Pubdate: Fri, 29 Mar 2002
Source: Centretown News (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002 Centretown News
Contact:  http://www.carleton.ca/ctown/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2112
Author: Jillian Follert

LOCAL RESIDENTS SUPPORT DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA

Ottawa residents almost unanimously called for the decriminalization of 
marijuana last week at a town hall meeting.

Ottawa Centre Liberal MP Mac Harb, organized the meeting as part of a 
government sponsored nation-wide consultation on non-medicinal drug use.

"I was absolutely surprised to tell the truth," he says. "I never ever 
thought we would have such unanimity on this."

In May 2001, a House of Commons special committee was formed , and it is 
preparing to release a full report next November.

The opinions and recommendations gathered from these town hall meetings 
will be an integral part of the report, says Harb.

The meeting was intended to discuss the use of all non-medicinal drugs, but 
participants kept the debate firmly centered on the issues surrounding 
marijuana.

The vast majority of the 40 residents in attendance supported 
decriminalization, while only about half supported legalization.

To many, these terms seem synonymous, but the House of Commons committee 
makes a point of emphasizing the difference between the two options.

Decriminalization would take the possession and selling of marijuana out of 
the Criminal Code and make it either a civil offence or not an offence at all.

Legalization means the government can regulate the sale and use of the drug 
by growing it and distributing it.

The government currently allows medicinal marijuana use on a case-by-case 
basis, but many say the process of obtaining it is too complicated.

Arlene Moke who attended the meeting, is concerned about the delay.

"It's just nonsense," The government has to do something and they have to 
do it pretty fast," she says.

Moke volunteers at the Needle Exchange Program and she works with a lot of 
people who live with AIDS.

She says that smoking marijuana helps to stimulate the appetite.

"When they smoke marijuana they're able to relax, they're able to eat 
again," she says.

Jack McCarthy, another resident at the meeting agrees marijuana must be 
made more readily available for medical purposes.

"We have to decriminalize it for people going through cancer treatments and 
things like that," he says. "It has to be done if on no grounds other than 
compassion."
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MAP posted-by: Beth