T.O. health board wants grass legalized 


By BRAD HONYWILL -- Toronto Sun



TORONTO -- Five months after banning tobacco smoking in restaurants, the city's health department is calling for the decriminalization of pot smoking. 
Toronto's health board is expected to approve a staff position paper at its meeting on Monday, recommending that marijuana possession for personal use be removed from the Criminal Code. 
Toronto Health Board chairman Joe Mihevc said yesterday there is no contradiction between the board's positions on tobacco and pot smoking. 
"There is no evidence, that I'm aware of, to suggest that criminalizing an activity like smoking, like drinking, like smoking marijuana, has a positive effect on people's behaviour," Mihevc said. 
"Restricting where it is smoked, if you look at places such as California, does have a positive effect." 
Bringing pot smoking to the surface will allow society to put better controls on its use, he said. 
It will also save society the millions, if not billions, of dollars now spent on enforcement that would be better spent elsewhere, he added. 
The position paper, released yesterday, was requested by a special Senate committee on illegal drugs which will consider it when making recommendations to the federal government. 
It argues that marijuana use is widespread in today's society and, in the short term, has few harmful effects. 
Mihevc estimated that about 90% of the population has tried marijuana. He refused, however, to say if the devil weed has ever touched his lips. 
Police Chief Julian Fantino announced several months ago that he supports the decriminalization of marijuana. 
Councillor Doug Holyday, a leader of the conservative wing of city council, said yesterday he is concerned that decriminalizing marijuana will lead to a greater use of more harmful street drugs. But, he added, he isn't ready to oppose the position when Fantino supports it. 
The position paper says that marijuana is not physically addictive and there are few proven harmful health effects from short-term use. 
But studies suggest there is the possibility of serious effects from long-term use, including impaired immune systems and respiratory cancer. There are also concerns about the use of marijuana by drivers and psychological addiction. 
But the position paper says there is no evidence that marijuana use encourages the use of stronger street drugs.