MARIJUANA IS A MENACE, PHYSICIANS WRITE

There is a very simple fact about marijuana. It is an addictive drug with
harmful effects.

It is not a harmless recreational substance, as the agents of its
glamorization suggest, buttressing their advocacy of the decriminalization
of cannabis possession, de jure or de facto, with so-called scientific
evidence and references to supportive opinion polls.

The polls show that only about one-quarter of Canadians think that
possession of marijuana should be legal. The same national research shows
that those who are most in favour of decriminalization are also most likely
to use the drug.

The mythology about the harmless effect of marijuana, we think, is driven
by the collective memory of baby boomers. In the 1960s, the THC content in
cannabis was only about two per cent. Today the THC content is much higher
making it more powerful and more addictive.

(THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient in marijuana
responsible for the sensory, mood and physical changes sought by users of
the drug.)

The emphasis of law enforcement today is on apprehending major drug dealers
and importers. The police have joined forces with physicians to provide the
latest information on marijuana to the community, allowing people to make
an informed decision about a hazardous drug.

Much has changed since the 60s in the police and court treatment of minor
possession of marijuana.

For example, police do not fingerprint or take mug shots of people they
have arrested for possession of less than 30 grams of cannabis. The courts
usually impose minor penalties for possession of less than 30 grams to
ensure innocent victims don't get stuck with a criminal record.

Those who leave the impression that marijuana is harmless are ignoring
ample medical and scientific evidence to the contrary. This is either
wilful ignorance and alarms the medical and law enforcement communities
which must deal with the consequences on a daily basis.

One of the biggest health debates in this province today is not about
marijuana - but about tobacco. Smoking tobacco can kill you- and those
around you who are exposed to second-hand smoke.

Governments, health agencies and community groups now are taking strong
actions to not only curb tobacco use, but to eliminate exposure to
second-hand smoke.

The actions to curb tobacco smoking are commendable. Yet smoking just one
joint deposits in a person four times the cancer causing tar of one
cigarette.

If we had to do it all over again, it is unlikely that the sale of tobacco
would ever be permitted considering the devastating death toll it has
caused and the crushing impact on our health care system. It is not too
late with marijuana to learn from our tobacco experience.