FEDS' POT CAUTION JUSTIFIED

Is Ottawa's marijuana policy as dazed and confused as the pro-pot lobby
maintains?

It seems like everyone with a beef about Canada's marijuana laws is coming
down hard on the federal government for appealing an Ontario court ruling.

The ruling effectively legalized possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana.

The court threw out a possession charge against a Windsor teenager, arguing
there's a legal void in the country's pot laws that Ottawa has failed to fill.

The Supreme Court had asked Parliament to pass a new law, but Ottawa
responded with regulations instead. Not good enough, the Ontario court said
last week.

Ottawa's decision to appeal strikes critics as another sign the feds don't
know whether they're coming or going on the marijuana issue.

No sooner does Justice Minister Martin Cauchon muse publicly about
decriminalizing marijuana than federal lawyers are in court trying to shut
down the latest move to relax the country's pot laws.

Well, Ottawa doesn't really have much choice. It may look like it's sending
mixed signals. In the end, however, it must send the message that, whatever
the country may decide on decriminalization, drug use is still wrong and
possession is still illegal.

It's not a criminal offence to run a red light, but it's an illegal,
dangerous practice that society prohibits for good reason.

People on both the left and right will argue their drug use is none of my
business or the government's. But it is. Drug consumption has consequences
for public health, safety and productivity.

Sure, momentum may be building for a change in Canada's marijuana laws.
Public opinion, court judges, even a Senate committee have argued it's time
to relax the marijuana laws. But we need some perspective here.

Yes, it does seem over the top to treat simple possession as a criminal
offence (even though courts have opted not to pursue criminal sanctions in
most cases). But if decriminalization looks to be the better route,
Canadian society will have to figure out what kind of message it wants to
send about drug use, especially to young people.

Does decriminalization imply that it's really OK to use marijuana? Would
young people really listen to a public education campaign about the drug's
effects if the penalties for possession are made lighter?

It would also be a mistake to act without a sound scientific basis for
doing so. Do we know enough about the psychological effects of long-term
pot use, particularly some of the very potent stuff that is now available?

Marijuana may not be a "gateway" drug that leads to the use of hard drugs,
but research has shown that it can affect people in different ways and that
some users can become psychologically dependent on it to the point of
addiction. We need to know more.

What about the health risks posed by marijuana smoking? We've heard a lot
about the medicinal benefits of pot for people with painful, chronic
diseases. But more research is needed into the amount of tar that comes
with inhaling marijuana.

Canadians remain divided on what to do. In the circumstances, Ottawa's
responsibility is not to rush blindly into decriminalization without a
well-thought-out drug policy to back it up.