Pubdate: Wed, 18 Dec 2002
Source: Golden Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 The Golden Star
Contact:  http://www.bowesnet.com/goldenstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2144
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

PEOPLE SHOULD BUTT OUT

Um, what was I going to talk about, oh yeah, the decriminalization of pot...

Last week, a committee of the House of Commons said people in possession of 
small amounts of marijuana should not be charged with a criminal offence. 
Last month, the Senate released a report calling for the weakening of laws 
against casual marijuana use. Recently, B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman 
stated that he wants to go out and fight the "war on drugs" - including 
marijuana - because it reeks of organized crime and is more potent than ever.

It seems the "left coast" government is out in right field on this one.

Current trends in the upper levels of government are that federal marijuana 
laws are too harsh and too costly. While the federal committee stated that 
it was concerned with the dangers of pot use, including memory loss and 
lung cancer, it stated that the punishment exceeds the crime. Some 30 per 
cent of Canadians have admitted to using the drug.

As well, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is joining in the 
fight against unfair marijuana laws this week in multiple court cases being 
heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. They are arguing that the possession 
law is unconstitutional because it violates the guarantee of life, liberty 
and the security of person, and that the law is out of the jurisdiction of 
the federal parliament. The core of their argument is that marijuana use is 
a matter of personal choice.

According to BCCLA president John Dixon, the marijuana law has done more 
harm than good.

"Thousands of Canadians have had their lives irreparably harmed by this 
injustice," said Dixon. "Not to mention the millions of dollars we 
foolishly spend on enforcing this. The continued existence of this 
prohibition brings the justice system into disrepute and is a fiscal black 
hole for Canadians' tax dollars."

However, Coleman doesn't see it that way. It appears he's on a moral high 
ground, where money grows on trees. He feels pot is "hurting our kids, it's 
hurting our communities, and its time we stood up to it."

Coleman, a former RCMP officer, said marijuana fuels the drug trade across 
the U.S. border as it trades kilo for kilo for hard drugs such as speed and 
methamphetamines. However, has Coleman or other "War on Drug" pushers ever 
considered that the black market trade they are so fiercely against may be 
fueled by the very laws they espouse? The real issue is one of supply and 
demand.

The United States recently condemned the federal committee's recommendation 
that pot be decriminalized. But it is looking elsewhere to deal with its 
own problem. It's like blaming the taste of booze for alcoholism. There is 
an inherent, insatiable desire that will always demand, and propagate, 
illegal drug trade. This lesson was learned with prohibition in the early 
1900's.

The bottom line is that the war on drugs is simply not working. Marijuana 
grow-ops are said to be the second-most profitable industry in B.C. - 
behind forestry. Pot use is so open, accepted and prevalent among young and 
old that even B.C.'s police don't bother with most simple possession cases 
- - as even Minister Coleman admits.

Let's keep our law enforcement focused on the illegal activities that 
threaten society and the public's safety.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Tom