Revised pot bill favoured
By: Jana G. Pruden, Regina Leader-Post, 12/20/03

Saskatchewan's new justice minister says he's in favour of revising proposed marijuana legislation to make it tougher on those that grow and sell it.

"Personally, and as minister of justice, I'm happy to see Paul Martin taking another look at this," said Frank Quennell.

"The decriminalization of marijuana gets a lot of discussion, but maybe not the more serious side of it, which is trafficking and large grow operations and the type of people and organizations involved in that."

On Thursday, Martin said he plans to revive the controversial legislation in the New Year, though with changes that could make it vastly different from the bill originally tabled by the Chretien government last fall.

The new bill will likely still forgo criminal convictions for simple possession, but Martin has said he favours steeper fines and stricter rules on possession.

Quennell didn't take a stance on the legislation overall, saying it's parliament's job to set legislation, but said there should be "appropriate penalties" for people caught trafficking or involved in major grow operations.

Quennell also said he hopes to work co-operatively with the federal government if, or when, the legislation comes into place, by making sure the police have the resources to enforce the new law properly.

In the meanwhile, Regina Police Chief Cal Johnston says his officers won't mellow out on pot possession while the legislation is debated.

"Until a law changes it's still a law," he said. "I think it's important that we follow the law. Debate is important, but the police community must follow the law as it's given to them."

Police in some Ontario jurisdictions -- including Toronto -- have urged their officers to stop laying charges in simple possession cases because of a number of court challenges.

While Johnston says his officers have never targeted simple possession, he says police will still pursue charges if they arise in the course of another investigation.

"We'll carry on as we are and watch carefully as the debate about changing this law continues," he said. "We can play a part in providing input, and when the change is made we'll act accordingly."

The original marijuana bill was in the committee stage, but fizzled when former Prime Minister Jean Chretien prorogued the House of Commons before last month's Liberal leadership convention.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether current marijuana laws violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.