IT STILL WON'T BE LEGAL

Marijuana advocates who use Holland as a poster child of the legalization
of the drug probably haven't spent much time in Amsterdam's red light
district at night.

Dutch coffee shops sell marijuana and hashish cigarettes separately in
small plastic tubes for roughly $5 Canadian apiece. Herbal ecstacy, magic
mushrooms, hashish brownies, and "Space Cake" wrapped in thin plastic as
well as drug paraphernalia were offered in small shops sandwiched between
porn shops, bars, and coffee houses. Tourists and locals browsed in these
stores so casually, you'd think they were buying a pair of sunglasses or
postcards. During the afternoons, 20-something, wannabe-hippy, tourists sat
on high barstools, smoking their drugs while chatting quietly, as their
thick dreadlocks spilled over their eyes.

Yet that small section of Amsterdam, which was dusty and dirty during my
visit a couple of Octobers ago, took on a sinister feel once darkness
ruled. That's when the district showed its true face to me. I was in the
company of a dozen people, and it took us about a microsecond to agree that
there were certain alleys we shouldn't stroll through. In an area where
anything goes, including open drug use, it seemed to me like a modern day
version of Caligula's Rome.

That is one of the reasons why I find it interesting that 56 per cent of
British Columbians favour decriminalizing marijuana, according to a poll
conducted by the Vancouver Province, Global TV and MacLean's magazine.

Marijuana may be a less socially destructive drug than alcohol, which has
shattered the lives of countless families. But would decriminalizing the
drug - simply due to some members of the public's ignorance of the term -
send a message to people that smoking pot in public is acceptable? Would it
also send a message to kids that soft drug use is okay?

A parliamentary committee recently recommended that possession of up to 30
grams of marijuana should be treated as a regulatory offence, and shouldn't
land someone a criminal record. Canadian Justice Minister Martin Couchon
appears to agree. He has promised to ease marijuana possession laws this year.

But users should recognize the difference between "decriminalization" and
"legalization." The committee made it clear that it is not talking about
legalizing marijuana. Even if the marijuana is "decriminalized" in the near
future, if you are caught with small amounts of the drug, you'll have to
pay a fine. The only difference is, you won't have to go to court and you
won't be burdened with a criminal record.

A friend of mine told me that he saw a man openly smoking pot just outside
the doors of a public establishment during a New Year's Eve bash.

The man told onlookers that, "soon, this will be legal."

The government, if it chooses to take this bold step of decriminalization,
has a responsibility to set the record straight.