Pubdate: Fri, 26 Dec 2014
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Page: B2
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Sheryl Ubelacker

CANADIANS MELLOW IN ATTITUDE TOWARD LEGALIZATION OF POT

There is clear evidence to demonstrate that the so-called war on
drugs has not achieved its stated objectives.

Smoke it, toke it, vape it, eat it - marijuana, it seems, is going
mainstream.

Once widely reviled by society at large as the demon weed, medical
grade cannabis is now available through federally licensed growers
with a doctor's prescription. Even some highly respected health
organizations are calling for the herb to be legalized and sold as a
taxable commodity like alcohol, in government-regulated outlets.

At the same time, Canadians also appear to be softening their
attitudes toward the drug.

"They see it as more normal," says Lorne Bozinoff, president and CEO
of Forum Research, which found in an August poll that 66 per cent of
almost 1,800 respondents across the country supported either complete
legalization or decriminalization for possession of small amounts.
Just 16 per cent wanted the laws left unchanged, while 14 per cent
champion the notion of stiffer penalties.

"We don't get numbers like that in polling, where two-thirds of
Canadians agree on the same thing," says Bozinoff. "So that's where
the country's moved to, and this is a good social barometer of where
the country's at."

Some health groups have also shifted their attitude toward cannabis,
although their reasons are more about protecting Canadians' health.

Early this year, the chief medical officers of health for British
Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia called on Ottawa to rethink its
marijuana control strategy, including considering regulation and taxation.

"There is clear evidence to demonstrate that the so-called war on
drugs has not achieved its stated objectives of reducing rates of drug
use or drug availability," said B. C.' s Dr. Perry Kendall. "There are
alternative approaches that have proved more effective in protecting
public heath."

The Canadian Public Health Association echoed that sentiment in its
own policy statement, saying: "Canada needs a public health approach
to managing illegal psychoactive substances that de-emphasizes
criminalization and stigma in favour of evidence-based strategies to
reduce harm."

In October, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health ( CAMH) threw
its support behind legalization, saying a few select strains of
marijuana should be sold like beer, wine and spirits in government
outlets, with strict age limits to prevent its purchase by minors.

"We are actually not favourable to what has been happening in Colorado
and Washington," said Jurgen Rehm, director of social and
epidemiological research at CAMH, referring to the first two U. S.
states to legalize weed ( Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D. C.,
recently followed suit.)

CAMH wants to see only a few varieties sold in regulated outlets, and
only those that contain moderate levels of THC, the main psychoactive
substance in grass, said Rehm, noting that the drug carries a number
of dangers, including fatalities when stoned drivers get behind the
wheel and the risk of developing dependence.

"Let's do it correct from the beginning. Let's not say this is a
harmless drug, nothing will ever happen. No, it is a drug, it has
consequences. "

Marc Emery, the self-styled "Prince of Pot" who returned to Canada in
August after more than four years serving a U. S. prison sentence for
selling cannabis seeds to Americans, says the city he calls home
offers a good model.

"The reason I say that is because we have very little crime related to
marijuana use, and yet we have over 60 dispensaries now selling
marijuana and most of them sell 10 to 20 different varieties."

The normalization of marijuana was also given a boost last year when
federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau came out in favour of
legalization, a position met with a flurry of attacks by the Harper
government, which has remained steadfast in its opposition to
softening the law.

"I think they thought they had caught Justin Trudeau in a gotcha
moment," said pollster Bozinoff. "They made a big deal over the whole
marijuana thing, and no one cared, as the numbers showed." 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D