Pubdate: Fri, 29 Jun 2007
Source: Niagara This Week (CN ON)
Copyright: 2007 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing
Contact:  http://www.niagarathisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3733
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

REVISIT POT LAW

They called prohibition, the banning of the production, distribution 
and sale of alcohol early in the last century 'The Noble Experiment.' 
It was supposed to rid society of drunkenness, poverty, crime and 
various other societal ills.

By any measure, it was a catastrophic failure. People thumbed their 
nose at the law in ever-growing numbers, and organized crime bosses 
got fat off the distribution of booze. Governments in Canada and the 
U.S. were forced to repeal blanket bans.

Flash forward 70-something years and we're in an eerily similar 
situation. This time around, it's marijuana: many Canadians simply 
ignore the fact that possessing pot is a crime.

That's led to a situation mimicking prohibition: illegal grow-ops 
have taken the place of ma and pa stills. Their numbers are growing 
exponentially, and police say upwards of 90 per cent of the grow-ops 
are run by organized crime. Thousands of Canadians are burdened with 
a criminal record each year, just for being caught with a joint or two.

With each passing year, pot on the streets of Canada and the United 
States is more potent and more easily obtained. The National Center 
for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found in 
2002 that for the first time, a higher percentage of teens found it 
easier to buy marijuana than cigarettes and alcohol.

Cigarettes are legal in Ontario, but smoking rates continue to drop 
through a combination of education and tight restrictions on the sale 
of cancer sticks to minors. Alcohol is legal, but per capita 
consumption of booze is continually falling in Ontario.

It's logical to assume pot consumption will follow the same trend 
through decriminalization and regulation, and it'll put illegal 
grow-ops out of business.

With the best of intentions, governments and law enforcement 
officials may be making the drug problem worse by continuing to pour 
untold millions of dollars into the war on drugs.

Federal Justice Minister and Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson promises 
tougher penalties for those who grow and push marijuana and other 
drugs. But the lessons taught by prohibition tell us that probably won't work.

Should we legalize pot overnight? Of course not. The dearth of 
scientific studies into the long-term consequences of regular 
marijuana use means that would be irresponsible. Controlled, 
scientific studies must be carried out under the government's watchful eye.

But the drug problem isn't going away, and every indication is that 
it will only get worse without a fundamental shift in current public policy.

The drug problem is not something we can arrest ourselves out of.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman