DRUG CAMPAIGN IS OVERDUE

Health Minister Tony Clement is taking the right tack with his planned
anti-drug information campaign.

After years of discussions over whether marijuana should be legalized
or decriminalized, many Canadians are now a little vague about the
legal status of marijuana.

It is illegal, Clement stated firmly this week, and it will remain so
under a Conservative government.

If the Conservatives have made up their minds against decriminalizing
marijuana - an option we continue to favour - the next best solution
is to make sure the law is understood, and to inform Canadians of the
legal and health consequences of using it.

As long as this new firmness does not result in young Canadians being
arrested wholesale, this is fair enough.

But there's a conundrum here: If marijuana possession is to remain
illegal, how will the government deal with the countless users of it,
without creating vast new crowds of criminals? Clement's tacit answer
seems to be "by an advertising campaign."

What would not be fair is to saddle more young people with criminal
records to haunt them for the rest of their days. A criminal
conviction for the minutest possession can bar a Canadian from the
United States, a country that, despite a notable lack of success,
remains committed to an all-out war on drugs.

Clement is on more useful ground with his plan to launch a "plain
truth" campaign. As he pointed out this week, Canada has not had a
significant campaign on the subject of drugs for about 20 years. This
means an entire generation of Canadians has not had the benefit of
plain talk about illicit drugs and their effects.

Studies have found even a so-called soft drug like marijuana is not
entirely harmless. Among some users predisposed to mental illness,
specifically schizophrenia, marijuana might heighten the risk of
mental-health problems.

Driving while high on drugs is, of course, no safer than driving
drunk, although a large number of young people seem not to know this.
A 2005 Ontario Drug Use Survey found one in five high school students
drove within an hour of using marijuana.

In its campaign, Canada could take a lesson from some U.S.
anti-smoking campaigns. These very successful campaigns were designed
specifically to appeal to youngsters. Since most adult smokers take up
smoking when still in their teens, it is important to aim such
campaigns at the right demographic.

Among U.S. anti-smoking campaigns are those that have highlighted
short- and long-term health consequences. Other campaigns have
concentrated on countering misperceptions that smoking is widespread
among teens.

Informing youngsters of anything is not easy. Clement should be under
no illusions. He has his work cut out.