MP FUMES OVER MARIJUANA DEBATE

If marijuana is legalized in Canada police will have difficulty detecting
the level of impairment in questionable drivers.

Banff RCMP Staff Sgt. Joe MacDonald is concerned police won't be able to
determine the level of impairment of people driving under the influence of
marijuana.

Unlike the breathalyzer test, used to detect the level of blood alcohol, no
such quick test exists for drugs.

"The only way to do it (judge the level of drugs in the system) is a blood
test," he said.

It has recently been suggested that Canada should legalize marijuana. The
suggestion stems from a report released last Wednesday (Sept. 4) from a
Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs.

The report claims the current prohibition is failing and suggests to replace
it with a regulated system similar to that used for alcohol.

"Scientific evidence overwhelming indicates cannabis is substantially less
harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a
social and public health issue," said committee chair Senator Pierre Claude
Nolin.

Wild Rose MP Myron Thompson is completely against the Senate's
recommendation.

"This Senate report is further evidence that the Liberal government's
National Drug Strategy has been a complete failure. The motto of this report
should be, 'We can't stop the pot...so let's tax it," he said.