cannabisnews.com: Canada Has It Right on Marijuana Canada Has It Right on Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on December 14, 2002 at 08:15:05 PT By Joycelyn Elders Source: Globe and Mail On Dec. 12, the House of Commons special committee on the non-medical use of drugs released a report calling for the decriminalization of marijuana, and Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has said he plans to put forth a decriminalization bill early in 2003.It is a safe bet that the U.S. government reaction will be hostile, just as it always seems to be when people talk about reconsidering marijuana laws. Canadians should understand that on drug policy, the U.S. government is increasingly out of step with Americans. Canadians should use their own good sense, make their own judgments, and disregard U.S. bullying, as most of our drug laws were made on a racist foundation instead of science.In September, when the Canadian Senate special committee on illegal drugs issued a report that recommended replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of regulation, the official U.S. reaction was swift and blunt. John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (commonly termed the Drug Czar) was quoted on both sides of the border expressing his dismay. He even hinted at a border crackdown that could strangle trade between our nations.U.S. drug-policy leaders should spend more time talking with knowledgeable Canadians such as Senate committee chairman Pierre Claude Nolin to learn why they have reached such dramatically different conclusions from the U.S. drug warriors. If they did, they might learn that much of their rhetoric about marijuana being a "gateway drug" is simply wrong. After decades of looking, scientists still have no evidence that marijuana causes people to use harder drugs. If there is any true "gateway drug," it's tobacco.And tobacco, through its direct physical effects, kills many thousands of people every year. So does alcohol. And it is easy to fatally overdose on alcohol, just as you can fatally overdose on prescription drugs, or even over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin or acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol).I don't believe that anyone has ever died from a marijuana overdose.This is not to say that marijuana is harmless. It's not, and there are good reasons not to use it -- especially for young people.But from a public-health perspective, there is a solid case to be made that arresting marijuana users, giving them criminal records and disrupting careers and families does more harm to more people than the drug itself does.Why do U.S. officials such as Mr. Walters so adamantly resist even having this discussion? The answer lies in the numbers. We have a massive antidrug bureaucracy that is largely fuelled by our war on marijuana: Nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States are for marijuana-related charges, and 89 per cent of those are for simple possession. Take away those arrests and massive antidrug budgets are much harder to justify.But if our officials start making threats again, Canadians should remember that those officials don't represent the views of the American public. A Nov. 4 Time magazine poll found that 72 per cent of Americans don't believe marijuana users should go to jail. Eighty per cent believe seriously ill people should be able to use marijuana for medical purposes, despite our government's rigid opposition to that humane and sensible idea.If Canada needs guidance, it can look toward Europe, where many governments have moved toward enlightened policies, and others are conducting serious, thoughtful examinations of their marijuana laws. If we are lucky, Canada will set an example that the United States will eventually follow. Dr. Joycelyn Elders was U.S. surgeon-general from 1993 to 1994. She currently is distinguished professor of public health at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in Little Rock. Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: Joycelyn EldersPublished: Saturday, December 14, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A23Copyright: 2002 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmWhat's New in Drug Policy Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/whatsnew.htmUnder The Maple Leaf: Pot Politics http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14973.shtmlCommittee Calls for Decriminalization of Cannabishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14957.shtmlCommittee To Recommend 30-Gram Pot Limit http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14951.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by Sam Adams on December 14, 2002 at 19:13:03 PT My recall I thought she specifically suggested that masturbation should be talk in school to children, as a way of encouraging safe sex.That and the fact that she was a black, assertive, woman in a leadership position got the ol' boys club all worked up in a lather..... [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 14, 2002 at 17:30:10 PT CorvallisEric What I remember is the comment on masturbation was what put her over the edge so that was the straw that broke the camels back. It was her liberal compassionate views in general that the didn't like I believe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by CorvallisEric on December 14, 2002 at 17:22:00 PT Why was she fired? I don't have a good source handy, but the most credible I've read is that the masturbation comments (which are very thoughtful and hardly worthy of controversy when read completely instead of in out-of-context sound bites) were just a convenient excuse and the real reason was her leaning toward a more liberal attitude on drug policy. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by CorvallisEric on December 14, 2002 at 16:55:40 PT A little personal trivia There are 4 news events in my lifetime for which I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, etc. Of course Kennedy's death (I was 18) and 9/11, also Yitzhak Rabin's assassination.The fourth one was on a sunny Friday afternoon in December 1994 (don't remember which Friday) when I heard that Dr. Elders was fired. The importance to me was that I generally liked Bill Clinton from the time he was nominated until that Friday. I felt betrayed by him, never forgave him for this, and had a wonderful time the next 6 years laughing with my Republican friends and colleagues over their attacks and ridicule of him. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 14, 2002 at 10:24:58 PT p4me You are so right. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by p4me on December 14, 2002 at 10:21:09 PT Elders was run out of Washington for... making a comment on masturbation. She just made a level headed comment and the zero-tolerance people include talking about masturbation because it could lead to an eternity in hell for heir children and they don't want their children to spend eternity in hell, wherever it is.Prescribe cannabis instead of proscribe cannabis.1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by BGreen on December 14, 2002 at 09:02:30 PT Barr Lost, But So Did We Redistricting had caused Barr to be running against another prohibitionist already serving with Barr. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Joe Citizen on December 14, 2002 at 08:56:25 PT If I recall correctly Dr. Elders only served as Surgeon General for one year because of her honest comments regarding cannabis. Her shortened government career makes it obvious to me that the only way we can win is to get our enemies (the ignorant antis) out of public office. Perhaps instead of individual state propositions we should concentrate on exposing and defeating all those who support jailing someone for using a plant. Didn't Bob Barr loose this time around? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by BGreen on December 14, 2002 at 08:36:19 PT This Is Exactly What We've Been Saying Here This is a GREAT article from a very bright doctor. I've always been impressed with her sense of reason and logic, and this shows, from someone who was right in the middle of the evil, that it IS a war on cannabis users and the gov't IS LYING!Amen, Dr. Elders. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment