First, a disclaimer of sorts. I don't watch the news. I don't keep up with politics. I have few, if any, strong opinions when it comes to our government. So if I come across as an uneducated dumbass in this blog, it's because that's precisely who I am.
Now, with that in mind...Marijuana is legal in Canada! Kinda....almost....ish?
My understanding is it will be decriminalized for recreational use in October. Honestly, I don't smoke it, and I only eat it on rare occasions. So my knowledge of pot is only minimally better than my knowledge of our government. (Before you call me an idiot, ask me anything about Nintendo, hockey, wrestling, or Seinfeld. I know the important stuff). However, even as a practical non-user, I'm excited.
I already mentioned that I don't have a lot of strong opinions on hot button topics, but I've been a believer for years that drugs and prostitution should be decriminalized. I have zero interest in getting dragged into a debate about what is or isn't illegal, or what should and shouldn't be. Maybe I'll touch on the prostitution thing down the road. Chalk it up to "you have you're opinions, and I have mine". Marijuana, in particular, has always been something that has bothered me. As far as I'm concerned, there's no good argument for why it should be illegal at all.
I've read people argue that buying and selling pot should be against the law because we don't know what the long term affects of smoking it are. Well, we know exactly what happens to people that smoke cigarettes over the course of their lives, and we still sell (and tax) them. I'd be willing to bet my good eye that whatever damage pot does to your body over 40 years isn't worse than what smoking does to it. If you want to argue that cigarettes AND pot should be illegal, I think you have a case (not one I agree with, but that's beside the point). But, if you don't mind the Government profiting off of tobacco sales, you don't have a leg to stand on with your anti-marijuana argument.
Another popular angle is that weed should be illegal, because people will drive while they're high. I think it's a much more valid argument than the long-term health affects angle, but I still don't think it's a legit stance as long as we're allowed to sell alcohol. I'm not a supporter of people driving while they're stoned, either, and I'm a little concerned with how that'll be monitored and policed. That said, we figured out how to deal with it in regards to booze, I'm sure we'll do the same with pot. Sadly, people are always going to drive drunk, and people already drive baked. Until cars can drive themselves, there'll always be a risk. We're a dumb species.
The bottom line is that I just don't see a valid argument for why buying or using marijuana should make you a criminal in Canada today. In my opinion, people that argue against it, do it because they simply don't like it. Just because it's legal now, doesn't mean I'm going to start smoking pot every day. I haven't been a big pothead for years, and it had nothing to do with the law. I think people that don't smoke probably won't even after it's legal. And now, people that do will have an easier time doing it. If you don't like it, that's fine. But, clearly a lot of people do. So just shut up and let them have their fun.
And use the money you won't be spending on weed to buy some stock in Doritos or something.
Thanks for reading.
Adam
No comments:
Post a Comment