Pubdate: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 The Calgary Sun Contact: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67 Author: Bill Kaufmann DOPEY SITUATION Marijuana Madness Prevails In Government's Inept Approach In 1972, the drug-addled Rolling Stones were still considered a threat to society as they barnstormed across North America. That same year, Jean Chretien was Indian Affairs minister in a Trudeau government toying with the idea of decriminalizing marijuana, but begged off over fears of angering the U.S. The LeDain Commission had called for decriminalizing personal cannabis use, a recommendation ultimately ignored. Fast-forward 31 years and some things remain frozen in time, others do not. A government headed by the same Chretien is said to be readying legislation that would eliminate criminal penalties for possessing small quantities of cannabis. But what ultimately emerges could be coloured by those enduring concerns over a possible backlash from a country that eagerly imprisons for life growers of a drug casually and unobtrusively consumed by many. A common sense law enshrining civil liberties and the concept of personal control over one's body will be under siege by the land of the brave and home of the free. We're to bow to the advice of a nation that incarcerates more people for drug offences -- nearly half a million -- than Europe imprisons for all infractions. By contrast, Canada's courts, time and again in recent months, have seen the nation's current prohibition law for what it is -- irrelevant and unjust. Decriminalization, we're still told, will lead us down the slippery slope to a holocaust of substance abuse. The truth is, prohibition has never been a powerful deterrent to the use of cannabis. Those choosing not to partake do so on a more personal basis, whether over health concerns or a preference for beer. People will either smoke it or they won't and even a widely-perceived greater societal acceptance of cannabis -- largely through advocacy for its medical use -- hasn't led to an increase in consumption. Then there's the contention decriminalization will be introducing a new wrinkle into the substance abuse pantheon. Sorry to break the obvious news, but that reality has existed for quite some time now; cannabis use has been present in virtually every socio-economic group for years. If a recent poll commissioned by Sun Media is to be believed, 58% of Canadians are now convinced the actual legalization of the substance won't lead to more widespread use of hard drugs. It's a telling statistic confronting a powerful myth critical to maintaining the legal status quo. Study after study in recent years has debunked the charge; tolerance for marijuana use in the Netherlands has been accompanied by a noticeable retreat in hard drug consumption there. And it's interesting to note marijuana use among young adolescents in the Netherlands is lower than in the U.S. Tobacco and alcohol -- both unlike marijuana, actually toxic -- are more likely "gateway" drugs. As for impaired driving, getting behind the wheel under the influence of any mind-altering drug is never a good idea, but research has shown cannabis to be far less dangerous than alcohol. The Sun poll also found only 14% of Canadians insist marijuana should always be illegal, while 40% believe it should be either legalized or decriminalized for recreational use. And 43% believe it should be legalized for medical purposes. Those results are even more significant, considering 56% of those same Canadians insist they've never smoked the herb. A massive, costly and destructive law enforcement industry has grown addicted to a drug that won't go away. What's worse, the obsession with the impossible task of stamping out the use of marijuana is sweeping up medicinal users into its dragnet. We're faced with the outrageous and ridiculous scenes of police officers and prosecutors hounding the sick because they seek relief from a plant. It's time to take a different approach by lessening our dependence on law enforcement by leaning more on harm reduction through education, treatment and prevention. The government's inept approach to regulating marijuana so far is reflected in its attempts to grow the drug for experimental medical purposes. To no one's surprise, it's been plagued with incompetence. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart