Exposing the Reefer Madness of the Parliament of Canada - ConclusionsHow does your Member of Parliament feel about Cannabis Prohibition?

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Created by Sam Vekemans, Victoria, BC

Conclusions - Official Party Stance ● Conservative: Possession and Sales of Marijuana is a Criminal Offense

http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html

● Liberal: Marijuana should be legalized and regulatedhttp://petition.liberal.ca/end-prohibition/

Liberals understand the need to consider ending the prohibition of marijuana and addressing the root causes of crime to see real results.http://www.liberal.ca/getting-smart-on-crime-and-cannabis/

● NDP: Use of Marijuana should not be legal, but consequences of possession and sales should be minimized.http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html

3.1h Adopting a harm reduction approach to substance abuse and permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. 3.9i Decriminalizing marijuana possession with the goal of removing it’s production and distribution from the control of organized crime.http://xfer.ndp.ca/2012/2012-12-17-Email-Convention/Mtl2013_PolicyBook_E.pdf ‘Montreal 2013 NDP Policy’

● Green: Legalize marijuana by removing marijuana from the drug schedule.http://www.greenparty.ca/vision-green/p4.8

● Bloc: Supports decriminalizationhttp://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html

Conclusions

● 192 of 303 (63%) MPs have given a public statement (as of 25 May 2014)

● 117 MPs have made a statement supporting continued cannabis prohibition

● 75 MPs have made a statement wanting to end cannabis prohibition

● 111 MPs have not made a public statement

Conclusions

● It’s mainly conservative MPs who support prohibition

● 7 Conservative MPs want to end prohibition○ Recognises the hypocrisy of prohibition

“The majority of Canadians at some point in their life have broken the law and smoked marijuana or cannabis.” - Gerald Keddy

Conclusions - Supports Prohibition

● Those in opposition use the term ‘drug trade’ as implying causation

● Terms such as; Gateway drug, health risks, public safety, accessible to kids

● The primarily refers to ‘marijuana smoking’ but does not consider edibles or oils of juicing raw cannabis

Regulation concernRegardless of the form of Cannabis (dried, juiced, Oil tincture, infused), there is no doubt that regulation would also make things better, as it does for alcohol. When we buy cannabis, we should be able to see the percentage of THC and CBD on the label, and we should be able to know that those percentages are correct - as we do with alcohol.

Known Health BenefitsCannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants

US 6630507 B1Abstract

Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH3, and COCH3

http://www.google.ca/patents/US6630507

Terminology: Cannabis

Cannabis sativaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cannabis sativa is an annual herbaceous plant in the Cannabis genus, a species of the Cannabaceae family. People have cultivated cannabis sativa throughout recorded history as a source of industrial fibre, seed oil, food, recreation, religious and spiritual moods, and medicine. Each part of the plant is harvested differently, depending on the purpose of its use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis

The term Hemp is used to name the durable soft fiber from the Cannabis Plant stem (stalk). Cannabis sativa cultivars are used for fibers due to their long stems; Sativa varieties may grow more than six metres tall. However, hemp can refer to any industrial or foodstuff product that is not intended for use as a drug. Many countries regulate limits for psychoactive compound (THC) concentrations in products labeled as hemp.

Hemp is valuable in tens of thousands of commercial products, especially as fibre[87] ranging from paper, cordage, construction material and textiles in general, to clothing. Hemp is stronger and longer-lasting than cotton. It also is a useful source of foodstuffs (hemp milk, hemp seed, hemp oil) and biofuels. Hemp has been used by many civilizations, from China to Europe (and later North America) during the last 12,000 years.[87][88] In modern times novel applications and improvements have been explored with modest commercial success.[89][90]

Terminology: Hemp

Cannabis sativa stem longitudinal section

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis

The gateway drug theory (also called gateway theory, gateway hypothesis and gateway effect) states that the use of less deleterious drugs can lead to a future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs[1] or crime.[2] It is often attributed to the earlier use of one of several licit substances, including tobacco or alcohol, as well as cannabis.[1]

The reverse gateway theory posits that earlier regular cannabis use predicts later tobacco initiation and/or nicotine dependence in those who did not use tobacco before.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug_theory

Gateway Drug Theory

Reefer MadnessReefer Madness (originally made as Tell Your Children and sometimes titled as The Burning Question, Dope Addict, Doped Youth and Love Madness) is a 1936-1939 American propaganda exploitation film revolving around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana — from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness. The film was directed by Louis Gasnier and starred a cast composed of mostly unknown bit actors.Originally financed by a church group under the title Tell Your Children, the film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to teach them about the dangers of cannabis use.[5] However, soon after the film was shot, it was purchased by producer Dwain Esper, who re-cut the film for distribution on the exploitation film circuit beginning in 1938/39 through the 40s and 50s.[5]

The film was "rediscovered" in the early 1970s and gained new life as satire among advocates of cannabis policy reform.[5][6] Although finding a popular audience as a cult film, critics have panned it as one of the worst films ever made. Today, it is in the public domain in the United States.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reefer_Madness

Declaration of Human Rights for Medical Access to Cannabis and Cannabinoids

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948:

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” (Article 3).

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control” (Article 25, Paragraph 1).

Whereas this Declaration applies to everyone and all people, whereas many doctors are banned by legal requirements from treating their patients with cannabis-based medicines and whereas many people cannot afford access to cannabis-based drugs we thus declare that:

1. Every medical doctor has the right to treat his or her patients with cannabinoids and cannabis products according to the rules of good medical care.

2. Every patient has the right to access cannabis and cannabinoids for medical treatment supervised by a medical doctor, regardless of social status, standard of living or financial means.

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/