|
Newsbrief:
Canadian
Government
to
Reintroduce
Marijuana
Reform
Bill,
But
Adds
Driver
Drug
Testing,
Too
10/22/04
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/359/canada.shtml
The Canadian government will
reintroduce its much criticized marijuana decriminalization bill, Justice
Minister Irwin Cotler told the news agency Canwest on October 11.
A similar bill introduced by then Prime Minister Jean Chretien died last
year when Chretien dismissed parliament to call elections resulting in
the selection of Paul Martin as his successor.
This time around, Cotler
said, the bill will be accompanied by legislation allowing police to force
drivers to submit to drug tests. Both bills will be introduced in
November, he said. The decrim bill will be essentially unchanged
from last year's model, which called for making possession of less than
30 grams a ticketable offense, not a criminal one. "It might get
changed in committee but we are basically reintroducing that legislation,"
Cotler said, referring to the bill introduced under Chretien.
That bill was criticized
by marijuana reform advocates as not going far enough, and was ultimately
opposed by the pro-reform New Democratic Party (NDP). NDP parliamentarians
have vowed to fight this year to make the bill more palatable, but will
oppose it if necessary changes are not made.
Cotler's announced plan to
simultaneously submit a drugged driver testing bill is sure to excite more
opposition from Canadian marijuana activists and raises more questions
than it answers at this point. Cotler said that while current law
obliges drivers to submit to a breathalyzer test if police have cause to
believe they are driving under the influence, no such measures exist to
fight against marijuana-impaired drivers. "Now a technology has been
developed which allows for a parallel process with regard to drug-impaired
driving to be investigated and enforced as we have for alcohol-impaired
driving," he claimed.
But Cotler did not say if
a certain level of marijuana in the blood would be considered prima facie
evidence of impairment, as with US drunk driving laws, nor how that level
would be determined. Neither did he say whether Canadian authorities
were considering a "zero tolerance" approach to cannabis in the bloodstream,
as is strongly encouraged by US model drugged driving laws written by the
Department of Transportation.
-- END --
|
Issue #359, 10/22/04
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California Initiative to Rein-In Three-Strikes Law Appears Headed for Victory |
English Drug Reformers Map Route to Post-Prohibition Drug Policy |
In California Senate Race, Judge Jim Gray Gets No Respect from Media, Polls, or Debates, Despite Strong Showing |
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A Message from the Executive Director on What DRCNet is Planning After Election Day and Why We Need Your Help |
Newsbrief: Kerry Says Feds Should Butt Out of Oregon Laws |
Newsbrief: Alaska Marijuana Initiative Backers Sue Lieutenant Governor Over Election Pamphlet |
Newsbrief: Bush, Kerry, Nader Respond to HEA Query |
Newsbrief: African-American Professional Groups Form Coalition to Change Drug Policies |
Newsbrief: Federal Judge Rules Cops Can Lie on the Stand |
Newsbrief: End of Opium Cultivation Spells Looming Disaster for Burmese Peasants |
Newsbrief: Three Dead in Peru Coca Confrontation -- Cocaleros Occupy Buildings in Provincial City |
Newsbrief: Dutch Medical Marijuana Program Runs Up Against Law of the Market |
Newsbrief: Actress's Marijuana Bust Challenge Causing Waves in South Korea |
Newsbrief: Canadian Government to Reintroduce Marijuana Reform Bill, But Adds Driver Drug Testing, Too |
Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories |
This Week in History |
The DARE Generation Returns to DC: Students for Sensible Drug Policy 2004 National Conference Next Month |
Apply Now to Intern at DRCNet! |
Administrative Assistant: Part-Time Job Opportunity at DRCNet |
The Reformer's Calendar
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