Question Of The Week

SHOULD MARIJUANA BE DECRIMINALIZED?

Yes: 75%

No: 25%

Comments:

Using powerful drugs for pain relief has long been the norm in
Canadian hospitals. Many of these drugs are addictive and dangerous to
users because of numerous potential side effects. Although marijuana
cannot completely replace these medications, it is an extremely
healthy alternative for long-term care patients.

Marijuana has very few (if any) side effects. In my opinion, pot
removes initiative and ambition for some individuals who are already
prone to laziness. Aside from that, this substance relaxes, relieves
pain and assists insomniacs to sleep with no serious long-term effects
or fear of addiction.

Liquor has been legal and socially accepted for many years. Speak with
someone working at a hospital on a holiday long weekend, and they will
tell you stories about the people who have required stomach pumps
because they have consumed too much alcohol. Alcohol is a very
dangerous and addictive substance. Combined with over-the-counter
drugs, it can be lethal. And yet, pot is illegal and alcohol is not.

The most common argument I have heard against the decriminalization of
marijuana is that the social use of pot will lead to further
acceptance of other banned substances. I do not believe that this is
true.

Cigarettes are addictive, damage the health of users and those around
them... and they stink. And yet, we've been accepting cigarette use
for years. If an individual wants to smoke cigarettes, pot or crack,
they will. One has nothing to do with the other. Marijuana is not
physically addictive. People who are prone to substance dependency
will find a substance to use. Those who are not won't suddenly change
because the laws have. I am not a marijuana user, but I do not see the
harm in decriminalizing this substance to be used in restricted areas.

Yes, I am from Vancouver originally.

Cher Murray, Halifax, NS

Dangerous drugs are sold legally all over the world and compared to
many of those, marijuana is quite harmless. A commercial label should
not make a dangerous product socially acceptable no matter what it is,
but unfortunately that is the way our society works. Those who haven't
tried marijuana but decide to fight to restrict it should wake up and
realize that alcohol and dangerous commercial drugs are available over
the counter to every adult who can put a few dollars together.
Following in Holland's footsteps would save our police and politicians
a lot of money and time. We might even take it a step further and
allow marijuana on Parliament Hill. Some of our MPs would do well to
relax a bit.

Halden Sproule, Oshawa, ON

For decades the government has been following the United States in its
"war on drugs." Rather than following the American example, which has
clearly not been effective, we should follow that of the Netherlands,
a country that has some of the lowest crime rates in the world.
Everyone should know by now that marijuana is no more harmful than
cigarettes. In fact, it is probably less of a killer than smoking a
pack of cigarettes a day. Save our tax dollars and decriminalize this
drug. The money could be put to much better use educating young people
so they can make smart choices.

L. Wassenaar, Winnipeg, MB

Yes, marijuana should be decriminalized. But, if it is prescribed for
medicinal purpose, it should be prescribed in any form except that
which is smoked. It has been proven that marijuana smoke is far more
carcinogenic than tobacco smoke, so it would seem to be
"counterproductive" to injest a substance in such a way as to
ultimately cause as much or more harm than it is trying to alleviate.

Richard Weatherill, Victoria, BC

Too much in the way of government funds and police time and effort is
wasted persecuting otherwise law-abiding citizens for using a drug
that is in many ways less harmful than legal drugs like alcohol and
tobacco. It is time to revisit this issue and establish new
regulations based on facts and research rather than on misinformation
and paranoia.

Heather MacDonald, Hamilton, ON

I have mixed emotions over the legalization of marijuana. I think it
would be a good source of revenue for the government if it is
controlled and taxed like alcohol and tobacco. As long as a certain
portion of the collected taxes be designated for addiction counselling
funding. What I have reservations about the legalization of marijuana
is when people drive impaired. There is no quick roadside sobriety
test for THC other than a blood test. According to medical experts,
THC can stay in the bloodstream for up to 30 days after ingestion. How
can any conviction stand up in court when all the defendant has to
claim is that he did not smoke anything that night but was in the room
when his friends were toking. Isn't that the way Canada managed to
hold onto a gold medal at the last winter Olympics?

Bruce Millar, Harrow, ON

I believe that not only is the government wasting gargantuan amounts
of money in prosecuting offenders for possession of minor amounts of
the substance, but they are also losing an opportunity to be at the
forefront of the hemp industry. With the proper planning and
architecture, the country could turn hemp into a great industrial and
recreational product (within reason, of course). I believe in the
decriminalization of marijuana, and I hope that liberal individuals
across Canada can speak up and share their visions of the
possibilities of becoming a hemp-producing nation.

Joe Richards, London, ON

Enforcing the prohibition of marijuana is the biggest waste of
taxpayers' money and police manpower. People who smoke pot are not a
danger to society. We don't need to send them to jail. It's ridiculous
to have substances like cigarettes legal (killing 450,000 people a
year in North America alone), when marijuana is scientifically proven
to be way less harmful. Let's end this pointless war on marijuana and
save ourselves a lot of money, take some power away from the gangs,
and free up police manpower and space in the court system and the
jails. It just makes sense, even if you don't smoke pot.

