from the report... the last bit of page 35, and page 36 of the Summary.
....Thirty years later, we confirm this conclusion and add that continued
criminalization of cannabis remains unjustified based on scientific data on the danger it
poses.
The Commission heard and considered the same arguments on the dangers of
using cannabis: apathy, loss of interest and concentration, learning difficulties. A
majority of the Commissioners concluded that these concerns, while unsubstantiated,
warranted a restrictive policy. Thirty years later, we assert that the studies done in the
meantime have not confirmed the existence of the so-called amotivational syndromeand add that most studies rule out this syndrome as a consequence of the use of
cannabis.
The Commission concluded that not enough was known about the long-term and
excessive use of cannabis. We assert that these types of use exist and may present some
health risks; excessive use, however, is limited to a minority of users. Public policy, we
would add, must provide ways to prevent and screen for at-risk behaviour, something
our policies have yet to do.
The Commission concluded that the effects of long-term use of cannabis on brain
function, while largely exaggerated, could affect adolescent development. We concur,
but point out that the long-term effects of cannabis use appear reversible in most cases.
We note also that adolescents who are excessive users or become long-term users are a
tiny minority of all users of cannabis. Once again, we would add that a public policy
must prevent use at an early age and at-risk behaviour.
The Commission was concerned that the use of cannabis would lead to the use of
other drugs. Thirty years' experience in the Netherlands disproves this clearly, as do the
liberal policies of Spain, Italy and Portugal. And here in Canada, despite the growing
increase in cannabis users, we have not had a proportionate increase in users of hard
drugs.
The Commission was also concerned that legalization would mean increased use,
among the young in particular. We have not legalized cannabis, and we have one of the
highest rates in the world. Countries adopting a more liberal policy have, for the most
part, rates of usage lower than ours, which stabilized after a short period of growth.
Thirty years later, we note that:
- Billions of dollars have been sunk into enforcement without any greater effect. There
are more consumers, more regular users and more regular adolescent users;
- Billions of dollars have been poured into enforcement in an effort to reduce supply,
without any greater effect. Cannabis is more available than ever, it is cultivated on a
large scale, even exported, swelling coffers and making organized crime more
powerful; and
- There have been tens of thousands of arrests and convictions for the possession of
cannabis and thousands of people have been incarcerated. However, use trends
remain totally unaffected and the gap the Commission noted between the law and
public compliance continues to widen.
It is time to recognize what is patently obvious: our policies have been ineffective,
because they are poor policies.
