Pubdate: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Kamloops Daily News Contact: http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679 Author: Russell Barth PUBLIC BAMBOOZLED ON DRUG LAWS Re: Drug Enforcement Misses Mark, letter to editor, April 7: On Dec. 10, 1997, our marijuana laws were declared unconstitutional by Justice Patrick Sheppard, which was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal, July 31, 2000 (Catzman, Charron, and Rosenberg). This decision was not appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and government has not re-enacted Criminal Code statute upon marijuana. Therefore, marijuana - possession, cultivation, and sales - is legal, and has been for about 10 years. Just like the prohibitions on same-sex marriage, medical marijuana, and abortion, the law died in court, not Parliament. Every pot bust for over 10 years has been legally invalid. But police and courts and the government, and yes, even the media, completely ignore these precedent-setting rulings, and continue to bust people with a dead law. The media-addled public is being bamboozled. RUSSELL BARTH Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User Drug Reform Analyst and Consultant Educators for Sensible Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom