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| Jayx1 |
Relax potheads! This one is for you! LOL. Finally a GOOD Liberal move. Although im a bit worried about how they will determine the need for a blood test. If its along the same protocol as drinking then i guess it's fine
| quote: | Liberals reintroduce bill to decriminalize marijuana possession
Mon Nov 1, 6:29 PM ET
ALEXANDER PANETTA
OTTAWA (CP) - The long push to reform marijuana laws took a big step forward Monday as the federal government re-introduced legislation decriminalizing possession for personal use.
Like identical legislation that died with the federal election call, Bill C-17 would treat possession of small quantities of pot much like a speeding ticket.
Instead of jail time, the punishment would be a $150 fine for adults and $100 for minors holding 15 grams or less - enough to roll about 30 joints.
But anybody caught with more than 15 grams would still face jail time - with a possible six months in prison - and a maximum fine of $1,000.
The Liberals moved to silence anti-drug critics by also retabling a bill to toughen the rules against drug-impaired driving.
Police would gain the power to force motorists to submit to drug testing, and refusal to comply would be punishable by the same laws against drunk driving.
The Liberals appeared set to trumpet the tougher rules while downplaying the relaxation of marijuana laws in an effort to stave off criticism from the Conservatives.
"Possession and consumption of marijuana is illegal and will remain illegal," Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said.
"The only change here revolves around decriminalization for people holding small quantities."
The Liberals' precarious minority government position means that even if most of their MPs support Bill C-17 they will need help from the opposition benches to pass it.
The Bloc Quebecois has only minor concerns with the legislation, said one party official in an indication that the Liberals could indeed find that support.
The Conservatives appeared more likely to oppose it, with the party's justice critic warning it could hurt economic ties with the United States.
"As my constituents say to me, 'We would rather be working than smoking drugs.' It's as simple as that," said Manitoba MP Vic Toews.
"How can this government guarantee there won't be retaliatory actions by the Americans?"
The Bush administration has warned of a possible traffic slowdown at the border as U.S. agents search more vehicles for marijuana.
The NDP has some concerns and will push for further loosening of the law.
The legislation is expected to come up for debate before a parliamentary committee in two weeks.
The NDP will seek amnesty for the estimated 600,000 Canadians who have a criminal record because they were caught for simple possession, said party justice critic Libby Davies.
The party also wants the rules for growing pot at home - a $500 fine for adults caught with three plants or less - to be loosened slightly, Davies suggested.
Anybody caught with more than three plants faces up to five years in jail, or 18 months plus a $25,000 fine. Anybody with more than 25 plants could face 10 years in jail.
"We want to combat the growth in grow-ops, their relationship to organized crime," Cotler said.
"So this legislation is intended as well to provide a serious framework to combat the growth in grow-ops."
The tougher rules against impaired driving mean anyone refusing to submit to a motor-skills test could be fined $600 for a first offence, 14 days in jail for a second offence and 90 days for a subsequent one.
Police officers would gain the legal power to force motorists to submit to a roadside test, then come in for further drug testing at a police station if they appear stoned.
The government is also committing $6.5 million over three years to train police officers to become certified drug-recognition experts.
Similar programs exist in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, in numerous U.S. states and in several other countries.
In Canada, drivers cannot yet be legally required to submit to drug testing.
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| MarkT |
| good news indeed...kudos to the Liberals for not completely caving to the U.S. gov't on this one. Yet another indication that this country is far more liberal and progressive than our southern neighbours. |
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| TrueToTheCrew |
Its funny how they make a move like this after they realize they havent bumped up support after the election. They are still in minority ratings with public opinion despite all the billions hes handing out. Seems like hes trying to appeal to the young voters.
I say time for a conservative gov't. |
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| discojoe |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
a GOOD Liberal move |
God jay, what a soft, pink, tree hugging, commie comment. I expect more from you. :D :stongue:
haha i was high when i read that story. |
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| MarkT |
| quote: | Originally posted by TrueToTheCrew
Its funny how they make a move like this after they realize they havent bumped up support after the election. They are still in minority ratings with public opinion despite all the billions hes handing out. Seems like hes trying to appeal to the young voters.
I say time for a conservative gov't. |
um...that tells me that many people don't care what the Liberals do...they just want them out of office for the sake of them being out of office...and that's a pretty silly opinion to hold, I'd say. |
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| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
um...that tells me that many people don't care what the Liberals do...they just want them out of office for the sake of them being out of office...and that's a pretty silly opinion to hold, I'd say. |
It tells me that many people don't think government handouts are the answer to all our problems. ;)
Well, it's about time the Liberal government actually implemented a Liberal policy. |
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| MarkT |
instead of just crying because "their" party isn't in power, people should ask themselves this:
What could the current government do that would make me happy? What would make me support the current government?
If their answer is "nothing" or "be like the Conservatives" (or NDP, etc), that tells me they care less about this country than they would care to admit. |
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| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
instead of just crying because "their" party isn't in power, people should ask themselves this:
What could the current government do that would make me happy? What would make me support the current government?
If their answer is "nothing" or "be like the Conservatives" (or NDP, etc), that tells me they care less about this country than they would care to admit. |
I think you've appropriately named the reason why so many people in this country voted Liberal - because they're "not the conservatives", and that's really a poor way to make a decision.
Most conservatives I know (though I obviously can't speak for the conservatives I don't know) could name exactly what they'd want from any government: tax cuts, welfare cuts, complete elimination of the CRTC, CBC, and other ridiculous crap we shouldn't be paying for, and at least semi-privatization of major projects like health care, power generation & distribution, and transportation systems.
What could the Liberals do? Well, everything I just stated. It's obviously not going to happen but that's why I voted Conservative. Clearly this is something a Conservative government would do and not a Liberal one, but a Conservative shouldn't have to think about what the Liberal government could do to make him happy - that doesn't even make sense, and it's certainly not very democratic. But maybe you're implying that conservative Canadians simply don't understand the platforms of the various parties and can't get into specifics like I just did - if so, then I'll say again, I think that describes far more of the Liberal- than Conservative-voting population of Canada.
Not that I'm implying all Liberal supporters are ignorant (you've proven me wrong on that on several counts already), but you stated a generality that I think is actually the reverse of the "norm". |
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| Jayx1 |
I know exactly what i want from a government and for the most part the Liberals never deliver.
This is a good thing though. How ironic that we are toughening tobacco laws yet loosening marijuana laws though. |
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| drewfactor |
I think the primary problem with BOTH Canadian conservativism and the general liberal/leftist Canadian is that they both pursue negative values. In essence, you can't pursue the absence of something.
Canadian Liberalism (and a lot of people in the Canadian population)seems to focus on one thing, to be anything but like the Americans. Whether it's social policy, or military spending, or marijuana laws, it's all about being "different" than America.
Canadian conservatives tend to be so focused on reducing the size of government (a very good notion that I support), but offer no real coherent philosophy. For example, Stephen Harper proposed a national pharmacare program during our last election, which will be paid for how?? Big government welfare taxation!
Neither of these parties who supposedly sit on opposite ends of the polical spectrum offer strong support for positive values like individual rights and individual freedom. |
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| MarkT |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
I think you've appropriately named the reason why so many people in this country voted Liberal - because they're "not the conservatives", and that's really a poor way to make a decision. |
I'm sure many people feel that way (not me)...but regardless, I feel that it's better to vote for the lesser of the perceived evils than it is to withold support out of spite.
ie. I'd rather someone vote Liberal because they hate the Conservative platform/values, or vice versa, than not support whoever is in power simply because that's not the party for whom they voted.
sure I'd have been upset if the Conservatives won...but if they did, and ended up doing some good, I'd be happy and support their efforts.
Drew...I agree some people just want to do the opposite of the U.S...but more often than not, IMHO, I think it's just because the U.S. position is so often the "wrong" one, lol, with Iraq and pot being great examples.
Jayx1...I still don't see the connection between cigarettes and pot...one is full of carcinogenic chemicals linked to cancer with harmful second hand smoke...the other, not so bad. It's less about "approving" of pot use and more of a recognition that it's an issue that is not deserving of enforcement resources (police, courts, etc). |
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