Pubdate: Wed,  20 Sept 2000
Source: Chatham This Week (CN ON)
Copyright: 2000 Bowes Publishers Limited
Contact:  930 Richmond St., Chatham, Ont. N7M 5J5 Canada
Fax: (519) 351-7774
Website: http://www.bowesnet.com/ctw/

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA? NO WAY MAN

Until marijuana is declared to be a legal substance in Canada, the medical 
establishment and those who are charged with the responsibility of 
dispensing justice will continue to butt heads over its use for medicinal 
purposes.

For some context in this matter, one needs only to take a backward glance 
to 1919 when the Volstead Act was made law in the US, outlawing the sale of 
liquor.

Prohibition was an absolute disaster, but what made this vast social 
experiment all the more weird was the fact that Congress in its legislation 
provided a loophole that allowed Americans the opportunity to drink alcohol 
for medicinal purposes. Suddenly, everyone and their uncle had a little 
tickle in their throat or a sore back that demanded immediate attention.

We suspect the same would occur in Canada today if marijuana use was 
permitted if prescribed by a doctor. Those who have legitimate need of the 
narcotic's soothing qualities would be vastly outnumbered by every pothead 
from here to British Columbia.

Canada's justice department is only doing its job by continuing to keep 
marijuana use illegal in this country. By erring on the side of caution, 
bureaucrats are attempting to ensure that marijuana, if used for medicinal 
purposes, would be administered within an environment that's closely and 
profressionally monitored. Anything less than that would result in chaos.

Part of the problem, in our opinion, is that we don't know enough about the 
herbal benefits of a great many other plants. Marijuana is only one of 
thousands upon thousands of plants which hold a great potential for medical 
use. Our society has only scratched the surface in this regard, and we 
wonder how many other plants would offer the same benefits, as found in 
marijuana, to a dying individual.

But we just don't know. Through our ignorance and unwillingness to think 
beyond conventional terms, we've managed as a society to relegate too many 
useful herbs and plants to the trash heap of potential.

Recently, we heard that milkweed was harvested during the Second World War 
because its silk was used to make parachutes. How many other so-called 
useless weeds could have been harvested for the war effort?

Marijuana can provide a measure of compassionate relief to those who are 
terminally ill. We're in agreement on that point. But because so much of 
our drug culture is based on this single herb, and because marijuana 
cultivation, marijuana possession, and marijuana use continue to be illegal 
in Canada, we'd best be very cautious in administering its sanctioned use.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D