MEDICAL JOURNAL TOUTS POT DECRIMINALIZATION

Legal, Social Fallout Far Outweighs Health Hazard, Editorial Says

The Canadian Medical Association Journal is calling on Ottawa to
decriminalize the possession of marijuana for personal use. In an
editorial in this week's issue, editor Dr. John Hoey argues the
social and legal fallout of being arrested for marijuana possession
far outweighs the minimal health affects of moderate use of the drug.

"It turns out that it is really quite an innocuous drug, probably
with the exception of the tars and things, which then make it similar
to tobacco," Hoey said in an interview.

The editorial is a reaction to Health Canada's announcement last
month of new regulations on medicinal marijuana. The long-awaited
rules, announced by Health Minister Allan Rock, allow certain people
with terminal or serious illnesses to use marijuana to ease their
suffering. "Health Canada's decision to legitimize the medicinal use
of marijuana is a step in the right direction," the editorial said.
"But a bolder stride is needed."

"Our view was that the government should probably take a little bit
more bold step and decriminalize it," Hoey explained.

The Canadian Medical Association, which publishes the journal, has
previously called for the decriminalization of marijuana. And in
1999, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police advocated taking
marijuana possession out of the Criminal Code.

Hoey said he isn't expecting negative feedback from the doctors who
subscribe to his journal.

"My hunch is that doctors would generally agree certainly public
health doctors who would worry about this that the harms of
criminalizing marijuana use far outweigh the harms of smoking a bit
of marijuana."

The editorial noted about half of all drug arrests in Canada are for
possession of small amounts of marijuana.

"Many lead to jail terms or fines and all result in that indelible
social tattoo: a criminal record."

That record can close the door to jobs, medical school admission,
even cross-border shopping.

The journal suggested that possession of marijuana be downgraded to a
civil offense, similar to a traffic violation. Such a legislative
move would be a simple one, it argued, and would eliminate the need
for new medicinal marijuana regulations.

The journal's call, made public yesterday, came the day the U.S.
Supreme Court issued a ruling that could crack down on the use of
medicinal marijuana in that country.

The court ruled 8-0 that there is no exception in federal law for
people to use marijuana to ease their pain from cancer, AIDS or other
illnesses.

Legal experts said patients may still be able to use marijuana for
medical reasons in states that allow it, but noted it will be more
difficult to obtain the drug because the Supreme Court said
distribution violates federal law.

The closely watched case marked a watershed for the U.S. medical
marijuana movement, which has been mired in legal battles since
California in 1996 approved America's first initiative legalizing
medicinal use of the drug, Reuters news agency reported.

- -- Dave Haans Department of Sociology University of Toronto