Halifax - A legal decision ordering the province to pay for a woman’s pot has Justice Minister Ross Landry musing about the merits of decriminalization.
Landry suggested to reporters at Province House on Thursday that his department will probably eventually discuss whether prosecuting someone for possessing a small amount of marijuana is a good use of resources.
"We have to be more administratively efficient when dealing with people in the small uses of marijuana," Landry said.
"We have to be more efficient on how you process someone who’s in a small possession of marijuana, and the cost to justice. Whether it goes beyond that at this time, I think it needs further examination and reflection."
Landry, a former RCMP officer, said when he worked as a police officer he found prosecuting such cases time-consuming and believes it’s worth seeing if that process can be improved upon.
"I’m a firm believer (in) ‘You do the crime, you do the time,’ " Landry said. "Do the penalties match what the crime is?
"I’ll look forward to discussion in regards to that matter."
But he wouldn’t commit to having a firm position on decriminalizing the drug.
In a decision released Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered the Community Services Department to pay for a Halifax woman’s medical marijuana.
Sally Campbell suffers from several ailments and has a certificate from Health Canada that permits her to use marijuana to help alleviate pain and nausea.
The department had denied Campbell’s request that it designate her pot as a special need and increase her monthly allowance to cover the cost of it. Campbell appealed that decision to a one-person board, which also denied her request.
So she went before a Supreme Court justice last month and won.
Provincial staff are reviewing the decision to see whether an appeal is warranted.
"I never have a problem if the medical community says this is the best remedy for a person’s health and well-being," Landry said. "So on that basic principle, I support the medical community. If the court has made a decision, I respect the decision of the court and will look from an administrative perspective of how we move the interests of the court forward."
But Premier Darrell Dexter said the decision worries him because it could open the door to forcing the province to pay for other kinds of medication it doesn’t cover.
"It appears it could have wide-ranging implications that go beyond this particular coverage," Dexter said.
"It opens a field of potential liability for the province."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Chronicle Herald
Author: JEFFREY SIMPSON
Contact: The Chronicle Herald
Copyright: 2010 Halifax Herald Limited
Website: Justice minister mulls pot penalties
Landry suggested to reporters at Province House on Thursday that his department will probably eventually discuss whether prosecuting someone for possessing a small amount of marijuana is a good use of resources.
"We have to be more administratively efficient when dealing with people in the small uses of marijuana," Landry said.
"We have to be more efficient on how you process someone who’s in a small possession of marijuana, and the cost to justice. Whether it goes beyond that at this time, I think it needs further examination and reflection."
Landry, a former RCMP officer, said when he worked as a police officer he found prosecuting such cases time-consuming and believes it’s worth seeing if that process can be improved upon.
"I’m a firm believer (in) ‘You do the crime, you do the time,’ " Landry said. "Do the penalties match what the crime is?
"I’ll look forward to discussion in regards to that matter."
But he wouldn’t commit to having a firm position on decriminalizing the drug.
In a decision released Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court ordered the Community Services Department to pay for a Halifax woman’s medical marijuana.
Sally Campbell suffers from several ailments and has a certificate from Health Canada that permits her to use marijuana to help alleviate pain and nausea.
The department had denied Campbell’s request that it designate her pot as a special need and increase her monthly allowance to cover the cost of it. Campbell appealed that decision to a one-person board, which also denied her request.
So she went before a Supreme Court justice last month and won.
Provincial staff are reviewing the decision to see whether an appeal is warranted.
"I never have a problem if the medical community says this is the best remedy for a person’s health and well-being," Landry said. "So on that basic principle, I support the medical community. If the court has made a decision, I respect the decision of the court and will look from an administrative perspective of how we move the interests of the court forward."
But Premier Darrell Dexter said the decision worries him because it could open the door to forcing the province to pay for other kinds of medication it doesn’t cover.
"It appears it could have wide-ranging implications that go beyond this particular coverage," Dexter said.
"It opens a field of potential liability for the province."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Chronicle Herald
Author: JEFFREY SIMPSON
Contact: The Chronicle Herald
Copyright: 2010 Halifax Herald Limited
Website: Justice minister mulls pot penalties
