MARIJUANA: A CASE FOR DECRIMINALIZATION

Under this new proposal, small-time marijuana users would only receive a
tiny fine that roughly equals the price of a parking ticket. And the threat
of a criminal charge or a permanent record for the possession of marijuana
would be eliminated.

It seems as if the Liberals are finally coming to the realization that
marijuana users are not in the same category as murderers, child molesters
and terrorists.

The federal government's apparent change of heart in this matter -- Prime
Minister Jean Chretien said as recently as last year that decriminalizing
marijuana "was not part of the agenda at this time" -- is probably linked
with the softening of the Canadian public's opinion on overall marijuana use.

Consider these two examples: A May 2000 Compas poll noted that 65 per cent
of all respondents felt that decriminalizing marijuana was either an
"excellent," "very good" or "good" idea, while only 22 per cent gave a
negative response.

In addition, a poll conducted by University of Lethbridge professor
Reginald Bibby noted that Canadian support for "legalizing" marijuana had
actually reached 47 per cent.

The results of the two polls show that decriminalizing marijuana is a more
popular position among Canadians than legalizing marijuana.

But the results also prove that marijuana is overall becoming a more
acceptable substance in our society.

Senator Pierre Claude Nolin's discussion paper this May from the Senate
committee on illegal drugs provided scientific evidence from medical
experts that occasional marijuana use does not dramatically affect a
person's health.

Some of the paper's points were as follows: marijuana is "not a gateway" to
harder drugs, including cocaine and heroin; less than 10 per cent of all
marijuana users become addicted; marijuana can be unhealthy, but the
effects are "relatively benign."

Even the Canadian Medical Association has echoed this sentiment. The CMA
noted that for the estimated 1.5 million recreational marijuana users in
Canada, the health effects of moderate marijuana use are "minimal."

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has also advocated the
decriminalization of marijuana. They believe that prosecuting people for
the possession of a few grams of marijuana ties up scarce resources.

It's a valid point. Police resources should be spent on tracking down
criminals and potential terrorists, not marijuana users. As the U.S.
economist Milton Friedman once said, "relieving our police and our courts
from having to fight losing battles against drugs will enable their
energies and facilities to be devoted more fully to combatting other forms
of crime."

These are dangerous times and we live in a dangerous society. The threat of
another terrorist attack in North America cannot be ignored. As well, a
recent Statistics Canada study reported that violent crime levels increased
for the second year in a row and sexual assaults increased for the first
time since 1993.

As much as possible, our police forces should be concentrating on violent
crimes instead of relatively victimless crimes such as marijuana usage.

The next step is to get organized crime out of the distribution process of
the marijuana industry.