Not this Time: Canadians, Public Policy and the Marijuana Question, 1961–1975

Abstract

Not this Time: Canadians, Public Policy and the Marijuana Question, 1961–1975, Marcel Martel, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006, pp. x, 277.It is said of the 1960s, “If you can remember them, you weren't really there.” For those who need a refresher course, this book is an alternative to time travel. For the younger, post-1970s generation who literally were not there, this book tells them all they ever need to know about the history of Canada's marijuana laws and why they have been so resistant to change. Considering that nearly three quarters of this current crop of young adults has tried marijuana, according to the Canadian Addiction Survey of 2004, perhaps they should be asking why the drug of choice for so many is still illegal. Martel's detailed snapshot of this crucial 15-year period sets out the actors, forces and political pressures that are still very much a part of the ongoing and unresolved debate on drug policy reform in Canada.