Pubdate: Sat, 27 Aug 2016
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Neil Boyd
Page: B4

THERE'S NO EASY ROAD MAP FOR MARIJUANA REGULATION

There are many big decisions to be made, Neil Boyd writes.

I first encountered cannabis in the spring of 1970 at the tender age
of 18, inhaling what was said to be blond Lebanese hashish at my
friend John's home (his parents were out of town). I definitely
noticed an impact, but decided the next morning that I didn't like the
effect - it was all a huge mistake, and I would never go down that
road again. I became something of a teenage proselytizer, even urging
my sisters to divest themselves of all music that appeared to
celebrate this pernicious conduct.

Little did I know that this "herb" would soon become a focus of my
professional life, when two years later I received a summer
scholarship from the LeDain Commission. My survey research
incorporated the Rokeach dogmatism scale and established that those
who were in favour of lessening penalties for cannabis possession were
less dogmatic than those opposed - not a particularly surprising finding.

Some 44 years later, Canada is about to tax and regulate the
production, distribution and possession of cannabis. The prime
minister has made it very clear that there are two objectives that are
key to his government's approach - eliminating the illicit trade in
the drug, and keeping it out of the hands of youth. This second goal
is achievable through strict regulation of sale, improved public
education, and a much better understanding of both the costs and the
benefits of this highly malleable substance.

But how to regulate cannabis? For most people and in most
circumstances, this is a drug that is less damaging to physical health
than either alcohol or tobacco, and less damaging to our social fabric
than alcohol.

But it's equally clear that laissez-faire advertising for the
promotion of cannabis is inconsistent with public health. Let's not
forget magazine advertisements from the 1950s - "more doctors smoke
Camels than any other cigarette" - or relatively recent television
productions from breweries, linking their product with a surprise
tattoo (an apparent consequence of an evening of somewhat excessive
consumption).

The goal of eliminating the illicit market in cannabis, with its
untaxed income and occasional violence, is compelling. There are three
potential ways to make this a reality. First, Canadians could be
allowed to grow their own cannabis, as long as they are not offering
it for sale and not imposing on their neighbours with respect to
odours or any other related nuisance.

Second, the systems of distribution should not be unnecessarily
exclusive. While it may well be reasonable to distribute cannabis
through Canada's pharmacies, it would also be reasonable to distribute
the drug through appropriately regulated storefront
dispensaries.

Third, public health demands that cannabis be distributed in a manner
that provides consumer protection, and an increased base of consumer
knowledge. Those who buy cannabis in dispensaries or pharmacies should
know of its THC and CBD potencies, and have guarantees that it has
been tested to a strict laboratory standard that excludes pesticides,
moulds, bacteria and other contaminants.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the realities of intersecting
federal, provincial and municipal law. Many Canadian municipalities
may choose not to licence retail sales of cannabis, and it is
difficult to imagine how they could be forced to do so. The downside
of such an approach, however - limiting sales to pharmacies - may be
that it might encourage the continuation of an illicit market within
these locations.

What about the line that we draw between medical and recreational use?
There are some very obvious examples of purely medical use - low-THC
and high-CBD cannabis applied as tinctures and creams, for example.
But most self-described medical users find both pleasure and relief
from pain in their use of the drug. In fact, the three most commonly
cited reasons for use are relief from pain, reduced anxiety, and
improved sleep (maybe not conceptually different from a glass of red
wine or a beer at the end of a long day of work).

As we move forward, we will need more research on the social and
medical benefits of a range of strains, and on the corresponding risks
of use, but that should be able to happen more easily now, as we move
toward a regime of legality. The 18-year-old boy who lectured his
sisters about the dangers of cannabis is no longer a dogmatic opponent
of much-needed change.

Neil Boyd is a professor and director of the school of criminology at 
Simon Fraser University.
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