Marijuana is currently a hot topic of debate throughout Canada, and has been for the past few years. Marijuana was first banned in 1923 under the Opium and Drug Act, but since 1997 the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act have controlled it. In 2000, over 30,000 Canadians were charged with possession of marijuana. Currently, the marijuana laws are not enforced equally across the country, which has prompted the interest in changing the laws or possibly decriminalizing marijuana. Also, those convicted of marijuana related crimes usually don’t go to jail, but they do receive a criminal record. There are currently two committees researching the possibility of legalizing marijuana in Canada. One committee is the Special Senate Committee on …show more content…
This is why the Canadian government is leaning more toward decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana rather than legalizing it. The theory behind the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use should be tied to a national drug strategy that promotes awareness and prevention, and provides for comprehensive treatment. The government would sponsor programs to educate youths about the dangers of marijuana, and also support programs to aide citizens who have addictions to marijuana. Opposition to the Decriminalization of Marijuana There is also strong support on the other side, opposing the decriminalization of marijuana. Their argument is that by legalizing, or even decriminalizing small amounts or marijuana will lead to an increase of the use of other drugs. They also contradict the view of those who support the decriminalization of marijuana by stating the marijuana is indeed a gateway drug that will lead users to start using narcotics like heroin and cocaine. They believe that people who start off using marijuana and get addicted will start searching for new ways to get high, and basically start down the path of drug use to harder, more addicting, and more life threatening drugs. Another point that the opposition makes is the message that
A licensing committee voted 4-1 in favour of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s proposal of selling marijuana in only LCBO type shops that are government run. This comes in preparation of federal legalization of the substance by next year. The vote also renders Ontario responsible for covering any citywide costs that are in relation with ending the pot embargo and new legislative tools, which up penalties for illegal pot shop owners and establishments where the plant is smoked. Ontario is moving for the consumption of pot only to be legal in private homes. This creates an upset for the Marijuana community as smoking in areas where it has been legally consumed over the years will no longer be allowed.
Medical cannabis became legal in Canada in 2001, but medical professionals here and in the United States have been wary of advocating it as a treatment. Many continue to prescribe opioids in spite of patient preferences.
In America there are currently four states as well as the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. In 2014, Colorado generated $70 million in revenue from the taxes on marijuana for the year. (Time,2015) Canada is in a good position to legalize marijuana by looking at the approach America took and analyzing how to improve on the process. Canada already has the groundwork in place since there are
Recently there has been a lot of news surrounding the legalization of Marijuana in Canada. The legalization is to actually take place in 2017. However, the discussion of this topic has already begun. Many people are requesting the government to allow pardons on past possession charges. It is their opinion that if the drug is going to be legalized sooner or later, it is justified to pardon the past offences. The article even mentions two men whose lives are affected by the criminal record of having minor narcotics. They both state that they are unable to travel abroad (namely to america), and have personal issues such as landlords refusing to rent to them. It is their opinion, alongside others, that just because of a small charge their lives do not need to be affected so much. Especially considering that the government is going to legalize the drug anyway. The article also mentions how the previous conservative government made it harder to receive a pardon. Due to this, many people have be unable to erase the marks of their past and begin on a new clean slate.
Should marijuana be sold at corner stores to anyone? Recently, some of Canada¡'s politicians have claimed to introduce the legislation of legalizing marijuana. According to the policy, the possession of marijuana will not be considered as a criminal sanction. Indeed, marijuana will become a legal substance. People who are over 16 can buy it over the counter just as alcohol or tobacco. Although legalizing marijuana may be beneficial to those people with medical purposes, it will create more problems and dangers to the society. The problems that associated with legalizing marijuana are causing negative impacts on public health and increasing marijuana consumption among youths. Also, the misuse of marijuana may cause people to drive under
During discussions of legalizing cannabis for the public, many judges in Canada have allowed using marijuana in personal medical situations. For example, Nichols (2000) expresses that:
The Canadian Liberal Government hopes to introduce legislation to legalize marijuana in 2017, but I don’t know if that is the right choice to make. Almost two out of every 10 Canadians reported having consumed marijuana in the past year, but more than 30 per cent of poll respondents said they would do so in the next year if it were legal. There are no benefits of doing this substance, so why do it! There are many side effects that marijuana can have on a person such as dizziness, lack of motivation, lung problems, etc. Hopefully, weed does not become legalized in Canada because there are many negative aspects of doing so.
University students took to the public domain to have their voices heard through newspapers, meetings, and interviews. Marcel notes a 1969 issue of York University’s Excalibur which had “pleaded for the legalization of marijuana” and where it had “denounced what it called the social hypocrisy surrounding the debate on recreational drug use (Martel pg.41).” As the controversial debate surrounding the decriminalization of marijuana escalated, the Canadian government was compelled to respond. Thus in 1962, the Le Dain Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medicinal Use of Drugs was born. Authors, Susan C. Boyd and Connie Carter, outline the Commission's duties in their book, Killer Weed. “The Commission's role was to examine this phenomenon and make recommendations for domestic and international policy and legislative changes (Boyd, Carter pg. 52).” One of the commission’s key resource’s in understanding
The legalization of the drug marijuana is a hot topic nowadays. Many people want this substance to be legalized and regularly available like cigarettes. But what some people do not know are the serious health risks involved when using marijuana. There is a lot more to marijuana than just smoking it.
A number of movements to legalize marijuana have been gaining attention lately. Currently there are 14 states where marijuana is legal for medical use (medicalmarijuana). 41% of U.S. citizens believe marijuana should be legalized (drugpolicy) but others are still concerned about health damage. American society has lost the war against marijuana, and that's okay. We should stop wasting time and money trying to reverse history and instead legalize both medical and recreational use of this mild narcotic widely seen as no more harmful than alcohol.
Marijuana has a long standing history of being one of the most controversial substances in America. While the history or the Cannabis plant indicates not only acceptance as a useful plant, but even advocated as a source of revenue and medicinal usage, much of the United States government propaganda over the last 100+ years has led Americans to accept very slighted and often false information about the plant and its uses. Based on the origin of the illegalization of marijuana and the inconsistent findings of its effects in comparison to other substances, both legal and illegal, marijuana should be decriminalized and treated as a recreational substance just as alcohol and tobacco are.
First, let’s carefully look at the views of the anti-marijuana groups. There are several groups that are against marijuana legalization. To
Marijuana or Cannabis is one of the bused drugs in America and the rest of the world. Interesting accumulating evidence show that the significant negative impact of this drug outweighs the positive effects. However, the medical benefits of the drug seem on the process of chemical compounds as compared to the drug itself. Medical debates show that chemical compound in marijuana are the problem as compared to the plant. The said chemical compound affects the mental and physical health of the persons abusing this drug. There have been traditional efforts to control the use of marijuana through legislation laws, (Crick, Haase, & Bewley-Taylor, 2013). However, in the recent past the efforts and the laws are being lifted to relax the implementation of the same legislations and the population is responding fast in accepting the legalization of the use of marijuana. The aim of this paper is to discuss how lifting on the laws of the said drug indicate adverse tolerance of Cannabis among populations. The paper will also discuss impact of legalization marijuana on the safety, security and overall quality of human life. Also, the paper will analyses the effect of relaxation of the laws controlling this drug to other hard core drugs such as cocaine, heroin and meth-amphetamines among others.
Currently, possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana is often dealt with through a fine. However, this penalty will heighten as premiers and chiefs are in favor of zero tolerance, early enforcement, and early diversion and rehabilitation. Associations are concerned about any attempts to allow the medicinal use of the drug (King, 1999). We should be eliminating any thoughts of this drug being available.
less dangerous than tobacco and people smoke less of it at a time. Or you can