Canada Stops Cannabis Legalisation

The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has scrapped a plan devised by the former government to decriminalise the possession of cannabis.

The proposed legislation was created before the recent Canadian election in January 2006.

The announcement was made when Prime Minister Harper was addressing the Canadian Professional Police Association and was met with enthusiastic support.

(Source: Reuters report at Ottawa Canada 4 April 2006)

Tensions between Canada and the USA governments over shipments of the worlds strongest cannabis called BC Bud into the USA have recently come to a head.

The USA government is trying to extradite, Marc Emery, who runs a massive criminal operation exporting millions of dollars of cannabis by mail order into not only the USA but Australia as well.

(Source: ABC TV Foreign Correspondent report 14 March 2006)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

The defeat of cannabis decriminalisation proposals does not in itself solve the problem of cannabis use in Canada.

Unless Canada, the USA and Australia as well, REDUCES the demand for cannabis then legalisation, law enforcement and border protection tensions will continue.

Strong cannabis like BC Bud and Skunk here in Australia is fuelling mental illness and brain damage as has been disclosed in recent documented cases of medical research.

Australia must provide cannabis detoxification and rehabilitation programs to reduce the demand and substantially cut the number of cannabis users.