The Liberal-dominated health committee blocked an NDP bid to scratch criminal penalties in the government’s proposed Cannabis Act so it would be legal to possess more than 30 grams of cannabis in Canada for recreational use.

It was one of a number of failed attempts the NDP made Monday to try to soften or remove criminal sanctions in the bill.

NDP health critic Don Davies said it’s “absurd” to arbitrarily limit cannabis possession at 30 grams per person — and it doesn’t make sense that a Canadian possessing 30 grams of pot is considered a law abiding citizen, while someone with 31 grams is a criminal.

“It makes no sense,” Davies said. “This is not an evidence-based approach to legislation. This is an arbitrary approach.”

He warned that if Canadians find the new law arbitrary, they will “disrespect” it in the same way that they already defy current marijuana laws.

Liberal MP John Oliver defended the bill’s possession limit and said it loosely follows limits in Colorado and Washington — U.S. states which have legalized recreational cannabis.

“These are their limits, metric-ified,” he said, repeating the government’s line that the intent of the bill is to “stop organized crime” and keep cannabis out of the hands of kids.

“This is not about choice for consumers. It’s not about promoting marijuana,” he added.

Oliver said if a person is caught with 30 to 50 grams, they can be ticketed at a police officer’s discretion.

Conservative health critic Marilyn Gladu, meanwhile, tried to get every vote recorded so the Conservatives on the committee could be on the record opposing every amendment to the bill — highlighting, once again, that the Conservatives stand against the Liberals’ legalization plan.

Gladu argued that even a 30 gram limit is too much.

Davies had proposed an amendment that would delete sections of Clause 8 of the bill, thereby eliminating the possession limit entirely.

It was one of the first amendments put forward as the House of Commons standing committee on health goes through the bill clause-by-clause over the next few days.

But the bill was amended Monday so that in the event of an overdose from another drug, where emergency services are called, Canadians at the scene of the medical emergency wouldn’t get slapped with pot possession charges.

That proposal was put forward by Liberal MP Ron McKinnon, to ensure the bill would come in line with the Good Samaritan Act – his private members bill which became a law in May this year.

The committee has set a timeline to finish going through the bill by Thursday evening (October 5) so it can be sent back to the House of Commons for its next stage in the legislative process.

The Liberal government has stated it plans to have the bill in place, making recreational marijuana consumption legal in Canada, by July 1, 2018.