Originally Published: 2004-10-03

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In March 2000, Alison got the Authorization to Possess, partly exempting her from the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substance Act: she was allowed to grow, possess and smoke marijuana. "Until you get the Authorization, some absurd situations can arise: you have to supply yourself from the illegal market, with all the risks this entails. That's why I decided to fight another battle, just as difficult and hard: the battle for the legalization of cannabis."
In the same period Alison became an activist against the "prohibitionist" law, and she had to confront an apparently insurmountable obstacle, the cultural gap of Western society that sees marijuana as an evil to be avoided at all costs. "Marijuana never killed anybody," remarked Alison. "There is scientific evidence of this. From this standpoint, Canada is even considered too permissive, in comparison to many other countries where not even therapeutical use of cannabis is allowed. I wonder, why should a government force me to suffer? Why do they deny a patient an opportunity to alleviate physical pain, especially for incurable diseases like MS, where the illness cannot be defeated but its effects can be reduced? Trying to answer these questions, I decided to fight for legalization."
In recent years, the Canadian situation has changed, probably thanks also to the commitment of Alison and the numerous groups of activists all over the country. A bill, first tabled by Jean Chrétien and then by Paul Martin, asks for the decriminalization of possession of small quantities of cannabis. And the Marijuana Party, a political formation that ran in the latest Federal election, is alive and growing.
At the same time, due to the sensitivity of the issue, strong repressive voices have also emerged, both in society and among politicians, urging harsher punishments for those who possess and use marijuana. "In a nutshell, we ask for choice, freedom of choice. Thanks to marijuana, my quality of life has sharply changed."

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