Argumentative Essay: Legalizing Marijuana In Canada

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Marijuana, also commonly referred to as “pot” or “weed”, is mixture of the dried flowers of the plant Cannabis sativa. Marijuana is typically used as a recreational drug, but it is also used as for medicinal purposes. The Liberal, during the 2015 election, vowed to legalize, regulate and restrict the access to marijuana the use of recreational marijuana in Canada if they were elected. In 1923, under Mackenzie King’s government, Canada became the first government to make smoking marijuana illegal when they introduced the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other Drugs. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule II drug under the Control Drugs and Substances Act. If an individual is caught in possession of marijuana, they are guilty of an …show more content…

Therefore, the government will make sure to regulate and control the production, distribution, sale and possession of marijuana. As Ron McKinnon (an MP for Port Coquitlam, BC) said the bill would establish safeguards to protect youth in regard to the use of marijuana. Amongst many of the Act’s propositions, the act seeks to “establishes criminal prohibitions such as the unlawful sale or distribution of cannabis, including its sale or distribution to young persons, and the unlawful possession, production, importation and exportation of cannabis” as well as to “prohibits any promotion, packaging and labelling of cannabis that could be appealing to young persons or encourage its consumption, while allowing consumers to have access to information with which they can make informed decisions about the consumption of cannabis.” Thus, the legislations will include a minimum age for use of recreational marijuana as well as restrictions and regulations in regard to advertising that could be perceived and appealing to the youth. The aim of these regulations would be to attempt to discourage youth from consuming marijuana. Canada has already made similar regulations and restriction in regard to the sale and distribution of products in order to deter the youth from consuming them. For example, flavoured tobacco products, through a series of amendments to the Tobacco Act have been banned for sale in Canada in order to reduce the appeal of smoking and of tobacco products for the youth. Recently, Ottawa finalized the ban on menthol flavoured tobacco products after Health Canada data reported that a significant amount of young people smoked menthol cigarettes. Furthermore, The Cannabis Act will create two new criminal offences for those who give or

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