MUCH HEAT, LITTLE LIGHT AT MARIJUANA MEETING

Why is marijuana illegal?

Why is tobacco, a known cancer-causing killer, not?

Why is alcohol consumption socially acceptable, but not tobacco or
marijuana? None of these questions - or others posed at one of the largest
"town hall" meetings organized by Fraser Valley MP Chuck Strahl - were
answered fully during an often heated debate on a proposed bill to
decriminalize marijuana.

But Alliance MP Keith Martin says that is the purpose of his private
member's bill, to "break the debate open" on marijuana, and to try and
reduce the harm that substance abuse in general is doing to Canadian society.

A show of hands among the 250 people at the Tuesday night meeting indicated
that while many would favor marijuana decriminalization, fewer would
support legalizing the drug.

But almost all raised their hands in favor of the medical use of marijuana.

However, addiction expert Dr. Ray Baker suggested during the meeting that
banning marijuana would lead to a decrease in its use and to drug-related
illnesses similar to the drop seen in liver disease when alcohol was
prohibited in the U.S. from 1917 to 1930.

"There isn't medical justification to show the benefits outweigh the risks
(of smoked marijuana)," he says, and few doctors would be willing to
prescribe the drug to patients.

More adult Canadians than ever are smoking marijuana "with no significant
consequences," he agrees, but over time they can become addicted and when
they do, there is no turning back.

"Anything we do to make people who use marijuana criminals is a stupid
thing to do," he says, but "there will be harm created" by anything
lawmakers do that increases its use.

"It's something you've got to keep in mind," he says, especially for
teenagers who will be tempted by increased availability to smoke the drug
"because that's the adult thing to do."

"That frightens me," he says, noting that tobacco companies learned long
ago that the younger their customers are when they start smoking, the more
likely they were to become life-long users.

Young people are more prone than adults to addiction, he explains, and
"anything that increases their drug use in adolescence results in an
increase in future dependence.

"For kids while they're in school, (marijuana) is a particularly hazardous
drug," he says.

But the addictive power of marijuana on adult users was disputed by lawyer
John Conroy, who says appeal court justices in B.C. and Ontario have ruled
"as fact" that marijuana is not addictive and poses no risk to the public.

Dr. Baker shot back that the lawyer's legal "evidence" on addiction "isn't
worth a hoot" because it is "not based on current research, which is
changing all the time."

Conroy also questioned whether the proposed decriminalization bill is
constitutional, and suggested "tailoring" any marijuana law to adult users
only.

Gord Currie, a mayoral candidate in past Chilliwack civic elections, says
he favors legalization because adults in a free society should be able to
do as they please as long as no harm is done to others.

But Martin says Canada can't afford to simply legalize marijuana because
"if we were to do that, we would have a trade war (with the U.S.) on our
hands."

One 24-year-old Chilliwack resident, who identified herself only as
Jennifer, says it is "ludicrous" to criminalize marijuana smokers, noting
the drug was first deemed illegal in Canada only as a means to deport
unwanted Chinese immigrants.

The drug's current criminal status is a red flag to teenagers seeking to
rebel against authority, says Andrea Huguet, a Narcotics Anonymous member
in Abbotsford.

"Kids do drugs because they're illegal," she says. "They rebel."

And she believes decriminalization of marijuana would save many lives by
focusing society's attention on the hard drugs that do kill, like heroin.

"A lot of my friends have died," she says. "I've never heard of anyone
over-dosing on marijuana. I've never heard of anyone who died from marijuana."

Strahl says he is leaning toward voting in favor of the decriminalization
bill because the $250 to $1,000 in fines it would impose at least
discourages youngsters from using the drug without "wrecking their lives"
by hanging a criminal record around their necks.