Pubdate: Tue, 20 Dec 2016
Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: John Milloy
Page: A9

WHY, EXACTLY, ARE WE LEGALIZING POT?

The release of the federal task force report on the legalization of
marijuana has given new meaning to enjoying a green Christmas. With
the government indicating that it is moving full steam ahead with this
initiative, is it not worth asking one more time: Why are we
legalizing marijuana?

The usual answer I receive is that alcohol is legal.

I think about that analogy every time I visit the liquor store,
especially on a Friday afternoon. Surprisingly, I am not filled with
national pride as I watch the stressed-out office workers anxiously
clutching their bottles; the students bragging how "wrecked" they are
going to get that weekend; or the down-and-out person counting out
change for a single can of beer. How many of us are imbibing as a form
of self-medication in order to deal with stress and anxiety? Have we
learned nothing from our growing awareness around mental illness and
the temptation to use intoxicants to try to cope with an increasingly
overwhelming world? No, I am not arguing for prohibition. I am simply
asking the reason why we are adding another drug to the list of
socially acceptable ways of getting impaired. As a nation, we seem to
have lost sight of what problem we are trying to solve.

I am not a marijuana user and have trouble seeing it as a positive
force in our society. As Bill Blair, the former Toronto police chief
turned MP in charge of the initiative, put it: "(marijuana) is a
substance that poses certain significant, both social and health,
risks to Canadians."

Although the scientific debates continue, many of the findings around
recreational marijuana use are troubling. As the discussion paper that
guided the federal task force concluded: "Daily or near daily use of
marijuana can have serious long term effects on a user's health,
including risk of addiction, earlier onset or worsening of some mental
illnesses in vulnerable individuals, and difficulty thinking,
learning, remembering, and making decisions" - not exactly a healthy
choice. This is especially true when coupled with the dangers
associated with getting behind the wheel of a car while stoned.

The research is more disturbing when it comes to adolescents. A recent
report by the Canadian Paediatric Society included a long list of
dangers for youth who use marijuana, including "impaired neurological
development and cognitive decline; and diminished school performance
and lifetime achievement."

I guess the federal Liberals share my concern because both their
election platform and discussion paper list the No. 1 reason behind
legalizing marijuana is to keep it out of the hands of young people.
They also add that it would save the justice system money.

So let me get this straight. In order to keep the drug out of the
hands of children, we are going to first legalize it and make it fully
socially acceptable. Then we are going to offer it for sale throughout
our communities and make it part of our social fabric. I imagine many
are already making space in their homes for a "joint cabinet." Then we
are going to tell kids that they can't have access to it. I forgot to
add that the government is also going to tax the marijuana.

Although a near-perfect plan, I have to admit to one or two nagging
doubts. What if the increased normalization of marijuana, ready supply
and relatively high cost combined with the ban on its sale to minors
actually creates a black market aimed primarily at kids? I know it is
unlikely, but then again Chief Wiggum on the Simpsons was surprised to
discover that kids were fascinated with his "forbidden closet of mystery."

Don't worry, the feds have an answer. According to both their platform
and discussion paper, the government plans to introduce tough new
laws, aimed particularly at those who provide pot to minors. I guess
we can always use all the savings we gain from the justice system
through marijuana legalization to pay for the enforcement of these new
laws.

I can hear the advocates response already - "alcohol is worse." And
they are right. But isn't that like your teenager justifying the low
grade they got on their math test by reassuring you that many of their
classmates got a lower score?

I get it. The current laws aren't working. People are ending up with
criminal records for minor infractions involving marijuana. So fix the
law to have the punishment better suit the crime.

But what is the urgency to go all in? Laws prescribe conduct, but they
also educate us about our collective values. Is legalizing marijuana
going to make our country a better place? More importantly, is it
really going to protect our kids?

John Milloy is a former Ontario cabinet minister who served as Liberal 
MPP for Kitchener Centre. He currently teaches at Waterloo Lutheran 
Seminary, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Waterloo.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt