Canada Goes to Pot
We should follow.

By Ryan H. Sager, a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
August 1, 2001 9:25 a.m.

he issue of drug policy hasn't gotten a lot of ink (or bandwidth) lately in the American press, and there's a good reason for that: There hasn't been much to say. In the last two decades, the drug war has been subject to about as much debate in the nation's capitol as the metric system.

While America snoozes, however, strange noises are beginning to seep across our borders, threatening to disturb our peaceful dreams. Right upstairs, our Canadian neighbors are engaging in a strange and unthinkable act — conducting a full-throated debate over liberalizing their drug policies.

Undoubtedly, many Americans would be shocked to learn how far Canada has drifted from the U.S. on drug policy in the last year. After only a few months of preparation, regulations went into effect in Canada this week allowing many terminally and chronically ill patients to legally use and cultivate marijuana for medical purposes. Also, the full decriminalization of marijuana has officially been put on the table, and could become a reality as early as next year.

The pace of events in Canada may seem accelerated, but that's because the impetus for change so far has come from the country's court system. It was a ruling by the Court of Appeals for Ontario last July that forced the Canadian government to allow for medical marijuana, and it is a Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of banning pot that could force the issue of full decriminalization.

But even if the courts have been behind Canada's movement on drug policy, the Canadian people seem prepared to go along for the ride. In fact one of the most surprising things, at least from an American perspective, about Canada's legalization of medical marijuana was that it faced no organized opposition. In sharp contrast to the U.S., almost no one in Canada was willing to speak out against a patient's right to what can be reasonably defended as medicine.

Canadians' openness to the idea of full marijuana legalization has also been demonstrated by recent polling. According to a poll by Ottawa's University of Lethbridge, just under half of Canadians favor such a policy. Furthermore, according to the same study, that number jumps to around 60 percent among 18 to 34-year-olds.

All of this has led supporters of marijuana legalization in Canada to be extremely optimistic. "Legalization is possible within the next two years in Canada," said Richard Cowan, editor of Marijuananews.com and a resident of British Columbia. "In fact," he said, "I find it pretty likely." Mr. Cowan is optimistic about the Supreme Court case, but also feels that if the court doesn't make pot legal, Parliament will.

He may be justified in his rosy outlook. All five national parties in Canada have signed onto the creation of a Commons committee to study all non-medical drug use including marijuana. Along with a Senate committee established last year (and headed by an outspoken backer of marijuana decriminalization), the Commons committee is expected to make a report as early as next summer.

In the meantime, major political voices in Canada have lent their weight to the idea of decriminalization. In May, former prime minister and Conservative Party leader Joe Clark called for marijuana use no longer to be considered a criminal offense. Also, the current justice minister, Anne McLellan, has said that she would "participate with enthusiasm" in upcoming hearings and that it was "appropriate" for Canada to consider liberalizing its drug policies.

While Prime Minister Jean Chretien has expressed reluctance on the issue, saying it was "not part of the agenda at this time," his opposition is seen as soft--and he is expected to retire in the next few years. The only interest group opposed to legalization to date is the Canadian Police Association. They have gained little traction, however, being contradicted by the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and even the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

While it is impossible to know what the outcome of this debate will be in Canada, one thing is for sure: If Canada legalizes, the U.S. will almost certainly feel the impact. As Mr. Cowan is fond of saying, Canada is too white to invade but too close to ignore.

Keith Stroup, executive director of America's National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws concurs in Mr. Cowan's sentiment. "The U.S. government is fairly adept at ignoring any major drug reform enacted in foreign countries," said Stroup, who feels that politicians in America have misrepresented legalization experiments in places such as the Netherlands. "With Canada in particular, I don't think that'll play," Stroup said, "we are intimately familiar with Canada and vice-versa."

The only other country America feels such an affinity for, one might venture, is England. Perhaps not coincidentally, England is also in the midst of a debate on their policies towards pot. On the heels of Portugal having decriminalized all drug abuse on the first of July, the Brixton neighborhood of London instituted a policy this month whereby marijuana is not technically legal, but police officers officially look the other way when it comes to pot smokers.

The issue has also gained national attention in England due to the support for decriminalization expressed by figures such as Home Secretary David Blunkett and unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate Michael Portillo. Though Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed opposition to marijuana legalization, it was announced last week that a Commons select committee will study the issue.

Certainly, events in Canada and England will not dictate policy in America — and thank God, or we'd all be measuring the distance to a country with a decent health-care system in kilometers. But given the recent successes of the medical-marijuana movement in the United States, especially in the west, the time may be coming for a serious national debate on drug policy.

With our closest geographical neighbor and our closest cultural neighbor moving in the same direction, perhaps the United States can be brought along for the ride.