“Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use.”
-Richard M. Nixon
Marijuana has been hitting the papers pretty hard for the last little while. I've personally always been of the impression that you have to be over a certain age to believe that criminal charges are a useful response to the acts of smoking or possessing relatively small amounts of cannabis. The War on Drugs has been a horrendous failure by everyone's admission whose job doesn't rely on it and no where more so than in regards to pot policy. The logic of allowing unregulated criminal organizations to profit from the production and distribution of marijuana instead of legitimate businessmen who pay taxes and will have quality controls has always been lost on me. Add to that the concurrent demonization of hemp, which is ridiculously nutritious and commercially useful, and you wind up with what I like to call, very poor policy choices.
Fortunately, sanity seems to be returning as all those old people who were alive and misinformed during the days of Reefer Madness begin their die off. It's a sad fact but sometimes necessary change only comes when those old voters whose brains have crystallized around outdated notions finally pass away. Now this is not to say I'm a total advocate for legalizing and allowing for all ages. It should be sold in the same way cigarettes are, in stores where taxes can be applied and ID's are shown to demonstrate you are over 18. As someone who saw a lot of young people getting stupidly baked during their formative years, I realize there is a danger here. To quote Helen Lovejoy, won't somebody please think of the children?
Studies have long proven that it doesn't cause brain damage (unlike alcohol), that it is not carcinogenic (unlike tobacco and alcohol), and that overdose on it is impossible (unlike alcohol, most pharmaceuticals, and most illegal drugs). In fact, this website lists 20 studies from reputable sources that cannabis is a cure for cancer, not even mentioning its ability to treat painful symptoms or provide an appetite to the sick. This has caused people like long-time marijuana critic Dr. Sanjay Gupta to come out in its favor after finally fairly reviewing the data. Still, I know from personal experience that it is capable of making people lazy as hell. South Park described it well in one episode where they say that it makes people okay with being bored when those boring periods are the times you are supposed to be out gaining new skills and having new experiences. Excessive laziness during your developing years can and likely will have repercussions on your later lifestyle and ability to contribute to society. Not for everyone but for many. Of course, for anyone suggesting this reason is enough to not legalize and regulate it, let me remind you it's been illegal during these formative years which made it actually the only substance most kids could get. It was always much harder to get alcohol or cigarettes in high school for those who wanted them.
Either way, the move away from it being criminal seems to be gaining speed. Colorado and Washington state have both legalized it. US president Obama, a self-admitted toker in his youth, has had US attorney general Eric Holder come out and say they will be trying to get rid of minimum sentencing for things like small amounts of drug possession. In Canada, our police chiefs from all over the country have met in my beloved hometown of Winnipeg and made it clear that they support giving out fines instead of laying criminal charges for possession under an ounce. This is under the logic that at the moment, cops are forced to stop whatever important business they are currently engaged in and go through a bunch of paperwork if they want to punish a small-timer caught with grass. This results in expensive court proceedings and may wind up in criminal charges that can have serious consequences regarding employment and the ability to travel for people who harmed no one else. Currently, it's either that or simply give a warning and let them go. It seems to me that this type of arbitrary and luck-based punishment system is pretty unfair to those who get the charged-and-convicted end of the stick just because the police officer was in a bad mood that day.
Canada's federal Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau has made legalizing it a hip, new part of their electoral platform. Justin has taken that a step further and recently admitted to having used it himself since becoming an MP. Although I agree with this policy direction and his honesty, this is painfully hypocritical considering that he and the Lib caucus voted in favor of Bill C-15, a bill which contained minimum sentencing laws and increased maximum sentences for fairly small-scale marijuana growers. It's probably worth mentioning that this may just be a cynical ploy by Trudeau to attract younger voters and force Harper to look like a boring, old, repressed curmudgeon. This is made seemingly more likely considering that in 2003, the Liberals under Chretien tried to be cool on marijuana and said they planned to fight for its decriminalization but then gave up basically right away.
