SMOKING OUT THE LAW

Pop in to any Ottawa courtroom on any given day and you're bound to hear
the sordid stories about how alcohol abuse has led to violence, family
breakup and deadly car crashes.

You're not nearly as likely to learn marijuana use has been a major factor.

At long last, Canada is poised to reform its outdated drug laws and
decriminalize the relatively harmless weed.

It's about time.

Marijuana is already being used as a legal pain remedy across the country.
Canada's stand has been proudly progressive -- we're the first country to
regulate pot for medicinal purposes.

The debate to decriminalize it for the general population has been raging
for decades.

Yet so far no government has been bold enough to take what's essentially a
low-risk leap.

As politicians dither, police officers have wasted countless hours
enforcing relatively petty "crimes."

Otherwise law-abiding citizens have been branded criminals for enjoying the
occasional joint.

The Brits recently relaxed their laws, wisely rejecting the slippery-slope
argument that softer drugs lead to harder ones.

It's time we all lighten up. We must set aside our unfounded fears and
follow the U.K.'s lead.

Such a move would undoubtedly free up valuable time and resources so police
officers can fight the bigger evils -- like cocaine and heroine.

Of course, by giving up the soft-drug battle, we're bound to ignite a war
with our tough-on-drugs neighbour to the south.

But we would politely remind our U.S. friends that decriminalization does
not mean legalization.

In our view, an occasional user shouldn't be saddled with a criminal record
for what's become a common, socially accepted activity. But there are still
unknowns -- and we don't want a public policy that encourages a potentially
harmful substance.

Before making marijuana legal, we would need to resolve many important
health and safety issues.

We don't yet know the long-term effects of chronic use.

And we don't yet have an effective way of upholding strict non-toking and
driving laws.

Quizzing politicians on whether they've ever tried smoking weed has become
a popular media question that usually makes them squirm.

But is anyone ever surprised by their answer? And does anyone really care
these days?

Medical experts agree health effects from moderate use are minimal. Any
potential harm is considered less than the negative impact of prosecuting
recreational users.

All this leaves little sound reason to continue making marijuana use a
criminal act. Just don't let Dr. Robert Cushman or Coun. Alex Munter catch
you doing it in a bar.

Forget the Criminal Code -- that would break our city's smoking bylaw.