28°c Partly cloudy
15°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Pot laws hurting society
It's been two months since the states of Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana for personal use, joining dozens of countries that have decriminalized or legalized the drug without experiencing the collapse of their societies, an increase in mental illness or a rise in the laziness index.
These states have stopped making criminals out of pot smokers because they realized it was counter-productive; it fuelled drug profits for organized crime, tied up police resources and saddled millions of young people with criminal records.
And as Free Press reporter Bruce Owen discovered in a special story published Saturday, if Canada were to change its prudish policies and tax the drug, it could be worth $2 billion for Ottawa in new revenue and an extra $600 million for Manitoba every year.
That money could fill a lot of potholes and provide cash for a wide range of other challenges, including the health, education and social-service systems.
Smoking dope may not be the healthiest life choice, particularly if it is used to excess, but the fact is marijuana has been around Canada as long as grandpa, and it's not going away. The drug is really no more dangerous -- but probably less harmful -- than other undesirable habits, such as alcohol, cigarettes and chocolate doughnuts.
Booze was also banned at one point in the past, but the authorities re-legalized it after realizing -- as Colorado and Washington have realized today -- that it was counter-productive to try to stamp out a product that the otherwise law-abiding majority of people wanted.
People today want legal and safe access to marijuana. A recent survey by Toronto's Forum Research found 65 per cent of Canadians favour either the legalization and taxation of the drug, or decriminalizing it in small amounts. Other surveys have reached the same conclusion.
But despite all the evidence that suggests the country's marijuana laws are badly outdated, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is determined to not only maintain them, but to increase penalties for dealing in the drug.
The country under Mr. Harper has actually moved backwards on an issue that has been the subject of study for 40 years.
In 1972, for example, the Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, led by Gerald Le Dain, recommended repealing the law against the simple possession of cannabis and cultivation for personal use. A minority view on the committee recommended a policy of legal distribution of pot and that the provinces implement controls on possession and cultivation, similar to those governing the use of alcohol. It was a progressive report for the day, but, unfortunately, pretty much ignored.
Then, in 2002, separate committees of the Senate and House also recommended a more liberal approach.
The Senate committee said marijuana should be treated more like tobacco or alcohol than like harder drugs.
The House committee said while marijuana might be unhealthy, the current criminal penalties for possession and use of small amounts of cannabis are "disproportionately harsh." It recommended that the Canadian ministers of Justice and of Health develop a strategy to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of not more than 30 grams of pot for personal use.
Those reports also had negligible impact on the Liberal government of the day, which only promised to ease the penalties for simple possession.
With a rising number of people opposing the current laws, it's difficult to understand the Harper government's continuing obstinance, which appears to be based on an outdated and irrational fear of "reefer madness."
It's long past time for the government to listen to the evidence and to the will of the general public, rather than to obsolete and discredited ideas that do not serve the public interest.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 7, 2013 A10
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Community's children apprehended by province
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- 'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- New crowd plan for Taylor Swift get-together
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Sobey clan to alter city market
- Accounts and accountability: UK committee says bankers must take more responsibility
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Only one workshop to be held on vacant land at The Forks
- Tory attacks on Trudeau boomerang, raise questions about PMO involvement
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Baked Alaska: Unusual heat wave hits north, with temps topping 80 degrees (26C) in Anchorage
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.