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Essay about Should We Legalize Marijuana in Canada?

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To Legalize or to Not Legalize: The Debate Behind Marijuana in Canada The legalization of marijuana is an issue that consistently discussed and debated, not only in North America, but throughout the entire world. Despite being illegal in every country, marijuana remains the most widely used illicit drug in the world. The popularity of this drug is the cause for the continuous legalization debate, resulting in various legislations pertaining to the consumption of the substance. Every country has its own stance on the issue, however, the Netherlands has a unique policy on marijuana use: it is decriminalized, classified as a "soft drug" and possession is limited to 5 grams in public or 30 grams in a private area. There are also Dutch …show more content…

In addition, legalization would create a plethora of new job opportunities in various sectors such as: agriculture, transportation, distribution and retail. These jobs would be created as the government would begin to produce and regulate the sale of marijuana. Legalization could also potentially reduce legal costs associated the persecution of those involved in the purchasing and sale of marijuana. Law enforcement services would no longer be required to heavily persecute marijuana usage, thus resulting in the opportunity for those resources to be used elsewhere. Marijuana would create new avenues for government income and saving, therefore positively contributing to the economic health of the nation. Illegal drug sales/trafficking is one of the greatest sources of income for organized crime, and will continue to be so as long as they remain in control of the drug market. By legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana, this income stream for organized crime would be heavily impacted. Criminals rely on the massive profits produced by the low supply/high demand trend that is currently seen in the drug black market. Once legalized, there will be plenty of legal producers and suppliers, which would result in the price per unit of marijuana to dip significantly. Since legal suppliers will most likely have the resources to produce better quality product with better prices, the black market producers may not be able to compete.

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