Cauchon Poised To Decriminalize Marijuana

[boulder]

Source: Globe and Mail

 

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is poised to make a number of major changes to the justice system, including taking steps in the next four months to decriminalize marijuana.

 

Mr. Cauchon made the statement after Question Period Tuesday, where he was asked about a report released Monday by a Commons committee studying the non-medicinal use of drugs. That paper recommended that safe injection sites be set up in each city across the country.

 

Later this week, the Commons Special Committee on the Non-Medicinal Use of Drugs is set to release another report calling on the government to relax current marijuana laws.

 

"I'm looking forward to seeing the report. We'll see what will be the recommendations of the report. Of course we'll have to analyze all the recommendations," Mr. Cauchon said, adding, "If we're talking about decriminalizing marijuana, we may move ahead quickly as a government."

 

Mr. Cauchon said he didn't want to give a date or a time frame but said it would happen sometime around the beginning of 2003.

 

"Give me the four first months of next year," he said.

 

The Justice Minister has emphasized in the past that while decriminalization is a distinct possibility, to decriminalize doesn't mean marijuana will be legal.

 

The decriminalization issue has been studied by by a number of parliamentary committees recently.

 

In September, a senate committee report recommended decriminalizing marijuana. Mr. Cauchon said he looks forward to seeing what the Commons committee says about the laws in other countries.

 

He said it is important to analyze international experiences.

[Guest Urbanhog]

Which country/city is this report?

 

cheers, Urbanhog ::

[boulder]

Canada......Ottawa.