Dr. Colin McMillan • Marijuana is a health problem

The Canadian Medical Association, which represents 65,000 physicians, is very concerned about the recent reports of increased use of marijuana in Canada. The physician community is equally concerned that the government will seek to combat illegal drug use and addiction through the criminal justice system by laying more charges for simple possession which could make the problem even worse.

All Canadians should be aware that marijuana is an addictive substance, harmful to health. The health risks of marijuana use range from short-term effects such as anxiety, restlessness, and impaired thinking to long-term effects such as bronchitis, emphysema and cancer. Marijuana use has also been linked to lung damage comparable to that produced by tobacco use, but the effects are more severe and sudden.

The message is simple: Canadians should not use marijuana and those who are addicted should immediately seek medical assistance.
Because of these potential harms, it's critical that changes to the criminal law affecting marijuana neither encourage nor promote its use. When the Canadian Medical Association appeared before Parliament on this very same issue back in 2002, we expressed concern that even the debate over decriminalization and medical marijuana might legitimize its use for recreational purposes. And, given the rise in usage (according to a recent United Nations report, 16.8 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 used pot -- the highest rate among industrialized countries), our concern appears to be well founded.

That is why we continue to argue that decriminalization should only be considered as part of a comprehensive national drug prevention and awareness campaign, specifically aimed at young Canadians.

In the past, governments have chosen to discourage illegal drug use primarily through the threat of criminal sanction. However, the evidence is that the perceived health risks and social disapproval are much more important disincentives than legal threats, especially in the use of marijuana.

Regardless of the evidence, the vast majority of resources spent by government to combat illegal drugs are allocated to law enforcement.

The government itself seems to be addicted to the justice system as the cure for illegal drug use, even when all the scientific evidence points elsewhere. Meanwhile, more proven and effective public health strategies, such as prevention and treatment programs, struggle to get even a minimal level of funding.

In addition to being an ineffective deterrent, the criminal justice approach also can exacerbate the problem. Each year thousands of teens and young adults receive criminal records for simple possession.

To the degree that having a criminal record limits employment prospects, the impact on health status is profound. Poorer employment prospects as a result of drug use and/or a criminal record may lead to poorer economic status and this leads to poorer health.

While prison sentences are rare for possession of marijuana, possession of other illegal drugs can lead to a prison sentence, and prisons are not an ideal setting for treating addictions. In fact, the likely outcome of imprisonment for addicts is the use of harder drugs that will only serve to intensify the problem and frequently lead to other serious diseases and infections.

We are not suggesting there isn't a role for law-enforcement activities in combating illegal drug use. We simply suggest they need to be refocused and targeted within a more comprehensive strategy. Rather than focusing on simple possession or drug addicts, law enforcement should target the distribution and production of illegal drugs and measures aimed at reducing the incidence of drug-impaired driving.

When it comes to combating illegal drug use, governments should adopt a harm-reduction approach. Instead of threatening to close safe injection sites, governments should invest in a comprehensive drug strategy that focuses on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Under such a multidimensional approach, including rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes, harm-reduction measures such as safe supervised injection sites can be effective in reducing the significant health risks associated with drug use.

As with our success in reducing cigarette smoking and impaired driving rates in Canada, we need to deal with marijuana use by better educating Canadians about the serious health hazards associated with it. For those who are already addicted to marijuana or other illegal drugs, we need to provide them with effective treatment and rehabilitation programs, not a prison cell.

The government must not be tempted by the addictive lure of the criminal justice system. Drug abuse and dependency is a chronic, relapsing disease for which there are effective treatments. A criminal justice approach to a disease is inappropriate when there is increasing consensus that it is not only ineffective, but can make matters worse.

Source;www.canada.com