“Cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue.” —Pierre Claude Nolin, senator and chairman of the Canadian Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs

“Lax marijuana policies . . . [will invite] U.S. citizens into Canada for marijuana use and that will increase the likelihood that both U.S. citizens and Canadian citizens will bring back the Canadian marijuana across the border for distribution and sale.” —Asa Hutchinson, director, Drug Enforcement Administration

In 2001 an Ontario, Canada, court of appeals issued a ruling that stunned Canadians and Americans alike. The court ruled that Terry Parker, an epileptic, had the right to possess and smoke marijuana to ease the symptoms caused by his disease. The court ordered Canada’s Parliament to rewrite its drug laws within twelve months to permit the...