CBC Archives

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

Legalize pot smoking, senators say

Broadcast Date: Sept. 4, 2002

Should pot be sold at corner stores to anyone over 16? Some of Canada's most senior politicians think so. The Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs final report says marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and should be governed by the same sort of rules. And it recommends wiping clean the record of anyone already convicted of possession. The Canadian Police Association calls the report "a back-to-school gift for drug pushers."

Legalize pot smoking, senators say

• The Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs, headed by Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, was formed in April 2000. It was temporarily dissolved by the general election of October 2000, and restruck in March 2001. The final report was delivered in September 2002.
• Like the LeDain commission 30 years earlier, the senate committee recommended a shift in policy away from prohibition, towards harm reduction, prevention and treatment.

The committee held hearings, studied scientific evidence and looked at popular opinion on marijuana. They concluded:

• Marijuana is not a "gateway drug" to harder drugs like heroin and cocaine
• Less than 10 per cent of users become addicted
• Law enforcement for possession is expensive and does not seem to discourage use

Most investigations into the legal status of marijuana end up comparing its use to that of alcohol and tobacco. The Senate report quotes a 1996 study that estimates Canadian "costs of substance abuse" (including mortality, health care and law enforcement) as follows:
• Illegal drugs: $1.4 billion
• Alcohol: $7.5 billion
• Tobacco: $9.6 billion

In 1975 CBC conducted a comparison of alcohol and marijuana.

• A similar committee was working concurrently in the House of Commons. The Special Commons Committee on Non-medicinal drugs was established by an all-party agreement on May 17, 2001. Their report was delivered in December 2002. The Commons committee emphasized the dangers of marijuana use, but recommended decriminalizing possession of 30 grams or less of the substance. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon welcomed the report and said that new legislation would be introduced within a few months.

While the federal government contemplates changing the legislation, some courts have begun to dismiss possession charges. In 2003, courts in Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia threw out several possession cases based on previous constitutional challenges to the law.

Legalize pot smoking, senators say

Medium: Television

Program: The National

Broadcast Date: Sept. 4, 2002

Guest(s): Martin Cauchon, David Griffin, Pierre Claude Nolin, Eugene Oscapella, Randy White

Host: Peter Mansbridge
Reporter: Paul Hunter

Duration: 3:06

Last updated:
March 27, 2003