GUEST SHOT: GET THE MESSAGE RIGHT ON POT

The response to the report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs
has, in many ways, been just what we hoped for: informed discussion, debate
and dialogue.

Indeed, let's keep it up. However, as I participate in radio and TV shows,
read letters to the editors, editorials and columnists, it has become clear
that some of what the committee said in our report either was not heard or
has been misunderstood.

First, we do not endorse recreational drug use of any kind. We would prefer
to see a drug-free society just as we would love to see world peace, but we
are realistic enough to know that we will not likely see it in our lifetime.

The premise of our report is that in a free society such as ours, citizens
should have the right to make their own informed decision on their own
behaviour as long as it does not inordinately harm others. And we found
that cannabis falls into that category. It is less harmful to individuals
and to others than tobacco or alcohol, so let's treat is in a similar way.
Certainly, we found no good reason for Canadians to have a criminal record
for personal recreational use of marijuana.

There has also been a lot of controversy around our report regarding a
legal limit of age 16. The Committee recommended an age limit for legal
consumption at 16 as an absolute minimum age based on the scientific
findings that the human brain is developed enough by then not to be
physically harmed. In other words, we recommend that the authorities not
legalize cannabis for use below the age of 16. Appropriate authorities may
well have good reason to determine that another age above 16 would be best.
That is why we want the key federal and provincial players to initiate
meeting with other health and community stakeholders to determine an
acceptable age, among many other issues.

A lot has been said about messages being sent. Before we send messages, we
should have an intelligent debate about what the messages should be. One
political leader even said he would prefer his children consume alcohol
rather than smoke cannabis.

Wrong message. Again, this report is not about comparing the merits of
cannabis to other substances, but about whether otherwise law-abiding
Canadians should be persecuted, prosecuted and penalized by the criminal
justice system for consuming a substance proven to be relatively benign. We
believe that education, treatment and prevention are the ways to deal with
any problems use of tobacco, alcohol or cannabis may cause, not prohibition
and criminalization. So if you are working to keep your kids from taking
drugs, there is much in our report to help you. Just as disturbing have
been the attacks dismissing our report from some of the organizations that
represent the police community. Yet, we considered their advice carefully.
We simply don't completely agree with them. At the same time, our report
addresses specific issues raised by the police such as calling for a
national drug policy, national advisor and effective research coordination,
and recommending that the legal blood alcohol level be reduced to .04 from
.08 when in the presence of cannabis.

Finally, there is the ridiculous notion that the conclusions of our report
in some way promote or advance criminal activity or support terrorism.
Currently, organized crime enjoys vast profits from the sale of illicit
drugs. Legalization takes the production and distribution of cannabis
products out of the hands of organized crime. Profits would go to
shareholders, not terrorists or gang members. Perhaps most important of
all, buyers would not be purchasing the produce from someone who is also
selling crack cocaine or heroine. If there is any "gateway effect" that can
be attributed to cannabis, it's the fact that buyers, especially young
people, are exposed to these dealers who stand to gain far more from
pushing much more highly addictive substances on their customers than they
do from selling cannabis.

We think Canadians are quite capable of making a wise choice with respect
to cannabis policy. It is quite clear that they are more than willing to
debate the issue. I hope our report continues to provide the information
and ideas to help Canada to a new policy of healing and dignity, rather the
degradation and despair created by our current prohibitionist policy.

- - Sen. Pierre-Claude Nolin chaired the Senate's Special Committee on
Illegal Drugs. Its report, Cannabis: Our position for a Canadian public
policy, can be found at http://www.parl.gc.ca/illegal-drugs.asp.