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mjshroomer
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Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law
#1531652 - 05/08/03 05:02 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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U.S., Canada clash on pot laws Thu May 8, 6:48 AM ET Add Top Stories - USA TODAY to My Yahoo!
Donna Leinwand USA TODAY
The Bush administration is hinting that it could make it more difficult for Canadian goods to get into this country if Canada's Parliament moves ahead with a proposal to drop criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The proposal, part of an effort to overhaul Canada's anti-drug policies, essentially would treat most marijuana smokers there the same as people who get misdemeanor traffic tickets. Violators would be ticketed and would have to pay a small fine, but they no longer would face jail time.
Canada's plan isn't that unusual: 12 U.S. states and most of the 15 nations in the European Union (news - web sites) have eased penalties on first-time offenders in recent years. That's a reflection of how many governments have grown weary of pursuing individual marijuana users.
But U.S. officials, while stressing that they aren't trying to interfere in Canada's affairs, are urging Canadians to resist decriminalizing marijuana.
In a lobbying campaign that has seemed heavy-handed to some Canadians, U.S. officials have said that such a change in Canada's laws would undermine tougher anti-drug statutes in the USA, lead to more smuggling and create opportunities for organized crime. Bush administration aides note that marijuana is an increasing problem along the Canadian border, where U.S. inspectors seized more than 19,000 pounds of the leaf in 2002, compared with less than 2,000 pounds four years earlier.
In December, U.S. anti-drug czar John Walters stumped across Canada, criticizing the decriminalization plan. He told business groups in Vancouver, where police allow public pot-smoking in some areas, that they would face tighter security at the U.S. border if Canada eased its marijuana laws.
The backlash was immediate across Canada, where surveys have shown that nearly 70% of the country believes that possessing a small amount of marijuana should be punishable only by a small fine. Canadian newspapers accused the USA of being arrogant and called Walters paranoid.
For years, the USA and Canada have squabbled over border issues like longtime friends with a few habits that annoy each other. U.S. officials dislike Canada's looser immigration laws and limited regulation of prescription drugs, particularly pseudoephedrine, used to make methamphetamine.
Canadian officials complain that Colombian cocaine and Mexican heroin often enter Canada via the USA. Canadians argue that the USA should do more to curb Americans' demand for illegal drugs, because restricting the supply only increases prices.
Canada's full Parliament is likely to consider a decriminalization proposal soon.
Committees in the House of Commons and the Senate have issued reports that say police should not arrest people for smoking marijuana, adding momentum to the decriminalization effort. Early versions of the proposal say those caught with no more than 30 grams -- about an ounce -- of marijuana for personal use would be ticketed and fined an undetermined amount.
'Drug tourist' penalties
Marijuana possession in Canada now is a criminal offense that can carry jail time. Although people convicted of such an offense rarely are sent to jail, they do end up with a criminal record. In the USA, states generally prosecute marijuana-possession offenses, and sentences vary from mandatory jail time to fines. Under federal sentencing guidelines, a person conviction of possession could be sentenced to a year in jail.
Canada would keep criminal penalties for marijuana offenses that pose a significant danger to others, such as illegal trafficking, selling to minors or driving while under the influence of the drug. To prevent ''drug tourists,'' Canadian officials say they would consider special penalties for sales to non-Canadians.
Walters and other U.S. officials said they are worried that such a policy change would make marijuana more available in Canada, leading to more smuggling. They say drug gangs, sensing a more tolerant climate, probably would move their operations near the Canadian-U.S. border, and more American teens would cross the border to smoke pot.
Looser marijuana laws in Canada would make it ''probable we will have to do more restrictive things at the border,'' Walters said.
For Canadians who have been slowed by security checks imposed by the USA since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, that would mean more delays in crossing the border, he said. That could damage Canadian business; trade with the USA accounts for 70% of Canada's exports.
Canadian Sen. Pierre-Claude Nolin, head of the panel that released the Senate report and a supporter of eased penalties, doubts that a new marijuana policy in Canada would lead U.S. officials to hinder trade.
Walters ''should have respect for our courts and our public,'' Nolin says. ''He cannot stop 8,000 semitrailers at the Windsor (Detroit) border every day. He's saying that, but he will not do that.''
Marijuana use in the USA has risen during the past decade. A 2001 study by U.S. government and university researchers indicated that 49% of high school seniors had smoked pot, up from 32.6% in 1992.
In Canada, authorities say their studies indicate that about 30% of Canadians ages 12 to 64 have used marijuana at least once. Although drug use generally is presumed to be rising, Canadian officials say they do not have accurate data they could use to plot a trend.
Canadians say America's rising demand for marijuana makes smuggling appealing to criminal organizations. They also cite the dozen U.S. states that have cut penalties for marijuana possession in recent years -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon -- and say the U.S. government should focus more attention on them.
''It is up to each country to get its own house in order before criticizing its neighbor,'' a Canadian Senate report said. In the USA, state and local prosecutors handle most marijuana cases. Federal prosecutors usually handle cases that involve large amounts of the leaf or that involve suspects who cross state or national borders.
Asa Hutchinson, a former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration who now is a top official at the Department of Homeland Security, said last year that ''we have to accept responsibility, and we're trying to reduce demand. But without being critical of Canada, we're simply stating a reality: The decision of the Canadian government will have a consequence in this country.''
