Drug Free America Foundation Applauds Canadian High Court Decision to Keep Marijuana Illegal.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 24, 2003

Drug Free America Foundation commends and supports Canada's court decision. This decision enforces the correct perception that illegal drugs are harmful, which is precisely the message that we need to be sending to our children. The drug policy reform movement has been working throughout the United States and internationally to tear down drug laws and ultimately legalize drugs. This agenda is pursued through decriminalization efforts and under the guise of medical excuse marijuana, even while there has been no acceptance or approval of smoked marijuana by any major American medical association.

"The legalization movement has suffered a major setback with the Canadian court decision. However, we are very concerned over the proposed bill by Prime Minister Martin that would soften penalties for pot possession," says Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. "Canada's proposed decriminalization, as well as the legalization movement's desensitization of marijuana use, creates the illusion that marijuana is not harmful." A Schedule I drug with addictive tendencies cannot be considered harmless.

According to Dr. Eric Voth, chair of the Institute on Global Drug Policy, a brain trust of the world's leading experts in drug prevention, "Softening drug policy increases drug use and the associated harm to society." History has shown us that when the perception of the harms of drugs increased, drug use went down, and when the perception of the harms of drug use decreased, use rose. Hopefully, Prime Minister Martin and other Canadian policy makers will apply this same logic.