NEW POT LAWS PUSHED

Canada's doctors yesterday urged the government to decriminalize minor pot
possession -- and treat addiction as a disease, not a crime.

And the heads of the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Society
of Addiction Medicine also told a senate committee on illegal drug use that
more has to be done to curb driving under the influence of marijuana.

"If you have a limited amount of money and it goes to crime prevention,
then the dollars don't go to the treatment that can help," said Calgary's
Dr. Bill Campbell, president of the CSAM. "I don't think we're winning the
war right now. We can deal with this problem by not treating it as a war."

In their submission to the committee, Canada's doctors said criminal
charges for minor marijuana possession can destroy people's employment
chances and does nothing to address the disease of their addiction.

Campbell said like alcoholics, a certain amount of the population's genes
makes them susceptible to marijuana addiction once they've tried the drug.