REVISIT POT LAW

They called prohibition, the banning of the production, distribution
and sale of alcohol early in the last century 'The Noble Experiment.'
It was supposed to rid society of drunkenness, poverty, crime and
various other societal ills.

By any measure, it was a catastrophic failure. People thumbed their
nose at the law in ever-growing numbers, and organized crime bosses
got fat off the distribution of booze. Governments in Canada and the
U.S. were forced to repeal blanket bans.

Flash forward 70-something years and we're in an eerily similar
situation. This time around, it's marijuana: many Canadians simply
ignore the fact that possessing pot is a crime.

That's led to a situation mimicking prohibition: illegal grow-ops
have taken the place of ma and pa stills. Their numbers are growing
exponentially, and police say upwards of 90 per cent of the grow-ops
are run by organized crime. Thousands of Canadians are burdened with
a criminal record each year, just for being caught with a joint or two.

With each passing year, pot on the streets of Canada and the United
States is more potent and more easily obtained. The National Center
for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found in
2002 that for the first time, a higher percentage of teens found it
easier to buy marijuana than cigarettes and alcohol.

Cigarettes are legal in Ontario, but smoking rates continue to drop
through a combination of education and tight restrictions on the sale
of cancer sticks to minors. Alcohol is legal, but per capita
consumption of booze is continually falling in Ontario.

It's logical to assume pot consumption will follow the same trend
through decriminalization and regulation, and it'll put illegal
grow-ops out of business.

With the best of intentions, governments and law enforcement
officials may be making the drug problem worse by continuing to pour
untold millions of dollars into the war on drugs.

Federal Justice Minister and Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson promises
tougher penalties for those who grow and push marijuana and other
drugs. But the lessons taught by prohibition tell us that probably won't work.

Should we legalize pot overnight? Of course not. The dearth of
scientific studies into the long-term consequences of regular
marijuana use means that would be irresponsible. Controlled,
scientific studies must be carried out under the government's watchful eye.

But the drug problem isn't going away, and every indication is that
it will only get worse without a fundamental shift in current public policy.

The drug problem is not something we can arrest ourselves out of.