Pubdate: Wed,  8 Aug 2001
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2001 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Peter Bradley

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA DEFIES LOGIC

Re: Rock 'open' to legal marijuana, Aug. 3.

Federal cabinet ministers must be looking for free advertising by making 
outlandish policy statements to the news media.

Health Minister Allan Rock's call for a full discussion on the legalization 
of marijuana flies in the face of logic. Permissiveness of drug use in the 
U.S. in the 1970s saw 25 million people, or 14 per cent of the population, 
using drugs each month. In 1998, the get-tough policy in the U.S. reduced 
the figure to 13.6 million, or six per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, relaxed policies increased drug use in the Netherlands from two 
per cent of 12- to 18-year-olds in 1992 to 11 per cent in 1996.

At least Mr. Rock had the sense to downplay that his department funded a 
sadoma-sochism workshop in Barrie last February.

Peter Bradley,

Ottawa 
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom