Istenert
07-06-2005, 22:44
Thesis: Our new, hightened understanding of marijuana and its effects make it rather clear that Canada's Marijuana laws are outdated, and traditional reasons for prohibition are no longer valid and Canada's laws should be reformaed in favor of complete legalization.
Myths of Prohibition
Marijuana is medically harmful to users and therefor should be banned to protect people's health - Multiple studes have shown that moderate marijuana use is less harmfull than alcohol or cigaretes, wich are not banned. It is truethat in the 70's and early 80's some studies showed that use was harmful (or even causes brain damage) but no evidence has come to light that discredits these. The US Government controlled all access to marijuana for rsearch proposes and since they only approved select requests, a large number of studies ended up with results that favored prohibition. Most of these results were lated used in prohibition propganda, wich is why this myth is so dominate today. These studies are no longer considered creditable (even the senate of Canada dismessed most of them), most of the studies were done on rats using unrealistic proprtions and the few studies that used human subjects were not long-term as in the modern standard.
IN FACT, Marijuana is actually good for you in many respects, it has been shown effective in preventing heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, certain types of cancers, Parkinson's disease and arthritis. On top of that, the Canadian Government issues medical marijuana to help AIDS and Cancer patients and thoes who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Disease (or an Injury), Epilepsy, cancer and sever forms or Arthritis. When Health Canada issues this drug, or any drug for that matter, it provides a warning of side effects; the only side effect that Health Canada feels important for those using medical marijuana are thoes related to being high such as "dizziness".
Marijuana causes laziness also known as amotivational syndrom - Those who support prohibition have often clamied that marijuana users become apathetic and uninterested in their future, meaning that using marijuana could literally ruin your life. Over the last 25 years reasearchers have studied this and revealed a much more complex relation.
IN FACT, workers who smoked marijuana in their spare time are more productive and make more money. Collage and Universty students who smoek marijuana have the same, or slightly higher grades than non-users. Use by high-school students often goes "hand-in-hand" with failure, but in most cases the failure is first.
Over time marijuana high deminishes encouraging users to move on to 'harder drugs' - This is half truth. The reality is taht the connections are far more complex. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drugs and less than 1% of users end up using cocain, heroin, or such hard drugs. Proponents of prohibition are quicker to point out that far less than 1% of the gernal population uses hard drugs and use this statist as evidence of the so-called 'gateway effect'.
IN TRUTH, there are other explanations for this. Senator Pierre Claude Noilin, chair of the Special Senate (Canadian) Committee on Illegal drugs states that this "relationship can be explained by proximity. Since marijuana smokers are forced to cope into regular contact with people who also sell hard drugs they are often encouraged to use those harder drugs". On top of that, a major modern concern is that street marijuana could be sold laced with hard drugs in an effort to get marijuana users addicted to more 'profitable drugs'.
Marijuana use drives people to a life of crime - It has been suggested thatmarijuana use encourages criminal activity as users try to pay for their habig. Although, the RCMP endorses this claim, they admit that there is no evidence oif this, in facnt they dont even keep records when a crime is motivated by marijuana use. According to Pierre Claude Nolin, most marijuanna users are emplyed (quite a few are well-employed) and, since mariajuana is relativly inexpensive drug, cost is not an issue with most users.
IN FACT, Criminal activity can be expaline dby two-fold by proximit. First, marijuana users are forced to buy weed from dealers who might encourage criminal behaviour. And secondly, criminal sor young people who get invovled in gangs come into regular contact with dealers and other users, who could encourage use. Both of these causes of crime are biproducts of prohibition and could be reduced if marijuana was sold in LCBO format.
Why We Should Legalize
Ending problems of Street Dealers - Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the problem of illegal street dealers and to some extent the gangs that protect them. After all, who would buy a product illegally in a dangerous setting if it could be baught elsewhere for the same price. The money from street sales of marijuana helps line the pockets of Organized crime and provides funding for other more harmful operations.
Ending 'Grow-Ops' - Grow Ops are prone to explode because of the dangerous gases produced when has oil is madefrom marijuana and because of faulty wiring used to bi-pass bydro meters and power hydroponic lights. These houses develop mold problems, because of the sami-tropical grow environment created inside, which makes the houses a health risk and no longer fit for human residence.
Preventing Other Crimes - when a Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs analysed the effects of prhibition they found that at least 10-20 million polive hours were spent each year on marijuana-related offences. The cost of this when you add in the cost of legal proceedings and impresonment of offenders, the cost of prohibition is between 1.5 and 3 billion dollars annually. This is time and money that could be used fight serious offences or the dealers of harder drugs...or lowering our tax burden.
And The Major Benifit of Legalization is (envelope please)...
Tax Releaf and Tax Money - Sounds cynical but so what!!! Canada's federal and provincial budgets are expected to double in the next 20 years and triple in 30. Tax revenue is expected to increase but not significantly since the baby boomers will be retireing. Pending on demographic shift or the end of our health care system (both unlikely) our government will be in hot water and billions of dolalrs short. When this happens governments are forced to find new sources of tax revenue.
When New Brunswick needed more tax money in 1986 they allowed and taxed slot machines and - although gambling was no less evil then it was before the move - they balinced their budget.
This is not likey in the case of marijuana, since the OPP concluds that the value of the Grow-Op industry in Ontario is over 5 billioin and the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drug estimated the total value of the marijuana industry in Canada to be over 50 Billion making it one of Canada's largest commodities.
The economic injection value of this money who create masive economic spin-offs and the industry had a huge employment potential.
[some] Sources
http://www.normal.org/index.cfm?group_ID=6128
Interview with Allan Young on Novwmber 20th 2004
"Marijuana less harmful to lungs than cigarettes" Medical Post (Canadian Edition) [quebec] September 6 1994
"Pot less harmful than alcohol: Senate report" CBC News September 5 2002
"Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs" Toronto University of Toronto Press December 2003
Just a reminder, I didnt write this. Its a summary sheet I got and been waiting until I was born enough to type it all up :p
Myths of Prohibition
Marijuana is medically harmful to users and therefor should be banned to protect people's health - Multiple studes have shown that moderate marijuana use is less harmfull than alcohol or cigaretes, wich are not banned. It is truethat in the 70's and early 80's some studies showed that use was harmful (or even causes brain damage) but no evidence has come to light that discredits these. The US Government controlled all access to marijuana for rsearch proposes and since they only approved select requests, a large number of studies ended up with results that favored prohibition. Most of these results were lated used in prohibition propganda, wich is why this myth is so dominate today. These studies are no longer considered creditable (even the senate of Canada dismessed most of them), most of the studies were done on rats using unrealistic proprtions and the few studies that used human subjects were not long-term as in the modern standard.
IN FACT, Marijuana is actually good for you in many respects, it has been shown effective in preventing heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, certain types of cancers, Parkinson's disease and arthritis. On top of that, the Canadian Government issues medical marijuana to help AIDS and Cancer patients and thoes who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Disease (or an Injury), Epilepsy, cancer and sever forms or Arthritis. When Health Canada issues this drug, or any drug for that matter, it provides a warning of side effects; the only side effect that Health Canada feels important for those using medical marijuana are thoes related to being high such as "dizziness".
Marijuana causes laziness also known as amotivational syndrom - Those who support prohibition have often clamied that marijuana users become apathetic and uninterested in their future, meaning that using marijuana could literally ruin your life. Over the last 25 years reasearchers have studied this and revealed a much more complex relation.
IN FACT, workers who smoked marijuana in their spare time are more productive and make more money. Collage and Universty students who smoek marijuana have the same, or slightly higher grades than non-users. Use by high-school students often goes "hand-in-hand" with failure, but in most cases the failure is first.
