"Our party is in favour of modernizing our marijuana laws and creating a legal environment where people can enjoy marijuana in the peace and quiet of their own home or in a cafe without the fear of being criminalized."
--- Jack Layton, October 2003, POT.TV interview

download this interview from
http://www.pot.tv/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2271.html

Spoken by Ms. Churley to Ontario Parliament:

Let me read to you what this academic from the Fraser Institute says about marijuana growth in BC:

"This paper raises several issues that have the cumulative effect of suggesting that in the long term, the prohibition on marijuana cannot be sustained with the present technology of production and enforcement. To anyone with even a passing acquaintance with modern history, it is apparent that we are reliving the experience of alcohol prohibition of the early years of the last century ... the broader social question becomes less about whether we approve or disapprove of local production, but rather who shall enjoy the spoils. As it stands now, growers and distributors pay some of the costs and reap all of the benefits of the multi-billion dollar marijuana industry, while the non-marijuana-smoking taxpayer sees only costs."

That is directly from an academic conservative who wrote for the Fraser Institute, and I think it sums up the problem we're facing here.

I listened to some of the speeches in the House. I look around, and some of them aren't here. I'm certainly not going to name names, so don't get worried. But some members stand up on their hind legs and are just incredibly self-righteous and pious. They talk about how bad marijuana use is and they should all be thrown in jail etc. Well, I've seen some of those members in certain circumstances drunk as skunks, from time to time. It's been legal. I haven't seen them get in a car and drive, so I'm not criticizing. It's legal in our society, as long as you don't hurt anybody else, to go to a party or whatever, drink alcohol, stagger around and do whatever. I have seen members in this House from time to time in that state, but that's OK because it's legal. Well, let's not get too pious about that. Let's not get too self-righteous about that.


There is an overwhelming amount of evidence - and I'm not saying any drug, including alcohol. We know the incredible harm that alcohol can cause to humans, both financially and psychologically: the breakup of marriage, drunk driving, fights, kids; you name it. It's an incredibly harmful substance, like tobacco. But because it was legalized, for whatever reason - because people liked it and were using it anyway, somewhat as the Fraser Institute said is happening with marijuana right now - society agreed that every method they tried to bring in to stop the sale and to ban these illegal substances, particularly alcohol, was not working; just as the Fraser Institute said that marijuana is a multi-billion-dollar industry controlled by crime and that society in general does not reap any benefits from it but in fact pays the price.

I was looking today at another article about the possible medical benefits of marijuana. I don't know if any of you have friends who are licensed. Eventually that got taken care of, but it took a long time. I have a friend, James Wakeford, and some others who are living with AIDS and were finally licensed. There are all kinds of illnesses that we now know about, and the federal government allows them to smoke marijuana to help with their symptoms. But they were put in a position where they had to go and buy it from the biker down the street or downtown or wherever, because there was no legal way to get it. What a ridiculous position. Also, I think my friend James was arrested, or at least threatened with arrest, for growing his own, even though he was ill and was allowed to smoke it, because it was still illegal to grow it. He didn't want to go out there and deal with crime. He was growing his own quite openly and was at least threatened with arrest.

I was reading a very interesting article today - I don't know if anybody here saw it - in the Globe and Mail. "Not Ready for 'A Joint a Day'" is the title of this article. They've just done some initial tests on mice, and it says:

"Low doses of the main active ingredient in marijuana slowed the progression of hardening of the arteries in mice, suggesting a hint for developing a new therapy in people.

"Experts stressed that the finding does not mean people should smoke marijuana in hopes of getting the same benefit," at least at this point.

"'..."A joint a day will keep the doctor away," I think is premature,' said Dr. Peter Libby."

Mr. Patten: It's worth a try.

Ms. Churley: Mr. Patten says, "It's worth a try." Hey, if it can keep the arteries from hardening - "chief of cardiovascular medicine at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital."

Then he goes on to talk about what the study showed. But it just makes me aware, and we all should be aware, of what an incredibly dangerous drug culture we live in.


Can we choose buds over booze?

My colleague Peter Kormos, for fun, read into the record the other day a recipe for majoun. I travelled in Morocco when I was a young woman and actually came face to face on some occasions with majoun. He read into the record what it is and how to make it.

You mix up a quarter ounce of the tops, just the tops, of cannabis sativa -I believe that's the flowery part - of the sweetest kif you can get, crumbled, stems and seeds removed, a cup of chopped dates, half a cup of raisins, half a cup of ground walnuts, a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, a teaspoon of aniseed, a teaspoon of dried ginger, half a cup of honey, half a cup of water - use more if needed - and two tablespoons of melted butter or ghee.

It even tells you how to cook it. It says, "In a dry skillet, toast the marijuana over very low heat until it begins to release an aroma. Combine it with the dried fruit, walnuts, spices, honey and water and cook until the ingredients are soft. Remove to a heavy bowl and mash the pulp until the ingredients are well blended, or put into a food processor and blend, using several short pulses. Add the butter and stir until blended. Spoon into a jar and store in the refrigerator. Serve on crackers, eat by the fingerful or use as a filling for mamoul."

I remember when I came face to face with this as I was traveling around Morocco. There was chocolate, sometimes, mixed in with this fruit as well, which I hear could make it extremely delicious. When people started to eat it, because of the chocolate in it, one of the problems was that, because of the impact of the marijuana, they couldn't stop eating it. You just kept wanting to eat. I've been told that's what happened.

The reason I bring this up - this was many years ago, when I was a young woman traveling around - is the difference in cultures. I don't think it was necessarily legal, although it might have been over there, but it was a complete reversal of our societal attitude toward alcohol and marijuana. I'm just giving you this information to illustrate how different it can be.


Waiting for Canada to legalize...

In Morocco, I was stunned to see and find out that everybody ate majoun. They had their little sipsis with sweet kif at the end of them - their little pipes - and sat around in cafés smoking it. It was pretty much part of normal life. But alcohol was frowned upon and illegal. I remember the perversity - it's just the opposite of what we see here - of some local people coming to me and some of the Westerners who lived there at the time and asking if we could go and buy them a bottle of wine. We would meet in some dark corner somewhere and I would hand it over. I would get nothing in return. Don't think there was any exchange going on; I would do it as a favour.

I'm not kidding. It's the complete reverse of what happens over here in the Western world with marijuana. The bottles would be hidden under the djellaba, and off they'd go. It just goes to show that where you have a prohibition on a drug, there's much more likelihood that it's going to be used in an unwise way. There's no control over it whatsoever. People are sneaking around, like they are now, with marijuana. It is not in any way controlled or regulated by the government.

I see that my time is rapidly running out here. I just have to end with this. The legislation before us is not going to stop this problem. It's hardly going to make a dent in it. We have to look at what they're doing on the federal level. I support what they're doing but I believe that we cannot stop there. The next step is for the government to start controlling it and regulating it. That would stop the criminal element, it would regulate it properly and it would increase the revenue for the government by many billions of dollars, I believe. I hear Mr. Klees sighing. But if you look at the evidence and read the Fraser report, the Fraser Institute agrees with me on this.


From Ontario Hansard, April 7, 2005

From www.libbydavies.ca

CONTRADICTORY POT LAWS IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE REFORM - DAVIES

13 SEPTEMBER, 2004, OTTAWA - Libby Davies, NDP MP from Vancouver East, called today on Prime Minister Paul Martin to move quickly to re-introduce marijuana reforms when Parliament returns in October.

"In light of Marc Emery's arrest last month for "passing a joint" and the recent arrests on Commercial Drive, Parliament needs to have a realistic discussion about the laws governing adult marijuana use," said Davies.

"We are seeing huge legal problems with the lack of rational and just laws governing marijuana," said Jack Layton, Leader of the Federal NDP.

