Pubdate: Tue, 06 Dec 2016
Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Hamilton Spectator
Contact:  http://www.thespec.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181
Author: Howard Elliott
Page: A13

TWO SOLUTIONS WE NEED BEFORE POT IS LEGAL

Considering that the Trudeau government already has a growing problem
with election promises, the last thing it wants is to wobble on
marijuana legalization, which will come to fruition sometime in early
to mid-2017. A task force, bureaucrats and politicians are working a
legislative framework to go before Parliament next spring with a
rollout plan to follow.

But there are a couple of large flashing yellow lights on the road to
legalization that the government needs to come to grips with first.

First is modern pot potency and its impact on the human brain,
particularly in people 25 and under, whose brains are not yet fully
developed. This is not your father's marijuana. It contains much
higher levels of THC - the strongest and most addictive element. New
and frightening research suggests frequent and prolonged use is more
likely to trigger severe mental health issues and illness in those
predisposed than previously thought. And heavy use is increasingly
linked to cognition issues, anxiety and depression.

Some argue this is a reason to reconsider legalization, but there's a
big stopper in that position - the status quo, in which growing
numbers of the most vulnerable people are using modern pot without
regulation, and without adequate understanding of the risks.
Legalization with regulation offers the opportunity to take some
control over potency. If, for example, the legal age ends up being 18,
potency could be legislated for legal buyers under 25 to mitigate
health risks. This isn't about stopping or promoting marijuana use -
that's already endemic in the population, particularly young people.
Appropriate regulation, which can only happen with legalization, can
almost be equated with harm reduction strategies. At any rate we can't
go forward with legalization until this is dealt with.

The other big flashing light is impaired driving. Research suggests
most users, especially young ones, believe driving stoned is less
dangerous than driving drunk. Different, definitely, but not less
dangerous. Coroners' research shows dead drivers are 40 per cent more
likely to have drugs than alcohol in their system. And yet just 2.6
per cent of impaired charges laid last year were for drugs. Clearly we
are not catching as many people driving stoned as driving drunk.

Part of the reason for that is the lack of a counterpart to a roadside
breathalyzer for people suspected of being impaired by drugs. Testing
is being done on a saliva test than could be administered by police to
test for drugs including marijuana. Some research warns it isn't
reliable enough, but whether it's this technology or something else,
legalization cannot happen until adequate health and safety measures
are in place.

If these challenges cannot be overcome, the government will have to
delay promised legalization. Public health and safety comes before
election promises.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt