POT POLITICS

AS if the triple threat of SARS, West Nile and mad cow disease wasn't
enough to get us thinking about our mortality and how to prolong it, out
comes news that the feds are moving to decriminalize possession of small
amounts of marijuana.

Obviously, there's no real connection between these disparate events, but
it's rich with irony and we're left to marvel at the government's sense of
timing at introducing such legislation when we're already preoccupied with
swatting mosquitoes, trying to introduce veggie burgers into our diet and
learning how to choke them down without staining our surgical masks. All
three activities should be challenging enough to encourage even the most
diehard pot user to take a break from that habit and take steps to ensure
that he/she survives this triple threat and only resumes indulging in a
favourite pastime when things level out a bit. On the other hand, the
prospect of decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot might be the
reason non-users decide to smoke pot in the face of such environmental
adversity. After all, smoking pot is supposed to make you feel like you are
somewhere else.

This proposed legislation still needs Parliament's approval and will likely
undergo major revisions. So, for the time being, we predict business as
usual. That is: sales of bug repellent and surgical masks will continue to
skyrocket; beef will be dirt cheap; tokers will toke; the police will
continue to turn a blind eye to those caught with small amounts of pot; and
growers will be working like mad cows to make a killing before they scale
down their grow-ops.

These are interesting times.