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 Illegal Drugs, and the other is The House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs. The Senate committee reported in September of 2002, and stated that marijuana is not a gateway drug. They also reported that marijuana should be treated more like tobacco or alcohol. The House of Commons committee’s report stated that although marijuana is unhealthy, the punishments for having even a small amount of marijuana are disproportionably harsh. The House is promoting the decriminalization of marijuana to make it legal to possess an amount of marijuana not exceeding 30 grams, which is about one ounce. These two committees seem to come to the same conclusion that marijuana is placed in the same class as more “hard-core” drugs such as heroin and cocaine, when it should not be, as they view marijuana as a safer drug. As stated previously, the Senate states that marijuana is not a gateway drug. A gateway drug is the term used to identify drugs that are not narcotics, but their use will lead the user down the path to harder drugs like heroin.
Support for the Decriminalization of Marijuana
There is actually a political party in Canada called the Marijuana Party of Canada, and it has many supporters. These supporters believe that the only route to take is full decriminalization of marijuana, which is not likely to happen. One argument of these supporters is that the current penalties for marijuana possession are too harsh. Realistically, there is not chance that marijuana will ever be completely decriminalized in Canada, as the effects from this would be damaging to Canada’s relationship to ...
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...ere growing more than 50 plants, the maximum sentence would be 14 years in jail.
Conclusion
Both sides of the issue make valid points, but I think anyone would agree that the opposition to the decriminalization of marijuana has a stronger case. After fighting such a hard war against drugs, it doesn’t make any sense to legalize small amounts of marijuana, although 30 grams is not that small. Canada needs to realize that the repercussions of decriminalized marijuana would be monumental, not only to the citizens of Canada, but also to the relationship that Canada shares with the United States. I do not think that Canada will ever decriminalize marijuana, even though some parts of government support it, the rest realize the implications. Marijuana is a gateway drug that has proven health hazards. You are decriminalizing marijuana, but at the same time running campaigns against cigarette smoking. That does not make any sense whatsoever. I’m sure that this issue will die out in the next few months or over the next year, or, it might be an issue in Canada for years to come. Either way, I don’t see marijuana being decriminalized anytime in the near future.
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 the influence of the drug, and hence, more accidents may occur, causing more expenses on public health care. Clearly, the downsides of legalizing marijuana outweigh its benefits.
Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.
The Ontario star editorial writer presents a firm opinion by analysing the pot-selling consequences that evidently lead up to a number of serious matters and issues that are to be solved. The author displays multiple premises in support to his/her claims that seem to be mainly in attack to the present illegal sales of marijuana in the streets of Toronto.
In Canada, marijuana is now the most war on drugs and users that we cannot get out of it, but the country wants people to be safe. In the worldwide, Canada is the country that has the heaviest users (Children and youth) of marijuana according to a reported by UNICEF, and World health Organization has founded on the poll of 15000 Canadians that Canadian children around 11-15 tried marijuana 12 months ago, and it is the highest rate from ...
Justin Trudeau, newly elected prime minister of Canada, and the Liberal Party made many promises during their election campaign to better the lives of the Canadian people, economy and make a positive change. With that being said he and his liberal party promised to legalize cannabis. In this paper, I will outline the promises made by Trudeau, discuss why Trudeau and the liberals are making this promise, explain how the promise will be kept and provide information to shed light on how legalization is a good idea for Canada.
Marijuana has long been the subject of many heated debates and political platforms. With lack of un-biased materials on marijuana, it quickly became victim to publications and political propaganda in the early 1900s. Richard Isralowits writes, “Publications from the period had such titles as Marijuana-Sex Crazy Drug Menace, Marijuana-The Weed of Madness, and Marijuana: Assassin of Youth”(Use of Marijuana,105). Surely in this modern age and heightened public awareness our marijuana laws, drafted in a time of extreme bias, have got to be obsolete. Although many people still have strong opinions against the legalisation of marijuana, after review of current un-biased studies and reports they will find that this is not the case. Marijuana should be legalised in Canada because of the cost, the justice system, and the health concerns.
What is Marijuana? According to, “What is Marijuana?” (2005), it explains marijuana is the commonest drug in the world, which is often called weed and pot. Also, people will get excitement when they smoke marijuana, but it is a dangerous drug because there has a chemical in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that can change people’s feeling and see something in different ways. Many think that marijuana should be legalized; however, should marijuana become legitimate in Canada? This topic has been argued for a long time because marijuana is an illegal drug, and smoking marijuana will bother other people who are not smoking it. Therefore, marijuana should not be legalized because it can cause a few negative effects such as problems on health, social and society.
Firstly since 1908 the opium act was initialized and Canada followed a strict prohibition against any and all illicit drugs. With this in mind (Hart, Ksir, Hebb, Gilbert,Black.(2012) cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug in the world with the United Nations Office on Drugs and crime estimating that between 155 million and 250 million people used illicit substances at least once in 2008 (Hart et.al, 2012) With this amount of the population using drugs imagine how much profit the government could be making off of it rather than drug cartels profiting from it. Both Canada and America went through one o...
In reaction to this, some Canadians complain that legal substances as alcohol and tobacco kill more people and wonder why marijuana, as a soft drug, is not decriminalized to become controlled substances. In fact, the time has come to rearrange the idea of the legalization of marijuana for the sake of society.
Marijuana, or Cannabis, is a plant that has been in use since ancient times. Cannabis has had significant affects on history and societies throughout the years. It is a plant that can grow in any environment, with the exception of the Arctic Circle. Up until recent years the Cannabis plant has never been looked upon negatively. The debate on Cannabis has started again; with some people thinking that it should be legal and others thinking that it should stay illegal. It is time for people to see Cannabis as what it really is and not as what manipulative advertisements have shown it to be.
The cannabis plant has been the topic of much debate throughout the history of this country. Many people don't know that it was not the effect of cannabis that originally spurred its banning. It was actually originally the work of the cotton industry who put big money behind illegalization for the plant's mind altering effects. The cotton industry was afraid that hemp, a product of the cannabis plant, would soon overpower the strong hold of cotton since it was a more durable textile that required less work, less ground depletion, and could be grown almost anywhere. Since the time when cannabis first became illegal it has been grouped with other narcotics as a counterpart. The truth is cannabis has many benefits to society and other than the effects of smoke inhalation has very few negatives. Those against legalization try to put cannabis in the same light as other more potent drugs like cocaine and heroin. There are many misconceptions about the substance and it is clear it should be looked at separately.
When most think of marijuana, it is often affiliated with criminal acts and it is widely accepted as a malicious substance. This is true to a degree, but that overlooks its numerous health benefits, and potential economic impact. For a number of years the legalization of marijuana has been a heavily debated topic throughout Canada. Public opinion is divided on whether or not it should be legalized or decriminalized. A poll conducted by the Forum Poll consisting of 1189 Canadians 18 years of age and older, over two thirds (69%) supported either decriminalization for small amounts of marijuana (34%) or outright legalization and taxation (35%) (Forum Research). Canada is ranked fifth in the world for marijuana usage, but ranks first among industrializing nations. 16% of people aged 15 and older have admitted to using marijuana on a regular basis (Fox News). Although the decision to legalize marijuana may be a controversial one, it's use should be allowed due to it's health benefits, it's importance to certain religious groups, and the much needed boost it will provide to Canada's economy.
Even though medical plants have been used for thousands of years to treat different illness and has being proven to be effective for many people today, modern populations still have a lot of prejudices about cannabis. That ideology causes government to have irrational and closed minded thoughts on the subject. Therefore, today’s societies have to oversee the prejudices on cannabis and they have to stop to conclude that it is dangerous only by ignorance and they have to start encouraging researches on the medical plant, otherwise, one day Canadian policies about the use of medical marijuana will become stricter and many patients and their relatives will be tempt to obtain marijuana illegally. Consequently, those policies that should be ‘’protecting public safety’’ will instead put it in
Cannabis is a natural plant that has been made illegal by the United States, and has been a controversial topic ever since the 1920’s. Marijuana is a substance that has been used hundreds of years ago as an herbal medicine and also can be used for textile products from hemp, which is from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Because of marijuana being categorized as a schedule one substance, it has no medical value and cannot be researched in the United States. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and is very unhealthy for adolescents with premature brains. The marijuana prohibition should finally come to a close because there are many benefits from cannabis and it is less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.
The first legal issue that is discussed in this paper is the harsh or punitive nature of the Dangerous Drug Act and the classification of marijuana. Cannabis Sativa, or any other name it is referred to, be it Ganja, marijuana, weed, or “Mary Jane” under the Dangerous Drugs Act it is classified as a dangerous drug, and is included in the First Schedule list of narcotic drugs. Possession of any quantity is an offence liable upon summary conviction to a fine of $25,000 and to imprisonment for five years; and upon conviction on indictment to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for between five and ten years. The current legislation allows for persons to be criminally punished for petty crimes. Persons who have been in possession of only 2 grams of marijuana have had to face incarceration. This is unnecessary as it creates a permanent criminal record for persons who may have only been experimenting.