ENOUGH OF STUDIES, IT'S TIME TO END THE WAR ON CANNABIS

OTTAWA - The kid parked in the rusty Chevy Nova with three teenage buddies
was getting ready for a high school dance in routine rebel style -- with a
case of beer in the back seat and a marijuana joint in circulation.

Suddenly, powerful flashlights blasted through the side windows, the front
doors were yanked open and loud voices warned everyone not to move. The
driver, crazy Bob Green, instinctively hit the accelerator, dragging two
police officers along the asphalt for a hundred metres until a punch to his
head and talk of a gun from one of the cops put the brakes to any dramatic
escape attempt. The undercover officers dumped the beer in the parking lot
- -- and busted the guy caught holding the bag of dope.

The year was 1974. That kid was me. And the yellow court summons was the
biggest scare of my life, at least until the possession confession to my
parents.

I suppose it would sound trite now to plead that it wasn't my stuff or that
I was just innocently guzzling beer while the others smoked up. So I won't.
But thanks to some high-priced legal talent and a sympathetic judge, the
criminal record attached to that pot possession conviction was discharged.
I haven't bought marijuana since. Honest.

My case may be a generation old, but the legal persecution against cannabis
continues at a pace of five arrests per hour, every hour of the year.
Police forces busted 45,000 Canadians for simple possession in 2000 (down
from a peak of 65,800 in 1981) and 85 per cent of them were under 25 years
old, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

Based on Alberta police estimates of $3,000 in legal costs for every
charge, that's $135 million per year going up in smoke to criminalize a
plant legally approved as a wonder drug for Canadians tormented by chronic
pain and suffering.

With our law enforcement resources overwhelmed by the fight against
terrorism, this is the time for Canada to reconsider the enormous waste of
manpower and money required to maintain grass in the Criminal Code.

A private member's bill to decriminalize simple possession of small amounts
of marijuana will be debated for three hours in the House of Commons on
Wednesday and put to a vote.

Keith Martin, a B.C. physician and Canadian Alliance MP, sponsored the
bill, which would remove the criminal conviction and leave only a maximum
fine of $200 for a first offence.

Martin's push is not the same as legalization, which he doesn't favour. The
stuff has health risks, specifically cognitive impairment and lung damage,
which justify it being kept as a controlled substance, he says.

But to die from an overdose would require a superhuman inhalation effort.
And it's a scientific given that marijuana is not physically or
psychologically addictive, is unlikely to lead to harder drugs and is less
disorienting than alcohol, solvents or any other narcotic.

Never before has Parliament appeared to be so ripe and ready for
decriminalization to move forward, if only legal logic could overcome the
intransigent opposition of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Internationally, there is a clear trend toward surrender in the war against
cannabis. Swiss farmers can grow it commercially. In a dozen U.S. states,
possession is no longer a crime. Last month, Britain's Home Secretary
endorsed decriminalization while police in south London have stopped
arresting marijuana smokers, opting instead for a verbal warning.

As the Canadian Medical Association noted in supporting decriminalization,
the stigma of having a record discourages qualified students from enrolling
in medical school, which can only mean bright lights are also being blocked
from legal, scientific or other professional occupations by a small grass
stain on their otherwise clean record.

The time for further study is over. It ended when Toronto law school dean
Gerald Le Dain's commission wrapped up its exhaustive research effort by
recommending the criminal prohibition of cannabis be repealed. The year was
1969.

Yet here we are, 32 years and billions of law enforcement dollars later,
stuck with the same outdated, ineffective marijuana law. Reefer madness indeed.

And out there somewhere in Canada tonight, a kid in a car built long after
most Chevy Novas were melted down for scrap will be caught holding the bag
- -- and another teenage criminal will be created under a law that should
have been junked a generation ago.