cannabisnews.com: Reform Marijuana Laws Reform Marijuana Laws Posted by CN Staff on July 17, 2002 at 07:37:25 PT Editorial Source: Toronto Star Canada's marijuana laws are not working. The country's police chiefs said so years ago. So did the Senate's legal affairs committee. Even the Canadian Medical Association Journal has joined the call for decriminalization of simple possession of cannabis for personal use. Now Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is adding his voice, however tentatively, to the growing number of credible sources who think Canada's laws must be reworked. Cauchon is toying with decriminalizing marijuana use by making possession of small amounts of cannabis a ticketing offence, much like a traffic violation. The suggestion follows on the heels of Britain, which last week became the latest European country to relax its possession laws.There are strong, well-known arguments for making reforms here.When the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs committee recommended in 1996 to change the law, it reported an estimated 3 million Canadians were using marijuana and hashish. That, they said, was strong proof the punitive approach had failed.Worse, the laws are unfairly applied. Possession is ignored in some cities but strictly prosecuted in others. About 5 per cent of the roughly 30,000 Canadians charged each year with possessing a small amount of marijuana go to jail. How much respect can citizens have for a law that lets the vast majority walk, while sending a very few unlucky souls to jail?All of this is not to dismiss the legitimate concerns that changing the law would increase pot-smoking and lead to the consumption of harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. Research in the United States suggests that relaxed laws haven't had much effect. The 11 states that issue tickets for possession show no higher use than in states with tough laws. As for hard drugs, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police believe they could actually do a better job on cracking down on more dangerous drugs and on traffickers if they could free up resources now used to enforce discredited marijuana laws.Marijuana remains a vice, like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. It would be better handled through public education, not by giving people criminal records. Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)Published: July 17, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Toronto StarWebsite: http://www.thestar.com/Contact: lettertoed thestar.com Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmTo Decriminalize Cannabishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13440.shtmlGovernment Considering Decriminalizing Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13431.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on July 17, 2002 at 08:35:13 PT: From a whisper to a rumble to a roar The Canadian news media are, as predicted, taking this particular ball and running with it. They have nothing to lose; the really hard work was done by such luminaries as Dan Gardner. All that's left now is for them to give some time to the rabidly anti kooks to spew their bilge and venom...and provide the necessary counterpoint illustrating the need to change the laws to save the Canadian citizen from (American-influenced) home-grown anti nut-cases. (There's nothing like a frothing, belligerant anti standing beside a calm-and-collected reformer to provide that needed comparison.)Yepper...looks like my next vacation will be in either Ontario or BC...and I'm bringing my fithy lucre to trade for Canadian 'Monopoly Money'. Which will make a lot of Canadian tourist boards happy...and a lot of American tourist boards green with envy for NOT having that 'green' in their pockets. Uh huh...a real 'hot' summer, indeed. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment