Let's legalize pot, eh? Er, perhaps not
June 16, 2003 ~ 12:53 a.m.
A while ago, I received an e-mail from an anonymous Canadian, concerned about the sympathies that I shared with my wife regarding the government�s outrageously sponsored seal hunt in this entry. In his e-mail, he (or she?) mentioned, in an effort to make Canada look good, that, �the Canadian government has just legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, after all.� While I certainly agree that it shows progress, Canada is far from a haven for recreational users of the mild drug.
The reason I mention this is because the other day, at Victoria Station, I picked up a free copy of a paper aimed at ex-pat Canadians entitled The Canada Post. In this particular issue, it mentioned the Canadian government�s five-year plan aimed at discouraging marijuana use in the country. While the bill would reduce the penalty for being caught with a small amount of cannabis, the prejudice against marijuana even in progressive Canada remains alive and well.
�Make no mistake, marijuana is harmful and it will remain illegal,� Health Minister Anne McLellan was quoted as saying at a news conference. �We do not want Canadians to use marijuana.�
This had my blood boiling. Who the fuck are you, Ms. McLellan, to throw the pious edict out that we, the hypocritical government, don�t want those idiot plebeians to use marijuana. And marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol, a scientifically proven fact, but you won�t stop the average Canadian from downing an entire six-pack of Molson every day of his or her life if he/she is so inclined, will you? Yes, let us all ignore the obvious � alcohol remains legal because it�s been around since nearly the dawn of time, but is considerably more damaging to mental and physical health than pot, a drug that bears the brunt of racist policy, i.e. if the Blacks enjoy the drug so much, it must be wrong. This is not to say one bit that black people are the sole users of the drug, but that is the sole reason why cannabis, to this day, remains illegal. Racist policy, pure and simple. Just think �Reefer Madness.�
And any attempt to legalize marijuana would be seriously protested by the United States, a country that is even more totally screwed up concerning the personal use of marijuana. Only Sweden (there, the police can arrest you if they only think you�re high) could perhaps give the U.S. a run for its money when it comes to pointless and paranoid policies concerning marijuana. An estimated 85 percent of prison sentences are related to drugs offenses, and you just know that a large percentage of this eighty-five percent are recreational marijuana users. Wonderful, isn�t it? Smoke a joint, get caught, end up in prison and watch murderers, rapists and pedophiles get released long before you will. God bless America.
The reason for concern in Canada regarding the legalization of marijuana relates to the fact that Canada is a major source of cannabis for the U.S., estimated at worth $2.5 million per year. Canadian police worry that it would create border problems between the two neighbor countries.
My verdict? Aside from a few pious sorts like McLellan and Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, Canada would clearly stray in the right direction, that is, towards full decriminalization of marijuana. But America doesn�t like it. And so, Americans and Canadians alike will just have to deal with either getting drunk for a release and a good time or face a prison sentence.
You know, there are times when I�m not so enamored of American prestige and power.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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