ANDERS ANGERS (2)

Apparently Marc Ander didn't bother to read the Senate's report on
marijuana before writing in to condemn it. After months of research, the
Senate's Special Committee on Illegal Drugs concluded that marijuana is
relatively benign, marijuana prohibition contributes to organised crime,
and law enforcement efforts have little impact on patterns of use.

Consider the experience of the United States, the former land of the free
and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. The steady rise in
police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and
baseless drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties, while failing
miserably at preventing drug use.

Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health
interventions and ineffective as deterrents, a majority of European Union
countries have decriminalised marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and
perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is
higher in the U.S. than any European country.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death,
nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. The short-term
health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term
effects of criminal records. Unfortunately, marijuana represents the
counterculture to misguided reactionaries intent on legislating their
version of morality. Canada should follow the lead of Europe and Just Say
No to the American Inquisition.

The results of a comparative study of European and U.S. rates of drug use
can be found at: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/espad_pr.pdf

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A, Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance