Canada's crime rate is at a 30-year low, with both the rate and the severity of reported crime falling constantly over that time. So it seems odd that the federal government would respond by adopting "get tough on crime" policies similar to those in the United States, where the prison population is by far the highest in the world thanks to mandatory sentences and prison terms for minor offences - one in four prisoners on earth is behind bars in the United States. And yet America still has some of the highest crime rates in the developed world. [continues 794 words]
A new study suggests there may be a reason Canadians are generally seen as more laid-back than their American counterparts. According to a recent report by the United Nations, Canadians use marijuana at four times the world average rate, making Canada the leader of the industrialized world in pot smoking. The 2007 World Drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says that 16.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 64 smoked marijuana or used another cannabis product in 2006. The world average is 3.8 per cent. The Canadian statistic is surprising, to say the least. [continues 301 words]
Two of the world's great democracies are struggling with radical social change. Recognizing that the world has changed, Canada is set to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Initially, Ottawa allowed marijuana to be prescribed for medical reasons, and now that courts have struck down marijuana laws in some provinces, Ottawa is moving to decriminalize possession across the country. Recognizing that chewing gum perhaps isn't the evil influence some believe it to be, Singapore is once again allowing citizens to chew gum. [continues 555 words]
