cannabisnews.com: 'Born in Hysteria' 'Born in Hysteria' Posted by CN Staff on April 27, 2003 at 09:12:14 PT By Kathleen Harris, Special To The Free Press Source: London Free Press Ottawa -- Born in hysteria and nurtured by foreign policies, Canada's pot laws have survived decades of attempts to reform, toughen or quash them. Parliament first banned the use of cannabis in 1923, after Judge Emily Murphy announced people under its influence "become raving maniacs and are liable to kill or indulge in any form of violence." Eugene Oscapella, a lawyer with the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy in Ottawa, said Canada's cannabis laws were ill-conceived on "junk social science." But successive moves to alter them were "near misses." "This was a solution without a problem, based not on science, but on hysteria and racism," he said. "There has never been a rational justification of why we prohibited cannabis." While weed made the criminal books early, Oscapella notes the first conviction didn't come until 14 years later -- proof, in his view, prohibition wasn't addressing any real problem. It wasn't until 1966 that there were more than 100 convictions for possession a year. As smoking pot became more mainstream with the hippie crowds of the 1960s, the perceived threat diminished. Politicians appeared poised to relax -- or even abolish -- existing laws. In the early 1970s, the exhaustive work of the Le Dain Commission, which was directed by then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, recommended a new public policy that addressed problems of enforcement, rationale and discrepancies in how courts deal with possession charges. Over the years, the push to legalize or decriminalize marijuana has largely failed, except for medicinal purposes in 2001. Marc-Boris St.-Maurice, leader of the Marijuana Party of Canada, blamed political inertia. After decades of "neglect," he insists it's time for government to legalize, not just decriminalize, marijuana. CANNABIS LAW CHRONOLOGY 1908: The Opium and Narcotic Act prohibits the import, manufacture and sale of opiates for non-medicinal purposes. This act serves as the basis for subsequent Canadian laws dealing with the use of illicit drugs. 1923: Marijuana is made illegal under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act. 1954: A federation of welfare agencies lobbies the federal government to soften anti-drug laws in Canada. 1961: The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs takes effect, increasing minimum penalties for cultivation, importation and exportation. Late 1960s: The use of marijuana becomes widespread, especially among youth "hippie" culture. The Canadian government appears to be easing up on prohibition. Early 1970s: The Canadian and American Medical Associations agree marijuana is not a narcotic. The Le Dain Commission is appointed to study marijuana. It concludes prohibitionary laws have created a subculture with little respect for the law, diverted law enforcement, clogged the judicial system and provided a base of funds for organized crime. Recommendations range from all-out legalization to imposing small fines. Late 1970s: Consensus grows in Parliament for legalizing marijuana. Politicians of the day, including Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark, say they support decriminalization. 1980: Ronald Reagan is elected U.S. president and launches war on drugs. 1992: Marijuana activist Umberto Iorfida is charged with promoting use of illicit drugs. The case is thrown out of court two years later by a judge who rules it an infringement of free speech 1992: Conservatives introduce bill to double penalties for marijuana possession, but it dies when they are defeated in 1993 election. 1997: Marijuana is covered under Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. 2000: Ontario Court of Appeal strikes down a federal law prohibiting the possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana. It said the legislation violated the rights of sick people who use pot for medical reasons. 2001: Canada becomes the first country to legalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons. 2002: The Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs reviews Canada's policies and concludes marijuana should be treated more like tobacco or alcohol. The House of Commons Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs looks at an overall drug strategy for Canada. Jan. 2003: Ontario judge rules Canada's law on possession of small amounts of marijuana is no longer valid. Windsor Justice Douglas Phillips made the decision as he dismissed two drug charges against a 16-year-old boy. Source: London Free Press (CN ON)Author: Kathleen Harris, Special To The Free PressPublished: Sunday, April 27, 2003 Copyright: 2003 The London Free Press Contact: letters lfpress.comWebsite: http://www.fyilondon.com/londonfreepress/Related Articles & Web Sites:CFDPhttp://www.cfdp.ca/Marijuana Party of Canadahttp://www.marijuanaparty.org/Pot Use Among Young Growinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16072.shtmlPossession Selectively Enforcedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16071.shtmlMajority Pushes Legal Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16070.shtmlHigh Times -- London Free Presshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16069.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by afterburner on April 28, 2003 at 15:51:19 PT: Cannabis in Canada... legal until proven otherwise. January 2003: C-day. Now the feds must prove their case in order to regulate cannabis. After 80 years of slavery, cannabis is finally free of its chains.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, and suddenly there is no question. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Doobinie on April 28, 2003 at 08:55:46 PT Three Huge Bong Hits for Canada! or, 'The Land of the Actually Free', as I like to call it.Love and Peace to all as the wall of Jericho come a tumblin' down,Doobinie [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Kegan on April 27, 2003 at 15:10:37 PT Proud I have never been more proud to be a Canadian. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment