[quote=“Macleans Magazine March 21”] The most talked about, if perhaps the least relevant, is the so-called war on drugs. Instant analysis in the wake of the shootings – led by no lesser authorities than Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli – centred on “the scourge” of marijuana grow ops. By last week, that spin proved bogus, so much so that Zaccardelli publicly apologized for giving “what I believed was the best information I had, knowing full well at that time I didn’t have all the information.”
To the degree marijuana played a role in the RCMP’s decision to guard Roszko’s farm, it arguably bolsters the case for legalizing (as opposed to “decriminalizing”) this relatively soft drug and then regulating and taxing it, much is alcohol is now. That way, criminals would be robbed of a lucrative enterprise and no more police officers need die enforcing such a dubious prohibition.
A more pertinent issue is what the tragedy says about Ottawa’s controversial national gun registry.[/quote]
The first part is cut & paste from macleans.ca website where they left off the remainder of the paragraph, which I hand typed from the magazine.
It’s interesting how times change, we now have our ‘national magazine’ appearing to come onside for full legalization.
So what’s the feeling regarding this: the attempt to ‘blame’ the shootings on drugs has backfired so badly, its led to more support for outright legalization.
BC would make somuch more money if they legalized pot, we got the best shit, police wouldnt have to waste time bustin ops, and the government can put they’re tax on the the weed being sold at 7/11
What I do to my body is only your concern if you eat me so what does it matter if I’m smoking a joint right now, it makes me laugh…At least I’m not out bombing little children…
If i pay for your healthcare its my business, though im in agreement weed should be legal as long as its not going to open a gateway for other drugs. Personally i dont like seeing junkies sitting around with needles hanging out of their arms or hearing about little babies getting stuck with dirty needles at the beach etc.
Gateway drug is the BIGGIST lie out there, along with “pot has NO medicinal use what so ever”
Pot is a powerful antioxident and helps with cancer, and so on and on with all sorts of reasons it should be valued as a healing plant…The Gov. is not my GOD but people always want to be told how to live so what then…How about this, out law thinking and banning the use of a plant might make more sense to you…
Aside from the much overused arguement of pot being a “gateway” drug, obviously, like prostitution it is not going to simply go away.
There are some very strong economic arguements in favour of all out legalization.
There would be many hundreds of millions of dollars of savings to the criminal justice system in terms of money and manpower in the areas of both law enforcement and legal prosecution, which are both kind of a joke anyway as the later is obviously not supporting the former. These resources could then be better used on other activities.
Any profits made from a new legal industry would be worth millions and potentially billions in taxation, which could quite literally save the economy of this entire country. And all of the profits being made at present would be removed from the criminal based organizations that now control them and have all this money.
The social costs of pot smoking is ( I believe) less than that of drinking in terms of domestic violence ( child and spousal abuse, etc. ) as most long term pot smokers I know have never, or at least very seldom progressed into harder drugs. Most of them work, pay their taxes, raise families, own their own homes and help out in the communities in which they live, without too much negative effect.
The government initially at least could regulate and control the quality and quantity of the products being sold very much like it did for many years with the alcohol industry even controlling production and distribution.
sounds like a win / win proposition to me. Christ, it sounds like I’m running as a candidate for the marijuana party doesn’t it? ( I’m not )
Also, think of all the pesticides and chemicals the street weed is loaded with. Do we want our kids and fellow citizens to intake more poision to add to all the chemicals we live in…Cancer is just a step away and legalizeing pot would make it so it is easier to organically grow…Control is better then just saying NO…
I live in Errington on Vancouver island, and its pretty much the boonies, e veryone has there own tree hidden property, and there is alot of drug busts going on every month, in september my neighbor was busted. And you can always see the helicopters fly over my property so i recon that it would save heli fuel too, and that was just a little fact for you guys
I wonder what they are going to do with all the people on the inside that are in jail cause of trafficking and other violations when and if it is outright legalized.
When all the people went to jail or got a fine, the law then was the law and they knew it. They were arrested for breaking it so Why would they need compensation for something that they knew would get them on the wrong side of the law. Make it legal but let the past be the past…
In England a long time ago coffee was made illegal because people got all wired and orginized in coffee houses to brainstorm uncontrollably, drawing the mind and beliefs away from thier loving lier.
Not too sure about this or when so if you want proof, Go check it out…
i use www.google.com to find related articles and then post them here. its pretty easy, i just typed in ‘english coffee house’ in the spot and then hit search! its pretty easy.
hahah
history is full of funny gay references. imagine living in a time before kitsch and double entendres and stuff.