Over time marijuana high deminishes encouraging users to move on to 'harder drugs' - This is half truth. The reality is taht the connections are far more complex. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drugs and less than 1% of users end up using cocain, heroin, or such hard drugs. Proponents of prohibition are quicker to point out that far less than 1% of the gernal population uses hard drugs and use this statist as evidence of the so-called 'gateway effect'.
IN TRUTH, there are other explanations for this. Senator Pierre Claude Noilin, chair of the Special Senate (Canadian) Committee on Illegal drugs states that this "relationship can be explained by proximity. Since marijuana smokers are forced to cope into regular contact with people who also sell hard drugs they are often encouraged to use those harder drugs". On top of that, a major modern concern is that street marijuana could be sold laced with hard drugs in an effort to get marijuana users addicted to more 'profitable drugs'.
Marijuana use drives people to a life of crime - It has been suggested thatmarijuana use encourages criminal activity as users try to pay for their habig. Although, the RCMP endorses this claim, they admit that there is no evidence oif this, in facnt they dont even keep records when a crime is motivated by marijuana use. According to Pierre Claude Nolin, most marijuanna users are emplyed (quite a few are well-employed) and, since mariajuana is relativly inexpensive drug, cost is not an issue with most users.
IN FACT, Criminal activity can be expaline dby two-fold by proximit. First, marijuana users are forced to buy weed from dealers who might encourage criminal behaviour. And secondly, criminal sor young people who get invovled in gangs come into regular contact with dealers and other users, who could encourage use. Both of these causes of crime are biproducts of prohibition and could be reduced if marijuana was sold in LCBO format.
Why We Should Legalize
Ending problems of Street Dealers - Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the problem of illegal street dealers and to some extent the gangs that protect them. After all, who would buy a product illegally in a dangerous setting if it could be baught elsewhere for the same price. The money from street sales of marijuana helps line the pockets of Organized crime and provides funding for other more harmful operations.
Ending 'Grow-Ops' - Grow Ops are prone to explode because of the dangerous gases produced when has oil is madefrom marijuana and because of faulty wiring used to bi-pass bydro meters and power hydroponic lights. These houses develop mold problems, because of the sami-tropical grow environment created inside, which makes the houses a health risk and no longer fit for human residence.
Preventing Other Crimes - when a Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs analysed the effects of prhibition they found that at least 10-20 million polive hours were spent each year on marijuana-related offences. The cost of this when you add in the cost of legal proceedings and impresonment of offenders, the cost of prohibition is between 1.5 and 3 billion dollars annually. This is time and money that could be used fight serious offences or the dealers of harder drugs...or lowering our tax burden.
And The Major Benifit of Legalization is (envelope please)...
Tax Releaf and Tax Money - Sounds cynical but so what!!! Canada's federal and provincial budgets are expected to double in the next 20 years and triple in 30. Tax revenue is expected to increase but not significantly since the baby boomers will be retireing. Pending on demographic shift or the end of our health care system (both unlikely) our government will be in hot water and billions of dolalrs short. When this happens governments are forced to find new sources of tax revenue.
When New Brunswick needed more tax money in 1986 they allowed and taxed slot machines and - although gambling was no less evil then it was before the move - they balinced their budget.
This is not likey in the case of marijuana, since the OPP concluds that the value of the Grow-Op industry in Ontario is over 5 billioin and the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drug estimated the total value of the marijuana industry in Canada to be over 50 Billion making it one of Canada's largest commodities.
The economic injection value of this money who create masive economic spin-offs and the industry had a huge employment potential.
[some] Sources
http://www.normal.org/index.cfm?group_ID=6128
Interview with Allan Young on Novwmber 20th 2004
"Marijuana less harmful to lungs than cigarettes" Medical Post (Canadian Edition) [quebec] September 6 1994
"Pot less harmful than alcohol: Senate report" CBC News September 5 2002
"Cannabis: Report of the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs" Toronto University of Toronto Press December 2003
Just a reminder, I didnt write this. Its a summary sheet I got and been waiting until I was born enough to type it all up :p