Should weed be legal?
Tyaeda
Published
03/26/2014
The marijuana debate has been exhausted. That's why I'm not going to sit here and talk the pros and cons of marijuana use. A lot of clinical research has been done, but despite the results, some swear by it, and some swear never to touch it.
What I'm talking about is regulation. In what ways should the government be involved, if at all?
Personally, I'm for decriminalization, which is different than legalization. I happen to know many a "pot-head" and there isn't one of them that I believe deserves to be locked up in jail for any amount of time. I don't like paying to house those who got caught with a couple joints, or a few plants growing in their basement. It's a waste of tax revenue.
I also don't agree with the origin of marijuana prohibition. First criminalized to suppress migrant workers, and later re-enforced to suppress the "hippy" movement. The government couldn't make their opinions illegal, so they made their activities illegal. This still rings true today, as private (for-profit) prisons are being filled by those with drug convictions.
Now I know in the US, two states have either legalized or decriminalized marijuana. This brought about much celebration amongst recreational users, and a huge sigh of relief to those who use it for medicinal purpose. Although I believe this to be a step in the right direction, we can't trust the government to stay on the right path. While I was once one of those who would celebrate such progress, willing to pay the tax if it meant I wasn't taking legal risk. But now I fear a day where people miss the days of prohibition, and I think those days are among us here in Canada.
Marijuana is illegal in Canada. However the government does recognize medicinal use. I happen to know 3 people with the license to use. Up until next month, this is a also license to grow a certain amount for yourself. With the license you may also be a registered grower for other patients. We all knew it was coming. We knew that the only reason the government would legalize weed, was if they could put a tax on it. They aren't doing it because some people depend on it, or because it's known to be less harmful than many legal substances, they did it for money. We were ok with it until the government pulled this shit:
As of April of this year, it is no longer legal for licensed growers to grow. Licensed users must obtain their medicine through government run dispensaries. Now let's stop here for a sec. This doesn't sound all bad... Except for one thing the government failed to realize. If you want a subject to conform, it must be feasible for the subject to do so, otherwise they are very likely to be alienated. For example, say the government passed a law that made gas powered cars illegal. They tell everyone that it'll be ok because they can trade their old piece of shit for a nice brand new car that will save them money in the long run, etc. Kicker is, there's only one electric car dealership in the entire country, and obviously they're overwhelmed with orders. While the dealership struggles to keep up with demand, the gas car owner is left to wait anxiously for his electric car. If he doesn't get one before the law says he has to, he commits a crime by proxy, and is now eligible for prosecution.
That's exactly what the government is doing in Canada. There are only 11 legal marijuana dispensaries in all of Canada. 3 of them are in operation as of right now. The other 8 have less than a week before this new law comes into effect, and there is a lot of concern whether or not they'll be ready to supply the new demand. This also means that if you're growing legally this week, everything you've poured your efforts into will have all but gone to waste next week. Entire winter crops - gone. Now you might ask "why don't they just keep growing it?". Well because they're law abiding citizens, who were foolish enough to do things properly, abide by the rules, and let the government know what they were up to when they registered as medicinal growers for licensed patients.
Now, this does nothing but boost the black market trade of marijuana. It doesn't affect those who always looked to the streets for their weed, or those growing on the DL. It doesn't affect recreational use. It affects those who relied on (once) legal growers for necessary medication. Those people will likely turn to illegal activity, not being able to wait for one of three legal growers to get their crops.
Some may say - weed isn't worth fighting for. Although there are bigger fish to fry, I can tell you right now that 2 of the 3 people I know who uses medicinally, needs it to be alive. (The other is a cancer patient who uses it to battle the side effects of chemotherapy, ei loss of appetite, pain, etc) They have severe epilepsy, and nothing prevents seizures as well as the CBD found in marijuana. And trust me, if these people could use something else they would. Pot is expensive - growing it is expensive to start up. In Ontario Canada we have OHIP which is our government funded health care, paired with drug plans at work, they would pay little to nothing for "legally recognized" treatment. That - and they don't have to fear being arrested for being in possession Carbamazepine.
Now what the government SHOULD do is pretty simple. Legalize it, and leave it to the free market. Obviously, telling by the government's actions, they recognize this substance as a medicine, and the laxed laws surrounding it shows that using it recreationally isn't the "worst thing you can do". Now that we have that out of the way, all the government has to do is legalize it, and wait for the revenue to roll in. They will never have the monopoly over weed - if anyone will it'll be Monsanto, but even then, there's too many designer strains out there for them to put a patent on. All a grower would have to do in this instance is obtain a vendors permit for health and safety, and register a business for tax purposes.