Lee Orr, Nakusp, BC

The simple answer is this. Prohibition doesn't work, and that should
have been learned from the alcohol prohibition earlier this century.
Are we any worse today for having legalized alcohol? Absolutely not.
But under prohibition, we did suffer the liabilities of black market
trade and criminal activity as said criminals undertook the task of
providing people with a substance they wanted, thus diverting
potential revenue from the federal coffers. And today, the same is
true of pot. In their vain effort to control people's activities, the
world's governments have unwittingly supplied the criminal
organizations with a venue of income and control over a large part of
the population.

It's my belief that vanity stops them from relinquishing that control
through the decriminalization of something that is and always has been
in demand. Simply put, they can't admit they were wrong for fear of
"losing face." The article in this week's Maclean's magazine
reiterates many things I have exclaimed on this issue. An authority
noted that the drunken brawl that happened in Edmonton wouldn't have
happened were the participants "pot smokers." I must reiterate that
example with an experience of my own.

Our community has a festival every year (The Waterfront Festival)
devoted to fun, music, and drinking (disguised as an "Ethnic"
festival). The local population triples during this time, and I live
in an area highly trafficked by revellers due to its proximity to the
festival. There are many fights and much disorder at every one of
these festivals. Several have happened on my front lawn, and the local
"drunk tanks" are full throughout. I happened to get into a
conversation with a local police officer at one of the venues as a
fight was being dispersed, and he himself said this. "You wouldn't see
this kind of idiocy if they were smoking weed. They'd be far too
mellow and giggling too much." That from a man forced to incarcerate
people for smoking the weed.

It's time we got out of the dark ages of opinion and accepted human
tendencies for consumption. The war on drugs does nothing to curb
people's desire for drugs, but it does help criminal undergrounds gain
an edge and an income. It also helps to demoralize users arrested for
a victimless crime.

Randal B Wannamaker, Belleville, ON

As a Masters Nursing student at UBC, I have studied medicinal
marijuana extensively and the most important thing I learned from a
review of scientific literature worldwide is its remarkable safety
record when used to alleviate symptoms. What scares me most regarding
Canada's bold move is the United States' dictations to Canada on what
our future role in this medical area should be. The USA has wrongly
classified marijuana as a narcotic, which it is not. A narcotic and a
cannabinoid are two separate drugs and should be treated as such. The
Drug Enforcement Agency in the USA has no business setting up shop in
Canada, nor should Canada's RCMP, especially with severely ill people
in Canada. Jim Wakeford of Toronto should be given an Order of Canada
medal for his advocacy work in this area.

Barney Hickey, RN, BSN, Vancouver, BC

I find it unbelievable that in Canada in the 21st century marijuana is
still an illegal substance. Marijuana is no more harmful (probably
less so) than alcohol or tobacco, yet these two substances are legal.
Several years ago I worked in the nightclub/bar environment for a
total of six years and never did I see any fights break out over
marijuana, though fights occured every night with people under the
influence of alcohol. Keeping marijuana illegal has not stopped people
from using it, it simply remains underground. I find it ironic that
the police conduct these raids on growers when so many of them use the
drug themselves (I had an RCMP officer friend who verified this). What
is the worst people do under the influence of this substance? They eat
and then fall asleep! I believe there is a lot more pot-smoking going
on in our neighbourhoods than people care to admit. In public we cry
for banishment of pot -- as long as our own little stash is not taken!
Come on folks, let's get real. If marijuana was legal, at least it
could be government regulated and taxed in much the same way alcohol
is. It's about time we stopped being so afraid of the United States
and their so-called "war on drugs." Keep the U.S. feds out of BC,
legalize marijuana and let's spend our resources on other more
pressing issues.

Joan Kelley, Calgary, AB

I do think that marajuana should be legalized. I do not smoke it
myself, nor have I ever done so, but some people are going to do it
regardless. I think it may be especially helpful for people who are
chronically ill, i.e. AIDS sufferers. The police say that by
legalizing it, the drug scene will become worse and harder to contain,
but in England for example, they legalized serious drugs and people
could go to medically-supported clinics to get their stuff. The result
was that they found a way of controlling aids by eliminating infected
needles, and from what I understand, it took the stigma away for some,
so much so, in fact, that they sought professional help to go
straight. Maybe our society could learn something from this.

