cannabisnews.com: Pot Bill Won't Survive Vote





Pot Bill Won't Survive Vote
Posted by FoM on November 07, 2001 at 10:22:20 PT
By Parker Barss Donham 
Source: Halifax Daily News
Members of Parliament get a chance to inject common sense into Canada’s irrational drug policies today when Alliance MP Keith Martin’s bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana comes up for a free vote in the House of Commons.It had to be an Alliance MP, of course, just as it had to be the virulently anti-Communist Richard Nixon who finally recognized the government of China. No one will accuse the Alliance of being soft on drugs. 
Alas, given Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s opposition, and his aversion to dissent within caucus, the bill seems unlikely to pass. Thirty-two years after the LeDain Royal Commission studied the issue exhaustively and recommended legalizing marijuana, the Liberals will let a golden opportunity slip by.That’s a shame. The 45,000 petty pot busts in Canada last year — arrests that overwhelming targeted young people — cost the criminal justice system about $150 million. They left thousands of youngsters with the stigma, and barrier to future employment, of a conviction. They diverted police from real crimes. They propelled hundreds of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens into transactions with criminals in their pursuit of pleasure.It’s a classic example of government overreach, of the nanny state making decisions citizens can make.Martin’s bill is a baby step. It would not fully decriminalize dope, but treat its possession in small quantities the way the law treats parking offences, with a maximum fine of $200 but no conviction. (“Decriminalize” is the euphemism for legalization favoured by timid advocates of common sense, mindful of the scorn heaped on people who voice plain, obvious truths on this issue.)Rationally, marijuana products have no place on the list of banned substances, at least not on medical grounds. The renowned British medical journal the Lancet concluded that “moderate indulgence in cannabis has little ill effect on health, and decisions to ban or to legalize cannabis should be based on other considerations.”The Canadian Medical Association favours decriminalizing it. So does Conservative Leader Joe Clark. Britain is set to eliminate penalties for small quantities, at which point smoking pot will be a non-criminal offence in almost all of Western Europe — where, ironically, fewer young people use marijuana than their counterparts in America, spiritual headquarters of the war on drugs. The case against continued criminal sanctions is iron clad. The tougher question is whether to apply the same logic to crack cocaine and heroin, whose use carries real harm.For anyone willing to look rationally at that question, it quickly becomes apparent that treating the use of harmful drugs as a criminal matter causes far more harm than the banned substances themselves. A government that can’t bring itself to legalize pot possession obviously lacks the maturity, and the intellectual honesty, to tackle that one.A friend proposes an elegant solution to the dual problem of Tantallon RCMP’s obsession with nudity and Halifax police’s inordinate fondness for strip-searching young women.Swap the two. Let Halifax cops cruise Crystal Crescent Beach, and let the Tantallon Mounties patrol raves. That way, Halifax police could tell bathers to, “take it off, take it all off.” Meanwhile the Mounties could order ecstatic dancers to, “Cover it up, sweetie.” Everyone would be happier.Note: Sadly, free vote today on legalizing marijuana will fail.Newshawk: puff_tuffSource: Halifax Daily News (CN NS)Author: Parker Barss Donham Published: Wednesday, November 07, 2001Copyright: 2001 Parker Barss DonhamWebsite: http://www.canada.com/halifax/dailynews/Contact: http://www.canada.com/halifax/info/contactus.htmlRelated Articles & Web Site:FTE's Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCops Take Pot-Shots at Lax Drug Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11273.shtmlCriminal Possession Law is Reefer Madnesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11272.shtmlChasing Potheads Called Waste of Timehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11258.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by johnrambo on November 07, 2001 at 21:30:45 PT
pot bill won't survive :(
was hoping that it would . . .thanks for the Mc Williams link, think i'll buy that book
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Comment #7 posted by biggreen on November 07, 2001 at 20:54:07 PT:
one of my best friends wrote this
    Hi, my name is Joe I am 15 years old I stumbled on your web site trying to read up on medical uses of marijuana. I went to your site and I seen what you regarded as "warning sings" that if your kid did or does certain thing that made the parent suspicious that they may use drugs. I noticed that I have had all but about 2 things on your list happen to me before I even tried marijuana or any other drug for that matter. I still use marijuana now but I think if not used in excess and not as a trend, that marijuana can be like a Band-Aid to a cut or aspirin to a headache. Look I am sure that you don't agree at all with my opinions on marijuana or any other drug but I have my opinion as well as u yours. And I think that marijuana is negatively criticized way to much, the only reason it was outlawed is because the government thought it caused people to be insane and have psychotic behavior, I wish they would have tackled the issue in the sixty's at least then the could look at marijuana from both sides.
    Joe
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Comment #6 posted by Shishaldin on November 07, 2001 at 15:41:11 PT
Debate
Thanks for the timely link puff_tuff! I caught most of the debate. I found it amazing that there were actual arguments for decrim (such as referencing the LeDain Commission report). We almost NEVER ('cept for the honorable Barney Frank and Gary Johnson) hear this coming out of our legislators mouths. BC is looking better and better...peace and strength (more now than ever)
Shishaldin
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Comment #5 posted by puff_tuff on November 07, 2001 at 14:52:45 PT
Debate Live NOW
The House of Commons Debate is online LIVE NOW.http://www.cpac.ca/watchnow/index_e.asp
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Comment #4 posted by TroutMask on November 07, 2001 at 13:46:09 PT
yes...
I agree that there is little chance of this happening, regardless of the will of the Canadian people. Politicians, after all, know what's best for all the rest of us and that would be "not looking soft on crime".-TM
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Comment #3 posted by null on November 07, 2001 at 13:34:00 PT
hope he's wrong
This article is indeed well written. I hope he's wrong and that the bill does indeed pass the vote.As for the hack of yahooka's site: man. :( who did that? The DEA? I'd laugh if someone hacked their site and put up texts from a Peter McWilliams book.
McWilliams' Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 07, 2001 at 13:21:25 PT
p4me 
Thank you very much for the happy birthday and thanks for voting at Yahooka. I was very happy to see C News up that high there. I'm just happy it made it into the top sites even if only for a little while. It looks like mostly sites that sell things stay up high I think. I don't really know though. 
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on November 07, 2001 at 13:07:30 PT:
excellent article
That is decent journalism. If my paper would have an honest appraisal like this I may have continued my subscription. I do not forsee ever subscribing to a newspaper again. It kills a lot of trees just to bring the filtered news. It takes a lot of time to go out and get it and stack it and haul it off for recycling. My life is simpler now. Again, I want to be sure to say that this is respectable journalism in my humble opinion.I was going to say happy birthday to FoM earlier but we didn't want to tie up her servers in the avalanche of support. I went to Yahooka to vote a "10" for my favorite cannabis site with our beloved FoM and was going to "vote often." I was going to note the ranking of CNEWS and try to get everybody to vote and raise its ranking as a gesture to FoM and her birthday. The Yahooka site is destroyed by hackers. What can you say- Happy Birthday FoM? Vote against all incumbents. Out with the old and in with the new. 
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