POT DECRIMINALIZATION WON'T BOOST USE

Researchers Compared Marijuana Smokers In Amsterdam And San
Francisco

Decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to increased use, says a new
U.S. study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The researchers also found no evidence to back up claims marijuana is
a "gateway drug" that leads to use of harder drugs.

The conclusions came from interviewing marijuana smokers in Amsterdam,
where marijuana can be legally purchased in licensed coffee houses,
and San Francisco, where people who are caught smoking pot can receive
a criminal record.

"Our findings do not support claims criminalization reduces cannabis
use and that decriminalization increases cannabis use," says the study
by a University of California sociology professor and two professors
with the Centre for Drug Research at University of Amsterdam.

Although the findings are a bit of a boon to the Canadian government's
plan to relax marijuana laws, a bill to decriminalize possession of
less than 15 grams is in jeopardy and may not pass should Prime
Minister Paul Martin call an election later this month as expected.
The bill has been stalled in its final stages for more than a month by
the Conservatives, who oppose the bill.