Pubdate: Tue, 30 Jul 2013
Source: Abbotsford Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Abbotsford Times
Contact:  http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1009
Author: Terry Farrell
Cited: Sensible BC: http://www.sensiblebc.ca/

IT'S TIME TO STIR THE POT DEBATE

With Dana Larsen and his Sensible BC entourage making a stop in
Abbotsford last week, the pot legalization/decriminalization issue
reared its contentious head once again.

And, like always, there is a wealth of propaganda on both sides of the
debate.

For the record, I don't smoke pot. Am I against its legalization? No.
But I do think it should only be legalized for the right reasons, and
that's where I don't understand some of marketing angles used by
proponents - particularly the "for a safer B.C." angle.

Preach the medical benefits of the marijuana plant, of which there are
many. Preach the economic benefits, particularly for B.C., that would
come with legalization. But don't tell me that the legalization of pot
will make the province safer. That's ludicrous.

How would it be safer? Would gang violence end, or even subside?
Absolutely not. The gangs aren't going to say, "Oh well, I guess it's
all over for us. It's been a slice, now let's go out and get
law-abiding jobs." For starters, there would still be nine other
provinces, as well as the territories, to supply in this country alone
- - not to mention the United States.

And when it does become universally legal (because eventually it
will), the gangs will simply turn to more lucrative contraband, be it
cocaine, the designer drug of the day (i.e. ecstasy), human
trafficking ... whatever makes them the most money.

The crime reduction angle was used as one of the arguments to end
Prohibition. How's that working out? The illegal booze trade in Canada
has been estimated to be as high as a billion dollars a year.

Want more proof the criminal element will not subside? Simple
possession of marijuana is not a crime in Columbia. Now there's a
place I'd want to raise my children: not.

The opponents are no better with their misleading, "partial" truths.
Fear mongers will state that marijuana has in excess of 400 chemicals.
Yes, that is true, depending on what strain of marijuana is tested.
But the question is, how does that correlate to anything? It doesn't.
Cigarettes have in excess of 4,000 chemicals, so in comparison,
marijuana is extremely pure. Certain coffees have more than 1,500
chemicals, according to chemistry websites. So is coffee three times
as bad as marijuana? Yes, marijuana is a gateway drug. Anyone who
argues against that does not understand the term "gateway". That said,
contrary to what opponents claim, a gateway is not necessarily a
preamble. It's simply something that COULD lead to other things.

Yes, the majority of those who have used cocaine, or heroin, used
marijuana first. The majority of them tried alcohol first. And the
vast majority of them also used caffeine first. In the argument of
gateway drugs, caffeine is, by leaps and bounds, the most prevalent
gateway drug there is. Do we dare suggest it should be illegalized? Of
course not. Too many big businesses make billions of dollars through
our caffeine addictions.

Ironically, while opponents condemn marijuana as unhealthy, the health
benefits of marijuana are what should - and will - ultimately pave the
way towards its widespread legality.

The list of its medicinal benefits is long, and getting longer every
week. There is a month's worth of column fodder on that topic alone,
but to close this column, let's focus one disease.

Do I smoke weed? No. But I will tell you what; I have friends who have
died from cancer, I have friends who are fighting cancer and I have
friends who will get cancer in the future. And if using marijuana can
ease the pain they are going through, I'm all for them using it, and
having as easy access to it as possible.

More to the point, there's hard evidence through studies done in
universities - including Harvard - that marijuana can actually cure
cancer. Is there anyone out there so against marijuana as to not allow
a cancer patient to be cured of the horrible disease? If so, you need
to rethink your priorities.
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MAP posted-by: Matt