Pubdate: Tue, 29 Dec 2015
Source: Desi Today Magazine (CN BC)
Contact:  2015 Desi Today
Website: http://www.desitoday.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5541
Author: Hardeep Brar

ROLL WITH THE CHANGES - A JOINT PERSPECTIVE ON THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

And so we have it. After 10 years under the leadership of Stephan 
Harper and the Conservative government. Canadians have officially 
elected in a change with Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party now 
taking position as Canada's new leader.

I'm sure there are many changes on the horizon under this new 
leadership, and one of the most controversial has been the Liberal 
party position on the legalization of Marijuana.

At a campaign stop in Surrey, British Columbia, Justin Trudeau was 
asked about his plans for the legalization of Marijuana. Justin 
replied with conviction that if he were elected into office he would 
"get working on it right away."

That was the point where this became a large topic of discussion 
across media platforms and within our communities. With many people 
viewing this as something negative which will lead to our children 
growing up in a world with drugs readily available to them.

But the fact of the matter is that we already live in that world. We 
can currently buy alcohol at just about any block in our 
neighbourhoods. When looked at perceptively, alcohol is a much more 
harmful drug than Marijuana. When we look at alcohol as a drug, you 
can make some pretty damaging observations. Long term health effects 
of heavy consumption of alcohol can lead to the damage of one's 
brain, heart, liver, and immune system. In the short term, for many 
people it triggers aggressive behaviour leading to domestic 
disturbances. These including physical altercations and even death. 
It affects one's ability to make sound judgements, such as 
individuals who are inebriated insisting they are capable of driving. 
Long story short, drinking alcohol is the equivalent of taking small 
doses of poison to alter one's state of mind to feel additional 
enjoyment - and this is not healthy.

Now although this is not news to anyone, alcohol is still very 
prevalent in many households. We all know grown men who are heavy 
drinkers. Many of us were drinking alcohol well before turning the 
legal age to do so. In today 's day and age, it is not uncommon at 
for woman to enjoy an evening of conversation over a few glasses of 
wine, something which was very taboo in Indian culture not too long 
ago. We accept alcohol as a drug, because it is legal, and available.

Marijuana on the other hand is quite the opposite. It is a natural 
plant, not at all poisonous. Evidence of its naturalness can be found 
by travelling to countries such as India, where you can see marjiuana 
plants growing openly on the side of the road or in farms with no 
human interference. People who are users of marijuana are typically 
not aggressive. Marijuana is not addictive, and can be used to heal 
many medical issues, which otherwise may need to be treated with 
harmful pharmaceutical drugs which can have negative side effects.

So what can we expect to see with the new legalization and regulation 
of Marijuana?

To get a good idea, let's look to our neighbours in the South and see 
what changes have taken place in their economy. Colorado was the 
first state in the US to move to full legalization, followed by our 
direct neighbour, Washington, and soon to be followed by the state of 
California.

For our purpose, let's look at Colorado. Marijuana was first 
legalized there in January of 2014. After one year, Colorado was able 
to report that one of their biggest benefactors was the private 
sector with many businesses flourishing with increased tourism. They 
saw an immediate decrease in violent crime, with that trend 
continuing through the year. And the state generated an additional 40 
million dollars in tax revenue within the first 10 months. In fact, 
the government under estimated its potential tax revenues so much 
that residents will most likely be given back a onetime tax rebate 
from the excess this year.

Now with this in mind, consider what changes we can foresee in 
Canada. We will have hundreds of millions of new tax dollars 
available to help in many parts of our economy such as education and 
healthcare. The Fraser Institute estimates that the BC Marijuana 
industry is a 7 Billion Dollar industry, just as lucrative as our 
mining industry and with regulation it can grow to be much more. 
Currently, these are billions of dollars going directly into the 
pockets of drug dealers. Marijuana legalization will help curb gang 
violence, as this will remove the largest cash cow many Canadian 
gangs rely on to make their income. A decrease in crime also means 
saving money in Law Enforcement, or giving our officers time focus on 
other issues. For those worried that their children will have greater 
access to Marijuana, I would like to assure you that this is not 
true. Kids will have much less access to purchase it from drug 
dealers who will sell to anyone regardless of their age, whereas g! 
overnment regulated Marijuana sales will be similar to alcohol and 
tobacco, which cannot be purchased without proper ID stating you are 
of legal age.

Some may think that Marijuana is deadly. Rest assured that a human 
cannot overdose on Marijuana, no matter how much you intake. In 2006 
B.C. Vital Statistics documented 8,146 deaths linked to addictive 
substances. Of these, 7,958 were associated with alcohol and tobacco, 
and 188 linked to drug overdoses, of which 146 were heroin or cocaine 
related. The one substance conspicuously absent from 
addiction-related death reports is Cannabis (Marijuana). On the 
contrary, Cannabis has many uses to aid people in a variety of health 
ailments and can be taken in the form of food, pills, mixing powder, 
oils, creams and ointments. With Marijuana legalized, the Canadian 
public will have full access to this natural choice of effectively 
treating many issues associated with mental and physical health 
including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and joint 
pain/arthritis to name a few. Patients undergoing cancer treatment 
have for years championed the benefits of using medical marijuana ov! 
er harsh pharmaceutical drugs to ease their constant pain, and they 
will now have access to do so legally.

Once Marijuana is fully legalized, you may see it being used much 
more frequently in public places. Do not be alarmed, as this is bound 
to happen. People who currently use Cannabis behind closed doors will 
be more open about their use. And just as we saw the consumption of 
Alcohol increase dramatically in the United States after the lift of 
Prohibition, we can expect the same for the first little while in 
this case, until it becomes a norm and usage tapers down.

For certain, we should continue to educate our young on the negative 
impact of all drugs. But the legalization of this drug is around the 
corner, and as a society we all need to be educated on the expected 
benefits that our Canadian economy can expect over the years to come 
with this bold move from our newly elected government. These expected 
benefits coming in the shape of a large boost in our generated tax 
revenue and secondly a decrease in major crimes across our Country.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom