As I was reading through Calgary's 24H Daily magazine, I saw an article that had caught my attention. Dr. Benedikt Fischer, a scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is the brains behind new leading research that suggests Cannabis use should be treated as a public health issue as opposed to a criminal one. 

"A Broad-Based public health approach to cannbis use would include prevention strategy for young people, risk reduction strategies for at-risk users and better access to treatment for problem users," Explains Dr. Fischer. Apparently more than 10% of Canadians and a 1/3 of people 16-25 report using marijuana in the last year. This is not surprising information! The guidelines that Dr. Fischer has suggested are comparable to the "low-risk drinking guidelines" for alcohol introduced in the 1990s. Which I believe would be a very intelligent and responsible way of controlling Cannabis instead of outlawing this plant completely and pushing for harder punishments, C-10 in Canada would push for a drug war much like the one raging in the USA. 

Dr. Fischer goes on to explain his guidelines for "Minimizing Health Risks of Pot," On a side note, we prefer the terminology "Cannabis"  as "pot" has negative connotations. Fischer's Team of researchers suggest: 

• Frequent Use- Defined as Daily or near-daily, should be avoided.
• Use should be delayed until adulthood or later in lafe, because young people are at greater risk for developing mental health problems and addiction.
• Pregnant Women should abstain completely.
• Anyone using Cannabis shouldn't drive for three to four hours after consumption.

In my own opinion, I believe we have a team of researchers that are definitely talking some sense. If  Cannabis was controlled and available, These are some very acceptable guidelines for how to go about ensuring those who're at-risk to get the help they will need.