IT'S TIME TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Over the past few years there has been a debate in this country about
the decriminalization of marijuana, but I think that debate should be
about legalization.

Many people in the conservative right envision weed smokers as
over-the-hill hippies who don't work or young high school dropouts.
The reality is that lots of people, with families and careers, use
cannabis in the same way that others use beer, and many use it for
medicinal purposes.

My nephew was diagnosed with terminal testicular cancer at the age of
19. Doctors told him he would not live to see his 20th birthday. He
smoked marijuana daily, not just as a way of controlling his pain, but
to boost his appetite.

My oldest brother had succumbed to oesophagus cancer a few years
before and we watched as he starved to death. My nephew died last
year, at the age of 25. He prolonged his life by five years, and I
believe that was a direct result of using marijuana. Recording artist
Melissa Ethridge also credits her victory over cancer to the regular
use of marijuana.

While the laws regarding medicinal use of the drug have come a long
way, citizens should not have to be terminally or chronically ill
before they are allowed to legally benefit from the use of marijuana.

The government continues to tell us that weed is a gateway drug, while
most that have used it for years know this is a fallacy. Will some
people who use marijuana go on to become addicted to narcotics such as
cocaine and heroin? Absolutely. In the same way that some folks who
have a beer or two on Friday night will eventually become alcoholics
who drink a fifth of whisky every day.

If you recall, during Prohibition, the government also promoted the
idea of liquor leading to many problems. We now accept liquor as an
everyday, legal, part of life in Canada.

Calming, mellowing effects

A commonly stated argument supporting the use of marijuana is the
calming and mellowing effects of the drug. There is far more violence
associated with the use of alcohol than with the use of marijuana.

Many argue that marijuana can't be legalized because we don't want
people driving while under the influence of the drug. The reality is
that police forces all over the world have been using drug detector
devices for a while.

In December of 2004 police in Victoria, Australia started
administering roadside drug tests resulting in a positive testing
within the first day. Development and use of such a device here in
Canada would improve road safety considerably, especially since the
detectors pick up drug use beyond marijuana.

Some users of cannabis don't want to see it legalized, they want it to
be decriminalized. The concern is that taxation will cause the price
of the drug to skyrocket. Many holding this view argue that if they
can't be burdened with a criminal record for possessing the drug, that
is good enough.

That argument, however, does not take into account the demographic of
those individuals charged with selling or trafficking. For the most
part, it is members of poor communities who engage in the street level
sale of marijuana. Therefore, by simply decriminalizing possession,
you increase a market demand, while continuing to prosecute those who
supply that demand. In this way, the decriminalization of marijuana
will further the systemic oppression of those in traditionally
marginalized groups.

I have friends who worry about their children finding out that they
use marijuana, but are not at all concerned about their children
knowing they use alcohol. If, as an adult, you can drink responsibly
but explain to your children that they will not be permitted to make
that choice until they are of the age of consent, why can't you have
the same conversation around your responsible use of marijuana?

And there lies the root of the problem. If all the people who use the
drug were open about their use, this debate would be over.

Are we really going to be hypocritical enough to let a handful of
hippies and university students fight the good fight and then step up
to the bong, so to speak, once the war is won?

Candy Palmater is the star of The Candy Show on untv.ca, guest co-host
of The Joe Leary Show on Hal 89.9 FM and stand-up comedian.