Canada is moving to decriminalize small amounts of pot. It won't be legal to possess marijuana, but the consequence will be a fine rather than jail. Colorado and many other states have done this for years--e.g., possession of up to an ounce here is a petty offense punishable by a $100 fine.

As Daily Kos points out, the U.S. is miffed.

There is no leniency for hashish or other cannabis-based products in the Canadian proposal. It simply says that for small amounts of pot - including plants cultivated at home - ''fines would be paid without a court appearance and enforcement would not result in a criminal conviction.''

Marijuana is not the gateway drug that anti-drug crusaders have portrayed it to be since the 1930's (Remember the film "Reefer Madness"?) Check out this letter to the editor of the Canadian National Post that states the case for why smoking marijuana should not be a crime. It concludes with:

"Pot decriminalization has long been seen as a liberal cause: Left-wingers have traditionally opposed government efforts to outlaw good times. But conservatives should get on the bandwagon as well. Our marijuana laws represent an entirely unjustified government intrusion into citizens' lives. About 20,000 people are arrested annually on marijuana-related charges. The investigation, arrest, trial and punishment of this small army represents a massive, unjustifiable waste of our tax dollars."

Between the cost of the electronic surveillance the government has foisted upon us with the Patriot Act, the cost of investigating, prosecuting and incarcerating non-violent drug offenders and the expense of initiating an invasion of Iraq, is it any wonder the economy stinks, stocks are down and state and local governments are cutting vital services and programs to balance their budgets?

Let's forego the privacy-instrusions, unhire all those new prosecutors (at $100k plus, per year) who were going to prosecute those caught on tape for routine crimes and all the new FBI agents who were going to spend thousands of hours including overtime listening to our private conversations. Let's stop enforcing our draconian drug laws (we're not naive enough to think changing them is going to happen any time soon, although we'll keep working on it.) Let's skip the preventive assault on the citizens of Iraq. Let's go back to taxing those who can afford to pay. While we're at it, how about the money we're paying to keep detainees who haven't committed a crime in jails under Special Administrative Measures? How much does it cost per prisoner per day for SAM? (It's about $22,000. per year per inmate in jails under normal conditions).

We're no economist, but we are getting alarmed over where the money is going to come from that the Bush Administration is spending on its own agenda in the name of fighting terrorism and homeland security and patriotism. Will we end up like Argentina did last year, broke and defaulting on our obligations? Laugh now, but how can you be sure?

Update: Back to Canada and marijuana, this came in tonight from NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws):

"[Therefore,] the Committee recommends that [Parliament] establish a comprehensive strategy for decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of not more than 30 grams of cannabis for personal use."

"Under the Committee's decriminalization scheme, persons found with small amounts of pot would be issued a ticket, and ordered to pay a small fine. Marijuana offenders would no longer be subject to arrest or a criminal record under the plan, and fines could be paid without appearing in court."

"NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup endorsed the Committee's recommendation, noting that 12 U.S. states have enacted similar policies. Seventy-two percent of Americans say they would support a similar national decriminalization policy in the United States, according to a recent CNN/Time Magazine poll."

"The American public recognizes that adults who smoke marijuana responsibly are not criminals and they do not want to spend our nation's limited police resources arresting and jailing them," Stroup said. "Canada's impending decision to decriminalize pot is one our federal government will not be able to ignore."