cannabisnews.com: Legalize Pot Legalize Pot Posted by CN Staff on July 11, 2003 at 08:19:17 PT Commentary Source: National Post Like most Canadians, we supported Ottawa's recent move to decriminalize marijuana. Pot is less dangerous and addictive than either alcohol or tobacco, and the war against marijuana ruins more lives, and costs more, than the drug itself. In fact, recent developments suggest decriminalization isn't enough: Outright legalization may be in order.In January, an Ontario judge ruled that Ottawa needed to do more to put marijuana into the hands of sick patients who use the drug for therapeutic purposes. Health Canada had started granting permission to a few hundred Canadians to grow their own pot, or arrange for another person to grow it for them. But the court found this inadequate: Growing marijuana is difficult, and is often beyond the means of sick individuals or their caregivers. Moreover, because there is no legal retail marijuana source in Canada, participants in the program looking to buy marijuana plants had to turn to the black market.Two weeks ago, an Ontario appellate court dismissed an attempt by Health Canada to have the January ruling reversed. This decision means the government must begin distributing the marijuana its own researchers have grown in an abandoned Manitoba mine. Ottawa finds itself in the strange position of being a de facto pot dealer.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?id=4E238EAB-3FC3-4E29-B946-6735A7D9CFD5Source: National Post (Canada)Published: Friday, July 11, 2003Copyright 2003 National Post Contact: letters nationalpost.comWebsite: http://www.nationalpost.com/Related Articles:MDs Balk At Dispensing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16830.shtmlSmoking Judge Strikes Blow for Pot Puffershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16750.shtmlMessy Marijuana Law Tries Courts, Policehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16721.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by afterburner on July 11, 2003 at 15:44:46 PT: Sometimes the Snipped Portion Has the Good Reasons This article makes three good points in the snipped portion. I suggest reading it. First, as we know from the research that Health Minister Anne McLellan does not seem to be able to find, different strains of cannabis have different mixtures of THC, CBD and CBN, which ameliorate different disease syndromes. Second, a market solution can meet these diverse needs better than a government monopoly. The National Post is a pro-business newspaper owned by Izzy Asper, who also owns Global TV. Third, the medical cannabis patients put a human face on the issue, adding a sense of urgency and evaporating the stoner image.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, power to the patients. The Straight Dope on Marijuana Pharmaceuticals [ Post Comment ] Post Comment