SENATE PANEL PONDERS POT EFFECTS

OTTAWA -- Marijuana may not be so bad after all, says a report from
Canada's chamber of sober second thought.

The Senate committee on illegal drugs, chaired by Senator Pierre Claude
Nolin, issued a discussion paper yesterday after studying the pros and cons
of pot use for 14 months.

The report, intended to guide public consultation on marijuana issues, says
it's probably better not to use marijuana, a psychoactive substance that
can affect some people's health.

But those effects, it notes, are relatively benign.

It says scientific evidence suggests marijuana isn't a "gateway drug"
leading to harder drugs, doesn't cause criminal, aggressive or anti- social
behaviour or hurt academic performance. The scientific jury, however, is
still out on its effects on driving.

The report also concludes efforts to prevent marijuana use have little
impact -- young Canadians are smoking up in greater numbers than ever.

An estimated 30 to 50 per cent of people 15 to 24 years old have used
cannabis despite its illegality, the report says.

And the paper suggests millions spent fighting pot use is wasted. Federal
agencies spend an estimated $500 million a year fighting illegal drugs.

The arguments aren't new -- many were made in the 1973 Le Dain report of
1973. But Ottawa has been reluctant to change the law.

The report, however, is silent on whether the law should be changed. That
will come in its final report in August.

The committee plans public consultations on the issue in six Canadian
communities in coming weeks.

The discussion paper offers no recommendation.