cannabisnews.com: Canadian Senate Panel Calls For Legalization 





Canadian Senate Panel Calls For Legalization 
Posted by CN Staff on September 05, 2002 at 08:58:00 PT
By Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
Source: CNSNews.com
A Canadian Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended Wednesday that marijuana be legalized for use among adults and that the Canadian government adopt a system to regulate marijuana the same as alcohol and expunge criminal records for marijuana possession."Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and political issue," said Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin, the committee chairman, during a hearing in Ottawa, Canada's capital. 
Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said the recommendation was "courageous" and will have a tremendous impact on drug policy in both Canada and the United States."I think we've got some wisdom coming down from our northern neighbor," said Stroup in an interview with CNSNews.com . "What they are recommending is the basic position that NORML has held for 30 years - we need to do away with the black market (on drugs).""Anytime you have a black market, you are dealing with a lot of crime and corruption and violence. You have no controls over the marketplace. In order to deal with those problems, Canada has said the obvious and that is, yes, it's important to decriminalize the marijuana smoker, but it's really only the first step," he said."The second step," according to Stroup, "is that we need to legally regulate the market so consumers have a safe and secure environment where they can obtain their marijuana separate from the black market." Some anti-drug groups in the United States think liberalizing Canadian drug laws would increase illegal drug access to the United States. Stroup scoffed at such thinking."It's hard for me to imagine that marijuana could be anymore available in the U.S. than it already is. So, I think that really is a response from people who have their head in the sand," he said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not return calls Wednesday seeking comment.However, in a speech to a criminal justice conference in London, England in June, DEA administrator Asa Hutchinson said marijuana is not a "harmless drug.""Cannabis causes health problems and dependence," said Hutchinson. "It impacts young people's mental development, their ability to concentrate in school, and their motivation and initiative to reach goals. "And, like all drugs, cannabis harms far more than the user: A study in the United States showed that as many car accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol. Of adult males arrested for all kinds of crime, 40 percent of them tested positive for marijuana at the time of their arrest," he said. "If we are to effectively confront drug problems in our society, we cannot accept the myth that marijuana represents no harm. It does," Hutchinson concluded.Wire service reports from Ottawa said it isn't clear whether the committee's recommendations will be adopted. There appears to be broad support in the parliament for marijuana decriminalization, but there aren't any indications that legislation will be introduced to do that. Under current law, marijuana possession is illegal in Canada. But last year, the government passed regulations allowing eligible medical patients to grow and possess marijuana. Complete Title: Canadian Senate Panel Calls For Legalization of MarijuanaSource: CNSNews.comAuthor: Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff WriterPublished: September 05, 2002Copyright: 1998-2002 Cybercast News ServiceContact: shogenson cnsnews.comWebsite: http://www.cnsnews.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Senate Committee On Illegal Drugs Videohttp://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1501.ramPot-TV News - September 4, 2002http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse1500.ramSenators: Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13997.shtmlTaking The High Roadhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13996.shtml
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