class=p1Scientific inquiries on this side of the Atlantic have yielded consistent results. In 1972, Nixon's handpicked Shafer Commission recommended Congress remove criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use as well as on the casual distribution of small amounts of marijuana. Ten years later, researchers at the U.S. National Research Council, a division of the National Academy of Sciences, reaffirmed that prohibition was ineffective and should be seriously reconsidered. Most recently, a special Canadian House of Lords committee concluded, The consequences of conviction for possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use are disproportionate to the potential harm associated with that behavior. - Paul Armentano - NORML