Of course, Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper is still against even decriminalizing it and has denied ever trying the stuff. Knowing his supporters tend to be older, he appears to be hoping to use Trudeau's admittance as ammo to convince these older voters that Justin is as crazy and drug-addled as his mama was. Personally, I'm interested in hearing how Harper's decision to disregard the advice of the police chiefs plays out with fiscal conservatives, who realize charging marijuana users is expensive, and with law-and-order types, who tend to feel the police on the ground may actually know what they are talking about. And that's in addition to any small-government libertarians who realize the War on Drugs is a painful and authoritarian example of big government.
Possibly worth noting that Thomas Mulcair, the head of the official opposition and leader of the NDP, has also admitted to indulging with it before. He still seems pretty high-strung so must not have liked it too much.
Either way, even if this only is cynical politicing, at the end of the day it's nice that there is finally a real debate going on regarding the stuff. Maybe the youth can actually hear factual statements about whether or not it's worth smoking instead of the traditional propaganda shoved down their throats that leaves them thinking people in authority are habitual liars and that since weed isn't as bad as they've always been told, maybe cocaine and heroine aren't either.
AS
-Richard M. Nixon
Marijuana has been hitting the papers pretty hard for the last little while. I've personally always been of the impression that you have to be over a certain age to believe that criminal charges are a useful response to the acts of smoking or possessing relatively small amounts of cannabis. The War on Drugs has been a horrendous failure by everyone's admission whose job doesn't rely on it and no where more so than in regards to pot policy. The logic of allowing unregulated criminal organizations to profit from the production and distribution of marijuana instead of legitimate businessmen who pay taxes and will have quality controls has always been lost on me. Add to that the concurrent demonization of hemp, which is ridiculously nutritious and commercially useful, and you wind up with what I like to call, very poor policy choices.
Fortunately, sanity seems to be returning as all those old people who were alive and misinformed during the days of Reefer Madness begin their die off. It's a sad fact but sometimes necessary change only comes when those old voters whose brains have crystallized around outdated notions finally pass away. Now this is not to say I'm a total advocate for legalizing and allowing for all ages. It should be sold in the same way cigarettes are, in stores where taxes can be applied and ID's are shown to demonstrate you are over 18. As someone who saw a lot of young people getting stupidly baked during their formative years, I realize there is a danger here. To quote Helen Lovejoy, won't somebody please think of the children?
Studies have long proven that it doesn't cause brain damage (unlike alcohol), that it is not carcinogenic (unlike tobacco and alcohol), and that overdose on it is impossible (unlike alcohol, most pharmaceuticals, and most illegal drugs). In fact, this website lists 20 studies from reputable sources that cannabis is a cure for cancer, not even mentioning its ability to treat painful symptoms or provide an appetite to the sick. This has caused people like long-time marijuana critic Dr. Sanjay Gupta to come out in its favor after finally fairly reviewing the data. Still, I know from personal experience that it is capable of making people lazy as hell. South Park described it well in one episode where they say that it makes people okay with being bored when those boring periods are the times you are supposed to be out gaining new skills and having new experiences. Excessive laziness during your developing years can and likely will have repercussions on your later lifestyle and ability to contribute to society. Not for everyone but for many. Of course, for anyone suggesting this reason is enough to not legalize and regulate it, let me remind you it's been illegal during these formative years which made it actually the only substance most kids could get. It was always much harder to get alcohol or cigarettes in high school for those who wanted them.
Either way, the move away from it being criminal seems to be gaining speed. Colorado and Washington state have both legalized it. US president Obama, a self-admitted toker in his youth, has had US attorney general Eric Holder come out and say they will be trying to get rid of minimum sentencing for things like small amounts of drug possession. In Canada, our police chiefs from all over the country have met in my beloved hometown of Winnipeg and made it clear that they support giving out fines instead of laying criminal charges for possession under an ounce. This is under the logic that at the moment, cops are forced to stop whatever important business they are currently engaged in and go through a bunch of paperwork if they want to punish a small-timer caught with grass. This results in expensive court proceedings and may wind up in criminal charges that can have serious consequences regarding employment and the ability to travel for people who harmed no one else. Currently, it's either that or simply give a warning and let them go. It seems to me that this type of arbitrary and luck-based punishment system is pretty unfair to those who get the charged-and-convicted end of the stick just because the police officer was in a bad mood that day.
