Canadian CEOs fear reefer madness

[dr. what]

...whoa...dude...like, I really could go for some munchies right now....

OTTAWA - Canada's largest and most influential business group warns that a federal bill to decriminalize marijuana could harm the economy. It is calling for the legislation to be delayed until its impact on the workplace has been thoroughly studied.

The Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which represents 150 major multinational corporations, says pushing ahead with the legislation could increase injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance.

Executive vice-president David Stewart-Patterson said substance abuse in the workplace is costing the economy an estimated $18.4-billion a year, and that is likely to be exacerbated by the relaxation of cannabis laws.

''We really don't know what the effect is going to be on the workplace in terms of health and safety, in terms of productivity and absenteeism and employer-paid health costs,'' said Mr. Stewart-Patterson.

''Maybe it would be a good idea to do our homework and figure out what those costs might be so we can make an informed choice before going ahead with the bill.''

Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has predicted more liberal Canadian marijuana laws would result in a U.S. border crackdown at crossings that are already congested.

Business groups have likewise raised concerns over possible tie-ups resulting from more liberal marijuana laws, saying the current border morass already costs Canadian businesses billions of dollars a year. It is estimated that $1.2-billion in goods and services cross the border each day.

Opposition Conservatives, who insist the draft legislation is deeply flawed, have themselves renewed calls to shelve the marijuana bill until trade disputes with the Bush administration over beef and softwood lumber are resolved.

Mr. Stewart-Patterson said it is imperative that Ottawa conduct a major study of how marijuana affects job performance before it wipes out criminal penalties for possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana and hashish.

There are only a few known studies of the effects of cannabis use in the workplace but none has been done in Canada, according to Mr. Stewart-Patterson, whose organization has been researching the subject.

Mr. Stewart-Patterson points to a 1999 study of New Zealand forestry workers that suggests looser drug laws could lead to higher on-the-job injuries and lost days.

The Canterbury University study discovered cannabis users in New Zealand's forestry sector had almost three times as many lost-time injuries as non-users and twice the number of sick days off.

Although the users said getting stoned helped them do a ''better quality job,'' the study concluded that cannabis use actually increased their fatigue and the chances they would make errors in judgment and get involved in an accident.

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse also lists a 1996 study by Texas Christian University of marijuana use among 4,600 municipal employees in four cities in the Southwest. About 8% were marijuana users and the survey found they reported more absenteeism, tardiness, compensation claims and job turnover than workers who had not used the drug.

Mr. Patterson said big companies worry decriminalization would encourage more workers to smoke cannabis, impairing the workplace and the economy.

He points to a 1992 study by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse that found the total cost of drug and alcohol abuse on the job was $18.4-billion a year.

However, Mr. Stewart-Patterson said that study did not break out the costs of legal and illegal drugs in the workplace, which is why the business group is calling for a delay in the bill's passage until the government accumulates ''better information in terms of the potential impact of decriminalization on the workplace and in particular health and safety and productivity.''

The legislation now before Parliament would impose fines of $150 for adults -- and $100 for minors -- who are caught in possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis. Companion legislation is aimed at curbing ''drug drivers.''

Supporters of decriminalization refer to a Senate report in 2002 that found the cost of prosecuting drug offences in 2000-2001 was $57-million, with only $5-million spent on cannabis possession offences.

Irwin Cotler, the Minister of Justice, reintroduced the marijuana bill this month.

Federal officials noted New York, California and at least eight other states have already decriminalized simple marijuana possession, a fact acknowledged by Mr. Cellucci. But the U.S. ambassador said this month he was perplexed by the timing of the new bill. ''Why, when we're trying to take pressure off the border, would Canada pass a law that would put pressure on the border?'' he said.

''If people think it's easier to get marijuana in Canada, then our people at the border are going to be on the lookout, and I think they will stop more vehicles ...'

Paul Martin, the Prime Minister, said Canada reserves the right to pass laws as it sees fit. ''Firstly, the legislation is before the House of Commons, then the parliamentary committee will have its discussions on all the various points, and we'll wait to see the legislation that comes from that,'' he said. ''But Canada will make its own laws, pure and simple.''

[Alan Bolte]

Although the users said getting stoned helped them do a ''better quality job,'' the study concluded that cannabis use actually increased their fatigue and the chances they would make errors in judgment and get involved in an accident. <snip> ...reported more absenteeism, tardiness, compensation claims and job turnover than workers who had not used the drug.

The problem, as I see it, isn't the drug itself. It's that issue of half the population having an IQ below 100. Ah well, perhaps a combination of legalization and a massive public information campaign of the sort which, IIRC, made drinking and driving not a cool thing to do would keep people from thinking they're any smarter stoned than they are drunk.

[salm]

i didn´t know that the effect on business is supposed to be relevant for the question if certain things are legal or not.

[Keevan_Colton]

i didn´t know that the effect on business is supposed to be relevant for the question if certain things are legal or not.

Government is only here to keep the heard in line for use by the corprate workhouses.

[sketerpot]

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse also lists a 1996 study by Texas Christian University of marijuana use among 4,600 municipal employees in four cities in the Southwest. About 8% were marijuana users and the survey found they reported more absenteeism, tardiness, compensation claims and job turnover than workers who had not used the drug.

Correlation. Causation. Not the same thing. Sentence fragments.

Business groups have likewise raised concerns over possible tie-ups resulting from more liberal marijuana laws, saying the current border morass already costs Canadian businesses billions of dollars a year. It is estimated that $1.2-billion in goods and services cross the border each day.

So Canada should treat peaceful citizens who aren't harming other people as criminals just because the US has crazy laws which, combined with sane Canadian ones, would cause losses of money for business groups. I see.

[aerius]

When I worked as a bike courier downtown, it was really quite amusing to see guys in suits smoking up outside our stock exchange building. They'd go on break, have a toke to calm their nerves, and go back in. If you've ever wondered why the stock market doesn't make sense, now you know.

As for those CEO's, they can go fuck themselves, I'll bet most of them either have drinking problems and/or are doing cocaine. But hey, as long as it's not teh evile weeed it's all good.

[General Zod]

i don't see how marijuana could be any more harmful than, i don't know, cigarettes. I mean, at the very least you won't have people huffing up a physically addictive product. I'd say this is a perfect form of slippery slope logic.

[Mayabird]

As for those CEO's, they can go fuck themselves, I'll bet most of them either have drinking problems and/or are doing cocaine. But hey, as long as it's not teh evile weeed it's all good.

And painkillers. You forgot prescription painkillers. They can even get them all nice and respectably at pharmacies, too, which makes them better than all the little peons below them.

[Enforcer Talen]

and, of course, legal weed doesnt mean they will come high on the job.

[Wicked Pilot]

Those studies don't really mean that much. It is entirely possible that those who miss work and make the most mistakes do so because they are simply incompetent losers. Their smoking marijuana would just be another symptom of their loserness. A study that showing that productivity decreased after someone started smoking pot would be far more meaningful.

[Wicked Pilot]

Morover, making pot legal wouldn't necessarily cause that much of an increase in its use. Who here doesn't do illegal drugs because they are hard to find, or because they're afraid to be caught?

[Kamakazie Sith]

Businesses allowed the consumption of alcohol on the job. Why do people think it would be any different for marijuana?

[Zac Naloen]

Morover, making pot legal wouldn't necessarily cause that much of an increase in its use. Who here doesn't do illegal drugs because they are hard to find, or because they're afraid to be caught?

I don't do them because i don't want to. They're easy enough to find and the chances of being caught are slim.

[Durandal]

If these companies are so worried, they can start doing random drug tests for current employees and/or making a drug test part of the hiring process. Granted, if memory serves, it's been found that instituting drug test policies actually costs more than the projected productivity lost due to drug use, but if they're that worried about what their own employees do on their own time ...