Volume I No. 79
 05-29-03
 What Are Those Crazy Marijuana-Loving
 Canadians Up To Now?
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2003

 The cry of alarm has gone out through the ranks of the Bush 
 administration because those crazy upstart Canadians are acting
 on their own again. Our friends from the Great White North 
 are set to approve legislation that would decriminalize the 
 possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. 

 Marijuana in amounts of 15 grams or less would be punishable 
 by a fine, instead of the harsher penalties that exist now.

 Politicians in this country - who of course oppose any such 
 measure - ramble on about how difficult this change will make 
 the situation for US law enforcement. And that the new Canadian
 attitude towards simple marijuana possession will cause even 
 greater delays at the border, because more time will have to be 
 spent checking vehicles for illicit drugs.

 America will be buried under tons of Canadian weed.

 Sept 11th, 2001 certainly changed a lot of things. But the acts
 of a bunch of religious fanatics from overseas did not give the
 U.S. government the right to pressure the Canadians as to what 
 laws should or should not be enacted in their own country!

 Drug abuse of all kinds is a serious problem. -- And marijuana
 is most definitely a drug. But despite the cry of alarm from
 many conservatives in the US, and in Canada for that matter,
 marijuana simply does not pose the societal risk that cocaine, 
 heroin, methamphetamines, and other such drugs, pose.

 And the notion that marijuana is a "gateway" drug { meaning
 the user will eventually experiment with the highly addictive 
 drugs mentioned above } is open to debate. No health agency, 
 for example, has yet been able to scientifically prove that a 
 beer drinker is destined to develop a taste for more potent 
 formulations of alcohol.

 Most everyone is acquainted with a beer or wine drinker 
 whom they have never seen consume hard alcohol.

 Marijuana as a drug poses certain health risks. But then so 
 does vodka, gin, or whiskey. And we all know what happened 
 when the goverment tried to ban the consumption of all forms 
 of alcohol. The result was that booze became the great forbidden 
 fruit. A whole sub-culture evolved around the consumption of
 spirits. Banning alcohol actually enhanced its appeal to people
 of all ages. And the criminal organizations that profited from 
 the distribution of banned alcohol products have left their 
 ugly mark on American society to this very day.

 Several more rational governments in Europe { England and
 Denmark, as examples } have long-since come to the conclusion 
 that marijuana is a public nuisance that is here to stay. These 
 governments propose that marijuana use is a public health 
 issue rather than a matter for the criminal courts. Thus these
 nations have changed their laws accordingly. 

 Canada it seems is destined to follow this example.

 Meanwhile in the U.S. the first answer to any great societal
 debate is to criminalize the problem and put people behind bars
 when they dare defy the law. Sadly, the outrageous number 
 of young people in prison on drug charges, or under court 
 supervision because of a drug conviction is staggering. And 
 is the direct result of rigid American attitudes toward morally 
 questionable behavior.

 In other words, Americans routinely come to the conclusion
 that if a societal problem is of a morally repugnant nature.
 That problem will not be left in the hands of health officials, 
 guidance counselors, or the local preacher.

 The law will deal with the problem.

 In other words, the best answer is to draw up a new criminal 
 code. And yet after all these years of a so-called drug war almost 
 any young person on the downtown street of a large metropolis, 
 or in some sleeply small town, would be able to testify in court 
 that finding marijuana is as easy as going to the store and picking 
 up a carton of milk. 

 NO PROBLEM.

 Drug policy in the USA is a failure because the debate is never
 open and honest. And probably never will be. Some people don't
 want want any such debate. Their way - no decriminalized drugs 
 under any circumstances - is the only way.

 But, prisons obviously are not the answer. That has been proven. 
 The problem of marijuana use is as intractable as it was in the
 1960's when drug-addled hippies were in every major US city.
 And marijuana was widely used recreationally in this country 
 long before that decade of flowers, pastel shades, free love,
 and social protests.

 Thus, no politician within any government agency in Washington, 
 DC has any business whatsoever lecturing the Canadians as to 
 what laws they should or should not pass. Or how they should
 approach the problem of recreational use of marijuana in their
 own land.

 Canada afterall, is a sovereign and independent nation.

 This would be a good time for US goverment officials to tone 
 down the rhetoric a bit, and just sit back and observe. Let the
 years past, and see what the result will be.

 Maybe in the end, we could all learn a thing or two from our 
 wise friends up north.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2003

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