SENATE PUSHES LEGAL POT

Canada's Senate Is Going To Pot.

But a Senate committee's recommendation for legalizing marijuana is a tough
sell, even to those pushing for laxer laws on dope-smoking.

The Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, in a report released yesterday,
suggests Canada should legalize marijuana for adults.

Claiming current prohibition a failure, it suggests replacing it with a
regulated system similar to that used for booze.

"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly 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.

"We are not endorsing cannabis for recreational consumption ... We have
come to the conclusion that, as a drug, it should be regulated by the State
much as we do for wine and beer, hence our preference for legalization over
decriminalization."

Calgary's cannabis crusader, Grant Krieger, said the news is old.

"It's a total broken record and another crock," said Krieger, who treats
his multiple sclerosis with pot and has long lobbied for medicinal use of
the plant.

"They want to legalize it but ignore the sick people of this nation -- they
need to get their priorities straight."

The report also suggests to smoke or not smoke be a "personal choice" with
no criminal penalties for users.

It says regulating availability would save millions in drug enforcement and
calls for amnesty for those with criminal records for possessing pot.

Police, however, fear legalizing pot would open a Pandora's Box.

"Legalization would be damning," said Calgary drug unit Staff Sgt. Roger
Chaffin. "There is the illusion it is a safe, innocuous drug (but) there is
a very significant element of organized crime in production and
distribution of marijuana, the profitability is in the billions, and with
that comes everything from robberies to extortion and murder."

He fears regulated pot would boost organized crime and open up black
markets offering more potent plants.

"There are well-documented health and social concerns and I don't know how
legalization will improve that (and) I can't see a correlation between
legalization and reduction in crime," he said.

Peggy Perry said there is no comparison between weed smoking and moderate
booze consumption.

"Smoking, no matter what you are smoking, is not socially acceptable," said
the marketing vice-president for Willow Park Wines & Spirits. "You can
drink a glass of wine and not experience any effect if you're eating food
but when you smoke a joint you ... get high."

The report comes three months before the Supreme Court of Canada hears a
constitutional challenge to the legality of marijuana laws and follows a
two-year committee study of public policy related to marijuana.

HIGH LIFE

The debate continues is marijuana bad because it's illegal or illegal
because it's bad? Here are some facts on the weed also known as pot, dope,
Mary Jane, ganja, hemp and reefer:

* As many as two million Canadians used cannabis in the last year and up to
100,000 used daily.

* Cops say up to 800 tonnes circulates in Canada each year.

* Cannabis was outlawed in 1923, amid what the Senate report called a
"panic" over drugs.

* About half of the 90,000 drug incidents reported each year involve cannabis.

* Drug enforcement runs at $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year, with a third
related to cannabis.

Highlights of a Senate committee report:

* Marijuana and hashish should come under a regulatory system for
production and sale under licence for legal use by any Canadian resident
over 16.

* Looser rules for the use of medical marijuana should provide easier access.

* Government should erase criminal records of 300,000 to 600,000 Canadians
convicted of simple possession.

* Government should appoint a national adviser on psychoactive substances.

* Government should involve the provinces, municipalities and interested
parties to set ground rules for legal marijuana.

* Government should finance research on drugs and on prevention and
treatment programs, financed by taxes on the sale of legal marijuana.