SENATORS WANT POT LEGALIZED

OTTAWA -- A Senate committee recommends legalizing marijuana and putting
its distribution in the hands of the state, a controversial position that
has touched off a national debate on the drug's use and sparked criticism
from the United States.

The 600-page report issued yesterday concluded that marijuana is not
harmful to health and should be readily available to cannabis consumers.

"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that 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 the
committee's chair, Progressive Conservative Senator Pierre Claude Nolin.
"It is certainly less grave than alcohol and tobacco as far is health is
concerned."

The committee is calling on Ottawa to make marijuana legal for those aged
16 and older under a system that would make the drug as easy to buy as
cigarettes and alcohol.

It is also calling for an amnesty for anyone ever convicted of marijuana
possession.

Marijuana has been prohibited in Canada since 1923.

But opponents of legalization were quick to contradict the report's
findings and the Canadian Police Association denounced it as "a
back-to-school gift for drug pushers."

John Walters, director of the U.S. National Drug Control Policy and
President George W. Bush's drug czar, issued a statement from the White
House disputing the report's findings that marijuana is less harmful than
alcohol.

"We know that marijuana is a harmful drug, particularly for young people,"
he said.

"We also know that if you make it more available, you'll get more marijuana
use," he said.

"More use leads to more addiction and more problems. That's why we're
focusing on informing people about the harms of marijuana."

While both Canada and Britain have recently signalled a desire to relax
policies on marijuana, the U.S. Republican administration has shown no
signs of backing away from its hard-line war against drugs.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that marijuana
is a dangerous drug with a high potential for abuse.

The Senate committee has issued its controversial findings after two years
of studying drug policy and interviewing 234 witnesses across Canada and
around the world.

The report's recommendations include:

Providing amnesty for any person convicted of possession of cannabis under
current or past legislation. Approximately 600,000 Canadians have been
convicted of the offence. About 25,000 people are charged annually.

Revising medicinal-marijuana provisions to provide greater access to those
in need.

Amending the Criminal Code to lower permitted alcohol levels to 40
milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in the presence of other
drugs, including cannabis.

Introducing legislation to stipulate conditions for obtaining licences for
producing and selling cannabis.

Mr. Nolin said the Senate committee is urging the federal government to act
on its recommendations as soon as possible.

"In many ways, prohibition is a cop-out. . . . I would like to say to the
government, 'The ball is now in your court.' "

The committee's deputy chair, Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, said making pot
legal will actually result in the decreased use of marijuana. "No one wants
to see an increase in use of cannabis," he said. "The attractiveness of the
substance is it's illegal."

The senators estimate it costs Canada up to $1.5-billion annually to
prosecute drug charges. Almost a third of those cases involve marijuana
charges.

Not surprisingly, marijuana proponents embraced the report. "It's
well-researched," said Marc-Boris St-Maurice, head of Canada's Marijuana
Party. "The recommendations are excellent. But now it's a question of
pressuring government into turning it into legislative reality."

But David Griffin, executive officer for the Canadian Police Association,
which represents 28,000 members, criticized the report.

"There are too many politicians playing scientist," he said. "Today's
report ignores countless studies about the harmful effects of marijuana."

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has said he is considering decriminalizing
marijuana possession by removing it from the Criminal Code and making it an
offence punishable with a fine instead of a criminal record.

Before making a decision, he will review the Senate report as well as that
of a House of Commons committee studying the non-medical use of drugs. That
report is due in November.

Randy White, vice-chair of the House of Commons committee, denounced the
Senate report's recommendation to allow 16-year-olds to legally smoke pot.

"You can't even buy cigarettes or alcohol in Canada until you are 18, but
it would be okay to light up a joint? "

Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan said she would have to review the
report before making any decisions. "Clearly, I will take seriously those
recommendations that deal directly with my department," she said.

Mr. Nolin said it's time to steer away from "a regime where we stick our
heads in the sand, like ostriches."