If a sort of de facto decriminalization exists in
Canada's British Columbia province, where the
marijuana business generates at least $2 billion
annually and provides an estimated 100,000 jobs,
the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien is hinting that it wishes to formalize a sim-
ilar policy nationwide. In July, Justice Minister Mau-
rice Cauchon floated a decriminalization trial bal-
loon that would entail removing marijuana
possession from the criminal code, making it instead a ticketable offense with a fine, similar to a
traffic citation. Laws against trafficking would
remain on the books, however.
Chretien and Cauchon may be attempting to pre-
empt a report from a Canadian Senate committee
studying drug policy changes. It is widely believed that the committee report, expected in September, will call for marijuana decriminalization. A prelimi-
nary report issued in May concluded that the nega-
tive health and social effects of the drug are mini-
mal. The committee also found that an estimated
30-50% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 have used mari- juana despite extensive and expensive suppression
efforts.
S|.S. drug warriors are watching with concern, and while officials such as Drug Czar John Wal- ters have been circumspect-Walters recently noted
that Canada is a sovereign nation, but urged it to
reinvigorate its war on cannabis-some congres-
sional hardliners are stirring nationalist antago-
nisms. After a meeting with a threatening Rep.
Mark Souder (R-IN), who told incredulous Canadian
legislators that BC-grown marijuana is as danger-
ous as cocaine, Vancouver MP Libby Davies (New
Democrat) told the Toronto Globe and Mail: "I
thought, 'My God, what is this man talking about?'
We can't be subservient to the ridiculous rhetoric
coming out of the United States."