This way, we all have laws that are feasible to abide by. People already following the laws will not be at a loss for crops, or growing supplies, and patients will still have the same access to their medication.
What I'm talking about is regulation. In what ways should the government be involved, if at all?
Personally, I'm for decriminalization, which is different than legalization. I happen to know many a "pot-head" and there isn't one of them that I believe deserves to be locked up in jail for any amount of time. I don't like paying to house those who got caught with a couple joints, or a few plants growing in their basement. It's a waste of tax revenue.
I also don't agree with the origin of marijuana prohibition. First criminalized to suppress migrant workers, and later re-enforced to suppress the "hippy" movement. The government couldn't make their opinions illegal, so they made their activities illegal. This still rings true today, as private (for-profit) prisons are being filled by those with drug convictions.
Now I know in the US, two states have either legalized or decriminalized marijuana. This brought about much celebration amongst recreational users, and a huge sigh of relief to those who use it for medicinal purpose. Although I believe this to be a step in the right direction, we can't trust the government to stay on the right path. While I was once one of those who would celebrate such progress, willing to pay the tax if it meant I wasn't taking legal risk. But now I fear a day where people miss the days of prohibition, and I think those days are among us here in Canada.
Marijuana is illegal in Canada. However the government does recognize medicinal use. I happen to know 3 people with the license to use. Up until next month, this is a also license to grow a certain amount for yourself. With the license you may also be a registered grower for other patients. We all knew it was coming. We knew that the only reason the government would legalize weed, was if they could put a tax on it. They aren't doing it because some people depend on it, or because it's known to be less harmful than many legal substances, they did it for money. We were ok with it until the government pulled this shit:
As of April of this year, it is no longer legal for licensed growers to grow. Licensed users must obtain their medicine through government run dispensaries. Now let's stop here for a sec. This doesn't sound all bad... Except for one thing the government failed to realize. If you want a subject to conform, it must be feasible for the subject to do so, otherwise they are very likely to be alienated. For example, say the government passed a law that made gas powered cars illegal. They tell everyone that it'll be ok because they can trade their old piece of shit for a nice brand new car that will save them money in the long run, etc. Kicker is, there's only one electric car dealership in the entire country, and obviously they're overwhelmed with orders. While the dealership struggles to keep up with demand, the gas car owner is left to wait anxiously for his electric car. If he doesn't get one before the law says he has to, he commits a crime by proxy, and is now eligible for prosecution.
That's exactly what the government is doing in Canada. There are only 11 legal marijuana dispensaries in all of Canada. 3 of them are in operation as of right now. The other 8 have less than a week before this new law comes into effect, and there is a lot of concern whether or not they'll be ready to supply the new demand. This also means that if you're growing legally this week, everything you've poured your efforts into will have all but gone to waste next week. Entire winter crops - gone. Now you might ask "why don't they just keep growing it?". Well because they're law abiding citizens, who were foolish enough to do things properly, abide by the rules, and let the government know what they were up to when they registered as medicinal growers for licensed patients.
Now, this does nothing but boost the black market trade of marijuana. It doesn't affect those who always looked to the streets for their weed, or those growing on the DL. It doesn't affect recreational use. It affects those who relied on (once) legal growers for necessary medication. Those people will likely turn to illegal activity, not being able to wait for one of three legal growers to get their crops.
Some may say - weed isn't worth fighting for. Although there are bigger fish to fry, I can tell you right now that 2 of the 3 people I know who uses medicinally, needs it to be alive. (The other is a cancer patient who uses it to battle the side effects of chemotherapy, ei loss of appetite, pain, etc) They have severe epilepsy, and nothing prevents seizures as well as the CBD found in marijuana. And trust me, if these people could use something else they would. Pot is expensive - growing it is expensive to start up. In Ontario Canada we have OHIP which is our government funded health care, paired with drug plans at work, they would pay little to nothing for "legally recognized" treatment. That - and they don't have to fear being arrested for being in possession Carbamazepine.
Now what the government SHOULD do is pretty simple. Legalize it, and leave it to the free market. Obviously, telling by the government's actions, they recognize this substance as a medicine, and the laxed laws surrounding it shows that using it recreationally isn't the "worst thing you can do". Now that we have that out of the way, all the government has to do is legalize it, and wait for the revenue to roll in. They will never have the monopoly over weed - if anyone will it'll be Monsanto, but even then, there's too many designer strains out there for them to put a patent on. All a grower would have to do in this instance is obtain a vendors permit for health and safety, and register a business for tax purposes.
This way, we all have laws that are feasible to abide by. People already following the laws will not be at a loss for crops, or growing supplies, and patients will still have the same access to their medication.
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