cannabisnews.com: Pot Less Harmful Than Alcohol: Senate Report Pot Less Harmful Than Alcohol: Senate Report Posted by CN Staff on September 04, 2002 at 13:30:24 PT By CBC News Online Staff Source: CBC Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and should be governed by the same sort of regulations, says a Senate committee. In its final report, released on Wednesday, the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs says the government should make smoking pot legal, and should wipe clean the records of anyone convicted of possession. "In many ways prohibition is a cop-out," said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chair of the committee. He said drug policy should focus on harm reduction, prevention and treatment. Marijuana has been illegal in Canada since 1923. About 20,000 people are arrested annually on marijuana-related charges. That approach, the report says, has been ineffective in reducing use. Canadians should be allowed to "choose whether to consume or not in security," Nolin told a news conference Wednesday morning. "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue," he said. The Canadian Police Association rejected that argument. In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, David Griffin said marijuana combines the mind-altering effects of alcohol with the risk of cancer from smoking. Under the report's guidelines, marijuana use would be restricted to adults, and criminal law would still apply to producing and selling it. Griffin said the CPA would fight any efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana or other drugs. Senator Colin Kenny noted the committee unanimously supports the report and all its recommendations. The committee doesn't condone the use of marijuana or other drugs, Kenny said. "We believe the recommendations you see in this report will ultimately result in a reduction of use." Since it was struck in March 2001, the committee held 39 meetings, including town hall meetings in communities across the country, and heard from more than 100 witnesses from Canada and abroad. The committee received 23 reports and looked at summaries of work done in other countries. It took into account Canada's international obligations and the approaches other countries take to drug policy. The conclusions drawn are stark. "We really need to get our act together on a multi-lateral basis on our drug policy in general," Nolin said. "Canada is not even close to doing well enough." In particular, the committee wants the government to deal quickly with issues surrounding medical use of marijuana. Advocates of legalizing marijuana say the report goes much farther than they expected, and would address some of the real problems associated with drug trade. "Our current drug laws fund organized crime, they fund terrorist groups around the world," Eugene Oscapella, executive director of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy, told CBC Newsworld. "Our policies that we build around this drug are far more harmful than the drug itself." Written by CBC News Online Staff Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Published: September 4, 2002Copyright: 2002 CBCWebsite: http://www.cbc.ca/Contact: cbcinput toronto.cbc.caRelated Articles:Senate Committee Recommends Legalizing Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13985.shtmlCanada Panel Wants Legal Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13983.shtmlSenate Calls for Legalization of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13982.shtmlLegalize Pot, Senate Committee Says http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13979.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #13 posted by overtoke on September 04, 2002 at 21:52:33 PT: email the senate :) They are asking for [what you think] on their homepage.IDDI sen.parl.gc.ca [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by jvthc on September 04, 2002 at 18:15:35 PT: Mind altering? "David Griffin said marijuana combines the mind-altering effects of alcohol with the risk of cancer from smoking."First, that assumes that it's smoked. It's not always smoked.Second, the mind altering effect is exactly why people consume alcohol. ..and where does the government get the idea kids pay attention to the law? Most kids can't tell you the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony. In the U.S., at least half of the kids think Bill Clinton is still president, and virtually none of them can tell you who's speaker of the house. If it were legalized or decriminalized, the message to kids is the same - IT'S STILL ILLEGAL FOR CHILDREN!That's no more confusing than the same message about prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco or firearms. Oops, forgot - kids can have guns.See, even I'm confused!Bottom line - if the REASON the substance was made illegal turns out to be invalid, then there is no reason to keep the substance illegal. If we are going to deny possession of anything, in a free society, we must have a good, valid reason for doing so - AND THAT REASON DESERVES TO BE QUESTIONED by valid science, which it has.Canada's government has simply demonstrated maturity, logic and wisdom in re-evaluating it's limitation of choices and freedoms. Now let's see if Canada's government is mature and reasonable enough to act on that! [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by puff_tuff on September 04, 2002 at 15:23:58 PT Canadian Police Association Senate Report "A Back to School Gift for Drug Pushers" http://www.newswire.ca/releases/September2002/04/c8162.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 04, 2002 at 14:11:49 PT About Polls Since I see more articles surfacing if anyone sees any polls please post them so we can vote too! Thanks! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 04, 2002 at 14:05:25 PT One More Feather in Our Cap! I can't help but be so darn happy today! I'm almost bubbly! It is so hard to have faith everyday that we will win but we are. I know we haven't heard from Asa Hutchinson or John Walters yet but our glass is not half empty but it's half full!PS: When we hear from them it will just show how wrong they are so I don't mind. The more they talk the more obvious it is that we are right and they are wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by TroutMask on September 04, 2002 at 14:00:23 PT A funny quote I forgot where I read this...on this board?"Asking a policeman whether drugs should be illegal is like asking a barber whether you need a hair cut."-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 04, 2002 at 13:55:10 PT Bravo Dr. Russo! I've been so busy with finding news I haven't even read the report yet but I will! I'm so proud of you! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by TroutMask on September 04, 2002 at 13:54:26 PT mmmm, baloney... "The Canadian Police Association rejected that argument."No matter how much you dislike it, reality ain't gonna change. Idiots.-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by karkulus on September 04, 2002 at 13:52:35 PT LET'S SEE... Which One's were elected? Hmmm..Were the Senators elected?? Maybe!..Were the Police elected ??...Maybe!..Let's look into this! I think whoever was elected is more likly to be doing the "will of the people"...No? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 04, 2002 at 13:52:31 PT: Is Your Opinion Educated? "In a news conference Wednesday afternoon, David Griffin said marijuana combines the mind-altering effects of alcohol with the risk of cancer from smoking."Did he read the entire report, or the many references attached? I doubt it. I am not sure we should be too influenced by less educated opinions, particularly those from people with a political agenda.In the patting one's self on the back department, the Canadian report cited my book chapter and the Chronic Use Study 7 times. I am very pleased that they would show this degree of open-mindedness and concern about the real science behind cannabis. There is hope, and her name is Canada. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by BGreen on September 04, 2002 at 13:47:36 PT Damn it, show me the cancer patients and people sick FROM cannabis or shut up. They're not there or the anti's would be parading them in front of us.Show us the bodies, PROVE I'm a threat or a threat to myself or SHUT UP. We need to make these people PROVE their slanderous statements. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by druid on September 04, 2002 at 13:46:24 PT: links to report I haven't seen anyone post these yet so here they arehttp://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenRecentReps.asp?Language=E&Parl=37&Ses=1and to a summary of the report dated sept 2002http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.pdf [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by BGreen on September 04, 2002 at 13:43:17 PT Of course their police are just as corrupt as ours This is going to be interesting. The politicians who have nothing to gain and their careers to lose versus the law enforcement community which has forfeitures, seizures, confiscations, thefts or whatever you want to call it to lose, and they're going to have to start catching criminals who threaten the safety of others. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment