Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2002
Source: Trail Daily Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Trail Daily Times
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/trail/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1043
Author: John Ward
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Martin+Cauchon (Cauchon, Martin)

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA, SENATE COMMITTEE SAYS; POLICE JUST SAY NO

OTTAWA (CP) -- Pot smoking should be legal for any resident over 16, a 
Senate committee said Wednesday in a sweeping recommendation that goes 
beyond decriminalization or even the kind of tolerance in such 
cannabis-friendly jurisdictions as the Netherlands.

The report was hailed by marijuana activists but fiercely condemned by the 
Canadian Police Association which called it "a back-to-school gift for drug 
pushers."

Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chairman of the special committee that drafted 
the report, acknowledged the issue remains in the hands of the federal 
government and said nothing is likely to happen quickly.

A House if Commons committee is expected to issue a report on illicit drugs 
in November. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said the government will study 
those findings and won't unveil its position before early next year.

Cauchon wouldn't say whether he feels the time has come for legalization, 
but he did suggest current marijuana laws are outdated.

"When we have legislation that's not really being enforced because it's no 
longer consistent with social realities, it's important for a government to 
look at and reshape such legislation."

While all political parties support decriminalization, legalization is a 
big step beyond that. The former would make it legal to possess small 
amounts of cannabis for personal use; the latter could see it sold at 
government outlets, even corner stores.

The report said the current system of prohibition simply doesn't work and 
should be replaced by a regulated system, perhaps like that used for 
alcohol, with cannabis available to anyone 16 or older.

"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is 
substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a 
criminal issue but as a social and public health issue," Nolin said.

The senators called for an amnesty for the 300,000 to 600,000 Canadians who 
have a criminal record for simple possession of cannabis.

They also recommended improvements to ease access to medicinal marijuana 
for people undergoing cancer chemotherapy or those suffering from glaucoma 
or chronic pain.

David Griffin, executive director of the Canadian Police Association, said 
he was appalled by the report.

"Drugs are not dangerous because they're illegal, drugs are illegal because 
they are dangerous," he said. "There is no such thing as safe use of 
illicit drugs, including marijuana."

The association said drugs, crime and violence go hand in hand, but Nolin 
said marijuana use doesn't lead to violence and legalizing it will 
eliminate the organized drug traffickers who may use violence.

Nolin said scientific studies found that cannabis is not addictive and has 
few, if any, long-term effects.

The report also concluded that the long-held view that cannabis use leads 
to abuse of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin, is wrong.

Nolin said liberalization policies in other countries have produced 
short-term rises in the number of users, but that this effect levelled off 
and eventually dropped.

He said the senators recommended legalization over decriminalization 
because the latter would leave the production and sale of cannabis in the 
hands of organized crime.

Nolin said the idea is not to encourage marijuana use, but to regulate it, 
saving hundreds of millions in annual drug-enforcement costs.

Marc Boris Saint-Maurice, leader of the Marijuana Party, welcomed the 
report, joking that Nolin should become senator for his party.

But Saint-Maurice didn't see the report as a breakthrough.

"The big challenge, now, is to see those recommendations translated in the 
reality," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl