B.C. TOPS IN MARIJUANA USE

Survey Finds More Canadians Than Ever Toking Up; Martin Plans To
Re-Introduce Legislation Aimed at Decriminalizing Possession and Use
of Small Amounts

As someone who has been jailed in every province, Vancouver marijuana
activist Marc Emery considers himself a man with his finger on
Canada's pot pulse.

He said Wednesday's Statistics Canada report, 2002 Canadian Community
Health Survey, indicating more Canadians than ever are toking up shows
the growing need for new legislation to make it easier for people to
access marijuana and squeeze organized crime out of the drug scene.

The report says that the number of Canadians who admit to indulging in
marijuana or hashish nearly doubled to 12.2 per cent between 1989 and
2002 -- and the highest use rates were among teens. That was a
substantial jump from 6.5 per cent in 1989 and 7.4 per cent in 1994.

"I think it's pretty accurate," said Emery, president of the B.C.
Marijuana party. "I'd say there are about three million smokers at any
one time who would be considered regular smokers or about 12 per cent.

"It's ingrained in our national psyche to smoke pot at some point in
your life and as these children grow up the numbers will continue to
increase, so it's going to continue to get larger and larger."

Provincially, B.C. had the highest rate of cannabis use at 15.7 per
cent, Nova Scotia was second at 13.7 per cent and Quebec was third at
13.5 per cent, according to the survey.

Many of the big gains were among youth.

Thirty-eight per cent of teens aged 18 and 19 reported smoking pot or
hash in the previous 12 months while 29 per cent of teens 15 through
17 indulged.

That dropped to six per cent in adults 45 to 54 years old and
virtually disappears after age 65. Men in nearly every age group were
more likely to toke up than women.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Paul Martin and his newly minted cabinet
pledged to re-introduce legislation aimed at decriminalizing
possession and use of small amounts when Parliament resumes in
October. But with a minority government, passage depends on support
from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois.

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, B.C.'s former NDP premier, said he's
concerned about the reported rise in drug use but he's also uncertain
whether arguments that decriminalization would further increase
marijuana use "have any validity."

"My view is that, if you make something illegal, some people are more
attracted to it," he said.

Dr. John Blatherwick, Vancouver's chief medical officer, attributed
the high B.C. figures to easy access to drugs, adding it's a societal
problem that won't be solved in the courts.

"The big factor here seems to be supply," he said. "I think it's a
societal thing and I don't think draconian laws will make any
difference. It's talking to your kids and teaching them how to make
good decisions."

Solicitor-General Rich Coleman blamed B.C. numbers on the judiciary
being soft on drug dealers, which has led to organized crime taking
over the drug trade.

Wednesday's study showed that of the three million pot smokers, half
smoke up less than once a month, one in 10 was a weekly user and 10
per cent were daily tokers.

B.C. had the highest rate of cannabis-related offenses.

The study also showed Canadians were less likely to use crack/cocaine,
ecstacy, LSD, amphetamines and heroin. Just 2.4 per cent of Canadians
aged 15 and older reported using the harder drugs, with crack-cocaine
the drug of choice for 321,000 citizens or 1.3 per cent.