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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, SEPTEMBER 18, 2002 www.durhamregion.com Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Judi Bobbitt Regional Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Efje Canabtmi â>tatesiman Rhone 905-579-440C Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2236 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Clarington's Awarcl-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Sept. 18,2002 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to newsroom(S'durliami'e^ion.com Hang up that cellphone if you're behind the wheel THE PNVtito ElN/tilY CRACKED,.. T he horrible accident that saw a father and his two-year-old daughter struck and killed by a train at a crossing in Pickering has led to a call by an inquest jury for a ban on the use of cellphones. cellphones. The jury, after hearing that the father's pickup truck crashed through the barrier while he was speaking to his ex-wife on a cellphone, recommended recommended cellphone use be banned for novice drivers immediately immediately and possibly for all drivers. The jury's recommendations recommendations are part of an ongoing debate about tlie safety of car cellphone use. Spectacular accidents accidents which can be traced back to inattentiveness caused by the use of hand-held cellphones cellphones has drawn attention to their use resulting in bans in New York State and in many other countries around the world. Some argue there are plenty plenty of other activities, such as smoking, drinking (ie., coffee or pop, not alcohol), eating; makeup application, adjustment adjustment of audio equipment, even reading newspapers or books, that cause driver inattention. inattention. The argument goes, why single out cellphones for special attention? A Transport Canada Road Safety study released earlier this year suggests it's not merely the holding of a cellphone cellphone which increases driver risk. The active cognitive tasks of listening and speaking speaking on the phone is an added distraction unlike the relatively relatively mindless activities of smoking and drinking while driving. The move to ban cellphones cellphones - Durham MPP John O.'Toole's private member's bill to prevent their use while driving in Ontario is currently before the legislature - is part of nearly a century of safety initiatives in automobiles. Car makers have been busy, sometimes on their own volition to increase sales, often because of government regulation to add safety features features to their vehicles. Whether it be bumpers, crumple crumple zones, special safety glass, improved body materials, signal signal lights, high-beam lights, seat-bells, child-safety seats, air bags and on and on, car safely has intensified as more and more vehicles jam our congested highways. Seat-belt use, for years, was resisted by many who didn't like feeling constrained while they rode in their vehicles. vehicles. But the statistics show the effectiveness of seat-belt use. Between 1990-2000, a Transport Canada Safety Study has shown 11,690 fatalities fatalities were prevented on Cana- 1 , dian roads because of the use ■ of seat-belts: Those are sobering sobering statistics, impressive enough to make anyone buckle buckle up. While more needs to be learned with regard to driving and cellphone use, it seems clear, that, outside of 911 calls, cellphones should be hung up while on the move. OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom@<lurhamreyion.com Push to legalize pot foolish move A Senate committee has recommended Canadians Canadians be able to legally use marijuana. What have they been smoking? Earlier in the month, Senate members suggested smoking the drug is safer than cigarettes cigarettes and alcohol and should be made available to Canadians Canadians at an earlier age. Currently, Currently, the legal age to buy cigarettes cigarettes and alcohol is 19. If the Senate gets its way, teens will be able to purchase pot at . 16. The committee's report indicates indicates marijuana would be regulated and licensed licensed by the federal government. THC levels would be 13 per cent for recreational recreational usage, and have no limitation for medicinal purposes. What would happen happen to those rccrc- atioiijil users smoking something with more THC in it, and how would anyone be the wiser? What will be the limit lo how much someone can smoke driving, and how would police be able to measure how much cannabis use has occurred? By legalizing the plant, the government would he allowing allowing a drug used for medicinal purposes lo he used for pleasure pleasure as well. When did medical and party time go together? Is Tylenol supposed to add a little little life to celebrations? Is it passed around at parties? Marijuana is a drug, Medication Medication shouldn't legally have multi-purposes. Crystal Crimi Staff Writer he fort Alcohol can be good for your health if used in moderation, moderation, but those having a glass of red wine with dinner should not become intoxicated if having having only one. Smoking may be poisonous, but one cigarette, or even a pack will not change someone's thought pattern. Marijuana can - just visit my old high school and you'll see. Some classmates who used pot after school and on weekends weekends for "recreational" purposes purposes suddenly developed learning disabilities, or that's what they were diagnosed with. What most of those students really had was a case of 'the stoncr': slow speech, red eyes, delayed delayed reactions, and no short-term memory. memory. There were many more polheads than alcoholics in my high school. If so many are currently taking the risk and illegally illegally smoking pot, how much of an in- in users and usage there he if there were no consequences? Legalizing pot would he a good way for the government lo make money and will definitely definitely clean up the court system, system, but at what cost and for how long? Some marijuana users will move onto harder drugs as they always ■ have. How soon until another Senate committee would argue the benefits of some other natural drug, perhaps cocaine? A drug is a drug and there should he no exceptions, crease would .. I DON'T TO/W (OMPLAiNT?,. www.dolfghan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Police chief's position on pot criticized To the editor: Re: 'Police oppose call for legalization legalization of pot,' Sept. 9,2002. The false witness the Ontario Ontario Association of Chief of Police calls on to keep cannabis outlawed is so absurd the proper proper response to the term "marijuana "marijuana crime" would be gales of hilarious laughter aimed at proponents proponents of marijuana prohibition, prohibition, except for the fact that giving giving people permanent criminal records and putting thousands of people in jail every year for 'Reefer Madness' is no joke. Bedford Givens San Francisco That's quaint. What do drug policy experts think? Matthew Hulett Short Hills, N.J. mil letters to newsroom@(lurhamreginn. Contrary to what Durham Regional Police Chief Kevin McAlpine believes, there have been numerous studies. A prominent U.S. researcher, John P. Morgan of City University University of New York Medical School, told the Senate Committee Committee smoking marijuana does not seem to cause lung cancer, emphysema or cause birth anomalies in fetuses. Wayne Phillips Hamilton, Ont. Despite a few officials' misgivings, misgivings, the Canadian Senate's recommendation to, legalize responsible responsible cannabis use is a wise one. The criminalization of cannabis has filled jails with otherwise law-abiding citizens, inspired disdain for the law among youth and made organized organized criminals extremely rich. Increased enforcement has only exacerbated the situation. By regulating the market, we can place proper age controls on the use of cannabis, and take it out of the hands of black market drug dealers. Government resources resources currently spent oii en forcement can be diverted to education and treatment. And most importantly, we can stop locking up productive citizens who use cannabis responsibly - thus saving a jail cell for a real criminal. Adam Wiggins Pasadena, CA I am upset with police, who oppose rational drug law reform. reform. Opposing cannabis law reform is akin to stating, we should continue caging humans for using a plant, which is dysfunctional. dysfunctional. The police and prison agencies stand the most to lose, since they justify much of their funding upon the persecution persecution of a plant, which is the focus in the war on some drugs, Shame on them, for they imply that they don't make the laws, they just enforce them, and imply that if you don't like the laws, change them. While police police are in favour of caging humans humans for using a plant, I request North American citizens resist that farce. Stan White Dillon, CO. OPINION e-mail letters to newsroomt® (lurliamrcgion.com Corner liquor stores were a long time coming A famous election promise that once put the Liberals in government is being kept in part, oddly, by the Progressive Progressive Conservatives 17 years later. ■ The bizarre saga of whether small, grocery corner stoics should be allowed allowed to sell alcohol has more twists and turns than a corkscrew and is enough to drive anyone to drink. It started as a minor issue in the 1970s when independent grocers asked a Tory government government to let them sell wine so they could be more viable and compete compete against chains. The Province was selling wine and spirits through its own stores and beer in brewery-run stores, but was starting starting to allow sales in small grocery stores in northern communities too sparsely populated lo support a liquor store, and wines in boutiques boutiques in some supermarkets. A New Democrat brought in a hill to allow corner stores across the province lo sell beer and a Liberal a bill to allow them to sell beer and wine, but the Tory majority majority at the time rejected both. The Tories argued they would cause more drinking, particularly among teens who store staff would have difficulty refusing, impaired driving, and robberies with more cash in tills. Liberal leader David Peterson revived the issue almost by accident accident in the 1985 election. The Liberals had not pul it in a long list of promises in their written Eric Dowd Queen's Park platform or even discussed it in caucus. Mr. Peterson mentioned it in the last breath of his kickoff speech, but raised little interest, and repeated when touring a brewery, "we should be selling this stuff in corner stores." Before the election, Mr. Peterson had not done much to expose flaws in the Tories' policies or inspire a belief that after being in power for four decades, they could be replaced, But the Tories had changed premiers and their new leader, Frank Miller, liked for his lolksiness, was at 57, two years older than his predecessor and easy to paint as too rural and outdated. Many were looking for a more contemporary-looking premier, Mr. Peterson's advocacy of booze in corner stores captured the imagination of news media, who suggested fancifully it symbolized symbolized him as a dashing young leader who would take Ontario into a new era of badly-needed modernization. Mr. Peterson thereafter promised booze in corner stores everywhere he went and when he paused for breath, he was asked about it. The issue was blown out of proportion and almost anything Mr. Peterson said for the rest of the campaign, however commonplace, commonplace, was seen a pronouncement of great wisdom, The Tories maintained their opposition and were accused of CLICK AND SAj^ Today's question: Should cellphone use be banned while driving? □ Only for new drivers □ For all drivers □ No ban Cast your vote online at infodurhamregiQn.com T being in the pockets of big breweries breweries which donated to them, while the NDP, which once supported supported corner store sales, turned around and opposed on the grounds union jobs would be at risk. The Tories, as a result, obtained obtained only a minority government government and within months Mr. Peterson Peterson ousted it with the help of the NDP and became premier. Mr. Peterson had a more serious serious agenda to fulfill, much of it forced on him by the NDP, and showed no thirst for getting on with allowing comer stores to sell booze, as opposition mounted from municipalities, police and health groups. But after constant reminders by the media, his minority government government eventually brought in legislation to allow small grocery stores to sell beer and wine and was defeated by the Tories and NDP. Mr. Peterson showed his lack of enthusiasm when he refused refused to leave a reception a few yards down the corridor to turn up and vote. A year later Mr. Peterson won a huge majority in another election election and could comfortably have passed legislation allowing corner corner stores lo sell booze, but never raised the issue again. But governments including that led by Ernie lives are steadily steadily allowing more selected corner groceries to sell booze where there are not enough people to justify pulling in its own stores. The government now says it will sprinkle them through the province, so Mr. Peterson has got part of his wish, bill it has taken longer than aging good whisky. Last week's question: What is your reaction to Durham's proposed bylaw . that would ban smoking in most public places? □ Too strong 43.4% □ Fair for everyone 38% □ Doesn't go far enough 18.6% Votes cast: 295 HAVE YOUR SAY Question What is your opinion on talking on a . cellphone while driving? Carol Anderson "They shouldn't be allowed because of the dangers. We have one ourselves but we never use it while driving driving in the car, we'll pull over." Dan McCollom 'It's unsafe and they're distracted. They (cellphone (cellphone users) could have a fight (while talking). When you're driving you should only be driving." Craig Schnerch "It's wrong because I don't £-] think people can concentrate on their driving as much when they're talking on a cellphone. I don't think they should be illegal in case there's some emergency situation." Matt Penny "They cause so many accidents, I think talking on a cellphone while driving should be outlawed. I think it's as bad as drinking and driving. There should be phones in cars in case of emergencies, but you shouldn't talk while driving." <Eljc Cmuibiim Statesman is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bow- manville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. copyrighted. 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