Marijuana Decriminalization Essay

Cannabis has been illegal since the Marijuana Tax act of 1934. Yet out of a population of 284 million American citizens, 70 million Americans claim to have smoked cannabis at some point in their lives. Prohibition of cannabis is therefore apparently ineffective at changing the habits of a population, just as prohibition of alcohol was ineffective in 1919-1933. Making otherwise law-abiding citizens fugitives does nothing more than fill the prisons and alienate the populace from their government. In fact the total cost to taxpayers of solely marijuana-related incarceration (in local, state, and federal prisons and jails) of 15,400 people exceeds $1.2 million per year.

Recently there has been a lot of news surrounding the legalization of Marijuana in Canada. The legalization is to actually take place in 2017. However, the discussion of this topic has already begun. Many people are requesting the government to allow pardons on past possession charges. It is their opinion that if the drug is going to be legalized sooner or later, it is justified to pardon the past offences. The article even mentions two men whose lives are affected by the criminal record of having minor narcotics. They both state that they are unable to travel abroad (namely to america), and have personal issues such as landlords refusing to rent to them. It is their opinion, alongside others, that just because of a small charge their lives do not need to be affected so much. Especially considering that the government is going to legalize the drug anyway. The article also mentions how the previous conservative government made it harder to receive a pardon. Due to this, many people have be unable to erase the marks of their past and begin on a new clean slate.

This is why the Canadian government is leaning more toward decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana rather than legalizing it. The theory behind the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use should be tied to a national drug strategy that promotes awareness and prevention, and provides for comprehensive treatment. The government would sponsor programs to educate youths about the dangers of marijuana, and also support programs to aide citizens who have addictions to 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

Legalizing the use of marijuana has been an ongoing debate since it was first classified as a narcotic in the Narcotic Act in 1970 (Napchan et al, 2011). Once defined as a narcotic, cannabis was made unattainable through a pharmacist, or through prescription by a physician (Napchan et al, 2011). Cannabis, also known as “marijuana”, refers to any preparation of the cannabis plant, most of which are intended for use as a psychoactive substance (Napchan et al, 2011). Marijuana has many benefits in Canada if legalization were to occur. Canada’s economy would benefit greatly from the legalization of marijuana by boosting taxation dollars, as well as creating jobs for many Canadians. Not only would the economy benefit, but communities would benefit

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.

Many have long argued that prohibition simply does not work. ( ) Today, the strict policy on cannabis is reinforced by severe punishment. In reality, police forces have been growing more lenient to cannabis use, prioritising more pressing areas, indicating a change in law enforcement attitude to the drug. ( ) This may also suggest a change in social culture. The flaws of prohibition are present today regarding the so-called ‘War on Drugs’. People who are otherwise innocent are swept into the criminal justice system because of cannabis use. (6) Thus, they face the problem of a criminal record and may even become involved with harmful activity whilst in the criminal justice system. This situation has wrongly allowed cannabis to be a powerful

Decriminalising marijuana sends the dangerous notion of endorsement to young Australian’s. Our current society has an ethical obligation to protect our future children from the tribulations involved with drugs. Legalising the possession of cannabis is enticing the false conception that drug use is not harmful. The United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of the Child Article 33 states that we should “take all appropriate measure, including legislative, administrative, social and educational measures, to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances”. Protection Australia’s forthcoming generations is a necessity.

There are many debate over the legalization of marijuana in Canada for several decades and is still a very controversial issue. In Canada, many considers marijuana harmful because marijuana is an illegal drug according to the law. Some people are intending to justify the possession and use of marijuana by claiming the medical purposes and exaggerating how marihuana is less harmful than cigarette and alcohol. However, I strongly disagree to decriminalize the possession of marijuana because of health issues due to the use of marijuana, and no solid evidence of its medical value. Legalization of marijuana have a potential threat of causing additional addiction. Moreover, increase in the number of weed smokers cause more people to go on welfare,

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,

“They funnel money into the illegal market and drive criminal activity”, Spithoff, Emerson and Spithoff argues that the prohibition of cannabis led to investment in large amount of money into its illicit market and ignites various kinds of criminal activities in society (1211) and “The most obvious are the gang hits and gun battles that indeed impact the safety of Canadian streets, much of it fuelled by turf battles over the illegal drug trade”. MacQueen claims that the prohibition of hemp is the main cause of fights between rival gangs which often put public safety on a great risk (17). While government can take over this situation by using the experience of other countries like Uruguay and Portugal in which cannabis was decriminalized about fifteen years ago and “has the lowest addiction rate of illegal drugs in all of Europe” (Akpata 14). Akpata also concludes that this will end up in the release of thousands of non-violent citizens who are behind the bars for smoking a plant of marijuana

Marijuana is a drug that is prepared from the bloom head (flower) of cannabis plant and it is utilized as a medication in some conditions, such as, glaucoma and so forth. This pill has some destructive impacts and is recognized as illegal medication apart from a few states in United States and Amsterdam. Marijuana is a widespread drug and has damaging consequences for individuals. An enormous debate has started, in numerous countries should consumption of Marijuana should to be legalized or not? Canada is also amongst those nations where this issue is debated, it has grasped attention of many people, and the majority of individuals feel that utilization of Marijuana should not be legitimized in Canada, Since this drug is remarkably unsafe

Over the years, there has been a great amount of discussion of the benefits and the harms of marijuana use. And of course, over the years, there has been a great amount of discussion on whether marijuana should be legalized or continue to remain illegal. Although there may be reasons as to why marijuana legalization could be considered a good boost to the Canadian economy, there are many more reasons as to why the legalization of marijuana should not happen mainly due to the safety of the user and the society as a whole. Marijuana should remain illegal in Canada because marijuana tends to have a detrimental impact on both their physical and mental health, their education becomes compromised, the substance becomes addictive over time, and

Marijuana, Mary Jane, weed, grass; the names of the bud have changed and evolved to fit the modern times, however the archaic laws that surround it are stuck in the 1900s. In 1923, marijuana was made illegal by the government of Canada following previous bans on opium and cocaine. The ban was largely due to increasing disdain towards Chinese Canadians and was used to prosecute and deport immigrants unjustly. In the following years, a dramatic increase in marijuana use in the young middle class prompted a severe crackdown leading to thousands of arrests for possession. In 2013 there were 73000 cannabis related arrests with “59,000 (80%) (being) possession offences,” accounting for 54% of all police-reported drug crime. (Cotter, A. S., Greenland, J., & Karam, M. 2015) The penalties of marijuana laws were found to be “grossly excessive” and with “no real scientific basis” by the Le Dain Commission in 1969. (Allen, K. 2013) After years of funding the war on Marijuana and over $500 million spent annually, the Liberal government has created a new task force headed by Anne Mclellan that will advise the government on the best way to legalize marijuana. (UOttawa. n.d) The task force will produce results by spring of 2017 to fulfill the Liberal party’s promise of the legalization of marijuana in Canada potentially bringing in “up to $5 billion in revenue”.(Cheadle, B.

Did you know that it takes 1500 pounds of marijuana, consumed in 15 minutes to overdose on the substance? Marijuana should be legalize for many reasons. After analyzing the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana, I concluded that legalizing the substance will bring the country and its people a more positive resolution, rather than keeping it illegal. The substance has been known for thousands of years, going back to 400BC, it has been used recreationally, and medicinally throughout these years. The fact that people still use it after all these years show nothing but positivity, but if you are still not convinced, no one has died through marijuana overdose. Ranging from financial gain, its benefits, and the country’s interest, legalizing marijuana will become a turning point in Canada’s history.