Canada's federal Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau has made legalizing it a hip, new part of their electoral platform. Justin has taken that a step further and recently admitted to having used it himself since becoming an MP. Although I agree with this policy direction and his honesty, this is painfully hypocritical considering that he and the Lib caucus voted in favor of Bill C-15, a bill which contained minimum sentencing laws and increased maximum sentences for fairly small-scale marijuana growers. It's probably worth mentioning that this may just be a cynical ploy by Trudeau to attract younger voters and force Harper to look like a boring, old, repressed curmudgeon. This is made seemingly more likely considering that in 2003, the Liberals under Chretien tried to be cool on marijuana and said they planned to fight for its decriminalization but then gave up basically right away.
Of course, Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper is still against even decriminalizing it and has denied ever trying the stuff. Knowing his supporters tend to be older, he appears to be hoping to use Trudeau's admittance as ammo to convince these older voters that Justin is as crazy and drug-addled as his mama was. Personally, I'm interested in hearing how Harper's decision to disregard the advice of the police chiefs plays out with fiscal conservatives, who realize charging marijuana users is expensive, and with law-and-order types, who tend to feel the police on the ground may actually know what they are talking about. And that's in addition to any small-government libertarians who realize the War on Drugs is a painful and authoritarian example of big government.
Possibly worth noting that Thomas Mulcair, the head of the official opposition and leader of the NDP, has also admitted to indulging with it before. He still seems pretty high-strung so must not have liked it too much.
Either way, even if this only is cynical politicing, at the end of the day it's nice that there is finally a real debate going on regarding the stuff. Maybe the youth can actually hear factual statements about whether or not it's worth smoking instead of the traditional propaganda shoved down their throats that leaves them thinking people in authority are habitual liars and that since weed isn't as bad as they've always been told, maybe cocaine and heroine aren't either.
AS
Great article. This is a good analysis of the situation.
ReplyDeleteIf marijuana were legalized, billions of dollars of tax revenue would be generated and thousands of legitimate jobs would be created, instead of funneling that money to ruthless criminal cartels.
When marijuana is criminalized, thousands of productive members of society are stigmatized with a criminal record, limiting their job prospects despite never harming anyone.
Marijuana is safer than Tylenol. It is a medicinal plant with numerous benefits. It provides pain and nausea relief, and some evidence suggests it can cure cancer and other diseases. Compared to almost any pharmaceutical medicine, it has virtually no negative side effects.
Everyone has the sovereign right to decide what they put in their bodies and how they choose to alter their own consciousness. This is a sacred and fundamental right, without which we have no real freedom.
I disagree with one thing you say, however. I do not agree that marijuana makes people lazy. The famous scientist Carl Sagan was a huge pot user and enthusiast. The most decorated Olympian in history smoked pot. Countless doctors, lawyers, scientists, academics and professionals enjoy marijuana. For every lazy pot user their is another high performing one, and many lazy people have never tried cannabis.
The stereotype of the lazy pot user is just that, a stereotype, and like other stereotypes it is simplistic, inaccurate and often harmful.
Many find that marijuana stimulates creativity and creative productivity. How many great books have been written on pot? How many wonderful songs? How many works of art were created by artists who were high?
If you are smoking marijuana and being lazy, don't blame the weed, just get off your ass and do something useful.
Marijuana users are usually productive members of society with skills, talents and ambitions. There is no reason to stigmatize them or paint them all with a broad brush. Perhaps marijuana makes some people lazy, but others find it performance enhancing.
You want to talk about what makes people lazy? How about television?
Excellent article, great analysis, well written.
Reform of marijuana laws are long overdo. Marijuana users are not criminals and should not be treated as such. And hemp has the potential to have huge economic, environmental and medical benefits if we can finally put an end to the irrational suppression of its myriad applications.
The time is now!