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October 21, 2003
The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Dear Mr. Chrétien,
The Canadian Unitarian Council,
representing Unitarian and Universalist congregations
across Canada, adopted a Social Responsibility
resolution concerning drug prohibition at its annual
meeting in May 2003. This resolution proposes that drug
addiction be regarded as a health issue rather than a
criminal one and supports the depenalization of drug
possession for personal use.
Statistics show that over half of all
crime is directly or indirectly related to drugs, or
more accurately to drug prohibition. Prohibition has
lead to artificially expensive drugs and an increase in
thefts or "property crimes" to pay for them.
I commend and support the government
for staying the course in the face of opposition
regarding decriminalization of cannabis as proposed in
Bill C-38, the so-called Decriminalization of Marijuana
Bill. Since 1970, when the LeDain Commission
recommended that cannabis be made available under
government controlled conditions of quality and
availability and that penalties for its possession be
abolished, a variety of commissions, committees and
courts have called for the decriminalization of
cannabis.
Police report more than 90,000
incidents involving drugs nationally each year – more
than three quarters involve cannabis, more than half are
for simple possession. The federal government spends
about one billion dollars annually on "controlled
drugs and substances" -- 95 per cent of this cost
is allocated to law enforcement. Only 5 per cent is
directed toward prevention, treatment and harm
reduction.
Cannabis is a palliative for the sick
and dying. It serves as a substitute for potentially
lethal and addictive drugs such as opiates, excessive
alcohol consumption and brain damaging practices such as
glue and gasoline sniffing, all used to alleviate
pain. Cannabis users are often among the poorest
members of society, however Bill C-38 proposes fines
which only the wealthier could pay. A system which
results in jail sentences for those who are often ill as
well as poor is unfair.
Elected officials should not remain
indifferent to these issues until they are forced to
confront them personally, for example, when one of their
loved ones joins the over 20,000 Canadians convicted for
cannabis possession every year.
Legalization is the best way to end
what has become a profitable illegal market, and save
the billion dollars the government spends annually on
drug control. These savings would be better used to deal
with the prevention and treatment of drug dependence.
In conclusion, it is time for an Act
of Parliament to remove cannabis from the criminal code,
and to prevent the creation of a justice system which
criminalizes those unable to pay fines for simple
possession of cannabis.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bowen, President, Board of Trustees
cc: Hon. Martin Cauchon, Minister of
Justice
Members of Special Committee on the
Non-medical Use of Drugs: Carole-Marie Allard, Gilbert
Barrette, Mauril Bélanger, Libby Davies, Hedy
Fry, Dominic LeBlanc, Derek Lee, Richard Marceau, Inky
Mark, Réal Ménard, Kevin Sorenson, Paddy Torsney,
Randy White
All Unitarian and Universalist
congregations in Canada |
