Pubdate: Wed, 23 Dec 2015
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 The Hamilton Spectator
Contact:  http://www.thespec.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181
Author: Laura Kane
Page: A10

TAKING NEXT STEP ON MARIJUANA

Canadians With Dope Convictions Call on PM to Offer Pardons

Marcus Richardson is, in the eyes of the law, a criminal.

Never mind that a judge ruled the six kilograms of cannabis police 
found in his car was for severely ill patients at a medical marijuana 
dispensary.

Or that the same judge imposed only a minimum sentence because 
anything more would fail to maintain "a just, peaceful and safe society."

He's a criminal - and so are scores of other Canadians who face 
barriers to travel and work because they were caught with a drug that 
the government now intends to legalize.

"My charge wasn't like, 'He was practising civil disobedience at a 
place that was helping sick and dying people improve the quality of 
their last days on earth,'" Richardson said.

"If the charge read like that, I'd have no problem with it. It reads 
like, 'I'm a marijuana trafficker.'"

Canadians with criminal records for marijuana crimes are eagerly 
waiting to see if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will offer pardons 
when pot is legalized. Tens of thousands are charged with possession 
every year, and if convicted f ace consequences that can be devastating.

Richardson was driving across Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge in 1998 
when police stopped him at a roadblock and found several kilograms of 
marijuana and $6,000 in his trunk.

A judge found the drugs were intended only for B.C. Compassion Club 
Society members and the money was a "float" Richardson carried to pay 
growers. He was convicted of possession for the purpose of 
trafficking and received a suspended sentence and six months' probation.

Today, the 42-year-old f ather of three holds a federal licence to 
grow and possess marijuana and runs a business selling equipment for 
medical cannabis users.

Richardson is often asked to share his expertise with companies in 
the U.S., but he's barred from crossing the border. He'd also like to 
volunteer on his kids' field trips, but administrators conduct 
criminal record checks.

"I wouldn't want to embarrass my children," he said.

The previous Conservative government overhauled the pardon system in 
2012, making it more expensive and rigorous. Pardons, now called 
record suspensions, seal a criminal record to allow offenders who 
have lived crime-free to reintegrate, get better jobs and travel abroad.

The Parole Board of Canada has grappled with a backlog of pardon 
applications dating to the government's changes, though it said last 
May it only had 5,000 left.

Richardson became eligible for a pardon in 2008 and applied three 
years later, but he's still waiting. In frustration, he recently 
applied for a $585 US waiver that would allow him to cross the border.

Asked whether her government would offer general pardons to people 
with minor marijuana convictions, Justice Minister Jody 
Wilson-Raybould said she's working with the ministers of Health and 
Public Safety on the details of legalization.

"We will certainly look to have more to say about how we're going to 
move forward," she said. "But that includes actually having 
conversations ... with different levels of government and ensuring we 
speak to Canadians who have been impacted."

Simon Fraser University criminologist Neil Boyd said criminal 
convictions have significant effects on people's abilities to travel 
and work. Though pot possession doesn't carry the same stigma as 
other crimes, it's still a conviction that weighs against job seekers.

He said Trudeau's government should use its legislative powers to 
pardon Canadians with simple possession convictions.

"I don't think that should stay as a criminal record, given that we 
now are approaching an era i n which it is going to be seen as 
analogous to alcohol or tobacco, and taxed and regulated in a 
somewhat similar manner."

Boyd noted U.S. authorities can still refuse to allow people who have 
been pardoned to cross the border.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom