TREAT MARIJUANA ABUSE LIKE A HEALTH PROBLEM

The Canadian Medical Association, which represents 65,000 physicians,
is very concerned about the recent reports of increased use of
marijuana in Canada. The physician community is equally concerned that
the government will seek to combat illegal drug use and addiction
through the criminal justice system by laying more charges for simple
possession which could make the problem even worse.

All Canadians should be aware that marijuana is an addictive
substance, harmful to health. The health risks of marijuana use range
from short-term effects such as anxiety, restlessness, and impaired
thinking to long-term effects such as bronchitis, emphysema and
cancer. Marijuana use has also been linked to lung damage comparable
to that produced by tobacco use, but the effects are more severe and
sudden.

The message is simple: Canadians should not use marijuana and those
who are addicted should immediately seek medical assistance.

Because of these potential harms, it's critical that changes to the
criminal law affecting marijuana neither encourage nor promote its
use. When the Canadian Medical Association appeared before Parliament
on this very same issue back in 2002, we expressed concern that even
the debate over decriminalization and medical marijuana might
legitimize its use for recreational purposes. And, given the rise in
usage (according to a recent United Nations report, 16.8 per cent of
Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 used pot -- the highest rate
among industrialized countries), our concern appears to be well founded.

That is why we continue to argue that decriminalization should only be
considered as part of a comprehensive national drug prevention and
awareness campaign, specifically aimed at young Canadians.

In the past, governments have chosen to discourage illegal drug use
primarily through the threat of criminal sanction. However, the
evidence is that the perceived health risks and social disapproval are
much more important disincentives than legal threats, especially in
the use of marijuana.

Regardless of the evidence, the vast majority of resources spent by
government to combat illegal drugs are allocated to law
enforcement.

The government itself seems to be addicted to the justice system as
the cure for illegal drug use, even when all the scientific evidence
points elsewhere. Meanwhile, more proven and effective public health
strategies, such as prevention and treatment programs, struggle to get
even a minimal level of funding.

In addition to being an ineffective deterrent, the criminal justice
approach also can exacerbate the problem. Each year thousands of teens
and young adults receive criminal records for simple possession.

To the degree that having a criminal record limits employment
prospects, the impact on health status is profound. Poorer employment
prospects as a result of drug use and/or a criminal record may lead to
poorer economic status and this leads to poorer health.

While prison sentences are rare for possession of marijuana,
possession of other illegal drugs can lead to a prison sentence, and
prisons are not an ideal setting for treating addictions. In fact, the
likely outcome of imprisonment for addicts is the use of harder drugs
that will only serve to intensify the problem and frequently lead to
other serious diseases and infections.

We are not suggesting there isn't a role for law-enforcement
activities in combating illegal drug use. We simply suggest they need
to be refocused and targeted within a more comprehensive strategy.
Rather than focusing on simple possession or drug addicts, law
enforcement should target the distribution and production of illegal
drugs and measures aimed at reducing the incidence of drug-impaired
driving.

When it comes to combating illegal drug use, governments should adopt
a harm-reduction approach. Instead of threatening to close safe
injection sites, governments should invest in a comprehensive drug
strategy that focuses on prevention, treatment and
rehabilitation.

Under such a multidimensional approach, including rigorous monitoring
and evaluation processes, harm-reduction measures such as safe
supervised injection sites can be effective in reducing the
significant health risks associated with drug use.

As with our success in reducing cigarette smoking and impaired driving
rates in Canada, we need to deal with marijuana use by better
educating Canadians about the serious health hazards associated with
it. For those who are already addicted to marijuana or other illegal
drugs, we need to provide them with effective treatment and
rehabilitation programs, not a prison cell.

The government must not be tempted by the addictive lure of the
criminal justice system. Drug abuse and dependency is a chronic,
relapsing disease for which there are effective treatments. A criminal
justice approach to a disease is inappropriate when there is
increasing consensus that it is not only ineffective, but can make
matters worse.