Marc Emery, President of the BC Marijuana Party, is currently serving a sentence for trafficking after sharing two marijuana cigarettes with others after an anti-prohibition talk in Saskatchewan.

"Many are likely not aware but "sharing a joint" is considered trafficking under our current federal laws," said Davies. "I had an amendment when Parliament considered changes to the marijuana laws last fall which would have struck this from the books, but the Liberal dominated committee voted it down."

Yesterday on Commercial Drive in Vancouver police raided a store that was openly selling marijuana and arrested six.

"These sorts of situations are going to continue if Paul Martin and the federal government refuse to face the issue, and as result lives are ruined because of criminal convictions. And communities and local business will be unfairly affected by police raids," said the Vancouver East MP.

The Federal NDP will continue to push for changes to the marijuana laws when Parliament resumes this fall. These will include: amnesty for past possession convictions, reduction or elimination of fines for personal possession, and non-punitive measures for personal cultivation.

From the Province, August 4, 2005

NDP Candidate Svend Robinson

" The arrest of marijuana activist Marc Emery and colleagues Gregory williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek at the behest of the U.S. Drig Enforcement Administration is an outrage.

Canadians should demand that Prime Minister Paul Martin and our political leaders show some spine and strongly condemn this attack on Canadian sovereignty...

Surely it is time that Canada listens to the voices of people like Vancouver East MP Libby Davies, BC Senator Larry Campbell and the Canadian Senate, and accepts that a prohibitionist, US-style war on drugs is an expensive failure – that we should move to a non-punitive, regulatory approach to marijuana.

It is precisely because Marc Emery has been a leading advocate for this approach that I believe he is now being targetted by US authorities. "

To Tim Meehen,

" Thank you very much for your support. Please be assured that our campaign
strongly supports Jack Layton's position on Canada's marijuana laws. Our
headquarters is located at 1407B Bank Street. We'd love to see you in and
are certainly prepared to renew your membership at any time. Our phone
number is 739-1212.

Kevin Kinsella,
Campaign Manager,
Henri Sader Campaign
(613) 739-1212
kevin@henrisader.ca

"I never exhaled."

- Jack Layton, Canadian NDP Leader, replying to reporter's questions about whether he has ever smoked pot, during the 2004 federal campaign.

"Jack Layton and Howard Hampton will be true to their promise that they will put an end to prohibition. Canadians from all walks of life and generations are enjoying trainloads of marijuana. The solution is to legalize it, regulate it, tax it and control it."

- Peter Kormos, Ontario NDP House Leader, and MPP for Niagara Centre, at the 2004 "Green Truth" summit.

August 2005 Press Release from Libby Davies, Deputy Leader of Canada's NDP and MP for Vancouver East:

-----
The federal NDP opposes the extradition of Marc Emery, Gregory Keith Williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek to the United States. We believe it is wrong to extradite people for an offence that would not - and in this case, did not - result in them being charged in Canada.

In the U.S. they face a minimum 10-year sentence which could be raised to a life sentence. The federal NDP believes we should not be sending individuals to face harsh punishment in another country when we have agreed as a society their actions are not worthy of prosecution here in Canada.

This case once again points to the confusing and contradictory nature of the federal Liberal government's marijuana laws. We should recognize that the arrests of these Canadian citizens is more related to political pressure on Canada to cooperate with the U.S. war on drugs than on any harm that has been created by the actions of these individuals.

I will continue to urge Justice Minister Irwin Cotler to consider Canadian justice in his decision on this case and not be swayed by the laws and practices of the U.S.

Libby Davies MP
Vancouver East
-----

"The NDP wishes to draw attention to the serious problems and flaws in the federal government's medical marijuana program. The current regulations of the program are very restrictive, overly bureaucratic and severely limit access by Canadians who have a legitimate need for medical marijuana. These restrictions should be lifted now."

- Llibby Davies, December 2003, update on the proposed federal marijuana laws