KEEP CANNABIS OUT OF CANADA

Teen Columnist Says No Reason to Decriminalize

Sherwood Park News -- Our federal government's attitude towards
teenage drug use is based on a flawed understanding of youth culture.

As a high school student, I find this concerning. In this session of
Parliament, lawmakers are planning to pass legislation decriminalizing
marijuana possession, and this softening of attitudes towards casual
drug use is problematic.

Government politicians have tried to show why this initiative is in
the best interest of my generation; however, they have shown a
complete inability to understand the real needs of today's teens.

One of the most common arguments used by the pro-cannabis lobby is
that young people who make one mistake (i.e. smoke a few joints)
should not be under threat of carrying a criminal record.

Many teenagers are aware; however, that the decisions they make can
have devastating consequences and the greater the consequences, the
less likely they are to engage in a particular behaviour.

If youth choose to drink and drive, for example, they run the risk of
causing severe injury or death to themselves and others, or of facing
criminal charges and large fines.

In such cases the legal consequences are comparable to the physical
consequences: one could face permanent physical damage or, if caught
by police, damaged employment opportunities due to a criminal record.

With regards to drug use, marijuana is a gateway drug, leading teens
into a drug culture where experimentation with harder substances is
acceptable. As drugs can cause irreparable bodily harm, legal
consequences should be at least as severe as those associated with
drunk driving.

Teenagers need to be shown the danger associated with drug abuse, and
it is better that they lose certain opportunities than that they face
permanent physical damage. A small fine simply can not compare.

Another typical argument for decriminalization is the so-called
"teenage rebel factor:" if marijuana was to be decriminalized, it
would cease to be a novelty and, therefore, use would decrease.

In one sense it is true that many teenagers will engage in behaviour
solely because it is on the fringes of societal acceptance, however,
this is not sufficient reason to change the law.

Accepting for a moment that many teenagers use marijuana simply
because it is illegal, it follows that, were marijuana legalized, they
would turn to harder drugs to satisfy their appetite for rebellion.

The fact is, if marijuana is decriminalized, or even legalized as some
have suggested, teenage culture would accept this drug as harmless and
push on for harder substances much quicker.

People of all ages should not tolerate the softening in our society's
view of casual drug use because this behavior is potentially dangerous
to the health and well-being of the drug user and others.

Until we decriminalized drunk driving, possession of marijuana should
remain a criminal offence, if for no other reason than to emphasize to
teenagers that they are not invincible and that dangerous actions have
potentially severe consequences.

Better a legal consequence than a physical one to show them that
rebellion against laws and societal safety standards is
unproductive.

While teenagers are encouraged to resist peer pressure and "say no to
drugs," federal politicians similarly need to show courage and "vote
no to drugs."