A vision of the future...

Quotes from the 2002 report from the

Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy" "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue."

- Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, chair of Canada's Senate Committee reviewing marijuana laws "Legalization would prove beneficial, not only for users, but also for the federal and provincial governments because of the considerable revenue they might well derive from the sales taxes on such a popular product."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use "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 Drug Use "Clearly, current approaches are ineffective and inefficient. Ultimately, their effect amounts to throwing taxpayers' money down the drain in a crusade that is not warranted by the danger posed by the substance. It has been maintained that drugs, including cannabis, are not dangerous because they are illegal but rather are illegal because they are dangerous. This is perhaps true of other types of drugs, but not of cannabis."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use "In short, it is remarkable that, over seventy-five years later, we should still not know why cannabis was placed on the list of prohibited drugs."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use Here's what Senator Tommy Banks had to say about MJ laws: "There has never, in history, been a good reason presented for marijuana being illegal," said Senator 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, chair of Canada's Senate Committee reviewing marijuana laws "We estimate the cost of enforcing cannabis drug laws to be closer to $1-1.5 billion per annum.

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use The costs of externalities attributable to cannabis are probably minimal; no deaths, few hospitalizations, and very little loss of productivity."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use "Cannabis is widely used in every part of the world, does not have the harmful effects ascribed to it, and poses little risk to public health."

- Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drug Use More information and links related to the Senate Special Committee's report top of page