FIX MARIJUANA CONTROLS

A recent survey of marijuana use in Canada shows current legislation is not
doing the job of controlling this psychoactive substance. It also leaves
room for hope that with some changes, we may be able to reduce if not
eliminate damage.

The top concern about pot ought to be health, especially among young
people. Besides some studies that point to memory and cognitive impairment,
ingestion of marijuana smoke is itself potentially harmful, especially to
the lungs.

So a top priority must remain to educate people about the very real dangers
of smoking the drug. Such campaigns must be honest to be effective, and
distance themselves from the poor information and disinformation that has
characterized so many ludicrous anti-pot drives in the past.

While it's fair to say that marijuana is not among the worst of our
worries, we have to keep stressing it's not good for recreational use and
should be avoided.

There's at least anecdotal evidence THC, the active ingredient, helps in
treating some medical conditions. To that extent, the medicinal value
should continue to be studied with a view to treating marijuana as we do
other controlled pharmaceuticals that can be purchased only with a
prescription.

Senior Health Canada officials have visited the Netherlands to see if we
can model our system on the one there, which allows patients to obtain it
at pharmacies. We do it with other substances already, including narcotics,
and should do the same with pot.

Non-medical use still presents problems. While we should continue to
caution against it as we do tobacco and booze, we have to change our laws
so they can protect us better.

This month's Leger Marketing poll showed more than a third of Canadians
aged 18 to 24 have smoked pot in the past year. The proportion declined to
24 per cent for 24-to-34-year-olds, and dropped off as people matured until
it was found to be only one per cent of people older than 65.

Like so many risky behaviours, marijuana use appears to wane as people grow
up. Our laws ought to recognize that and concentrate on protecting youth.

Current legislation treats all users as criminals, often throwing them into
jail where they can pick up tips from real criminals about perpetrating
real crimes.

Organized crime has made a killing on illegal pot sales, just as it did
during alcohol prohibition days. This source of revenue and grief has to be
plugged.

The law should change immediately to decriminalize possession of small
amounts of marijuana, still treating it as a controlled substance subject
to confiscation and a fine.

Eventually, the state may be able to take over production and distribution
among adults. That would generate public revenue to administer the system
- -- which is burning up taxpayers' money under the current approach -- and
control contamination of the product.

At present, the harm to youth is compounded because they have no idea what
might have been mixed with pot by growers or pushers, unwittingly or
otherwise. The new law could focus on protecting youth, keeping supplying
marijuana to minors a criminal offence with harsh consequences.

One of Canada's greatest hurdles to handling this problem realistically
will come from south of the border.

If we thought declining to participate in the war on Iraq drew the ire of
the U.S., it's nothing compared to the reaction we can expect from
anti-drug czars who stand to lose their budgets and careers if the war on
drugs becomes more focused and logical.