Veronica Graver, Toronto, ON

Marijuana is an enjoyable part of life for many Canadians of all ages.
I would like to see marijuana sold in stores, in a similar manner to
alcohol. Leaving the marijuana industry in the hands of bikers and
other dangerous criminals just makes pot-smoking more dangerous for
otherwise law-abiding Canadians. The government should make the
responsible decision and reap the benefits of taxing us on marijuana,
rather than wasting tax payers' money on jailing innocent marijuana
smokers. Legalizing marijuana would also improve its quality and
purity, making it further enjoyable for its many smokers. I would like
to add that smoking pot has not stopped me from getting an 89% average
in my OAC year of high school, proving that pot-smoking, when done in
moderation (a couple of times a week), does not dull the brain. In
fact, I think it has made me smarter and more open-minded.

Kristina P., Toronto, ON

Alberta has oil, but BC has bud! Yes, marijuana should be legalized;
however because it is such a huge industry, controls must be in place
so as not to monopolize the cultivation and sales.

As I drove past acres of greenhouses on the lower mainland last
weekend (on my way to a BC Marijuana Party convention), I could not
help thinking that these places could put the independent growers
quickly out of business. If legalization were to occur, it would have
to be on a "quota" system, whereby growers could produce no greater
than X amount, nor could anyone hold more than one quota. Currently
with other quota systems (e.g. milk, eggs, etc.), producers can
purchase other quotas, thereby monopolizing the industry. Combined
with the quota system could be a "tax stamp" system, such that anyone
could produce marijuana, but in order to sell it, or possess it, it
must have a "tax stamp" on it. These stamps could be made available at
the local post office, or provincially, at a liquor store. As far as
marketing goes, producers should be able to promote and market their
own product. (Many different strains are currently available). The tax
stores could supply the bags to hold the marijuana as well. Once
opened, it must be consumed at the residence. To transport (pounds),
they should be in a sealed (taxed) bag. In order to transport
(ounces), they could be in open (taxed) bags. Another undisputed
economic boom to Canadian tourism.

How about "hands on hemp"? A totally different product from marijuana,
yet with pretty much the same nonsensical regulations surrounding it.
An entire generation has lost touch with this valuable commodity. It
can be used for fuel, fibre, paper, and feed. Finished products have a
market, but Canada has too few, or no, processing plants for hemp.
Additionally, because of the low THC in hemp and the adverse effects
of pollination (on the neighbours) marijuana crop, this then lends
itself to more products for a grower to purchase; e.g. sealed
building, hepa filters, etc.

Environmentally, hemp is much more friendly than petroleum
alternatives. Yet Mr. Campbell (Premier, BC Liberal Government), is
wanting to do offshore oil exploration on BC's west coast, a known
earthquake zone, instead of building small hemp oil factories situated
in different areas of the province, which could effectively produce
the same product with no environmental damage.

Pharmeceutical companies are producing and promoting "Marinol", as
well as muscle relaxants, pain killers and appetite stimulants. The
original corporations that promoted "reefer madness," Hearst, Dupont,
GM etc., still have too much to lose by hemp and marijuana products
and sales, and the U.S. government, with their private penitentaries
(and source of cheap labour) have more to lose still. Will "marihuana"
become re-legal in Canada? Only if our politicians have the guts to
stand up to the US.

Noreen Evers, Holberg, BC

Much has been made of the new regulations that allow for the medical
use of marijuana, but all of this begs the real question, which is
"How can it be right for anyone in a supposedly free society to tell
adult users that they cannot use a product of their free choice?" Laws
of this sort make a mockery of any real sense of the word "freedom."
Certainly, all laws regarding violence and fraud must be upheld, but
it must be granted that there are many uses for marijuana, including
personal pleasure, which should be the sole decision of the individual
user.

Leonard Melman, Ucluelet, BC

My mother passed away with her third bout with cancer a little over
five years ago. We had lengthy discussions concerning this issue on
many occasions. After the first time her cancer went into remission, I
began to research and read various articles on the drugs and
treatments associated with cancer. Searching for new ways on dealing
with the disease became an obsession for a few months.

Then one day, funnily enough, at Lollapalooza 2, there was a Hemp
Canada booth. I relayed my story to a representative who was working
there. He and I discussed the pros and cons of marijuana consumption
for patients with various diseases. He handed me a small news letter
with an abundance of information. I read it and it made sense. A
plant, not a pharmecutical, had proven time and again its
effectiveness in helping with pain and stimulating appetite among
chemotherapy patients. Over the next few years, I went to a few
rallies and became a member of Hemp Canada. I watched my mother battle
this disease and the ineffective drugs the doctors prescribed to
"stimulate appetite" and "prevent nausea." My mother tried them all
and none of them worked. She had read the newsletter I was given. And,
as I stated before, we had lengthy discussions on the topic. They
always ended the same way: "The information is correct. But I won't do
it because it is illegal."

I never forced her to do it, nor would I have. It was just very
frustrating to me that because of giant pharmaceutical companies who
donate millions of dollars to pollitical parties' election campaigns,
thousands of patients die every year in pain and anguish. I'm not
saying pot would have saved my mother, but it would have made her a
little more comforatble in the battles she had to face.

Matthew Jillard, London, ON