on the sponsorship scandal, which is due to be submitted in mid-December. That would mean a mid-winter or early spring election.

"The problem is that it's an abbreviated parliamentary session. It's a minority government situation. Parliament is a master of its own procedure," Justice Minister Irwin Cotler says.

The bill would impose fines rather than criminal charges for simple possession and heavier penalties for grow-ops.

But some police officers want even tougher penalties and marijuana activists say the bill would only encourage the police to lay more charges for simple possession.

"This bill, I'm just as happy to see it die. It doesn't please anybody," says Mike Foster of the National Organization for Marijuana Reform.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is threatening major border delays if the marijuana bill ever passed.

"The United States is opposed to the decriminalization of marijuana," U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has said.

Critics say this reason is significant enough to let the bill die.

"So it's not surprising at all that they are now trying to backpedal and get away from dealing with this issue because they are afraid of the reaction," Davies says.

With so much opposition to the bill, officials say the Liberals are content to leave marijuana reform on the backburner, which could mean it will be many more years before there is another attempt to decriminalize marijuana.

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God's Creation

Just like the Roman Empire, the United States is following the same path.
Not in the same manner, but not to far off.
Using military force.
Sanctions.
Foreign aid.
Border restrictions.
The day is coming that the U.S. will no longer be the world power that it once was. China is in the position to pull the plug economically on the U.S.
The U.S. is going to have to come to grips that it can no longer make enemies in present times. It's going to have to rely on Canada and Mexico for support in order to stay afloat.
Decriminalization of MJ; Legalizing MJ; Taxing MJ, Distribution Control of MJ, and alternative fuel source of MJ will create more jobs, more revenue for Canada, U.S. and Mexico. U.S. alone could eliminate the federal deficit in a mere 5 years just by legalizing MJ. MJ would generate more revenue than the waste of taxpayer dollars on fighting something that cannot and will not be conquered.

reggie_the_dog

I really hope the canadian govt. will come up with a new bill, a bill that will fully legalize and regulate the cannabis trade, legalizing cultivation and possession for personal use for anyone over 16 (the age the canadian govt. recommended for legalization a few years ago, also the drinking and smoking age here in France) and legalizing the cultivation and sale of cannabis under license letting anyone 16 or older be a cannabis buyer, seller or grower if they pay the right taxes and licencing fees, with a system to punish people selling cannabis to people under 16 years of age and a system of distribution of top quality medical cannabis for sick people.

Then they can tell the americans, hey you said you are against decriminalization, which preserves the black market, so we just decided to legalize the whole market in our country, cutting the black market businesses profits drastically, thereby aiding the US govt. in its fight against drug mafias.

God's Creation

U.S. Gov't could concentrate on the real epidemic in the U.S. And that would be crystal meth. Not the so called "gateway drug" marijuana?

Marijuana and opium (herion) were legal and sold as a "over the counter" drug in the early years of America. Like being able to buy cough medicine at your local pharmacy.

What problems with marijuana could justify that marijuana was a serious problem to society that the U.S. gov't would make marijuana illegal??

Don't resond to that question. There isn't a reason good enough that would be the slightest somewhat comprehensible to make any sense to anyone with some degree of intelligence.

BC.Buddy

Bad news, huh? I knew of this for a couple days. I've been pretty angry, but not surprised.

It's too bad.

I like the theory of saying, "hey, we've taken away an entire market for organized crime; we've helped you're 'War On Drugs' better then you could ever hope. Your welcome!"

That's a great point. Too bad intelligence doesn't influence law! :spark:

So, do you think they've successfully pushed this bill back beyond Marc Emery's trial? I wonder if the decrim bill passing would have any effect on the trial...

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BC Marijuana Party
"Overgrow The Government"
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reggie_the_dog

i have a novel solution for the meth "problem"

legalize meth and cocaine, let them compete in the free market, the price will be similar, and most speed users will turn into coke users. (i know cocaine aint the best stuff to put into your body, but its a hell of a lot less damaging than meth)

better let legalize all drugs and hard drug use will probably decline as more and more people opt for the softer stuff. That seems to be happening in countries like the netherlands that implement heroin/hard drugs maintence programs. less and less people start using the hard drugs, and the average age of hard drug users keeps going up.(less youth trying it)

a certain percentage of youth are drawn to drugs by the illegality, if cannabis and other drugs are legalized kids will probably do less of them, thus less adults will be using drugs a generation into the future after legalization.