PRIVATE SECURITY - NOT POLICE - TO SEARCH FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA AT TORONTO ROLLING STONES MEGACONCERT - IS SPONSOR MOLSON AFRAID OF COMPETITION FOR DRUG SALES AND CONSUMPTION?

By: Tim Meehan, Ontario Consumers for Safe Access to Recreational Cannabis, 07/28/03

TORONTO - Ontario Consumers for Safe Access to Recreational Cannabis is disappointed that Molson has instructed their private security guards to search concert attendees for marijuana at this Wednesday's Rolling Stones SARS benefit concert.

Aside from the fact that these searches will affect only the most naive cannabis consumers, and will not at all impact the flagrant and widespread legal smoking of cannabis on the concert - including those concertgoers with Health Canada permission to do so - OCSARC is wondering if there could be another reason why Molson is taking a hard line against harmless cannabis smokers.

"It's well known that alcohol and marijuana demand is elastic. When users switch from alcohol to marijuana, alcohol consumption goes down, and vice-versa," said Tim Meehan, OCSARC's Communications Director. "Could these heavy-handed tactics by Molson be a way to make sure that Rolling Stones fans get their satisfaction from beer rather than marijuana?

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OCSARC (Ontario Consumers for Safe Access to Recreational Cannabis) is a Toronto-based organization working to end prohibition and promote reasonable and responsible regulation and quality assurance in the cannabis market. Visit us online at ocsarc.org