cannabisnews.com: To Decriminalize Cannabis





To Decriminalize Cannabis
Posted by CN Staff on July 17, 2002 at 07:32:34 PT
Editorial
Source: Globe and Mail 
Quite what prompted federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's musings that perhaps cannabis use should be decriminalized is unclear. In part he may have been spurred by an imminent change in the laws of Britain, where smokers of marijuana and hashish will no longer be arrested for simple possession. Very likely he is also testing public reaction in advance of two upcoming parliamentary committee reports, both widely expected to recommend loosening Canada's pot laws.
Whatever its rationale, Mr. Cauchon's suggestion is welcome. Outdated and ineffectual, our cannabis laws gobble up absurd amounts of police and court resources and badly need an overhaul.Not all agree. Two separate polls last year found Canadians evenly divided about decriminalizing the use (as opposed to the sale) of cannabis. Police, too, are ambivalent. While there is little overt pursuit of marijuana smokers in this country -- the vast majority of the thousands of simple-possession charges laid annually are incurred during the investigation of other offences -- the Canadian Police Association firmly opposes decriminalizing possession. Nor would there be any plaudits from south of the border.Reform, nonetheless, is long overdue. More than 30 years have passed since Canada's LeDain commission urged that marijuana use be decriminalized, allowing simple possession to be treated with the same severity as, say, a traffic ticket. The arguments have altered little since then. Yes, drug-taking in all its forms should be discouraged, particularly among young people. And yes, for a minority of aficionados, cannabis may be a "gateway" drug leading to wider experimentation and more serious drug problems.But stacked against that is the reality that more than 1.5 million Canadians regularly smoke cannabis, by estimate of the Canadian Medical Association, and that the status quo does not work. All that the current law achieves is to saddle convicted small-scale marijuana users with a highly damaging criminal record, which can be a major liability when they seek a job or attempt to visit the United States.Britain is not alone in downgrading its pot laws. Several other European countries have done the same, as has Australia. Canada should follow suit. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Published: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A14Copyright: 2002 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.ca/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmGovernment Considering Decriminalizing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13431.shtmlPot Laws Could Be Eased, Cauchon Says http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13427.shtmlOttawa May Ease Laws on Marijuana Possession http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13426.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by ekim on July 17, 2002 at 07:49:42 PT
How much has 30 years cost each taxpayer
. Outdated and ineffectual, our cannabis laws gobble up absurd amounts of police and court resources and badly need an overhaul.
More than 30 years have passed since Canada's LeDain commission urged that marijuana use be decriminalized, allowing simple possession to be treated with the same severity as, say, a traffic ticket.
Someone should add it all up and see how much could have been saved instead of how much has been poured down a rat hole. 
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on July 17, 2002 at 07:44:25 PT
Good job, G&M!
This seems like a measured, common-sense piece.  But out of the dozens of major newspapers in the U.S., I bet I could count all the ones that share this view on one hand. Our "liberal" media's unwillingness to acknowledge blatant, obvious, truths is confounding. I don't think it bodes well for our future as a society, either. When you start ignoring logic, and history, bad things happen soon. Is it any wonder the core processes of government and business in the US are rotten with corruption? Is it any wonder that cracks in the facade of our economic machine are appearing? Let's count how many years it takes for the wheels to come off the wagon of "the world's only superpower".....
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