Canada Abandons Marijuana Push
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
OTTAWA – Canada’s new Conservative Party prime minister, Stephen Harper, said yesterday that Ottawa does not intend to reintroduce legislation to legalize marijuana.
Speaking to the Canadian Professional Police Association, Mr. Harper reiterated that the legislation drawn up by the previous Liberal Party government would not be reintroduced when the new Parliament sits yesterday.
The bill, which had alarmed law enforcement officials in Canada and America, died on the floor of the House of Commons after the Liberal Party lost elections in January.
Under the bill, getting caught with about half an ounce or less of marijuana would have brought a citation akin to a traffic ticket, not a criminal record. The bill was intended to prevent young people from being saddled with a life-long criminal record.
American authorities worried the legislation would have weakened their efforts to curb marijuana exports from Canada.
