SMOKE SCREEN

Decriminalize Pot? What A Hip Way To Get Our Minds Off Guns And Kyoto

Wow, man. Today's report by a special Commons committee on "non-medical"
drug use is expected to recommend marijuana be decriminalized.

Not only that, Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is expected to do just that
in the new year. Cool, dude.

Still, something about the timing of all this smells funny.

And not because it comes at the height of the holiday season, a time of
year when when so many of us are prone to abusing a certain deadly,
addictive, legal drug that we have to have police out on special patrols to
curb the carnage.

No, the curious development here is that Cauchon is raising this sweet
smoke screen mere days after his government - and his ministry - came under
fire for blowing $1 billion of our money on its useless gun registry.

Coincidentally(?), decriminalizing pot will reportedly save governments
around $1.5 billion in enforcement and prosecution costs. Gee, could that
help Cauchon put Justice back in the black on the gun registry, and help
fund it in the future? Could all those police and court resources now being
used to throw harmless pot smokers in jail soon be put toward throwing
harmless rifle owners in jail instead?

Or am I just being paranoid?

All I know is this reeks of Liberal face-saving. It paints the Grits as
friends of dopers and enemies of gun nuts - the exact hipper-than-thou
image the party seeks.

And, hey, isn't talking about pot just a whole lot more fun than fighting
about nasty old guns?

Okay, enough of that cynicism. Suffice it to say that, as usual, the
Liberals seem poised to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons,
buoyed by polls that tell them it will make most voters happy, if not
downright giddy.

Truth be told, though, it won't be that easy. Judging by what we've heard
just this week, reaction to the prospect of decriminalization will be
decidedly mixed.

First, as committee co-chair and Alliance MP Randy White has pointed out,
there will be serious debate over the proposal that possession of up to 30
grams of pot be free from criminal penalty. White says that's enough for
40-60 joints - a heck of a lot more than anyone needs to carry around for
"personal use."

(I had no idea how much 30 grams was, so I checked my spice cupboard. A
full bottle of McCormick's tarragon leaves was only 9 grams. White's right
- - 30 grams is a lot of herb.)

Then there's the serious matter of impairment. On this, I would advise all
those politicians who admit to "experimenting" with pot in college but
"haven't touched it since," to update their research with today's
high-potency marijuana - you'll no doubt find it's not the stuff of your
hazy memories. Decriminalization may be all well and good, but I, along
with Alliance Leader Stephen Harper and many others, want to be sure
there's a reliable impairment test available at the same time, and laws to
stop people who toke and drive.

(Speaking of the Alliance, I agree with MP Keith Martin, a medical doctor
who favours decriminalization, but I can't fathom his comment this week
that it will actually decrease pot use. How? I personally know plenty of
folks who will gladly increase their occasional marijuana use as soon as
they're assured the legal consequence will be no more serious than a
traffic ticket.)

Finally, there's the perplexing problem of supply. If the Commons committee
and Cauchon stop short, as expected, of total legalization, it will still
be a crime to sell pot. Which means users will still have to buy it from
criminals, usually gangs. Surely it's better to go the route recommended by
a Senate (yes, Senate) committee last fall, which said pot should be legal,
government controlled, and sold in liquor stores (as, in my view, tobacco
should be as well).

Of course, real enthusiasts could just grow their own. Like so many Liberal
ideas, that too sounds nice, but half-baked. First, it's not easy. Second,
there could be wide-reaching repercussions. I mean, just think of the
sudden boom in home-growing operations - all the grow lights, all that
hydroponic equipment, all that electricity, all those CO2 emissions. Has
anyone calculated how a sharp increase in home horticulture will affect the
great Kyoto implementation plan?

Yes, in drug policy as in comedy, timing is everything. Is it just me, or
are the Liberals getting as predictable as an old Cheech and Chong record?