Pubdate: Mon, 10 Sep 2001
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Section: Page A4
Copyright: 2001, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Daniel Leblanc

NEW SENATOR SEEKS TO ADD EXPERIENCE TO POT COMMITTEE

OTTAWA -- Jean Lapointe, the country's newest senator, collected hangovers 
when he was a young singer and humorist.

The long-time Quebec entertainer turned his life around in 1974, having 
awakened in a hospital for the fifth time in two years after a drinking 
binge. He is closely involved with four drug and alcohol treatment centres 
that bear his name, where he has witnessed the devastation created by 
booze, cocaine and heroin in people as young as 12 and as old as 77.

Named to the Senate this summer, the 65-year-old wants to join a special 
committee of the chamber that is studying the country's illegal-drug laws. 
Having spent his youth in a haze and having seen countless alcoholics and 
drug addicts fighting for their lives, Mr. Lapointe plans to use his Senate 
position to push for a crackdown on hard drugs -- and the legalization of 
marijuana.

"I've seen drunk guys getting into fights very often, but I've never seen 
anyone who was stoned getting into a brawl. I don't know how else to say 
this, but marijuana is peaceful," he said in an interview last week, adding 
his voice to the growing chorus of politicians advocating looser marijuana 
laws.

Mr. Lapointe said his views could change as he hears from medical experts, 
especially on the long-term health impact of marijuana use. For now, he 
compares pot to alcohol: Most users enjoy it moderately and responsibly, 
and the focus should be on helping those who have a problem to ensure they 
don't engage in theft and other crimes.

"Ideally, people could use marijuana occasionally without hurting anyone, 
that's my dream. It's like alcohol. Among 100 kids who take a drink, there 
are maybe five who'll have a problem," he said. "It's the same thing for 
pot; it's hard to hold back 95 people because five people have a problem."

Mr. Lapointe draws the line at heroin, cocaine and opium, however.

"No, no, no. I've seen too often the harm that those drugs cause. I'll 
never accept that," he said, referring to the legalization of hard drugs.

Famous and loved in Quebec, Mr. Lapointe was, in 1963, the first French 
Canadian to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. In those days, he was part of a 
duo called Les J,rolas; he played the comic foil to straight man J,r"me Lemay.

Mr. Sullivan loved the pair's antics so much that at a buffet after the 
show, he shouted: "Get me those young French Canadian boys . . . I want 
them next to me."

In 1978, Mr. Lapointe earned his artistic stripes for his portrayal of 
former Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis in a miniseries. Last month, he 
released his 17th album of songs called Behind two eyes . . . there's a 
story, which some critics said is one of his best.

Mr. Lapointe is an open book. He knows it would probably be more prudent 
politics to keep his views on drugs to himself for now, but he can't refuse 
an interview, and he can't lie or fudge when he's answering a question, 
however personal.

He is the first to admit that alcohol ruined a good part of his life. 
During one of his stays in a hospital, he left his room in pyjamas and went 
to a bar where he started off with a double cognac and two beers. On his 
way to a rehab program shortly after, he downed three straight vodkas, and 
then embarked on six weeks of withdrawal hell.

After he quit drinking, Mr. Lapointe kept gambling. He could lose a fortune 
playing cards and betting on horse races, or win a Porsche, as he did once 
at a casino in Monaco. He collected works by artists such as Jean-Paul 
Lemieux, but had to sell them because of money problems.

"I no longer have any big paintings. Life is life, with its ups and downs," 
he said.

Mr. Lapointe's wife, C,cile, died recently, breaking his heart and bringing 
back his demons. He will forever fight an urge to drink.

"I lost my wife last May and I have to admit, one week later, I became, 
like, thirsty. But I have friends who are part of an organization, to whom 
I explained my fears, and they came to see me immediately."

Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, the instigator of the special Senate committee 
on illegal drugs, said he would be thrilled to have Mr. Lapointe on board. 
For now, however, Mr. Lapointe's appointment has to be vetted by his Senate 
superiors.

Mr. Nolin knows that the entertainer's presence on the committee would 
bring publicity and notoriety, but he also urges Mr. Lapointe to keep an 
open mind on marijuana as well as on hard drugs.

"He's very honest. He says publicly what a lot of people are saying. But 
he'll benefit from the public hearings to broaden his knowledge," Mr. Nolin 
said.

The debate on drugs is heating up in Ottawa as more and more 
parliamentarians suggest that getting caught with a joint shouldn't lead to 
a criminal record.

The Senate committee will hear from more expert witnesses in the fall, then 
go on the road to hear what Canadians have to say about marijuana. At the 
same time, a similar committee in the House of Commons will start tackling 
the issue of all illegal-drug use, trying to determine whether the country 
needs to tighten or loosen the laws.

Mr. Lapointe said there are still many questions that remain to be answered 
before pot is legalized, though he certainly wants the drug out of the grip 
of criminal gangs.

"Who would sell it? Would it be in pharmacies? Who would be in control, et 
cetera? I'm not in a position to answer those questions."

Not that he would go for a toke if it were made legal. He said the last 
time he tried marijuana was in the mid-1960s.

"I didn't like it," he said. The buzz intensified his claustrophobia.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom