Pubdate: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 Source: London Free Press (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media Corporation. Contact: http://www.lfpress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243 Author: Darryl Slywchuk, Ailsa Craig ANTI-POT ARGUMENTS JUST A LOT OF SMOKE Recently, claims have been made by MPs in the House of Commons that Canada cannot decriminalize marijauna, as it would breach our obligations to the United Nations. This is clearly nonsense. All international treaties allow signatory nations to determine their own drug policy. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1960, specifically states "the parties may choose to impose minor penalties such as fines or even censure," as does the International Convention on Trafficking. To suggest that decriminalization violates international law is a specious argument generated solely to give credence to the government's back-pedalling on its previously stated position of decriminalization, which may be attributed to pressure from the American zealots. Darryl Slywchuk Ailsa Craig - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman