"We know our proposals are provocative, that they will meet with resistance. However, we are also convinced that Canadian society has the maturity and openness to welcome an informed debate."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, Cannabis: Summary Report September 2002

Read more quotes from the Senate Committee's report.

"There has never, in history, been a good reason presented for marijuana being illegal," said Banks. "It's fundamentally important for people to understand that it's never been based on the facts. It's non-toxic, it's not addictive and has no provable, long-term irreversible effects."
- Senator Tommy Banks, Deputy Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. "Senator Banks mellows out on marijuana" - Edmonton Sun - July 16, 2003

Withdrawal: Presence and severity of characteristic withdrawal symptoms.

Reinforcement: A measure of the substance's ability, in human and animal tests, to get users to take it again and again, and in preference to other substances.

Tolerance: How much of the substance is needed to satisfy increasing cravings for it, and the level of stable need that is eventually reached.

Dependence: How difficult it is for the user to quit, the relapse rate, the percentage of people who eventually become dependent, the rating users give their own need for the substance and the degree to which the substance will be used in the face of evidence that it causes harm.

Intoxication: Though not usually counted as a measure of addiction in itself, the level of intoxication is associated with addiction and increases the personal and social damage a substance may do.

It is illegal in Canada to possess, produce or traffic in cannabis.

"Possession" means:

a. A person is in possession of something when it is in their personal possession of knowingly:

i. has it in the actual possession or custody of another person, or
ii. has it in a place, whether or not that place belongs to or is occupied by them, for the use or benefit of himself or of another person; and,

b. Where one of two or more persons, with the knowledge and consent of the rest has anything in heir custody or possession, it shall be deemed to be in custody and possession of each and all of them.

"Trafficking" means:

a. to sell, administer, give, transfer, transport, send or deliver the substance
b. to sell an authorization to obtain the substance, or
c. to offer to do anything mentioned in a) or b) above, otherwise than under the authority of the regulations.

A person also commits an offence of trafficking in a substance included in Schedule I, II, III, or IV or in any substance represented or held out to be by that person a substance.

"Possession of the Purpose" means that the person must be in "possession" as set out in the definition above and for the purpose of "trafficking" as set out in the definition above.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996, c. 19) Schedule II

"We're not decriminalizing marijuana, to be technical, it will remain a criminal offense. What we are putting in place are alternative penalties, in using the Contraventions Act. I admit that using "decrim" at the beginning was not a good start, but over the past few months we have been quite clear about what we're doing."

- Martin Cauchon - former Justice Minister, during questioning by the House of Commons Committee on Illegal Drugs regarding the proposed "decriminalization" bill. November 2003.

UPDATE: February 2005 Poll [source: PDF, 110k]
The survey asked questions regarding the government's plans to "decriminalize" the personal possession of marijuana. Here are some statistics on how "clear" the government was about what they're doing:

49% of Canadians believe that decriminalizing marijuana actually makes possession legal

41% said they believed decriminalization leaves possession illegal

"A ticket would be more immediate and a police officer would be MORE LIKELY TO WRITE A TICKET. Right now the laws are not evenly enforced, often police will turn a blind eye, which teaches disrespect for the law. We want fines to be rendered."

"There is an uneven application of the law. In many places the police warn an individual and don't charge. We think, actually, with what we're proposing a person with a small amount will be more likely to suffer a consequence for breaking the law. So we actually think we're being a little tougher on people by suggesting that there would be a fine for the breaking of the law and police officers would be more likely to write that ticket rather than it walk away."

- Paddy Torsney - member of the House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-medical use of Drugs.

[Martin Cauchon told] reporters that the legislation was needed because current pot laws, under which possession is a criminal offence, are "disproportionate."

"Does it make sense that a person who makes a bad choice should receive the lasting burden of a criminal conviction? This bill will ensure that the punishment fits the crime."

Source: "Critics say pot bill sends the wrong message" - CTV.ca News, May 28, 2003

- Martin Cauchon - former Justice Minister of Canada.

Commentary: The government and police organizations dismiss the possibility of legalizing cannabis based on the assumption that doing so would increase use by sending a message that cannabis use is acceptable.

The policy of cannabis prohibition has been shown to have no impact on rates of use. The vast majority of people who are interested in trying cannabis have already done so.

Our government's current cannabis policies are neither effective nor evidence-based. In a modern liberal democracy, policies should be based on common sense and compassion, not fear, prejudice and misinformation.

The real question is, "What message is our current policy toward cannabis sending to Canada's youth?"

U.S. states, not Canada, led way in decriminalization, critics told - Globe and Mail, June 2, 2003

AN ANALYTIC ASSESSMENT OF U.S. DRUG POLICY
Thursday, March 9, 2006 11:00 AM In its efforts to control the use of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other illegal drugs, the United States spends about $35 billion per year in public funds. Almost half a million dealers and users are incarcerated. In An Analytic Assessment of U.S. Drug Policy (AEI Press, 2005), policy analysts David Boyum and Peter Reuter provide an assessment of how poorly this massive investment of tax dollars and government authority is working. (View the video.)

Denver Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative

Denver Post, Nov. 2, 2005
"Denver residents Tuesday voted to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, but the state attorney general said the vote was irrelevant because state law will still be enforced."

Currently there is a similar initiative underway in Nevada.
Read what initiative is proposing, and how it would benefit Nevadans
(voting Nov. 2006)

Rhode Island Medical marijuana program enacted January 3, 2006

Vancouver and Toronto are the only cities in Canada with U.S. law enforcement hubs, although one is in the works for Montreal. Senior U.S. agents in Ottawa oversee the work of the hubs. But the total number of U.S. agents in Canada remains classified.

The RCMP, by way of comparison, says it has four RCMP liaison officers based in the whole of the U.S. Two are in Washington, D.C. and two in Miami, Fla.
...

But civil liberty and sovereignty watchdog groups are concerned about the encroachment of U.S. agents working in Canada. They say it's unclear how the agents' work is monitored and whether information is being gathered on Canadians. More...

Source: U.S. National Drug Threat Assessment

Source: RCMP report:, "The Drug Situation In Canada - 2003"