“The US has a history of importing its failed drug policies throughout the globe,” NORML Foundation Executive Director Says
Ottawa, ON: Government officials announced Wednesday that they are delaying the introduction of legislation to decriminalize the possession and/or cultivation of small amounts of marijuana. The last-minute decision came just one day before the Liberal government was expected to unveil their pot plan, which likely would have made the possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana a fine-only offense.
Suspicion immediately arose regarding the reasons for the bill’s delay, as the announcement came immediately following Justice Minister Martin Cauchon’s meeting with US Attorney General John Ashcroft. The Bush Administration is strongly opposed to any change in Canada’s pot policies, and has previously threatened to impose trade sanctions against the nation if Ottawa relaxes its marijuana laws. Cauchon has not yet elaborated on the details of his meeting with Ashcroft.
NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre sharply criticized the US government’s interference, noting, “The US has a history of importing its failed drug policies throughout the globe, and using strong-arm tactics to ensure that other nations do not depart from those policies.”
He added: “In the past year, two separate Canadian Parliamentary committees have endorsed an end to criminal marijuana penalties, and a recent Canadian Sun-Leger poll indicates that 83 percent of Canadians want the nation’s pot laws to be less stringent. Ottawa should be responding to the will of their expert committees and the public, not US drug warriors whose anti-pot policies have been a failure both at home and abroad.”
In September, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs urged Parliament to amend federal law to allow for the regulated use, possession and distribution of marijuana for recreational and medical purposes. In December, members of a special House of Commons committee recommended Parliament decriminalize the possession and/or cultivation of up to 30 grams of marijuana. “The consequences of conviction for possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to the potential harm associated with the behavior,” the House committee concluded.
Some twelve US states have enacted similar decriminalization laws, making possession of anywhere from 28 to 100 grams of marijuana a fine-only offense.
Nevertheless, US anti-drug officials such as Drug Czar John Walters have actively lobbied against the Canadian plan, alleging that decriminalizing 15 grams of marijuana will lead to an increase in Canadian pot bound for the US. “[Fifteen grams] is too much. It should be zero,” Walters said. According to the US Department of Justice, the vast majority of pot illicitly imported into America comes from Mexico and Colombia, not Canada.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751.