Pubdate: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 Source: Huntsville Forester, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 The Huntsville Forester Contact: http://www.huntsvilleforester.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2430 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?218 (Canadian Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) DECRIMINALIZE POT Remember alcohol was once illegal and bootleggers made good money smuggling it. It is time to revise Canadian legislation and make Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC and derived from marijuana, not only readily available in hospitals but also decriminalized with plans for its eventual legalization. Members of the medical community have been telling us for decades that THC could be used as a pain suppressant and an effective anti-nausea drug, so why isn't it available? Why are we dismissing the argument by people with chronic medical conditions who tell us that marijuana really helps them? Would we rather see them interminably attached to a hose pumping heroin and opium derivatives such as morphia into their veins? If they tell us that THC can dull their pain, take away their nausea and still allow them to function, then as a society we would be fool-hearted puritans to deny them that right. There is also a strong argument to be made for the decriminalization of marijuana. Countless numbers of Canadians are unable to cross the border and have been pegged as criminals for possession. It is costing the system large quantities of resources to prosecute these people. Surely those funds could be better spent elsewhere. The scaremongers would have us believe that decriminalizing marijuana would give children tacit approval to use it. Do they really think that if kids are going to smoke pot, the fact that it's illegal is going to stop them? If you legalize marijuana you can regulate it, keep proper statistics on its use, and ensure that it isn't being mixed or sprayed with poison. Because the infrastructure required to legalize marijuana would be costly, we should start by seriously considering its decriminalization and use the funds for worthier causes. T.d.V. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk