Pubdate: Fri, 09 Jun 2017 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2017 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Page: A14 DECRIMINALIZE IMMEDIATELY Pot smokers are not known for getting things done in a hurry, but legislators seeking to revamp our marijuana laws shouldn't follow their lead. In fact the federal government should hurry up and decriminalize possession of recreational marijuana immediately. The Liberal government plans to legalize, regulate and restrict cannabis by July 2018. The promise was part of the election platform that propelled the party to a majority government. The current laws are not working - and a strong majority of Canadians support legalization. Too many people are ending up with minor criminal records, leaving the court system clogged and futures blighted. Young people are especially vulnerable. Yet legalization is still at least more than a year away and could easily take much longer. In the interim, possession of cannabis remains illegal. So anyone possessing a joint for personal use can be arrested, charged, possibly convicted and could face jail time and a criminal record. Given the government's sound logic for legalization, this doesn't make sense. If Ottawa is set on legalizing pot it cannot in good conscience continue to charge people for possession. This position is backed by Toronto's medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa. In her recent report on how to minimize the harms and use of marijuana, Villa estimates 59,000 charges and 22,000 convictions for simple possession will be laid by the time cannabis is legalized. Young people will be disproportionally affected during this time as Villa points out that pot use is highest among 20 to 25 year olds. The government and Canadians agree that such charges create an undue burden on public coffers and on the lives of those charged with these petty offences. Why wait to solve the problem? Supporting the decriminalization of pot possession before it is legalized should by no means be seen as an endorsement of the marijuana dispensaries that recently spread across Toronto, many of which were shut down by police. Selling large quantities of recreational marijuana in an unregulated context will remain illegal under the new system. But wasting police resources arresting Canadians for a pastime that soon will no longer be a crime is ridiculous. It clogs up the court system and can ruin the futures for young people, affecting work and travel opportunities. Sure those convicted can apply for a criminal pardon after a certain period of time and one hopes that once the law has changed the government will invoke an amnesty. But that all seems like a complicated make-work project. We ought to save the bureaucracy the time and effort and spare pot smokers the indignity of arrest for a crime we have collectively agreed ought not to be a crime. A better solution, for the individuals involved and society as a whole, is to stop laying charges. The federal government's decision to move forward and legalize marijuana was made because controlling cannabis production, distribution and consumption is seen as a way for the government to wrestle control away from organized crime and protect vulnerable youth. This is to the good. In the meantime, the current laws are doing little to prevent young people from using marijuana and too many Canadians are slapped with criminal records for possessing small amounts of cannabis. Taxpayers should not be made to continue to bear the cost and no more lives should be derailed by our overly harsh pot laws. It's time for legislators to take a deep breath and relax on this issue - and let pot smokers do the same. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt