TO DECRIMINALIZE CANNABIS

Quite what prompted federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's musings that
perhaps cannabis use should be decriminalized is unclear. In part he may
have been spurred by an imminent change in the laws of Britain, where
smokers of marijuana and hashish will no longer be arrested for simple
possession. Very likely he is also testing public reaction in advance of
two upcoming parliamentary committee reports, both widely expected to
recommend loosening Canada's pot laws.

Whatever its rationale, Mr. Cauchon's suggestion is welcome. Outdated and
ineffectual, our cannabis laws gobble up absurd amounts of police and court
resources and badly need an overhaul.

Not all agree. Two separate polls last year found Canadians evenly divided
about decriminalizing the use (as opposed to the sale) of cannabis. Police,
too, are ambivalent. While there is little overt pursuit of marijuana
smokers in this country -- the vast majority of the thousands of
simple-possession charges laid annually are incurred during the
investigation of other offences -- the Canadian Police Association firmly
opposes decriminalizing possession. Nor would there be any plaudits from
south of the border.

Reform, nonetheless, is long overdue. More than 30 years have passed since
Canada's LeDain commission urged that marijuana use be decriminalized,
allowing simple possession to be treated with the same severity as, say, a
traffic ticket. The arguments have altered little since then. Yes,
drug-taking in all its forms should be discouraged, particularly among
young people. And yes, for a minority of aficionados, cannabis may be a
"gateway" drug leading to wider experimentation and more serious drug problems.

But stacked against that is the reality that more than 1.5 million
Canadians regularly smoke cannabis, by estimate of the Canadian Medical
Association, and that the status quo does not work. All that the current
law achieves is to saddle convicted small-scale marijuana users with a
highly damaging criminal record, which can be a major liability when they
seek a job or attempt to visit the United States.

Britain is not alone in downgrading its pot laws. Several other European
countries have done the same, as has Australia. Canada should follow suit.