cannabisnews.com: Grass Growing
Grass Growing
Posted by CN Staff on April 28, 2003 at 06:57:05 PT
By Jason Botchford -- Sun Media
Source: Edmonton Sun
Toronto -- Public support to relax Canada's marijuana laws is rising quickly, according to a new national poll that shows a decisive 83% want pot prohibition to be less stringent. Only 14% of respondents to a Sun-Leger poll said they supported the status quo and thought marijuana should remain illegal in all circumstances.
"It seems that with just 14% now saying it should be illegal, that's really saying people think changes need to be made soon in some way, shape or form," said Leger Marketing pollster Lesli Martin. The poll comes just as the federal government is preparing legislation which would decriminalize the possession of small quantities of marijuana, making it a summary offence instead of a criminal one. Previous polls in Canada have shown a steady increase in support for decriminalization and the use of marijuana for medicinal reasons. Nearly half have supported decriminalizing pot and a majority (around 60%) have been in favour of marijuana being used medicinally. But to have 83% wanting more relaxed laws was surprising, Martin said, especially when more than half of the survey respondents had never even tried the drug. "I expected the number of people who thought the drug should be illegal to be higher," Martin said. "I expected people to say, 'I don't smoke pot, I've never smoked it, I wouldn't smoke it, so it should be illegal' but that doesn't seem to be the case. "I think we are getting more and more people who are realizing the medical benefits and a lot of people who are beginning to think the side-effects perhaps aren't as bad as once thought," Martin said. The Sun-Leger poll asked 1,501 people which of four statements best described their sentiments. Twenty per cent said marijuana should be legalized, 43% said it should be legalized for medical purposes, 20% said possession should be decriminalized while 14% said the drug should always be illegal. Leger Marketing conducted a similar poll two years ago which used a different question, providing people with only two choices: respondents could say they were in favour of a federal law legalizing the sale and use of pot or they were against it. In that poll, 47% said they were not in favour of legalizing marijuana. "I think you can draw a comparison and note that people seem to be more ready now for changes to legislation," Martin said. The latest survey also shows an increase in the number of people who have smoked pot. In 2001, 60% of those surveyed told Leger they had never before used marijuana while the latest poll shows more have smoked - now 56% have never lit up. The most tokers in the country are in B.C. where 53% have tried marijuana at some time in their life. "That's to no one's surprise," Martin said. The poll of 1,501 Canadians was conducted April 1-6. It is considered accurate within 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Note: Poll shows marijuana support on the rise.Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Author: Jason Botchford -- Sun MediaPublished: Monday, April 28, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Canoe Limited PartnershipContact: letters edm.sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Politics: Let's Get Past The Smokescreen http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16081.shtmlPolice Mellow On Weed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16077.shtmlO Cannabis - Edmonton Sun http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16075.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on April 29, 2003 at 09:46:21 PT:
The Trial of Ed Rosenthal...
charged him as a businessman, thereby acknowledging that cannabis production is a business. As a business cannabis production falls under the protection of NAFTA, being available to member nations on equal access terms.North American Free Trade Agreement http://www-tech.mit.edu/Bulletins/nafta.htmlPART TWO
TRADE IN GOODS
Chapter Three National Treatment and Market Access for Goods http://www-tech.mit.edu/Bulletins/Nafta/03.market Subchapter A - National Treatment
Article 301: National Treatment1. Each Party shall accord national treatment to the goods of another Party in accordance with Article III of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT),....2. The provisions of paragraph 1 regarding national treatment shall mean, with respect to a province or state, treatment no less favorable than the most favorable treatment accorded by such province or state to any like, directly competitive or substitutable goods, as the case may be, of the Party of which it forms a part.Since cannabis is now sold in Canada in the absence of a viable federal law, cannabis becomes a NAFTA commodity and is covered by the "most favorable treatment" clause of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Thus, the Great State of California must receive most favorable treatment equivalent to the treatment currently in place in the Province of Ontario, where cannabis is legal. California has provided for Compassionate Use and Production of cannabis under state law. The US federal government has acknowledged that cannabis production is a business, and as such it is protected by NAFTA.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, and suddenly there is no question.World Trade Agreement 1994 (establishing the WTO and including GATT Uruguay 1994) The World Trade Organization
Preface
l.General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/wta.1994/World Trade Organization -
URUGUAY ROUND AGREEMENT -
Agreement on Agriculture - Annex 1: Product Coverage http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/14-ag_02_e.htm#annI1. This Agreement shall cover the following products:(i)
HS Chapters 1 to 24 less fish and fish products, plus*
(ii)
....
HS Heading
33.01
(essential oils)
....
HS Headings
52.01 to 52.03
(raw cotton, waste and cotton carded or combed)
HS Heading
53.01
(raw flax)
HS Heading
53.02
(raw hemp)
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 28, 2003 at 21:43:43 PT
What's So Wrong About This?
http://www.ti.ch/di/pol/comunicati/operazioni_speciali/indoor/immagini/normali/DSC000038.htmhttp://www.ti.ch/di/pol/comunicati/operazioni_speciali/indoor/immagini/normali/DSC00037.jpg
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 28, 2003 at 21:36:21 PT
This Link Was In My Guest Book
I thought some of you might want to check out the pictures. http://www.ti.ch/di/pol/comunicati/operazioni_speciali/indoor/default_immagini.htm
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on April 28, 2003 at 16:18:44 PT:
Family Wisdom.
the latest poll shows more have smoked - now 56% have never lit up.
Maybe some parents who "have never lit up" don't want their children arrested or criminalized.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, and suddenly there is no question.
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Comment #1 posted by lombar on April 28, 2003 at 09:33:03 PT
Deep in prohib country ;)
That's funny, the Toronto Sun reported that we are deeply divided and now the Calgary Sun is stating that 83% want relax the prohibition of cannabis. I guess the facts depend upon the politics of the author.(or the region you conduct the poll)
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