Pubdate: Mon, 24 Apr 2017
Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: Robert McGarvey
Page: A6

REGULATING POT IS A FOOL'S ERRAND

The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana is another nail in
the coffin of Canada's expensive and wasteful war on drugs. But at
what social cost?

Former justice minister Anne McLellan, who chaired the federal task
force on marijuana legalization, and Bill Blair, a former Toronto
police chief, played key roles in the government's new legislation.
This forthright and responsible group examined the complex issues,
listened to many concerned citizens, drafted their reports and made
their recommendations.

The good news is that an absurd prohibition on pot is about to end.
The bad news is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals have
tied themselves in knots.

It's impossible to legalize a presently illegal substance, protect
youth from harm and stem the growth of Canada's violent criminal
underworld at the same time.

The legislation attempts to liberalize and regulate every aspect of
the marijuana trade, including its production, distribution, sale and
use. Adult Canadians will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of pot
and to grow four pot plants at home (strictly for personal use).
Possession by underage Canadians of a small amount (five grams) of
legal pot will be a civil matter, not a criminal offence. However,
there are also a host of draconian new criminal offences (with up to
14 years in jail) for those who sell or otherwise distribute pot to
underage persons. There are also new, lengthy prison sentences
proposed for even giving young people pot.

As Canadian youth are among the most prolific pot users on the planet,
the most obvious consequence of the proposed legislation is continued
growth in the criminal drug trade. That's precisely the opposite of
the intent.

Drug gangs are no trifling matter. The global illegal drug trade is a
$300-billion annual business. Regrettably, the proposed legislation
also introduces another mission impossible for police, who will soon
have a new host of unpopular and seemingly contradictory laws to uphold.

If we've learned one thing over the past 40 years, it's that police
forces are almost powerless in the face of widespread public demand
for cannabis. The United States, for example, spends $50 billion a
year trying to eradicate pot and other drugs. According to the DEA,
they intercept less than 10 per cent of illicit drugs. Certainly, the
Mexican drug cartels and homegrown gangs don't seem overly concerned.
They are gearing up for what will become a boom market in Canada.

Will the Liberals do more harm than good by regulating marijuana? How
effective will police be in thwarting a legal drug when their plate is
already full to overflowing? Among other things, they now will have to
deal with people caught driving under the influence of marijuana, with
enforcement tools that are so new and dodgy that they're likely to
fall on the first serious appeal.

The police will either retreat from this unpopular role or institute a
reign of terror on the road.

This pot legislation demonstrates, once again, the folly of righteous
government activism.

Have we learned nothing from the past? Legions of righteous people in
the 1920s sought to use government to morally improve society through
a prohibition on alcohol. The ultimate result (despite an almost total
retreat on prohibition): a growing disrespect for the law in general
and a host of organized crime syndicates operating with impunity.

Government using its legislative power in this fashion is a vain
attempt to improve society. And the new law certainly won't get rid of
violent drug cartels.

- ------------------------------------------------------------

Robert McGarvey is chief strategist for Troy Media, an economic 
historian and former managing director of Merlin Consulting.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt