SWEETENING THE POT

Police officers. Publishers. Politicians. Lawyers. Professional athletes,
nurses, doctors, teachers, writers, actors, editors, photographers and any
other number of professions which don't immediately leap to mind.

All of these people, and more, have engaged in an illegal activity at which
I was present and can thus provide an eyewitness (albeit a somewhat bleary
one) account of the proceedings.

They were smoking pot.

This list isn't included as a social statement, nor is it intended to
identify anyone. (Besides, it's not always who you think it is.) It's here
to make a point and it's this one. If this many people from these walks of
life are making a conscious decision to break the law, then perhaps that
law is a bad one.

Judge Patrick Sheppard's decision this week to allow Terry Parker to grow
his own medicine marks the advent of a long overdue debate: should
consenting adults be saddled with criminal records for a selfinflicted
benign act which harms no one, not even the user?

Sheppard's decision to acquit Parker on his controversial argument was
actually simple common sense. It would be cruel to deny someone access to a
substance which alleviates his suffering. And what goes for Parker, also
goes for anyone who finds solace in smoke when suffering from AIDS, cancer,
glaucoma or multiple sclerosis.

Yes, you can argue that marijuana is an illegal substance. But so is
cocaine, opium, morphine and heroin in certain circumstances, although all
are available through a prescription by a medical doctor. It would not be
difficult to amend the Controlled Drug and Substance Act to include
marijuana as a prescription drug.

However, the argument stretches far beyond that.

Despite its widespread use, as it now stands, simple possession of
marijuana can have serious consequences.

Having less than 30 grams can make you liable to a summary conviction and,
with it, a fine of $1,000 and/or six months in jail, depending on the
circumstances and the judge. Even if you take your lumps and pay the fine,
you're still lumbered with a criminal record and all the headaches that
entails.

It's time our politicians took a long, calm look at marijuana. As Judge
Sheppard himself observed, it is a gentle substance and "relatively
harmless" when compared to hard drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Alcohol is a highly overrated substance. Improperly used, it is one of the
most destructive forces in society today. On the low end of the scale,
abuse can cause inappropriate behavior and lead to mild social shunning. On
the high end, it ruins families and rips apart lives. It creates carnage on
our roads. It is invariably a contributing factor in cases of violence,
both inside and outside of the home. Finally, it is addictive and will kill
if consumed in large enough quantities.

I know any number of people, including some members of my own family who,
simply put, drank themselves to death. But not before they hurt a lot of
people along the way. Yet the use of this substance is legal and, in fact,
encouraged in some circles.

Marijuana, by contrast, has an opposite effect on people. It soothes rather
than incites. Most of its bad rap is derived from its illegality. There is,
after all, something somewhat distasteful in the image of people huddled in
the shadows, sucking on salivasoaked communal joints.

But no one overdoses or flies into a rage. And one of its most common side
effects is uncontrollable laughter.

Besides, as a sleep aid, it's difficult to overstate its benefits. But
don't take my word for it. Ask your doctor. He or she probably already
knows.