Reefer reasonableness?
‘The government is certainly looking at their proposal very carefully’
A demonstrator smokes a marijuana joint on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Thousands of people gather annually on 4-20 (April 20th) on Parliament Hill to call for the decriminalization of marijuana. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pawel Dwulit
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Aside from his comments on Syria, the most interesting thing Mr. Harper said today, as Josh Visser notes, might’ve had to do with marijuana.
Last week, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police proposed a “ticket option … for simple possession of cannabis.” For the purposes of easing the burden on the justice system and not unnecessarily burdening citizens with criminal records, the CACP proposes that police be given the option of issuing a ticket to anyone they find in possession of 30 grams of marijuana or less.
In response, Justice Minister Peter MacKay said the Harper government was not in favour of decriminalization. But then the CACP said the same thing in making its proposal.
Today, the Prime Minister said the government is considering the CACP’s proposal.
“I don’t believe Canadian Chiefs of Police proposed these options because they don’t believe in the laws, in the contrary, they believe this option is a better approach in terms of enforcement of the law and the government is certainly looking at their proposal very carefully,” Harper said to a reporter’s question.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Department of Justice announced today that it won’t block Colorado and Washington’s moves toward the legalization of marijuana.