Lawyer says antipot claims outdated

GEORGE BLUMSON / The London Free Press

Chris Clay, proprietor of the Hemp Nation on Richmond Street, faces
cannabis charges. His store sells a number of items made out of hemp
products such as binder twine, clothing and footwear.

He argued many of our opinions today are no different than those in a
propaganda film made in 1936.

By Michelle Shephard
Free Press Reporter

The lawyer defending a London man facing cannabis charges used a 1936
antimarijuana movie to show how outdated he believes our opinions
about the drug remain today.

Paul Burstein, who entered Reefer Madness as a court exhibit Thursday,
said its characters, shown in the throes of wild hallucinations,
aggressive behavior and crazed, mouthfrothing delirium, are still
considered typical marijuana users by many people.

This "misinformation" about the effects of marijuana is supported by
Canadian and American governments and many parts of society, said
Burstein. He's defending Chris Clay, a London hemp store owner who
faces charges of possession and trafficking in cannabis seeds and
plant seedlings. Clay's employee, Jordan Prentice, is also on trial on
narcotic charges.

Showing a pamphlet distributed in London schools called Racing Against
Drugs, Burstein pointed out statements he said had no scientific
basis.

Under crossexamination by Burstein, Harold Kalant, a professor
emeritus of pharmacology at the University of Toronto, agreed that
most of the statements included in the pamphlet were false. It was
produced by the London board of education, the LondonMiddlesex
Catholic board of education and the RCMP and included claims that
marijuana damages brain cells, or the pituitary gland.

"I'm afraid this looks like pure invention," Kalant said.

Burstein also referred to a 1997 pamphlet produced by the Drug
Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice. Again
Kalant agreed that much of the information was false, including
statements that marijuana use promotes aggressive behavior.

"They're taking some liberties," Kalant said.

Kalant, the prosecution's last witness in the case, has spent close to
three decades studying drugs, including alcohol, tobacco and
marijuana.

When asked if he had a son or daughter who had experimented with
marijuana if he'd label them a criminal he answered "no."

"I don't consider the great majority of cannabis users as criminals,"
he said.

POT POSSESSION:

When Burstein asked what he thought about more than 600,000 Canadians
having a criminal record for marijuana possession charges, Kalant
replied: "I think it's regretful."

Kalant testified Wednesday that heavy marijuana users would likely
develop a dependence on the drug. A Canadian Addiction Research
Foundation pamphlet shown in court sites 0.05 per cent of Canadians
show cannabis dependence.

"That would not likely be keeping with other estimates," Kalant said,
saying the figure would be higher.

"So you're saying the ARF is publishing misleading information?"
Burstein asked.

Kalant is the director emeritus at ARF.

He answered that he would simply like further information as to how
they collected their data.

People who are heavy consumers of alcohol are 100 times more likely to
become alcoholdependent and tobacco dependency is 600 times more
likely than cannabis dependency, Burstein told the court, reading from
the ARF pamphlet.

Earlier in the day Kalant testified that heroin was used for
obstetrics when he was an intern. Heroin is now legal in Canada for
use with cancer patients.

Burstein and partner Alan Young, an Osgoode Hall law school professor,
are arguing that marijuana is a safe substance and should not be
illegal. Part of their case has also given evidence to the medicinal
benefits of the drug.

To date the defence lawyers have worked for free to challenge the
constitutionality of current cannabis laws.

Clay said Thursday morning he receives about 80 emails a day
supporting him and has raised $25,000 for his case.

Dressed in a suit, the 26yearold Clay sat with Prentice in the
prisoner's dock writing notes throughout the day.

Under questioning from Crown attorney Kevin Wilson, Kalant said some
heavy marijuana users suffer minor withdrawl symptoms when they no
longer use cannabis.

He also said he supported studies showing a slight psychological
dependence to marijuana.

The case continues Tuesday with closing arguments before Ontario court
Justice John McCart.