Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418

MARIJUANA DEBATE CALLS FOR CAUTION

Guelph-Wellington MP Brenda Chamberlain has weighed in on a Senate 
committee report calling for the legalization of marijuana, and there were 
no real surprise in her comments.

In a joint (no pun intended) statement with Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle 
issued Thursday, Chamberlain said the idea of legalizing pot is "bizarre."

"To legalize marijuana is not the way to go," she told a Mercury reporter 
yesterday. "To put marijuana in corner stores is not a direction we should 
be moving in, and I don't support it."

On Wednesday, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs raised eyebrows 
when it went further than most people expected as it recommended not only 
that marijuana be decriminalized, but that it be made legal.

As marijuana advocates and law enforcement agencies -- notably the Canadian 
Police Association -- were chiming in on different sides of the issue, 
federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon was trying to calm the waters.

While sidling past the question of legalization, Cauchon did suggest 
Thursday that decriminalization "would be a feasible first step" towards 
the reform of marijuana laws in this country.

That played into a sentiment which Cauchon claims has "strong support" 
here: that possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use 
shouldn't be a criminal matter.

Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper said 'not so fast.'

"As a parent, I would be more concerned about pot use than alcohol use by 
my children, even in moderation," he told the media.

For all those who have followed the great marijuana debate in Canada, all 
this sounds very familiar.

It was 30 years ago that the first major government-sponsored investigation 
of marijuana issued its report, and a look back proves revealing.

The LeDain royal commission attracted attention not only in Canada but also 
in other parts of the world, especially the United States, which has taken 
a much more conservative approach to drug use than many other Western nations.

Coming at a time when penalties meted out by the courts for a whole range 
of drug offences were notably harsher than they are today, the LeDain 
commission of the early 1970s made the then-radical recommendation that the 
simple possession of cannibas and cultivation for personal use be allowed, 
but that criminal sanctions continue against the importation and 
trafficking of marijuana.

"Although research has not clearly established that cannibas has 
sufficiently harmful effects to justify the present legislative policy 
towards it, there are serious grounds for social concerns about its use," 
the commission report concluded.

"This concern calls for a continuing policy to discourage its use by means 
which involve a more acceptable cost than present policies to the 
individual and to society," the commissioners found, and recommended less 
stringent criminal sanctions regarding the illegal distribution of marijuana.

Even with the LeDain inquiry there was no unanimity. Two of the five 
commissioners issued dissenting opinions. Commissioner Ian Campbell in 
particular opposed the decriminalization of simple possession of marijuana, 
stating such a move "is apt to be seriously misinterpreted, particularly by 
young people."

Marijuana possession, of course, remains a criminal offence in this 
country, although it's not uncommon for first-time offenders who appear 
before the courts to be granted as lenient a penalty as possible, an 
absolute discharge.

It's quite evident that the question of non-medicinal use of drugs in this 
country is far from resolved, and there are some interesting side issues to 
consider.

Regardless of the question of marijuana's addictive or non-addictive 
properties, for instance, there's little question that smoking marijuana, 
like smoking a cigarette, a cigar or a pipe, isn't particularly beneficial 
to your health. In fact, the impact on your lungs of inhaling a joint is as 
harmful -- maybe even more harmful -- as sucking in tobacco smoke.

At a time when the federal government and health agencies are spending a 
considerable amount of money to try and convince smokers to give up the 
habit, it's ironic that a non-elected government body is sending a signal, 
no matter how well intentioned, that could seduce people into believing 
that marijuana smoking is a benign activity, healthwise.

Finally, Justice Minister Cauchon was quick to play down any impact the 
Senate committee report may have in Washington. He won't be swayed by 
American views on marijuana, he said. "I'll do what's good for Canadian 
society."

That's a noble sentiment, but a naive one. There's little question that 
decriminalization, let alone legalization, of marijuana in Canada would be 
viewed dimly by U.S. lawmakers. That's a reality we have to deal with, and 
one that has to be taken into account in this cautious debate.
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