When did Canada go from laid-back to straight-laced on marijuana policy?

By Marc-Boris St.-Maurice, The Mark

 

I can totally understand why legendary stoner comedians Cheech and Chong might be tempted to take a shot at Harper. OK, I think calling the prime minister a “douchebag” is overly harsh language – I always thought you could catch more flies with honey – but as actors they can get away with it.

 

Of course, the real irony here is that they are not “acting” one bit. However crass the comment, it could not have been more sincere. In 2003, Chong and his son were arrested for the interstate distribution of drug paraphernalia – their company “Chong Glass” had been selling pipes and bongs with the icon’s image on them. Chong pleaded guilty and served nine months in jail to save his son from prosecution.

 

Prior to the arrest, Tommy was somewhat vocal about legalization, but since his stint in the joint, he has become a full-blown activist. His show has gone from comedy classics to political theatre. Adversity breeds activism, and going to jail certainly qualifies as adverse.

 

But when did Canada go from laid-back-ganja-cool to button-down-straight-laced?

 

Almost 10 years ago, at the start of the new millennium, our nation was abuzz with marijuana tolerance. There were so many developments during those years: Alan Rock legalized medical marijuana; a new political entity, the Marijuana Party of Canada was born; and Jean Chrétien’s justice minister, Martin Cauchon, introduced legislation to decriminalize the wacky weed. Chrétien himself was quoted as saying that, although he had never tried it, he might do so one day “with a joint in one hand and my fine in the other.”

 

For a while in 2003, the courts in Ontario even declared marijuana prohibition laws to be null and void, and that summer fans of “the chronic” puffed away with impunity. But that loophole was eventually closed and decriminalization never happened, depriving Chrétien of his much-anticipated rendezvous with the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson.

 

At that time activists were way too busy enjoying their newfound freedom, and the feeling of urgency to change the marijuana laws started to wane. Things had become perhaps a little too comfortable.

 

Enter 2010, a new decade, a new sheriff in town. Stephen Harper, clearly not a friend to the pot movement, has been pushing for new laws calling for mandatory minimum sentences based on a very small number of marijuana plants. And even though the prime minister gets “high with a little help from his friends,” I suspect his disdain for cannabis is matched only by his love of God.

 

That is why his presence in Ottawa creates a climate that favours cracking down on cannabis. For instance, last month, authorities raided several well-established and respected medical marijuana dispensaries in Quebec, and two others were raided in Ontario. Although not a coordinated national effort, it was enough to send a shock wave through Canada’s marijuana activist community.

 

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association even issued two statements; one calling the cannabis pharmacy raids abusive, and the other calling for Health Canada to sanction compassion clubs.

 

But even as the number of arrests for cannabis offences in Canada reaches record levels, public opinion remains very much in support of tolerance when it comes to marijuana. This means that the gap between Harper and the majority of Canadians is only getting larger.

 

No doubt the current path of our government is destined to give rise to yet another generation of motivated freedom fighters of all stripes.