Pubdate: Sat, 22 Apr 2017
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.edmontonsun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: Graham Hicks
Page: 7

WELCOME TO THE POT PARTY

Marijuana legalization is coming whether you like it or not - but
don't worry, the sky won't fall

Marijuana is rushing out of the closet, what with the federal
government's plan to legalize marijuana use across Canada as of July
2018.

Which is somewhat ironic: Pot has been almost as common as booze,
smoked by a sizeable minority of Canadians since getting high became
popular 50 years ago.

The fact it's been illegal just made users more secretive.

In British Columbia, pot might as well be legal now. Dozens upon
dozens of "medical" marijuana dispensaries are in Vancouver, with no
common definition of what medical means. If you have a headache, you
can buy pot.

I'd argue Albertans still prefer alcohol over pot for recreational
highs. Pot smokers here keep it quiet. Outside of certain crowds,
joints aren't passed around parties. Rarely do you smell pot, outside
of Borden Park love-ins.

But many Vancouver friends treat the stuff as an aperitif before
dinner. They are used to a THC level - the stuff that creates the high
- - that would have induced a coma back in the '60s and '70s.

Marijuana, being illegal, has not been quantified, measured and
studied to death. Nobody really knows, but the main industry up and
down the valleys of the British Columbia interior likely isn't lumber
but pot. The latest studies guess at $6 billion a year in illegal pot
growing and sales across Canada. Surely most of that would happen in
B.C.

And while no taxes are collected, marijuana growing and distribution
money now circulates through the B.C. economy, creating employment,
buying power and a monstrous distrust of the law.

Unlike B.C., there's no grey legal area in Alberta permitting
"medical" marijuana shops in the big cities. Last week, the City of
Edmonton reminded residents that "marijuana or cannabis dispensaries
are illegal and are not licensed or permitted."

Legal or illegal, pot is controversial.

If you voted for Justin Trudeau's Liberals or the New Democrats in the
last federal election, you're likely all for, or at least resigned to,
the inevitability of marijuana legalization.

If you had voted for Stephen Harper's Conservatives, you'd likely
prefer the laws be left the way they were. You might favour
de-criminalization but keep pot illegal other than for strict medical
use.

Many small-c conservatives and mostly older Canadians argue that, once
legal, pot smoking will create many more indulgent, lazy, self-centred
stoners - furthering weakening the Canadian work ethic.

In combination with alcohol abuse, they'll argue, Trudeau's
legalization will further increase heartbreak in the families of
pot/alcohol addicts and ultimately create more work for the police.

But small-l liberals and younger Canadians are not worried by such
dire predictions. As long as the general population doesn't
smoke/drink before driving, legalizing marijuana will not, they say,
end the world as we know it.

On the plus side, once legalized, researchers can truly get on with
discovering the medicinal potential of marijuana. Leading researcher
Raphael Mechoulam told National Geographic that marijuana is a
"medical treasure trove, waiting to be discovered."

Put aside moral arguments as to the societal good or lack thereof of
legalizing pot in Canada.

It's going to happen. Who's going to make money out of it?Well before
legalization, marijuana-growing companies trade on the Toronto Stock
Exchange, ostensibly licensed for the medical market. Alberta's Aurora
Cannabis Company is building a huge pot-growing facility in the
International Airport's industrial park. There's economic
diversification for you! And anybody can buy shares in Aurora.

Those horrified by the thought of another mood/ mind-altering drug
being available to all - of course teens will obtain pot, one way or
another - argue the sky will fall. It won't, of course. Laws and
regulations will come into play, particularly for controlled sales,
safety in the workplace and driving under the influence.

The police will ask for bigger budgets for the extra work, addictions
counsellors will be busier than ever.

Government will spend most of the new tax gain on regulatory
enforcement. The black market for pot will continue.

Really, the reality for most of us will simply see more joints being
smoked on the patio at your friends' parties. Just like B.C.! Be
careful though - the THC levels have soared since you last smoked pot!
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt