News (Media Awareness Project) - Canada: Advocates Get Puffed Up Over The Use Of Marijuana |
| Title: | Canada: Advocates Get Puffed Up Over The Use Of Marijuana |
| Published On: | 2002-07-20 |
| Source: | Globe and Mail (Canada) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-22 22:51:05 |
ADVOCATES GET PUFFED UP OVER THE USE OF MARIJUANA
Judging By The New Statistics, Smoking Pot Keeps Getting More Acceptable
Jennifer and her husband, Greg, know it will be hard when they ultimately
sit down to tell their children that Mom and Dad smoke marijuana. But it
won't be any more difficult than talking to them about sex or any of the
other big issues most conscientious parents discuss with their children
these days.
"Our parenting style is to not to hide anything from them," says Jennifer,
an Ottawa lawyer in her late 30s who says she regularly smokes marijuana on
weekends. "It's sticky, but talking about sex, that's difficult, too," she
says.
Jennifer, not her real name, is one of a growing number of Canadians who
have continued to smoke marijuana well into their 30s. She and her husband
have jobs with good salaries, a cottage and young children who go to
private school.
Jennifer says that most of their friends smoke marijuana, too, as do a good
number of lawyers in Ottawa.
"Quite frankly, I'd rather my kids smoke marijuana rather than drink," she
says. "I have never delved into any other kind of drug, and I don't plan to."
Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon began musing publicly this week
about decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana.
The 39-year-old Mr. Cauchon told reporters that he also had smoked
marijuana once or twice in his youth, and those who have been pushing for
the drug's decriminalization say it is a good thing that he is willing to
admit it, because it will probably get other individuals his age who have
smoked marijuana out of the closet.
Some researchers say the fact that the number of older Canadians who smoke
marijuana -- or have smoked it in the past -- has increased is also having
an effect, by removing the stigma and mystery of the drug for others.
According to a series of recent surveys compiled by the Toronto-based
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2000, about 12.3 per cent of
Ontarians between the ages of 30 and 39 reported having smoked marijuana in
the previous year, an increase from 4 per cent in 1982.
The numbers are also up among those between the ages of 20 and 29, with
28.2 per cent saying they had smoked the drug during the previous year,
compared to 22.7 per cent in 1982.
And, although statistics show marijuana smoking drops substantially by the
time Canadians reach their 40s, there are still more middle aged smokers
now than their were in the 1980s.
Addiction researchers say the Ontario results on marijuana tend to be a
fairly good reflection of what's going on in the rest of the country. West
Coast residents smoke a little more, statistics say, while those on the
East Coast may be a little less inclined to indulge.
Meanwhile, another national study conducted eight years ago shows that
about one-third of those Canadians in Mr. Cauchon's age group (35 to 44)
have tried marijuana on at least one occasion.
Alan Young, a Toronto lawyer and law professor who smokes marijuana, says
many Canadians stop imbibing in their mid-20s because it proves
incompatible with their lifestyles and family lives.
But a small percentage, like himself, continue to smoke marijuana, he said
in a phone interview from his Toronto home.
Mostly, Mr. Young said he smokes in his home, at the end of a long day when
the ordinary responsibilities of being an adult have been taken care of.
"For me, it's all about withdrawing and relaxing from the pressures of the
day," he said. "A momentary vacation."
As a lawyer, Mr. Young said his use of marijuana is fairly well accepted
among his peers, many of whom also use the drug.
He acknowledges, however, that many Canadians won't discuss their decision
to smoke because, of course, possessing marijuana is still illegal.
He congratulates Mr. Cauchon for acknowledging his past behaviour, but adds
that the minister should remove the stigma for other Canadians by moving
quickly to decriminalize the possession of marijuana.
"I say to the minister, 'You've committed a crime. If you recognize the
horror of having that label put upon you and that you would not have become
minister of justice if you got caught, that should motivate you to make the
change quickly without having five years of consultation.' "
Mr. Young, a champion of decriminalization, is also a strong advocate of
discussing marijuana smoking with children and has talked to his
stepdaughter about it.
"You have to have discussions with young people about this," he said.
"I don't understand this cloaking in a veil of silence. I want to make sure
they have the correct information to make the right choices."
Craig Jones, a research associate with Queen's University's Centre for
Health Services and Policy Research, says it's difficult to say how far
into the middle class marijuana consumption has reached.
Research suggests that, among those of working age, the highest prevalence
of marijuana smoking is among those looking for work and semi-skilled workers.
Mr. Jones argues that the more salient fact is that many who smoked
marijuana in their youth are now into their 40s and have observed that
their earlier behaviour has not had a deleterious effect on them.
"I think the most important consideration is the process of demystification
that has happened as a result of the sixties and seventies generation
graduating into their 40s and 50s and realizing that we have a social
policy that's just dysfunctional," he said.
Mr. Jones notes that it has taken a substantial amount of time to get to
the point where Canadians are willing to dismiss some of the myths about
marijuana.
He points to the days in the earlier part of the 20th century when
marijuana was linked with insanity and violence, and later in the century,
when antimarijuana lobbyists argued that excessive use of the drug made
people lazy.
Indeed, some researchers say there is little doubt that fear can be a
factor in the rates of marijuana use.
In Ontario during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rate of consumption
dropped, a decline that one researcher attributes to publicity surrounding
a rise in the use of cocaine, which triggered general anxiety about drug
addiction.
"The more a population perceives a greater risk, there will be a change in
behaviour," said Edward Adlaf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Mr. Young, for his part, says that if antimarijuana advocates want to study
cannabis and its effects on health, they now have a captive population of
guinea pigs.
"I know hundreds and hundreds of people over the age of 40 that smoke
marijuana," he said.
"We have a population of long-standing marijuana smokers to study for
research purposes to determine if some of the harms the prohibitionists
claim are actualities."
WHO USES MARIJUANA?
Ontarians over 18 who have used cannabis over the past decade.
..............................1991......1992......1994.....1996.....1998.....2000
Total surveyed.....1,047.....1,058.....2,022.....2,721....2,509....2,406
Percentage
of users..........8.7%.......6.2%......9.0%......8.7%......8.6%...10.8%
Men...............11.5%.......9.1%.....11.4%.....12.6%.....12.1%...14.3%
Women..............6.0%.......3.6%......7.0%......5.3%......5.4%....7.7%
Age
18-29 years.......19.9%......13.3%.....19.6%.....18.3%.....25.2%...28.2%
30-39 years........9.1%.......6.6%.....10.2%.....11.3%......8.2%...12.3%
40-49 years........3.0%.......2.4%......4.3%......6.1%......4.6%....6.4%
50-64 years.........-.........1.3%.......-.........-........1.4%....2.9%
65+ years...........-..........-.........-.........-.........-.......-
Never married.....20.2%......13.7%.....20.9%.....19.5%.....22.9%....26.4%
Married............4.0%.......3.5%......4.1%......4.9%......4.3%.....6.2%
Live in Toronto...12.3%.......6.7%......9.9%.....10.9%.....13.3%....14.0%
Toronto outskirts..7.3%.......6.5%......8.0%......9.6%......8.4%....10.5%
West.............10.3%.......4.2%......9.5%......7.3%......7.6%....10.0%
East..............5.1%.......7.1%......8.2%......7.9%......6.9%.....9.1%
North.............3.8%.......5.6%......7.8%......6.3%......7.1%.....8.4%
Less than high
school education..6.3%.......6.3%......8.5%......6.1%......6.8%....10.4%
Finished
high school.......9.8%.......5.2%......9.6%......9.5%.....10.7%.....9.5%
Some college
or university....10.7%.......6.7%.....10.3%.....11.3%.....10.2%....15.7%
University degree..7.6%.......7.2%......7.0%......7.0%......5.6%.....7.0%
SOURCE: CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
Judging By The New Statistics, Smoking Pot Keeps Getting More Acceptable
Jennifer and her husband, Greg, know it will be hard when they ultimately
sit down to tell their children that Mom and Dad smoke marijuana. But it
won't be any more difficult than talking to them about sex or any of the
other big issues most conscientious parents discuss with their children
these days.
"Our parenting style is to not to hide anything from them," says Jennifer,
an Ottawa lawyer in her late 30s who says she regularly smokes marijuana on
weekends. "It's sticky, but talking about sex, that's difficult, too," she
says.
Jennifer, not her real name, is one of a growing number of Canadians who
have continued to smoke marijuana well into their 30s. She and her husband
have jobs with good salaries, a cottage and young children who go to
private school.
Jennifer says that most of their friends smoke marijuana, too, as do a good
number of lawyers in Ottawa.
"Quite frankly, I'd rather my kids smoke marijuana rather than drink," she
says. "I have never delved into any other kind of drug, and I don't plan to."
Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon began musing publicly this week
about decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana.
The 39-year-old Mr. Cauchon told reporters that he also had smoked
marijuana once or twice in his youth, and those who have been pushing for
the drug's decriminalization say it is a good thing that he is willing to
admit it, because it will probably get other individuals his age who have
smoked marijuana out of the closet.
Some researchers say the fact that the number of older Canadians who smoke
marijuana -- or have smoked it in the past -- has increased is also having
an effect, by removing the stigma and mystery of the drug for others.
According to a series of recent surveys compiled by the Toronto-based
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2000, about 12.3 per cent of
Ontarians between the ages of 30 and 39 reported having smoked marijuana in
the previous year, an increase from 4 per cent in 1982.
The numbers are also up among those between the ages of 20 and 29, with
28.2 per cent saying they had smoked the drug during the previous year,
compared to 22.7 per cent in 1982.
And, although statistics show marijuana smoking drops substantially by the
time Canadians reach their 40s, there are still more middle aged smokers
now than their were in the 1980s.
Addiction researchers say the Ontario results on marijuana tend to be a
fairly good reflection of what's going on in the rest of the country. West
Coast residents smoke a little more, statistics say, while those on the
East Coast may be a little less inclined to indulge.
Meanwhile, another national study conducted eight years ago shows that
about one-third of those Canadians in Mr. Cauchon's age group (35 to 44)
have tried marijuana on at least one occasion.
Alan Young, a Toronto lawyer and law professor who smokes marijuana, says
many Canadians stop imbibing in their mid-20s because it proves
incompatible with their lifestyles and family lives.
But a small percentage, like himself, continue to smoke marijuana, he said
in a phone interview from his Toronto home.
Mostly, Mr. Young said he smokes in his home, at the end of a long day when
the ordinary responsibilities of being an adult have been taken care of.
"For me, it's all about withdrawing and relaxing from the pressures of the
day," he said. "A momentary vacation."
As a lawyer, Mr. Young said his use of marijuana is fairly well accepted
among his peers, many of whom also use the drug.
He acknowledges, however, that many Canadians won't discuss their decision
to smoke because, of course, possessing marijuana is still illegal.
He congratulates Mr. Cauchon for acknowledging his past behaviour, but adds
that the minister should remove the stigma for other Canadians by moving
quickly to decriminalize the possession of marijuana.
"I say to the minister, 'You've committed a crime. If you recognize the
horror of having that label put upon you and that you would not have become
minister of justice if you got caught, that should motivate you to make the
change quickly without having five years of consultation.' "
Mr. Young, a champion of decriminalization, is also a strong advocate of
discussing marijuana smoking with children and has talked to his
stepdaughter about it.
"You have to have discussions with young people about this," he said.
"I don't understand this cloaking in a veil of silence. I want to make sure
they have the correct information to make the right choices."
Craig Jones, a research associate with Queen's University's Centre for
Health Services and Policy Research, says it's difficult to say how far
into the middle class marijuana consumption has reached.
Research suggests that, among those of working age, the highest prevalence
of marijuana smoking is among those looking for work and semi-skilled workers.
Mr. Jones argues that the more salient fact is that many who smoked
marijuana in their youth are now into their 40s and have observed that
their earlier behaviour has not had a deleterious effect on them.
"I think the most important consideration is the process of demystification
that has happened as a result of the sixties and seventies generation
graduating into their 40s and 50s and realizing that we have a social
policy that's just dysfunctional," he said.
Mr. Jones notes that it has taken a substantial amount of time to get to
the point where Canadians are willing to dismiss some of the myths about
marijuana.
He points to the days in the earlier part of the 20th century when
marijuana was linked with insanity and violence, and later in the century,
when antimarijuana lobbyists argued that excessive use of the drug made
people lazy.
Indeed, some researchers say there is little doubt that fear can be a
factor in the rates of marijuana use.
In Ontario during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rate of consumption
dropped, a decline that one researcher attributes to publicity surrounding
a rise in the use of cocaine, which triggered general anxiety about drug
addiction.
"The more a population perceives a greater risk, there will be a change in
behaviour," said Edward Adlaf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Mr. Young, for his part, says that if antimarijuana advocates want to study
cannabis and its effects on health, they now have a captive population of
guinea pigs.
"I know hundreds and hundreds of people over the age of 40 that smoke
marijuana," he said.
"We have a population of long-standing marijuana smokers to study for
research purposes to determine if some of the harms the prohibitionists
claim are actualities."
WHO USES MARIJUANA?
Ontarians over 18 who have used cannabis over the past decade.
..............................1991......1992......1994.....1996.....1998.....2000
Total surveyed.....1,047.....1,058.....2,022.....2,721....2,509....2,406
Percentage
of users..........8.7%.......6.2%......9.0%......8.7%......8.6%...10.8%
Men...............11.5%.......9.1%.....11.4%.....12.6%.....12.1%...14.3%
Women..............6.0%.......3.6%......7.0%......5.3%......5.4%....7.7%
Age
18-29 years.......19.9%......13.3%.....19.6%.....18.3%.....25.2%...28.2%
30-39 years........9.1%.......6.6%.....10.2%.....11.3%......8.2%...12.3%
40-49 years........3.0%.......2.4%......4.3%......6.1%......4.6%....6.4%
50-64 years.........-.........1.3%.......-.........-........1.4%....2.9%
65+ years...........-..........-.........-.........-.........-.......-
Never married.....20.2%......13.7%.....20.9%.....19.5%.....22.9%....26.4%
Married............4.0%.......3.5%......4.1%......4.9%......4.3%.....6.2%
Live in Toronto...12.3%.......6.7%......9.9%.....10.9%.....13.3%....14.0%
Toronto outskirts..7.3%.......6.5%......8.0%......9.6%......8.4%....10.5%
West.............10.3%.......4.2%......9.5%......7.3%......7.6%....10.0%
East..............5.1%.......7.1%......8.2%......7.9%......6.9%.....9.1%
North.............3.8%.......5.6%......7.8%......6.3%......7.1%.....8.4%
Less than high
school education..6.3%.......6.3%......8.5%......6.1%......6.8%....10.4%
Finished
high school.......9.8%.......5.2%......9.6%......9.5%.....10.7%.....9.5%
Some college
or university....10.7%.......6.7%.....10.3%.....11.3%.....10.2%....15.7%
University degree..7.6%.......7.2%......7.0%......7.0%......5.6%.....7.0%
SOURCE: CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
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