MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IS BEST NEXT STEP

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and his Liberal cohorts are contemplating
marijuana decriminalization.

Long overdue, their plan calls for fines for those Canadians caught with
small amounts of marijuana. This new change would replace the prevailing
system, where pot smokers face a criminal record and a potential prison
sentence. Now before everyone gets all worked up into a frenzy of
excitement, it should be noted that this isn't the be-all, end-all solution
for the marijuana issue. In fact, it won't even solve the current problems
surrounding marijuana. For that to happen, marijuana needs to be legalized.

And don't think that I'm asking for too much. It's clear that the
government is throwing legalization advocates a bone with this move. And it
is true that replacing criminal records and prison sentences with fines is
an improvement.

But this change does little to address the key problems with marijuana: the
involvement of organized crime in the marijuana trade; the inflated price
of marijuana; and the deterioration of individual rights.

First, the problem of organized crime. Because marijuana is illegal for
production and sale, those who are involved in the business have no access
to the Canadian legal system to mediate their disputes. This makes violence
a competitive advantage for people who are inclined to use violence. If one
person can just beat up or kill another person to protect their high drug
profits, why not?

And when you can use violence to push out competitors, organized crime
naturally moves into the market. Although this largely hasn't happened in
Alberta and B.C., it has in Quebec. There, violent clashes between biker
gangs have led to the injury and often the death of innocent bystanders.

As long as people can't legally grow or legally sell marijuana, violent
criminals will be involved in the trade to a greater or lesser extent. In
effect, this means that the prohibition of the marijuana trade is a
regulation that protects organized crime's involvement in the marijuana
industry.

Second, prohibition causes the price of marijuana to be artificially high.
Every time police arrest a dealer or a grower and seize their marijuana,
the supply of marijuana is reduced. This practice, coupled with a
consistent demand for marijuana by pot smokers, leads to an artificially
high price. Supply is reduced, while the demand stays constant, causing the
price to rise. This means that marijuana, which now costs some $250 an
ounce, may only cost $20 to $30 an ounce under legalization.

Now people aren't stealing for marijuana, like they do for hard drugs, so
the price problem isn't as bad as it is for other drugs. But the reality is
that large amounts of money in the economy are being concentrated in the
hands of people we probably don't like all that much -- people like those
involved in organized crime. And the last thing anyone wants is large
amounts of money from our economy concentrated in the hands of violent
criminals.

Third, marijuana prohibition has led to the erosion of our liberty. As the
Americans move away from their classical traditions, most recently with
talk of a program where four per cent of U.S. citizens could become spies
on their fellow citizens in a bid to "counter terrorism," Canadians have to
ask ourselves in which direction do we want to head?

Do we want to maintain our current freedoms and pursue a freer society, or
do we want to move towards a society where government controls more of our
private decisions?

In a free society, it is assumed that individuals have certain rights that
give them a reasonable level of autonomy from government intervention into
their affairs. In the case of marijuana, we have to consider the importance
of our right to self-ownership.

Do people own their own bodies? If so, can they put things in their bodies
that they want to? Even if those things are vices?

If we want a free and liberal society, the answer is yes. And, is the
legalization of marijuana too much to ask? I would hope not.

When the choice is between more crime and less freedom, or more freedom and
less crime, I choose the latter. Let's hope Justice Minister Cauchon is
smart enough to choose the same.