Canada: Softer Marijuana Law Worries Partsmakers

[1a2b3c]

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1906.a08.html
WINDSOR - Federal plans to relax Canada's marijuana laws could prove
disastrous for automotive parts manufacturers by creating a new mood of
Prohibition at the border, their national association warned yesterday.

Decriminalization on one side of the border only will ensure Canadian
shipments must be put under even more scrutiny by U.S. Customs officials,
says Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers'
Association.

[sasquatch]

1. Whooooo Cares!!

For crying out loud will we please use some common sense for dealing with Marajuana. Let's put down the bag of snakes and pick up the science book.

[pansypoo53219]

2. sounds like whooey

my first boos was a BIG pothead and he made STAINED glass while toking. and there is a lot to think about.
of course it did result in his commiting suicide after his 3rd wife left him.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. In which case, why not decriminalize over here?

Oh, but that would be too sensible. Never mind.

[iverglas]

4. we do care

The US will use any excuse available to strongarm trading partners about anything. The auto pact is supposedly sacrosanct, so if the US wants to screw Canada, it has to find alternative, "soft" means. Holding up parts shipments at the border would be one way of doing it.

I know about this because in his last five years before retirement, my dad worked as a truckdriver for the auto parts industry, moving things around southwestern Ontario and Michigan, and occasionally farther afield, for Ford. The business is very time-sensitive, since the needed parts are needed when they're requested and at a moment's notice -- the manufacturing process is waiting on them. The drivers -- who work for small companies with which the auto manufacturers contract, and who have none of the union protections or good wages that Ford and GM autoworkers have -- are under tremendous pressure.

An interesting other factor in this is that Belinda Stronach, daughter of auto parts magnate and big-time right-winger Frank Stronach (the company is Magna), is one of the big movers and shakers behind our recent "unite the right" campaign here. She donated over 10% of the funds raised by Stephen Harper in his candidacy for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance party. Under his leadership -- and in violation of the contract he signed with one of the other leadership candidates -- the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative party this week, resulting in the take-over of the Canadian "right" by a very unCanadian kind of right wing. No more "red Tories", no more genuine Canadian compassionate conservatism; all gay-bashing, racist, anti-choice rednecks alla time, now.

The Alliance wanted Canada in Iraq, and generally wants Canada to jump whenever the US says jump. If decriminalizing marijuana results in this kind of sabre-rattling from the US -- and if the Alliance leader's biggest financial backer's profits might be hurt by doing it -- you can bet that the right wing is not going to let it slip quietly in.

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