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Introduction Since the summer of 2002 Federal Justice Minister Cauchon has repeatedly declared that his government will soon table legislation to decriminalize personal cannabis use in Canada. The issue of [...], Le gouvernement canadien s&apos;est engage a deposer, avant l&apos;ete 2003, un projet de loi visant la decriminalisation de la simple possession du cannabis. C&apos;est dans ce cadre que l&apos;auteure du present article donne d&apos;abord un survol du contexte socio-historique entourant la criminalisation de l&apos;usage du cannabis au Canada. Elle examine plus particulierement les diverses demarches juridiques et politiques entreprises au cours des 30 dernieres annees pour reformer le regime de controle du cannabis, demarches qui se sont soldees par un echec et que Giffen, Endicott et Lambert (1991) qualifient d&apos;une serie de << promesses, d&apos;hesitations et de reculs >> (traduction). Elle analyse ensuite certains elements cles du debat actuel concernant la reforme des lois sur le cannabis. Il s&apos;agit de plusieurs causes juridiques qui ont connu beaucoup de visibilite, des tendances de l&apos;opinion publique et des recommandations decoulant de deux enquetes federales--autant de facteurs qui favorisent la reforme. Suit une synthese des regimes de controle du cannabis appliques dans d&apos;autres pays occidentaux. Or, ayant etabli le cadre general, l&apos;auteure etudie de plus pres les differents mecanismes de decriminalisation possibles au Canada, ainsi que leurs impacts et leurs repercussions eventuelles. Elle releve entre autres la proposition voulant que la simple possession soit qualifiee d&apos;infraction civile. Or, une telle notion favoriserait tant les interpretations discretionnaires de la loi qu&apos;une application plus generalisee des sanctions, sans pour autant regler le probleme de l&apos;offre du cannabis. The Canadian federal government has promised legislation that will decriminalize the simple possession of cannabis by the summer of 2003. This paper will first review the socio-historical context as it pertains to the criminalization of cannabis use in Canada. Specifically, it will discuss the numerous (unsuccessful) legal and political attempts at cannabis-control reform in the past 30 years, called "the saga of promise, hesitation and retreat" by Giffen, Endicott, and Lambert (1991: 571). It will then review some distinct forces in the current cannabis law reform debate, namely a series of high-profile court cases, patterns of public opinion, and the recommendations of two federal inquiries, all of which contribute to the momentum for reform. After summarizing the diverse landscape of cannabis-control regimes in other Western countries, this paper will examine more closely the actual options that exist for cannabis decriminalization in Canada and their possible effects and implications. Specifically, making simple cannabis possession a civil offence, as suggested, would provide for both discretionary interpretations and net-widening effects in law enforcement and would, in addition, leave the cannabis supply question unresolved.

In collaboration with Michael Beaubrun (Trinidad and Tobago), Marie Mauffret (France), Alberto Minoletti (Chile), Jacek Moskalewicz (Poland), Albert Moukolo (Congo), Nii-K Plange (Fiji), Shekhar Saxena (India), Tim Stockwell (Australia), Pekka [...], Until recently, drinking in public venues has been a relatively neglected area of alcohol research despite the epidemiological significance of problems arising from drinking in licensed establishments and other public venues. In the WHO Project on Public Drinking, expert informants in 12 countries provided detailed information on alcohol consumption, drinking in public settings, the nature and magnitude of problems associated with public drinking, the regulation of public drinking, enforcement and prevention. The most commonly indicated problems associated with drinking in public venues were underage drinking, impaired driving, and alcohol-related violence. Many of the informants in the survey expressed concern that the enforcement of alcohol licensing laws receives very low priority on the political agenda. In general, few countries have developed prevention programs aimed specifically at preventing problems arising from drinking in public venues. Nonetheless the informants identified a wide variety of measures that can be taken to reduce these problems in public drinking environments. These include general alcohol preventive education, alcohol control measures (including restrictions on hours and days of operation), improved enforcement of licensing laws, impaired driving countermeasures, server training and the use of civil law to promote responsible beverage service, and the promotion of low-alcohol-content beverages.

A considerable body of evidence regarding the health effects of moderate drinking has been presented at this symposium. On balance it would appear that persons who consume small amounts of [...]

The article offers a list of reasons for excitement about the 2018-2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball season, noting the potential of player Nassir Little, the recruitment of player James Wiseman, and the potential of guard Lindell Wigginton.

There is now substantial evidence that alcohol consumption is protective against ischemic heart disease (e.g., Ashley, 1982; Beaglehole and Jackson, 1992; Edwards et al., 1994; Jackson, 1994; Klatsky, 1996; Svardsudd, [...], Evidence is growing that alcohol consumption confers health benefits beyond protection from ischemic heart disease. We review this evidence with regard to cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, cholelithiasis (gallstones), cognitive functioning, and stress reduction and subjective psychosocial benefits. Other possible benefits are briefly considered. The weight of evidence suggests that low-level alcohol consumption offers some protection against ischemic stroke. The evidence that moderate alcohol consumption protects against diabetes and gallstones is also fairly strong. The possibility of other health benefits cannot be dismissed. For all the conditions considered, more research is indicated. The application of more appropriate statistical techniques, studies of patterns of drinking, and experimental approaches to delineating underlying mechanisms should enable firmer conclusions to be drawn. A better understanding of both the benefits and the risks of alcohol use for individuals and populations will facilitate the development of appropriate program and policy interventions to promote health. KEY WORDS: Low-level alcohol consumption, health benefits, research issues.