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Newsbrief:
Canadian
Supreme
Court
to
Rule
Next
Week
on
Key
Marijuana
Cases
12/19/03
Will it be a jolly green
Christmas or a stocking full of ashes? Canadian cannabis consumers
and advocates will find out on Tuesday, when the Canadian Supreme Court
will announce its ruling in a trio of cases that have the potential to
nullify the country's laws against marijuana possession. In an announcement
sent out on its e-mail list, the court said it would rule on the cases
at 9:45am on December 23.
The appellants in all three
cases, David Malmo-Levine, Victor Caine and Christopher Clay, were all
found guilty of marijuana possession offenses. All three appealed
their convictions, arguing the Canadian Charter of Rights prohibits the
government from creating criminal penalties for marijuana possession.
In recent years, Canadian
marijuana policy has been in severe flux, with some Canadian courts briefly
legalizing marijuana possession because of the government's failure to
act to make medical marijuana available to patients. The government
of recently retired former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, meanwhile, proceeded
with a bill that would have decriminalized marijuana possession, but increased
penalties for all but the smallest grow ops. That bill died when
Chretien adjourned parliament last month, but as DRCNet reported last week,
new Prime Minister Paul Martin has indicated he will reintroduce the bill.
But all of that could be
rendered moot by a favorable Supreme Court decision Tuesday. Stay
tuned.
Visit http://www.cannabislink.ca/legal/index.htm#affidavits
for affidavits, filings and decisions in the trio of cases.
-- END --
|
Issue #316, 12/19/03
Editorial: Why Prohibition Scares Me |
Victory! Federal Appeals Court Rules Feds Can't Persecute Medical Marijuana Patients |
Supreme Court Okays Arrest of All Occupants in Cars Where Unclaimed Drugs Are Found |
Flex Your Rights in News -- New and Improved BUSTED Video Offer Available from DRCNet Too |
Afghanistan: Drug War Yields to Terror War as Rumsfeld Glad-Hands Drug Dealing Warlords |
Newsbrief: Georgia Deputy Kills Innocent Man in Highway Drug Stop |
Newsbrief: Campaign Watch -- Kucinich Says Legalize It |
Newsbrief: Morocco Cannabis Production Booming, UN Drug Office Reports |
Newsbrief: Canadian Supreme Court to Rule Next Week on Key Marijuana Cases |
Newsbrief: With National Parks Threatened, Colombia Fumigation Petition Drive Underway |
Newsbrief: Nigerian Reefer Madness Breaks Out as Officials Blame Marijuana for Social Strife |
Newsbrief: UN Drug Office Predicts Humanitarian Crisis as Myanmar Opium Ban Goes Into Effect |
Announcement: New Hemp Nutrition Bar Supports Advocacy |
DRCNet Temporarily Suspending Our Web-Based Write-to-Congress Service Due to Funding Shortfalls -- Your Help Can Bring It Back -- Keep Contacting Congress in the Meantime |
Perry Fund Accepting Applications for 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 School Years, Providing Scholarships for Students Losing Aid Because of Drug Convictions |
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