Legalization Of Cannabis In Canada

In 2014, after Colorado legalized marijuana. They pulled $25 million pot-related tax revenue. According to an analysis by NerdWallet, if all 50 states legalized marijuana today, the country would gain over $3 billion in tax revenue. Also, $8.7 billion a year is spent on enforcing laws against weed, think of what else we could be spending that kind of money on. Furthermore. Cannabis has a ability to clean toxins underground, making soil much healthier for farming, thus creating more jobs. The fiber that comes from the plant can be used to make paper products, eliminating our need to chop down trees. In addition, it can also be substituted for cotton in the production of textile. Cotton requires a large amount of pesticide to grow. Using cannabi instead will significantly reduce the usage of harmful chemicals. So not only will marijuana help our economy, it will be better for our environment,

The legalization of marijuana will lead to a boost to the economy. With the United States being trillions in debt, an increase in tax money would be a big help to lower the national debt. Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses, is showing valuable data of an increase in tax money, “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fees on medicinal and recreational marijuana. Sales totaled over $996 million” (Krishna, Mrinalini). Now, Colorado is joined by seven other states, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada, in the full legalization of marijuana. With these states joining with Colorado, the United States is seeing sales “[grow] by 30%, to 6.1 billion, in 2016 and a projected 20.1 billion in 2021” (Krishna, Mrinalini). With that in mind, these sales are shared among only eight states, add another forty-two states and the rates could surpass the trillions. Considering the evidence, the act of not legalizing marijuana would be foolish.

By this point in time, the opioid crisis is well-known and concerning. One potential solution suggested by researchers, medical professionals, and individual patients alike is the use of medical cannabis for treatment of conditions such as chronic pain. In fact, many patients now prefer medical cannabis to opioid treatments. It’s not difficult to see why.

Holland was the forerunner in the field and we see that the authorities are increasingly limiting the use and sale of marijuana.

The article, "We need to legalize marijuana now," by Ken MacQueen, dives into the topic of legalizing marijuana and the issues surrounding the matter.  The author expands the topics of why marijuana is illegal, the cost of keeping marijuana illegal, why the prohibition is unfair, the potential risk to public safety by legalizing marijuana and the positive effects of legalizing marijuana.  The author is able to firmly explain his point of view, why Canada should legalize marijuana, using examples, quotes and statistics.  MacQueen concludes his

On January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently legal for medical use in 20 states, but Colorado and Washington were the first to approve of recreational use (Healy). The geographical concepts involved in the legalization of marijuana include migration, movement and flow, and private/public space.

According to Morgan Freeman (2012), “Marijuana prohibition is just the stupidest law possible...just legalize it and tax it like we do liquor”. Canada has illegalized marijuana in 1923.Since then marijuana has been the most used drug among Canadians .Moreover, Canada has the highest rate of marijuana use in the world. Therefore, many Canadians argue that the time that marijuana gets legalized in has arrived. Marijuana has been proven to be very beneficial to the country. Legalizing marijuana will reduce crimes, benefit the economy and help individuals medically.

As of 2012 Canada’s national debt has reached over $1.2 trillion dollars (Lammam et al, 2014). The state of our countries financial situation is as important to one Canadian as it is the next. Whether a person is retiring, applying for a mortgage or a student loan the Canadian economy affects everyone. Legalizing marijuana in Canada opens the door to a boost in taxation dollars that the Canadian economy and country as a whole could utilize. If, for example, marijuana was taxed like tobacco, there would be increased revenue from federal and provincial taxes as well as HST (Latif, 2014). Not only would the legal sale of marijuana boost the economy, but the jobs that would be created in the process would also have a positive effect. Canada currently has an unemployment rate of 8.1% nationally, with rates even higher in some provinces (Sen & Pierard, 2011). The legal sale and distribution of marijuana would create jobs in the transportation, growing and processing sectors but also areas such as marketing, advertising and serving. Marijuana users would contribute economically by purchasing the product and paying taxes. Not only users, but new businesses would also add to the Canadian economy including workers who run these businesses by paying taxes on their pay checks. Legalizing marijuana creates a new supply-demand market that the Canadian government could

Legalization of marijuana, also known as cannabis, weed, etc. has been a trending controversial topic in many sectors of Canada. Although, there have been several studies, organizations and celebrities endorsing the legalization; marijuana should not be legalized due to its severe health effects. Cannabis has both short and long term effects on an individual’s health. These effects range from brain function and development, mental illness, heart rate to lung damage. With almost 44 percent of Canadians who have tried marijuana, the health of Canadians is at stake.

Police will be free to focus their efforts on more pressing public safety issues, rather than chasing pot dealers. Plus, recreational users will no longer face the risks associated with purchasing illicit drugs in dangerous settings, and can instead venture to one of several hundred retail outlets in the state. Legalized marijuana in Colorado has resulted in a decreased burden on the state’s already-clogged courts, as well as a much safer environment for recreational users to make

Marijuana is a commonly used street and recreational drug. It is a mood-altering drug affecting most organs in the body. There is evidence stating that marijuana is useful to people suffering from severe pain and chronic health problems, although it is believed that there are still multiple health concerns surrounding the drug (Davis, 2016). It is estimated that nearly 2.3 million Canadians are marijuana users (McDowell, n.d.). Marijuana is not yet legal in Canada, but it appears as though it may become legal in the near future. In 2015, there were 96, 423 drug violation incidents that occurred in Canada. According to StatCan, crimes involving marijuana have decreased, while crimes involving other drugs have increased. (Government of Canada,

Canada has a history in debating the use of cannabis and the circumstances when it can be beneficial for the consumer and for society as a whole. The Canadian federal government encourages "protection for ill Canadians with degenerative health diseases" (Jacob 2009, 210). The federal government considers that the

Throughout history, marijuana and its use in Canada has been surrounded with a myriad of controversy. Since its controversial prohibition in 1923 (Schwartz), marijuana has been a hot point of debate amongst Canadians. Although many believe that marijuana is extremely addictive, has negative effects on brain function and creates more crime, it is painfully obvious that Canada would benefit greatly from the taxing and selling of marijuana. The decriminalization of marijuana will not only salvage hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted law enforcement, but also will create a large financial windfall for the government in addition to directing more citizens to a less harmful drug than alcohol. According to many people who disagree with the sale of marijuana, “marijuana has serious health implications” (Berman). However, a recent study

“Canada’s illegal marijuana industry has been valued at over $7 billion annually, with some estimating $21 billion” and Akpata also mentions that the war on drugs has cost over billions of tax money (14). Last, Akpata insists that “Canada is a marijuana exporting country and has some of the highest rates of consumption of marijuana on earth” (15). Akpata in his research mention that, “Colorado brings in roughly US$10 million per month from a marijuana tax—more than comes in from alcohol sales” (14), he suggests that if government legalize weed in Canada and put the tax on its sale then they will able to generate a huge amount of profit because Canada is the largest country of hemp consumers in the world. It is also estimated that “B.C. would reap $500 million a year in taxation and licensing revenues from a liquor-control-board style of government regulation and sale” (MacQueen 21). Furthermore, Macqueen in his research “predicts a $12-million saving in enforcement costs in the first year, rising to $40 million “as courts and prisons adapt to fewer and fewer violators.” It predicts combined savings and new revenue” will approximately save over $60 million of tax money in British Columbia and this figure will estimate to get double in 2017

(Transition: While the basis of them legalizing marijuana is to try and reduce the possible `gateway' to harder drugs, There is sympathy to those who are addicted to hard drugs and the Dutch government still treat them with certain degree of tolerance)