Frank Discussion: Information - basic marijuana info

MARIJUANA BASICS	by Whirlwind
*The information on this page is also available as a printable PDF document.

According to United Nations estimates, 2.5% of the world’s population uses marijuana. Over two million of those are Canadian. Our federal government spends over $500 million, annually, in law enforcement alone, to stop them. Why?

“Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.” - Judge Francis Young, U.S. Department of Justice, September 1988.

In 1923, Canada banned marijuana under the Opium and Narcotics Control Act. Emily Murphy, best known as a feminist who helped women enter politics, led the prohibitionist charge with a series of inflammatory articles published in Maclean’s magazine. Under the pen name, Janey Canuck, Murphy wrote, “there is a well-defined propaganda among aliens of colour to bring about the degeneration of the white race.” Canada’s white Christian majority were easily persuaded by Murphy’s fable-ridden writings. As the plant was only used by Chinese, Indian, African-American and Mexican immigrants, marijuana prohibition became a means of deporting unwanted non-whites. What was clearly racist policy to our modern-day sensibilities was passed through parliament with no debate. Today, Canada’s drug laws remain virtually unchanged.

“[Emily] Murphy's original proposals are still reflected in our present narcotics legislation ... her writings were extremely influential in shaping Canadian drug laws.”
- Le Dain Commission, 1973

Marijuana has made the news a lot in the past few years. Hydroponic home growing operations are popping up all across the country. Canada’s Senate and House of Commons each have a committee now looking into the non-medical use of drugs. Many organizations, including the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Medical Association, endorse decriminalization. Compassion clubs operate in a legal gray area, supplying quality-controlled, organically grown marijuana to those who use it for bona fide medical reasons. Politicians admit freely to having indulged at some time in their lives. Depending on the survey, anywhere from one to two thirds of Canadians support legalization. Where do you stand? Please take a moment to review the information presented in this pamphlet. It is hoped that better education will lead to better drug policies for the future of all Canadians. If you would like to learn more, or would like to contact the government regarding our current laws, please see the information on the back.

An estimated 1.5 million Canadians use marijuana for recreational purposes. Another 400,000 use marijuana for medical reasons.
- Canadian Medical Association Journal, June 2000

Plant: The botanical name for marijuana and hemp is Cannabis Sativa L. A member of the Nettle family, it is a hardy plant that will thrive in many environments. Breeding defines whether a Cannabis strain is hemp or marijuana.
Hemp, grown for its fibre and seeds, contains little THC Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol - the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) and will not get you high. Hemp fibre is used in a huge number of products, most commonly paper and fabric. Hemp seeds are a highly nutritious food, often added to granola, and are a source of oil.
Cannabis as marijuana is grown for its buds and flowering tops. Hundreds of strains contain varying amounts of THC and other cannabinoids (active ingredients). Many claim that today’s marijuana contains more THC than it did when marijuana became popular in the 1960s, and it is therefore more dangerous. Others claim that a higher concentration of THC makes today’s marijuana less harmful because one needs less to achieve the same effect.
Hashish (hash, hash oil) come from a resin produced by the plant as a natural sun screen. The sticky resin is collected from the leaves and pressed into a ball or brick shape. As it comes from the same plant, the high from hash is similar to the marijuana high.

Marijuana Uses: People from all levels of society and age groups use marijuana for a great variety of reasons. Recently, uses have been divided into two main categories: Medical and non-medical. However, there exists a great deal of cross-over. Medical users benefit from marijuana’s relaxing and appetite inducing effects. It helps cancer and AIDS patients overcome drug- and chemotherapy-induced nausea. It helps MS patients and those who suffer from chronic pain reduce tremors and relax the body. Non-medical users benefit from marijuana’s ability to moderately alter perception, allowing for fresh perspectives on everyday life. Artists and musicians, such as Louis Armstrong, have used marijuana as a means to bolster their creativity and connectivity to their art. Of benefit to both the medical and non-medical user is marijuana’s ability to lift the spirit. As we all know that laughter is the best medicine, marijuana’s ability to help people laugh, feel at ease, and thereby relieve stress is one of its most treasured qualities.

Consumption Methods and Risks: Marijuana can be administered in more ways than you might guess. Smoking marijuana in a hand-rolled cigarette (joint), pipe or bong (pipe with water filtration system) is by far the most common. Marijuana can also be eaten by adding it to food. A vaporizer is a relatively new method wherein the marijuana is heated to a point at which the active ingredients are released as vapors without any combustion, thus avoiding the particulate matter in smoke. Marijuana extracts are also available as tinctures. Pharmaceutical companies have produced an artificial version of THC in pill form, however it does not contain the hundreds of other cannabinoids found in the whole plant. Medical users claim the pharmaceutical product is not nearly as effective as the natural form.
The risks that come with marijuana use are hotly debated. The courtroom has become the primary arena where available information can be assessed on its own merits.

The following statements were accepted as findings of fact by the Ontario Court of Appeal, July, 2000:

1.	There exists no hard evidence demonstrating any irreversible organic or mental damage from the consumption of marijuana;
2.	There is no hard evidence that cannabis consumption induces psychoses;
3.	Cannabis is not an addictive substance;
4.	Marijuana is not criminogenic in that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between cannabis use and criminality;
5.	Marijuana does not make people more aggressive or violent;
6.	There have been no recorded deaths from the consumption of marijuana.

The biggest danger to the marijuana user is the risk of arrest and incarceration.

“[The risks from cannabis] would be unlikely to seriously [compare to] the public health risks of alcohol and tobacco even if as many people used cannabis as now drink alcohol or smoke tobacco.” - World Health Organization, March 1998.

Current Legal Status: Possession, cultivation and trafficking of marijuana remain criminal offenses in Canada. Potentially, a marijuana cultivation conviction could lead to a sentence of 7 years; a trafficking conviction could mean life in prison. Even the few medical patients who have received exemptions from the government allowing them to use marijuana have no legal access to the plant. No known deaths have occurred due to marijuana consumption, but it has been alleged that as many as 94 people have died while waiting for Health Canada to approve their exemption applications. Many have called for the decriminalization of marijuana, which means marijuana would still be illegal, but the punishment would be a fine, not jail. This approach only addresses the issue that it is unconscionable to send people to jail for possessing a drug less harmful than aspirin. Decriminalization does not address the issue of the black market where organized crime reaps huge profits and anyone with the money can make a purchase. Legalization, as opposed to decriminalization, would allow non-medical users to grow their own crops or to purchase marijuana from government licensed vendors. It would allow medical users full access to a life-improving and, for some, a life-saving drug grown in quality controlled conditions. Meanwhile, the Canadian taxpayer would save hundreds of millions per year in law enforcement, court and incarceration costs, and would earn millions in tax revenue.