Pubdate: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Page: A10 Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Brian Laghi ADVOCATES GET PUFFED UP OVER THE USE OF MARIJUANA Judging By The New Statistics, Smoking Pot Keeps Getting More Acceptable Jennifer and her husband, Greg, know it will be hard when they ultimately sit down to tell their children that Mom and Dad smoke marijuana. But it won't be any more difficult than talking to them about sex or any of the other big issues most conscientious parents discuss with their children these days. "Our parenting style is to not to hide anything from them," says Jennifer, an Ottawa lawyer in her late 30s who says she regularly smokes marijuana on weekends. "It's sticky, but talking about sex, that's difficult, too," she says. Jennifer, not her real name, is one of a growing number of Canadians who have continued to smoke marijuana well into their 30s. She and her husband have jobs with good salaries, a cottage and young children who go to private school. Jennifer says that most of their friends smoke marijuana, too, as do a good number of lawyers in Ottawa. "Quite frankly, I'd rather my kids smoke marijuana rather than drink," she says. "I have never delved into any other kind of drug, and I don't plan to." Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon began musing publicly this week about decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana. The 39-year-old Mr. Cauchon told reporters that he also had smoked marijuana once or twice in his youth, and those who have been pushing for the drug's decriminalization say it is a good thing that he is willing to admit it, because it will probably get other individuals his age who have smoked marijuana out of the closet. Some researchers say the fact that the number of older Canadians who smoke marijuana -- or have smoked it in the past -- has increased is also having an effect, by removing the stigma and mystery of the drug for others. According to a series of recent surveys compiled by the Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2000, about 12.3 per cent of Ontarians between the ages of 30 and 39 reported having smoked marijuana in the previous year, an increase from 4 per cent in 1982. The numbers are also up among those between the ages of 20 and 29, with 28.2 per cent saying they had smoked the drug during the previous year, compared to 22.7 per cent in 1982. And, although statistics show marijuana smoking drops substantially by the time Canadians reach their 40s, there are still more middle aged smokers now than their were in the 1980s. Addiction researchers say the Ontario results on marijuana tend to be a fairly good reflection of what's going on in the rest of the country. West Coast residents smoke a little more, statistics say, while those on the East Coast may be a little less inclined to indulge. Meanwhile, another national study conducted eight years ago shows that about one-third of those Canadians in Mr. Cauchon's age group (35 to 44) have tried marijuana on at least one occasion. Alan Young, a Toronto lawyer and law professor who smokes marijuana, says many Canadians stop imbibing in their mid-20s because it proves incompatible with their lifestyles and family lives. But a small percentage, like himself, continue to smoke marijuana, he said in a phone interview from his Toronto home. Mostly, Mr. Young said he smokes in his home, at the end of a long day when the ordinary responsibilities of being an adult have been taken care of. "For me, it's all about withdrawing and relaxing from the pressures of the day," he said. "A momentary vacation." As a lawyer, Mr. Young said his use of marijuana is fairly well accepted among his peers, many of whom also use the drug. He acknowledges, however, that many Canadians won't discuss their decision to smoke because, of course, possessing marijuana is still illegal. He congratulates Mr. Cauchon for acknowledging his past behaviour, but adds that the minister should remove the stigma for other Canadians by moving quickly to decriminalize the possession of marijuana. "I say to the minister, 'You've committed a crime. If you recognize the horror of having that label put upon you and that you would not have become minister of justice if you got caught, that should motivate you to make the change quickly without having five years of consultation.' " Mr. Young, a champion of decriminalization, is also a strong advocate of discussing marijuana smoking with children and has talked to his stepdaughter about it. "You have to have discussions with young people about this," he said. "I don't understand this cloaking in a veil of silence. I want to make sure they have the correct information to make the right choices." Craig Jones, a research associate with Queen's University's Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, says it's difficult to say how far into the middle class marijuana consumption has reached. Research suggests that, among those of working age, the highest prevalence of marijuana smoking is among those looking for work and semi-skilled workers. Mr. Jones argues that the more salient fact is that many who smoked marijuana in their youth are now into their 40s and have observed that their earlier behaviour has not had a deleterious effect on them. "I think the most important consideration is the process of demystification that has happened as a result of the sixties and seventies generation graduating into their 40s and 50s and realizing that we have a social policy that's just dysfunctional," he said. Mr. Jones notes that it has taken a substantial amount of time to get to the point where Canadians are willing to dismiss some of the myths about marijuana. He points to the days in the earlier part of the 20th century when marijuana was linked with insanity and violence, and later in the century, when antimarijuana lobbyists argued that excessive use of the drug made people lazy. Indeed, some researchers say there is little doubt that fear can be a factor in the rates of marijuana use. In Ontario during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rate of consumption dropped, a decline that one researcher attributes to publicity surrounding a rise in the use of cocaine, which triggered general anxiety about drug addiction. "The more a population perceives a greater risk, there will be a change in behaviour," said Edward Adlaf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Mr. Young, for his part, says that if antimarijuana advocates want to study cannabis and its effects on health, they now have a captive population of guinea pigs. "I know hundreds and hundreds of people over the age of 40 that smoke marijuana," he said. "We have a population of long-standing marijuana smokers to study for research purposes to determine if some of the harms the prohibitionists claim are actualities." WHO USES MARIJUANA? Ontarians over 18 who have used cannabis over the past decade. ..............................1991......1992......1994.....1996.....1998.....2000 Total surveyed.....1,047.....1,058.....2,022.....2,721....2,509....2,406 Percentage of users..........8.7%.......6.2%......9.0%......8.7%......8.6%...10.8% Men...............11.5%.......9.1%.....11.4%.....12.6%.....12.1%...14.3% Women..............6.0%.......3.6%......7.0%......5.3%......5.4%....7.7% Age 18-29 years.......19.9%......13.3%.....19.6%.....18.3%.....25.2%...28.2% 30-39 years........9.1%.......6.6%.....10.2%.....11.3%......8.2%...12.3% 40-49 years........3.0%.......2.4%......4.3%......6.1%......4.6%....6.4% 50-64 years.........-.........1.3%.......-.........-........1.4%....2.9% 65+ years...........-..........-.........-.........-.........-.......- Never married.....20.2%......13.7%.....20.9%.....19.5%.....22.9%....26.4% Married............4.0%.......3.5%......4.1%......4.9%......4.3%.....6.2% Live in Toronto...12.3%.......6.7%......9.9%.....10.9%.....13.3%....14.0% Toronto outskirts..7.3%.......6.5%......8.0%......9.6%......8.4%....10.5% West.............10.3%.......4.2%......9.5%......7.3%......7.6%....10.0% East..............5.1%.......7.1%......8.2%......7.9%......6.9%.....9.1% North.............3.8%.......5.6%......7.8%......6.3%......7.1%.....8.4% Less than high school education..6.3%.......6.3%......8.5%......6.1%......6.8%....10.4% Finished high school.......9.8%.......5.2%......9.6%......9.5%.....10.7%.....9.5% Some college or university....10.7%.......6.7%.....10.3%.....11.3%.....10.2%....15.7% University degree..7.6%.......7.2%......7.0%......7.0%......5.6%.....7.0% SOURCE: CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom