POT CONTROLS STILL NEEDED

Marijuana has therapeutic uses the federal government has come to recognize
as useful for some ill Canadians.

More than a year ago, Ottawa gave permission to two men with AIDS to use
marijuana for medical purposes. Since then, 35 Canadians have been granted
similar exemptions.

But marijuana remains a banned substance. Those who use it to soften the
harsh effects of the chemical cocktails that treat AIDS, or for nausea,
seizures or lost appetite in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other chronic
illness, are still breaking the law.

As such, many men and women have come to marijuana as a last-resort
therapy. All are unhappy with the process of proving a medical need to
their government and with knowing they are still breaking the law, even if
it is with an excuse note.

The Ontario Court of Appeal has finally demanded a more reasonable pot law.
It says federal lawmakers have one year to rewrite the law so pot can be
used as medicine. If Ottawa doesn't produce a law, the existing ban on
possession for any use will be wiped out.

There have been misguided calls for Parliament to decriminalize possession,
turning it into something like a traffic offence carrying no criminal
record. They come mostly from a vocal minority of youth and Baby Boomers
with fond memories of the '60s.

The world has changed since the Bee Gees went polyester, not the least
being the nature of marijuana itself.

Today's grow-light hemp is a high-octane drug up to 2,500 times more potent
than the twig-and-seed specials smoked by young Boomers. That impact is
felt on our highways -- a 1994 study identified 276 drivers under the
influence of cannabis when they died. Organized crime, mostly bike gangs,
is now behind its growth and distribution.

Research is also telling us more about the drug's harmful reach. It is a
potential carcinogen and can suppress the immune system, a concern for AIDS
and other victims. It is fat soluble, always a health worry, and the impact
on infants is unclear but worrisome.

Society is not ready to throw open the doors to recreational use of another
drug, particularly one that's not nearly as benign as the spin. Cannabis
hurts people, and the law should say so.