Pubdate: Tue, 05 Nov 2002 Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 Parksville Qualicum Beach News Contact: http://www.pqbnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361 Author: Mark Russell TELL OTTAWA TO GIVE COLLECTIVE HEAD A SHAKE Re: Senator Nolan's letter, "Get the right message on pot." For an appointed not elected bureaucrat, Sen. Nolan's letter certainly was an enlightened, and honest look at the controversial issues surrounding the drug war in general and the senate special committee report on illegal drugs as it regards cannabis. The senator hit the nail on the head on several points in his letter. The main one being the fact that many people didn't listen to or misunderstood what was written. This happened almost immediately back in September. Those who want to perpetuate the drug war jumped on the report like it was written by the devil himself One of the first things said was a slight on the committee member's ethics and abilities. "They're appointed not elected, therefore their opinions carry no weight." The prohibitionists dismissed the committee's report so quickly after its release there's no way they could have read it thoroughly. A good example was the issue about allowing children as young as 16 legal access to marijuana. The prohibitionists want us to believe the report endorses childhood drug use. It doesn't. The report didn't recommend this but its detractors sure made it sound that way. Didn't they? Prohibition adherents will have a hard time accepting the senate committee's findings because they fly in the face of everything they've come to know about cannabis. (Or everything they've been told about cannabis, remember Reefer Madness?) Some of the other issues cleared up by the Senator's letter include: 1. The goal of the drug war, a completely drug free society, is unattainable and unrealistic. 2. We shouldn't prosecute, persecute, or try to cage people for ingesting a plant. 3. Harm-Reduction: (education, treatment, and prevention), not using the law to bulldoze the problem away is the common sense approach to the issue of drug abuse. 4. The committee heard from justice and police officials and considered their submissions. The senators dismissed much of what the authorities described as the evils of marijuana use. For instance the committee found that marijuana wasn't the gateway drug it's reported to be . In fact the gateway was exposure to criminal dealers who have to push other wares like heroin, cocaine and pills . The most important conclusions to come out of the report refer to our civil liberties and rights. The committee recommended that the federal government respect Canadians, abilities to make decisions for ourselves, to respect the fact that we can make wise choices regarding cannabis. The government should presume that we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, but they haven't done so as long as this drug war has been going on, some 70 years now. Please call Ottawa and tell them to give their head a shake. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart