Pubdate: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.guelphmercury.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418 FEDS PONDER AMENDMENTS TO MARIJUANA LEGISLATION The federal government may lower the amount of "personal use" pot it will tolerate and slightly toughen provisions of its marijuana decriminalization bill in a bid to win over some of its staunch critics, including those on its own backbench. Sources say amendments under consideration include: Lowering to 10 grams from 15 grams the amount of pot a person may possess before facing a potential criminal conviction and record; increasing penalties for "repeat offenders" who clearly flout the ban on pot; and imposing mandatory minimum sentences on large-scale growing operations. Right now, the pot bill "de-criminalizes" the penalty for simple possession proposing, instead of a criminal sanction, a ticketing scheme with fines from $250 to $400. The insider emphatically denied any move to impose a stricter limit is a move to allay concerns by Americans, saying many of the arguments the United States presents about stronger strains of marijuana are "a myth." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens