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Major Studies of Drugs and Drug Policy | ||||
Cannabis Control Policy |
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Cannabis Control Policy: A Discussion Paper Health Protection Branch Department of National Health and Welfare January 1979 Contents
Part 1 General Introduction...........................................................................Part 2 The Global ObjectivesPart 3 The Empirical Bases of Cannabis Control Policy
Health Concerns.............................................................................................. . 3 Safety Concerns................................................................................................ 8 The Cannabis Market........................................................................................ 10 Extent of Use.................................................................................................... 12 Patterns of Use.................................................................................................. 14 Special Powers of Arrest, Search and Seizure in Drug Enforcement................... 16 The Processing of a Cannabis Suspect through the Criminal Justice System........ 18 Police.......................................................................................................... 18 Crown Prosecutors...................................................................................... 21 Judges......................................................................................................... 22 The Processing of Information Concerning a Cannabis Suspect......................... . 22 Discharges................................................................................................. . 24 Pardons....................................................................................................... 24 Problems Inherent in Drug Enforcement: Irregular Methods of Enforcement........ 26 A Statistical Review of Arrest, Conviction and Sentencing Patterns..................... 26 Arrest statistics............................................................................................ 26 Conviction statistics..................................................................................... 26 Sentencing statistics..................................................................................... 27 The Financial Cost of Cannabis Enforcement..................................................... 29 The Sociolegal Consequences of Enforcement................................................... 30 Public and Professional Attitudes....................................................................... 33 Part 4 Legal Issues and Options.................................................................. 34Normative and Design Concerns........................................................................ 35 International Considerations............................................................................... 37 Constitutional Considerations............................................................................. 38 Jurisdiction................................................................................................... 39 Non-criminal, or "civil," offences.................................................................. 40 Criminal records.......................................................................................... 40 Defining Offences............................................................................................... 41 Importation.................................................................................................. 42 Constructive trafficking................................................................................. 43 Functional equivalence................................................................................. 46
Contents (continued) Page An Ordering of Terms and Concepts................................................................ 47 The Cannabis Control Options: A Description.................................................. 48 (1) Prohibition........................................................................................... 49 (2) Bill S-19............................................................................................... 50 (3) 83-77RD.............................................................................................. 51 (4) Full "deeming provisions"...................................................................... 51 (5) Semi-Prohibition................................................................................... 52 (6) Transfer to Schedule G......................................................................... 54 (7) Legalization (regulation)........................................................................ 55 (8) Federal Withdrawal.............................................................................. 56 The Cannabis Control Options: An Analysis...................................................... 56 Notes. ................................................................................................................... 59
Appendices Appendix A: The Single Convention and Its Implications for Canadian Cannabis Policy................................................... 60 The penal obligations: Article 36 and the meaning of "possession"................. 61 "Possession" and other consumption-related conduct................................... 63 Article 36 and the 1972 Protocol................................................................ 63 "Possession" and the confiscatory obligation................................................ 64 Amendment and withdrawal........................................................................ 65 Summary.................................................................................................... 65 Appendix B: The Constitutional Bases of Cannabis Policy................. 66 Federal Jurisdiction............................................................................................ 68 Provincial Jurisdiction........................................................................................ 71 The Doctrine of Paramountcy and Concurrency................................................. 73 Joint Federal-Provincial Control of Cannabis..................................................... 76 Parliaments Power to Create Non-Criminal Offences....................................... 76 Parliaments Power to Control Criminal Records in the Possession of Provincial Enforcement Agencies....................................................................... 77 Parliaments Power to Authorize Confiscation of Cannabis in the Absence of a Possessional Offence.................................................................................. 78 Notes to Appendix B.............................................................................................. 81
Contents (continued) Page Appendix C: The Narcotic Control Act An Elaboration.................... 87 Appendix D: Extent and Patterns of Cannabis Use Among Adult Canadians, 1970-1978.......................................................... 90 Appendix E: Offences, Procedures and Maximum Penalties Under Eight Alternative Models for the Control of Cannabis............................................................................. 95 References and Selected Bibliography....................................................... 99
Figures and Tables Figure 1. Police Duties Relating to Processing a Routine Cannabis Case............... 20 Figure 2. "Buffer Zone" Model............................................................................ 44 Table D-1. Adult Canadians Incidence of Cannabis Use....................................... 91 Table D-2. Adult Canadians Current Cannabis Use Patterns, (Gallup 1978)......... 92 Table D-3. Adult Canadians Frequency of Cannabis Use..................................... 93 Table D-4. Adult Canadians Cannabis Use by Region (Gallup, 1978)................... 94 Table E-1. Offences, Procedures and Maximum Penalties under the Narcotic Control Act, Bill S-19 and 83-77RD..................................................... 96 Table E-2. Offences, Procedures and Maximum Penalties under "Full 'Deeming Provisions'" and "Semi-Prohibition"........................................................ 97 Table E-3. Offences, Procedures and Maximum Penalties under "Transfer to Schedule G," "Regulation" and "Federal Withdrawal".............................. 98 |