TORONTO (February 11, 1997) - Fp Constituency Association presidents Ray Monteith (Elgin) and David Pengelly (Don Mills) appeared as select members of the dozen or so live studio audience on the Ralph Benmergui Show (CBC Newsworld). The question of the day: Should we decriminalize all drugs?

"We don't want to decriminalize for the sake of decriminalization," opened Benedick Fischer, who coordinates the drug policy at the Addiction Research Foundation. Describing drug use as a "medical condition", he added: "Decriminalization must only be a means for public health goals."

Fischer emphasized that the federal Liberal Bill C7 has no intention of decriminalizing anything, despite public perception to the contrary.

"Marijuana should be not legalized, but decriminalized," agreed Dr Keith Martin, Reform MP (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca). "(It should be) removed from the books so that those people caught with a few joints on them are not sent into the courts where they usually get a slap on the wrist and are sent out. A sensible (policy) would be to decriminalize cannabis. People caught with cannabis on them would be fined and would be put into a treatment program as part of their penalty."

How fining people for the use of a substance can be regarded as "decriminalization", Martin did not explain. However, he argued that marijuana is not benign because it causes cancer and "psychological retardation in the frontal lobes", and remarked that tobacco would never have been made legal if it was introduced to the market today.

Neil Boyd, criminologist and author of High Society - Legal and Illegal Drugs in Canada, disagreed with Martin.

"Tobacco and alcohol are more dangerous than the drugs which are illegal," he rebutted. He refuted the studies that were used to cite "psychological retardation", but did acknowledge the potential health risk from smoking itself. However, he denied that prohibitory laws were an effective means of addressing healthcare issues.

Martin repeatedly stressed that "this is not a moral issue" but a healthcare issue. If Martin's comment is indicative of Reform Party policy on drug use, then his advocacy of fines and forced rehabilitation, which he terms 'decriminalization', would indicate that the Reform Party of Canada would willingly violate and restrict individual rights and freedoms in the name of 'healthcare'.

"We're not slaves, so what gives anybody the right to tell us what we can or cannot do with our bodies?" asked Pengelly, whose question made it clear that drug use IS a moral issue.

"Hey, what about our Charter of Rights and Freedoms?" interjected Monteith. "Don't you think that these young people have a RIGHT to make their own decision? They don't need people in Ottawa making all the decisions, and not only that, (but) Washington is actually making the decision. It's time you guys told Washington to buzz off!"

"I think that's a real important point in terms of the legislation," responded Boyd. "Your previous speaker hit the nail on the head."

Boyd went on to emphasize that both Bill C8 and its precursor, Bill C85, were legislation pushed not by the public and politicians, but by the bureaucracy as a consequence of international agreements, most notably with the United States.

It was this very fact that earlier prompted Monteith to take the matter up with those at the source of Canada's (and much of the world's) prohibitive drug policies.

"God loves both America and Canada because of their freedoms," wrote Monteith in a letter mailed to US President Bill Clinton a week before the Benmergui show. "Unfortunately, neither of our two countries respect the rights of citizens who use drugs. They are treated like criminals by the police, and off to jail they go.

"I understand your cost in the US is $2 billion a year, and that you have promised even more money to fight the 'drug problem'," continued Monteith. He then suggested that the US government adopt a drug policy based on the premise of harm reduction, and do away with its policy of imprisonment.

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