Legal Regulation of Marijuana: The Better Way.

While over 35 years has passed since the Shafer Commission in the US, and the LeDain Commission in Canada, recommended marijuana decriminalization, the policies of both countries still reflect significant criminalization of marijuana possession. Several countries in western Europe and Australian states have gone further in tolerance of marijuana use, but further movement towards legal regulation ("legalization") remains at an impasse globally. In Canada, greater leniency in medical access and support has occurred, but a case for acceptable "recreational" use was deemed "trivial" by a Supreme Court ruling in 2003. This paper reviews the evidence on public opinion, use patterns, enforcement and political initiatives in Canada, in an effort to understand why so little change has occurred. Within the framework of normalization, and the presentation of new data from a study of socially integrated, adult marijuana users, it is argued that the strict prohibitionist law and social evalution of this still stigmatized and criminalized activity are seriously misaligned. Yet, in the current climate of political leadership in Canada, focused on an Anti-Drug Strategy which adopts a moral stance rather than an evidence based on, policy reform remains stagnant. The implications of a new direction in the US approach to drug policy, and its potential impact on the Canadian response, are considered. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]