More from Mexico
U.S. Customs agents say the amount of marijuana entering the USA from Canada is dwarfed by that from Mexico. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says 800 tons of marijuana circulates in Canada each year. It's grown mostly in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec -- all of which border the USA. Canadian and U.S. officials say they do not know how much Canadian pot reaches the USA.
''B.C. Bud,'' the potent, hydroponically grown marijuana from British Columbia, and its eastern counterpart, ''Quebec Gold,'' sell for as much as $4,500 a pound, the DEA says.
If Canada decriminalizes marijuana, U.S. Customs officials expect to see more marijuana coming over the northern border, Customs spokesman Dean Boyd says. ''It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to that conclusion.''
Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, who soon will present the government's plan for decriminalization, says he wants to bring Canadian law in line with public opinion and with judicial rulings favoring lighter penalties for marijuana possession. ''We're not talking about being weak. We want to have tougher law enforcement. Our policy toward trafficking will remain the same.''
mjshroomer
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pattern
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: mjshroomer]
#1531727 - 05/08/03 05:29 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
But U.S. officials, while stressing that they aren't trying to interfere in Canada's affairs, are urging Canadians to resist decriminalizing marijuana.
U.S. officials are retards.
-------------------- man = monkey + mushroom
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Baby_Hitler
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: pattern]
#1531784 - 05/08/03 05:47 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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You won't get much arguement from this side of the border on that.
-------------------- "America: Fuck yeah!" -- Alexthegreat “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day.” -- Thomas Jefferson The greatest sin of mankind is ignorance. The press takes [Trump] literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally. --Salena Zeto (9/23/16)
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barfightlard
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: mjshroomer]
#1531786 - 05/08/03 05:47 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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If he wants to blackmail us let him. It's our own country and if he doesn't like what we do with our own drug laws he can suck my dick.
-------------------- "What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
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Evolving
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: barfightlard]
#1531796 - 05/08/03 05:52 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
If he wants to blackmail us let him. It's our own country and if he doesn't like what we do with our own drug laws he can suck my dick.
Be careful, the human mouth is full of germs. You'd be better of 'doing' one of his nieces.
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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DailyPot
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: pattern]
#1531814 - 05/08/03 05:57 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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The US government is filled with stubbern dumb fucks! Atleast Canada is realistic. The US is still living in Refeer Madness.
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arabmobster
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: DailyPot]
#1531826 - 05/08/03 06:04 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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bush can lick my left nut
Edited by arabmobster (05/08/03 06:04 PM)
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Evolving
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: arabmobster]
#1531837 - 05/08/03 06:08 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
bush can lick my left nut
What's with the gay desires for George Bush in this thread?
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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sir tripsalot
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: Evolving]
#1531990 - 05/08/03 06:45 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Bush can eat my ass tulip!
-------------------- "Little racoons and old possums 'n' stuff all live up in here. They've got to have a little place to sit." Bob Ross.
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Anonymous
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: mjshroomer]
#1532008 - 05/08/03 06:52 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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there's something very inconsistant about decriminalizing possession of a drug but not the sale of it.
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luvdemshrooms
Two inch dick..but it spins!?
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: ]
#1532026 - 05/08/03 06:57 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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You have to start somewhere.
-------------------- You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for that my dear friend is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. ~ Adrian Rogers
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silversoul7
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: Evolving]
#1532186 - 05/08/03 07:53 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Bush can go eat the barrel of .44 magnum.
-------------------- "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."--Voltaire
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Azmodeus
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: Evolving]
#1532204 - 05/08/03 08:00 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Quote:
If he wants to blackmail us let him. It's our own country and if he doesn't like what we do with our own drug laws he can suck my dick.
Be careful, the human mouth is full of germs. You'd be better of 'doing' one of his nieces.
I highly doubt that!
-------------------- "Know your Body - Know your Mind - Know your Substance - Know your Source. Lest we forget. "
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Evolving
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: sir tripsalot]
#1532428 - 05/08/03 09:35 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bush can eat my ass tulip!
That's more lick it.... ah, more like it.
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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Evolving
Resident Cynic
Registered: 10/01/02
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: silversoul7]
#1532432 - 05/08/03 09:36 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
Bush can go eat the barrel of .44 magnum.
Careful what you say, the American Stasi might cart you away in the middle of the night.
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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mjshroomer
Sage
Registered: 07/21/99
Posts: 13,774
Loc: gone with my shrooms
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: sir tripsalot]
#1533884 - 05/09/03 06:34 AM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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Sir Trips-a-lot grows tulips in his ass?
mj
Smack with a fish
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Azmodeus
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: mjshroomer]
#1534652 - 05/09/03 12:46 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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I said it before, and ill say it again....
THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AMERICA! (but if they feel it does, they should start implementing the increased harrasment now)
-------------------- "Know your Body - Know your Mind - Know your Substance - Know your Source. Lest we forget. "
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sir tripsalot
Administrator
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: mjshroomer]
#1535316 - 05/09/03 04:56 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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No I am able to protrude my anus outside of body, type ass tulip into a search engine and you can learn how to do it yourself.
-------------------- "Little racoons and old possums 'n' stuff all live up in here. They've got to have a little place to sit." Bob Ross.
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!
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Re: Bush Pissed at aCanada's Proposed marijuana decriminal law [Re: sir tripsalot]
#1535682 - 05/09/03 07:33 PM (20 years, 10 months ago) |
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I would but I've seen what happens.....there is some pretty sick stuff out there in online land.....your asstulip is one of them....
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