In determining the societal harms of cannabis use, the Senate Committee notes that cannabis involves none of the addiction and attendant problems that follow from heroin or cocaine use. In the conclusion to its lengthy report, the Senate Committee states the following:

It has been maintained that drugs, including cannabis, are not dangerous because they are illegal but rather are illegal because they are dangerous. This is perhaps true of other types of drugs, but not of cannabis. We should state this clearly once and for all, for the public good: it is time to stop this crusade. …We believe…that the continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being of Canadians much more than does the substance itself or the regulated marketing of the substance. In addition, we believe that the continued criminalization of cannabis undermines the fundamental values set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and confirmed in the history of a country based on diversity and tolerance” (Senate of Canada 2002:38 and 45).

In reviewing the potential harms related to CSC’s urinalysis program and those associated with the use of cannabis, then, it is clear that the harms associated with urinalysis testing for CSC are greater than the harms associated with the use of cannabis.

CONCLUSION

Correctional Services Canada faces a challenge when approaching the cannabis debate. They have a mandate that states: “a safe, drug-free institutional environment is a fundamental condition for the success of the reintegration of prisoners into society as law-abiding citizens” (CSC 1996). This article has provided an alternative perspective on the potential effects of CSC if they continue to include THC in the urinalysis-testing program.

It is demonstrated that drug use is prevalent within federal correctional facilities in Canada. Urinalysis testing is the method that CSC uses to assess prison drug use, despite the methodological difficulties associated with the program. The sanctions for cannabis use, both in prison and in the community, appear more harmful than the alternative use of the substances to the institution or society. In particular, we presented some evidence suggesting that the sanctions designed to create a drug free prisons in Canada may actually be promoting hard drug use. Perhaps there is a more logical way to approach this problem. To quote from Plourde:

Adopting a [comprehensive] harm reduction approach in a prison context would require recognition that some substances, such as cannabis, are less harmful to the institution that others because they are less likely to lead to aggressive behavior. It must also be recognized that drugs are not simply a pharmacological or moral issue; other factors are involved such as infection (from injection or needle sharing), inmate health and violence induced by drugs or inherent in the drug trade. It would thus be useful, bearing in mind the whole context involved, to reconsider the impact of strategies that are aimed at interrupting the supply of drugs or punishing users (Plourde 2002:18).