American Laws, Foreign Lands

By Robert MacCoun
Source: San Francisco Chronicle

After many false starts over three decades, the Canadian government has at last introduced legislation to remove criminal penalties for the possession of an ounce of marijuana.
The U.S. government's predictable reaction is outrage. Drug czar John Walters opined that "You expect your friends to stop the movement of poison to your neighborhood." Paul Cellucci, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada warned that Canadian travelers might expect more delays at the border as customs officials search for marijuana.

In a surprising act of neighborliness, the Canadian government has refrained from noting that it did not protest when the border state of New York made essentially the same change back in 1975.

The complaints about Canada's proposed legislation are difficult to take at face value. One hopes Walters' Office of National Drug Control Policy is simply misinterpreting the word "decriminalization" as "legalization," the (incorrect) notion that Americans could buy marijuana legally in Canadian retail establishments.

In fact, Canada's policy change will have minimal to negligible consequences for the U.S. drug problem. The new law would keep the sale of marijuana illegal; this is quite different from the money Dutch cannabis coffee shops earn from German and French customers, or what U.S. states experienced when neighboring states had different drinking ages.

Moreover, the proposed new law creates no legal loophole for smugglers, who handle multi-kilo shipments. The only slightly plausible mechanism by which it might lead to more smuggling into the United States is if Canadian law enforcement would be less interested in marijuana enforcement generally, a minor influence at best. Europe shows that it is possible to be soft on marijuana users yet tough on traffickers. Even the Netherlands -- which tolerates ambiguity as much as it tolerates cannabis use -- aggressively pursues high-level cannabis traffickers.

Moreover, the Canadian legislation brings that country into line with 12 American states that made the same change in the 1970s. Many other western nations (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom and several territories of Australia) have also removed criminal penalties for marijuana possession over the last 20 years.

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Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/11/ED254167.DTL

Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Author: Robert MacCoun
Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Copyright: 2003 San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 27
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/

 

Source: Burlington Post

How well do you know your neighbours? How well do you know Bernie and Beatrice to the right and Linus and Lucy to the left? And what about Willard and Wanda across the street? Because according to a recent rash of media reports -- sparked and supported by an outbreak of assorted arrests -- houses in quiet suburban neighborhoods are being covertly used as greenhouses to grow ganja. Weed. Herb. Jive Stick. The Righteous Bush. Astro Turf. Black Gold. Gigglesmoke. Mary Jane. That's right, marijuana.

And we're not talking about one or two puny plants here. We're talking spacious, three-floor houses literally crammed with hundreds of metre-high plants with a street value of upwards of half-a-million dollars. Hey, that's a lot of dollars, and that's a lot of dope. The burgeoning number of arrests indicates that this is big business that, like City TV, is "everywhere." Maybe even on your street.
Imagine for a moment that Willard, the nice, innocent (albeit, admittedly eccentric) guy across the road -- who's forever coming over and asking if he can borrow an egg, a cup of sugar and an old pair of your wife's pantyhose (ostensibly to secure his tomato plants) -- may not be quite as innocent as you think. He may be up to no good. Bogarting the local hydro company, not to mention you and your other neighbours -- unless they're all in on this, too -- by devaluing neighbourhood property should he get pinched by police.

Typically, after every big bust, neighbours exclaim in unison: "We never suspected a thing. They were quiet people. They kept to themselves. Although they did listen to an awful lot of music by Bob Marley and The Wailers!"

Law enforcement officials say that if these criminals are to be caught, their neighbours must be more aware of the problem, and more vigilant. Neighbourhood Watch, kicked up a notch! As a public service (Public Service, after all, is my middle name), I'm going to give you the straight dope on these dudes. I'm here to tell you, there's a good chance your neighbours are growing the whacky tobaccy in their house if...

* You greet them with a nice, neighbourly, "Hi!", and they respond with a slow, smiley, honest, "Yes. Very."

* They flinch when you ask if they have a roach problem.

* They refer to their backyard composter as "the big bong out back."

* They talk reverently about Jerry Garcia and you realize they're not just mangling the name of a popular Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

* When you knock on their door, they automatically shout out: "Dave's not here." And if you happen to reply, "No, man, I'm Dave", they'll answer, by rote, "Dave's not here!"

* They buy Twinkies and Visine in bulk.

* The hydro rep complains of dizziness after reading their meter.

* They break out in a nervous, guilty sweat when you innocently employ terms like "hash it out."

* They threaten you with inhumanities upon your person when you casually suggest that The Doobie Brothers stunk, and The Grateful Dead are overrated.

* They threaten you with greater inhumanities upon your person when you ask if they'd like you to "cut their grass" while they're on holidays.
Good citizens: I hope this helps. And remember to keep an ear out for the neighbour who suggests "the whole neighbourhood is going to pot." Hey, maybe he knows something!

Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site -- http://www.strangledeggs.com -- or contacted at: ajuniper@strangledeggs.com

Complete Title: How To Tell When The Whole Neighbourhood is Going To Pot

Source: Burlington Post (CN ON)
Author: Andy Juniper
Published: June 07, 2003
Copyright: 2003 Burlington Post
Contact jdavis@haltonsearch.com
Website: http://www.haltonsearch.com/hr/bp/