Sensible Senators

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS THE LOGICAL AND PROPER THING TO DO

The members of the Senate special committee on illegal drugs should be
congratulated for attempting to bring coherence and good sense to
Canada's drug laws.

In its 600-page report released on Wednesday, the committee
recommended legalizing marijuana so that the decision on whether an
individual uses it becomes a personal choice not subject to criminal
penalties. We agree. Indeed, we are pleased at how much the report
concurs with this newspaper's long-held position on drugs. Two years
ago, Citizen writer Dan Gardner's series, Losing the War on Drugs,
examined every aspect of illicit drugs, from the violent cartels in
Colombia to the pros and cons of legalization. Based on all the
available evidence, Mr. Gardner rightly concluded that the harm caused
by prohibition far outweighs any benefits from the policy.

The Senate committee echoes this view: "If the aim of public policy is
to diminish consumption and supply of drugs, specifically cannabis,
all signs indicate complete failure." This a courageous statement,
considering the opposition that will surely come. Indeed, the Canadian
Police Association has already issued its denunciation of the
recommendations as a "back-to-school gift for drug pushers," while
Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin claims legalization "will only serve
to make Canada an even greater haven for organized crime." (What both
the police and Mr. Martin failed to explain is why making marijuana
legal would increase, rather than decrease, criminal activity.)

Admittedly, there are some legitimate concerns raised by the
committee's recommendations. Parents will worry about their children
having easier access to marijuana, yet even with today's complete
prohibition, most young people can get some if they want it. The way
to deal with that isn't to continue to criminalize can-nabis, but for
parents to talk to their children about drugs, just as they do when it
comes to tobacco, alcohol and sex.

The criminalization of marijuana - its use has been illegal since
1923 - has been enormously costly (all those police drug squads,
court judges, lawyers, etc.). It has also corrupted society by
fostering organizations dedicated to providing the substance.
Legalizing marijuana will allow society to take back control from the
biker gangs and pushers.

The United States, which spends $1-billion a year on its war on drugs,
wouldn't be pleased if Canada made marijuana available to anyone of
legal age. This could create a variety of problems, including
lengthening delays at border crossings between the U.S. and Canada.

None of these problems is without solution. For example, we'd
recommend that the legal age for marijuana be the same as for tobacco
or alcohol, not 16 as the committee suggests. As for U.S. concerns,
it's interesting that many of the people arguing that Canada must
distance itself from other policies of the United States in order to
maintain our sovereignty are the same ones arguing we must harmonize
our drug laws with theirs.

Perhaps when the U.S. sees the benefits of legalizing marijuana, it
will adopt enlightened laws, too.