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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Senate Pushes Legal Pot
ccguide Thursday 05 Sep 2002 Pubdate: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2002 The Calgary Sun Contact: Website: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/67 Author: Nadia Moharib Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) SENATE PUSHES LEGAL POT Canada's Senate Is Going To Pot. But a Senate committee's recommendation for legalizing marijuana is a tough sell, even to those pushing for laxer laws on dope-smoking. The Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, in a report released yesterday, suggests Canada should legalize marijuana for adults. Claiming current prohibition a failure, it suggests replacing it with a regulated system similar to that used for booze. "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue," said committee chair Senator Pierre Claude Nolin. "We are not endorsing cannabis for recreational consumption ... We have come to the conclusion that, as a drug, it should be regulated by the State much as we do for wine and beer, hence our preference for legalization over decriminalization." Calgary's cannabis crusader, Grant Krieger, said the news is old. "It's a total broken record and another crock," said Krieger, who treats his multiple sclerosis with pot and has long lobbied for medicinal use of the plant. "They want to legalize it but ignore the sick people of this nation -- they need to get their priorities straight." The report also suggests to smoke or not smoke be a "personal choice" with no criminal penalties for users. It says regulating availability would save millions in drug enforcement and calls for amnesty for those with criminal records for possessing pot. Police, however, fear legalizing pot would open a Pandora's Box. "Legalization would be damning," said Calgary drug unit Staff Sgt. Roger Chaffin. "There is the illusion it is a safe, innocuous drug (but) there is a very significant element of organized crime in production and distribution of marijuana, the profitability is in the billions, and with that comes everything from robberies to extortion and murder." He fears regulated pot would boost organized crime and open up black markets offering more potent plants. "There are well-documented health and social concerns and I don't know how legalization will improve that (and) I can't see a correlation between legalization and reduction in crime," he said. Peggy Perry said there is no comparison between weed smoking and moderate booze consumption. "Smoking, no matter what you are smoking, is not socially acceptable," said the marketing vice-president for Willow Park Wines & Spirits. "You can drink a glass of wine and not experience any effect if you're eating food but when you smoke a joint you ... get high." The report comes three months before the Supreme Court of Canada hears a constitutional challenge to the legality of marijuana laws and follows a two-year committee study of public policy related to marijuana. HIGH LIFE The debate continues is marijuana bad because it's illegal or illegal because it's bad? Here are some facts on the weed also known as pot, dope, Mary Jane, ganja, hemp and reefer: * As many as two million Canadians used cannabis in the last year and up to 100,000 used daily. * Cops say up to 800 tonnes circulates in Canada each year. * Cannabis was outlawed in 1923, amid what the Senate report called a "panic" over drugs. * About half of the 90,000 drug incidents reported each year involve cannabis. * Drug enforcement runs at $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year, with a third related to cannabis. Highlights of a Senate committee report: * Marijuana and hashish should come under a regulatory system for production and sale under licence for legal use by any Canadian resident over 16. * Looser rules for the use of medical marijuana should provide easier access. * Government should erase criminal records of 300,000 to 600,000 Canadians convicted of simple possession. * Government should appoint a national adviser on psychoactive substances. * Government should involve the provinces, municipalities and interested parties to set ground rules for legal marijuana. * Government should finance research on drugs and on prevention and treatment programs, financed by taxes on the sale of legal marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom
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