On the news of Radio Canada last night, I was much surprised to hear that of the Industrial world countries Canada tops the list in consumption of cannabis. I would have thought that Holland where smoking Cannabis in not a legal offense, would have come up first. Is it the proof that changing the law to make users not prosecuted for possession of small quantity of soft drug does not promote the usage of the drug?

Gandia as cannabis is commonly called in Mauritius were in the past almost openly available. I recalled in my school days we used to know the places where the famous pot were sold for a little as .50 cents. Today with the crack down this business went underground and the prices have become very high. The gandia business has become a very lucrative for big drug barons who are upgrading to harder drugs. Should we in Mauritius adopt the Dutch Drug Policy (DDP)? The question is “does smoking of tobacco or taking soft drug promote usage of harder drug?” Do we have to consider the drug addicts as patients suffering from a disease or a criminal to be jailed? We know today in Mauritius, that HIV propagation is mainly through exchange of needles by the drug addicts. There again will the Dutch Drug Policy be studied as a possible solution for us?

Pils, the organization defending HIV patients, has been campaigning in the direction of the DDP. Looks like Rama Valayden our Minister of Justice is for the amendment of the law. Yet nothing is happening. Is it time for a national debate on the subject and the start of solving one of plague of our society?

In Canada 1in 6 persons have tried pot smoking. Luckily I had only 4 brothers & 1 sister in Canada! But today with their children’ number aggregated with my own children living in Canada, the numbers are playing against by my folks!

C for Cannabis in Canada. M for Mass in Mauritius