CANADIAN MARIJUANA MADNESS COULD INFECT THE UNITED STATES

U.S. officials should discourage Canada from adopting liberal drug policies
that could spill over into the United States.

On July 30th, Canada became the first country in the would to allow its
citizens to possess marijuana for "medical" purposes. Canada has already
legalized the production of hemp, a form of marijuana, for industrial purposes.

Derek Lee, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, said that decriminalizing
marijuana for recreational users is "not a complex issue" and "it is
possible that possession of marijuana may soon be no more serious than
getting a speeding ticket."

Even though many Canadians oppose liberalization, it may be only a matter
of time before Canada puts a match to most marijuana prohibition. This
will add momentum to liberalization efforts in the United states.

There is a European precedent for this conclusion.

In 1984, the Dutch government adopted a liberal cannabis policy whereby
possession of small amounts of marijuana of hashish was decriminalized and
distribution at hundreds of so-called coffee shops was permitted. This
policy ushered in droves of tourists from neighboring counties seeking
drugs, and today many of those counties have followed the Dutch lead.

Canada is already a major supplies of marijuana to the United States, and
decriminalization will make it worse. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
estimates that much of the 800 tons of marijuana produced illegally in
Canada every year is shipped to the United States.

Decriminalization of marijuana will certainly encourage Canada's pot
producers to increase output. More "maple-leaf" marijuana will flow into
the United States a lower prices and perhaps in more powerful
varieties. We can expect some U.S. citizens to travel north of the border
to engage in drug tourism and a number of these will, no doubt, attempt to
return home with cars stuffed with cheap pot. Customs officials beware!

Although Canada prohibits marijuana production, its laws aren't rigorously
enforced. Magazines such as High Times, which is written for the marijuana
subculture, are filled with advertisements for Canadian-based marijuana
seed companies and drug paraphernalia merchants.

Canada's "medical" marijuana decision is another step toward drug
legalization. In the past. the use of marijuana for medical purposes
required a special government exemption. Now, Allan Rock. Canada's health
minister. who alleges that he was forced by the courts to expand his
country's marijuana program says, "This compassionate measure will improve
the quality of life of sick Canadian, particularly those who are terminally
ill."

Under the new rules, three criteria must be met before the use of "medical"
pot will be approved: the user must be very sick or close to dying; a
doctor's voucher must be presented that says all remedies but marijuana
have failed' and a reliable supplier must be available.

While many patients will grow their own marijuana, others will turn to the
government. This contractor will grow 880 pounds of marijuana annually in
an abandoned mine in Manitoba and receive $3.7 million to do so.

Not everyone is pleased with Canada's policy. Peter Barrett, president of
the Canadian Medical Association, complains that doctors will bear the
brunt of deciding who should be allowed to use the drug.

"We're being asked to be the gatekeepers for a product that hasn't gone
through any rigorous testing." The reluctance of physicians is based on
the fear that "everyone who wants marijuana for recreational use will be on
the doorstep, and then we'll be the ones who have to say no," Darrett said.

Canadian courts have contributed to the drug liberalization trend. Last
summer, the Canadian health ministry blamed the Ontario Court of Appeals
for forcing its hand on the medical use of marijuana. Now, Canada's
Supreme Court is considering whether criminal charges for the personal use
of marijuana violate constitutional rights.

Conservative parliamentarian Joe Clark urges the elimination of criminal
penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. "It's unjust to see
someone, because of one decision one night in their youth, (to) carry the
stigma," Clark said. Even Canadian Justice Minister Anne McLellan said she
is "quite open" to a debate on decriminalizing marijuana.

The Canadian Police Association represents 30,000 police officers and
provides rare caution to these politically driven pro-drug views. They
released a statement saying there is a "weakening perception of risk of
harm in drug use, and weakening moral disapproval of drug use." Dale
Orban, the association's spokesman, said, "The costs of drug liberalization
will be astronomical, not only in terms of health care and social services,
but in true human terms."

Unfortunately, the United States is sliding down the same drug slope as
Canada. Nine states have embraced the use of pot as medicine. Even though
our Supreme Court recently ruled that the Controlled Substances Act made no
exception for the use of marijuana by ill people, that decision was narrow
and will certainly be tested further. More ballot initiatives aimed at
"medicalizing" or decriminalizing marijuana will test our resolve.

For the sake of both Canadian and U.S. citizens, Canada must reverse its
pro-drug direction.