Pubdate: Sat, 16 Feb 2002 Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 Hacker Press Ltd. Contact: 34375 Cyril St., Abbotsford, B.C., V2S 2H5 Website: http://www.abbynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155 Author: Robert Freeman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) MUCH HEAT, LITTLE LIGHT AT MARIJUANA MEETING Why is marijuana illegal? Why is tobacco, a known cancer-causing killer, not? Why is alcohol consumption socially acceptable, but not tobacco or marijuana? None of these questions - or others posed at one of the largest "town hall" meetings organized by Fraser Valley MP Chuck Strahl - were answered fully during an often heated debate on a proposed bill to decriminalize marijuana. But Alliance MP Keith Martin says that is the purpose of his private member's bill, to "break the debate open" on marijuana, and to try and reduce the harm that substance abuse in general is doing to Canadian society. A show of hands among the 250 people at the Tuesday night meeting indicated that while many would favor marijuana decriminalization, fewer would support legalizing the drug. But almost all raised their hands in favor of the medical use of marijuana. However, addiction expert Dr. Ray Baker suggested during the meeting that banning marijuana would lead to a decrease in its use and to drug-related illnesses similar to the drop seen in liver disease when alcohol was prohibited in the U.S. from 1917 to 1930. "There isn't medical justification to show the benefits outweigh the risks (of smoked marijuana)," he says, and few doctors would be willing to prescribe the drug to patients. More adult Canadians than ever are smoking marijuana "with no significant consequences," he agrees, but over time they can become addicted and when they do, there is no turning back. "Anything we do to make people who use marijuana criminals is a stupid thing to do," he says, but "there will be harm created" by anything lawmakers do that increases its use. "It's something you've got to keep in mind," he says, especially for teenagers who will be tempted by increased availability to smoke the drug "because that's the adult thing to do." "That frightens me," he says, noting that tobacco companies learned long ago that the younger their customers are when they start smoking, the more likely they were to become life-long users. Young people are more prone than adults to addiction, he explains, and "anything that increases their drug use in adolescence results in an increase in future dependence. "For kids while they're in school, (marijuana) is a particularly hazardous drug," he says. But the addictive power of marijuana on adult users was disputed by lawyer John Conroy, who says appeal court justices in B.C. and Ontario have ruled "as fact" that marijuana is not addictive and poses no risk to the public. Dr. Baker shot back that the lawyer's legal "evidence" on addiction "isn't worth a hoot" because it is "not based on current research, which is changing all the time." Conroy also questioned whether the proposed decriminalization bill is constitutional, and suggested "tailoring" any marijuana law to adult users only. Gord Currie, a mayoral candidate in past Chilliwack civic elections, says he favors legalization because adults in a free society should be able to do as they please as long as no harm is done to others. But Martin says Canada can't afford to simply legalize marijuana because "if we were to do that, we would have a trade war (with the U.S.) on our hands." One 24-year-old Chilliwack resident, who identified herself only as Jennifer, says it is "ludicrous" to criminalize marijuana smokers, noting the drug was first deemed illegal in Canada only as a means to deport unwanted Chinese immigrants. The drug's current criminal status is a red flag to teenagers seeking to rebel against authority, says Andrea Huguet, a Narcotics Anonymous member in Abbotsford. "Kids do drugs because they're illegal," she says. "They rebel." And she believes decriminalization of marijuana would save many lives by focusing society's attention on the hard drugs that do kill, like heroin. "A lot of my friends have died," she says. "I've never heard of anyone over-dosing on marijuana. I've never heard of anyone who died from marijuana." Strahl says he is leaning toward voting in favor of the decriminalization bill because the $250 to $1,000 in fines it would impose at least discourages youngsters from using the drug without "wrecking their lives" by hanging a criminal record around their necks. - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel