Pubdate: Fri, 13 Jul 2007
Source: North Bay Nugget (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007 North Bay Nugget
Contact:  http://www.nugget.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2226
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

DECRIMINALIZATION UP IN SMOKE?

Decriminalization of marijuana will not happen in our lifetime. Not 
at this rate.

Liberal Senator Larry Campbell restated his preference this week to 
regulate and control pot just as alcohol production and distribution 
is governed.

Then "tax the hell out of it," Campbell urges, with revenues rolled 
into underfunded priorities like health care.

Too much is spent on enforcement and justice with too little gained, 
he rightly said, although many people would agree it would be a waste 
of time trying to control something people can grow in their backyards.

Debate was sparked this week when the United Nations reported there 
are more Canadian tokers now than ever before, as far as its 2007 
study on worldwide drug use is concerned.

Among developed nations, our citizens apparently rank highest when it 
comes to telling pollsters they smoked marijuana in 2004. The 16.8 
per cent who admitted breaking the law beat out the Americans by more 
than four percentage points, and easily outpaced residents of 
Britain, France and Germany.

Of course, that was the year Canadians thought Paul Martin was 
serious when he started pushing through the Grit decriminalization law.

The legislation soon died on the vine and it's highly unlikely Prime 
Minister Stephen Harper will lead a Conservative charge to make 
getting stoned any easier.

In fact, police charges for marijuana possession jumped 20 per cent 
since the Grit law went up in smoke.

And Harper's people have let it be known they're capable of adopting 
American approaches.

The marijuana issue, don't forget, acts as a poker chip in a larger 
political gambit.

And let's face it, the Harper government hasn't won a lot of its 
hands with George W. Bush in power. Bickering over resources, 
philosophical differences about security and the meagre availability 
of our military somehow gets in the way.

Only our bravery in Afghanistan impresses our southerly neighbours. 
But the war on drugs is something Harper can embrace full throttle, 
one of those win-win situations if one wants to impress a trading 
partner while serving his party and constituents.

Think of it as Harper's way to keep our kids at home, the youth 
outmigration problem solved by giving a higher percentage of its 
citizens criminal records.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom