policy | To care is to be human

Recreational drug use is the use of a drug in order to heighten ones recreational experience. What drugs fall under this category? – Tobacco, Cannabis and Alcohol, just to name a few. Interestingly, when you read the literature on drugs, the phrase “Drugs and Alcohol” keeps popping up.

Last time I checked, Alcohol IS A DRUG…it’s side effects range from euphoria to impaired senses and even death.

Cannabis is also a drug that has euphoric side effects, causes the “munchies” and at times paranoia.

I am not here to debate whether or not cannabis is safer than alcohol or vice versa – even the research that’s been done on the subject is inconclusive; both advocates and opponents of cannabis can find a piece of literature that justifies their stance. Rather, I want to figure out how we justify criminalizing cannabis and stigmatizing its users but not do the same to those who consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes?

The United States once criminalized alcohol from 1920 to 1933. Did this prohibition decrease the use of alcohol among U.S. citizens? Nope. It only served to increase its use and allowed for organized crime to flourish due to the value that a banned substance, such as alcohol, can have on the black market. Why not take the lessons learned during the time of Prohibition and apply it to the failed war on drugs that Canada has adopted and has recently been determined to continue despite the research that has shown that criminalizing drugs, such as cannabis, has not resulted in a decrease in usage among Canadians.

With the Safe Streets and Communities Act passed by Parliament on March 12, 2012, it is now easier for a drug offender (whether a manufacturer, user or seller) to be sentenced to longer prison terms. Looking at the situation without blinders on, one can see the lasting repercussions of allowing non-violent individuals to spend time confined in a prison with violent individuals: these non-violent individuals may end up internalizing the attitudes or behaviors of their violent prison mates.

The fact is that the people you associate with can determine your character.

The Liberal Party of British Columbia has voiced support for legalizing marijuana in order to reap its economic benefits – regulating marijuana through taxes can provide revenue and jobs for Canadians. From my perspective, I view legalizing marijuana as a human rights benefit. Too many men and women who are in prison because of a drug charge are minorities, thus adding to the alarming overrepresentation of blacks and Aboriginals in our prisons. Too many men and women have a criminal record because of a drug charge. This means that their options for employment are next to nothing. What option would an unemployed, ex-convict have in Canada but to resort to crime in order to acquire the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.

The debate on drugs is a heated one, but remember that it is not always necessary to create a crime in order to prevent individuals from acting in ways that SOME people find displeasing.

In the end there is no justification for the criminalization of cannabis. Like alcohol and tobacco, cannabis has worrying effects on the body. Like alcohol, driving safely is affected if you have used cannabis. And like alcohol, violence can be an outcome of its use and abuse.

Regulating cannabis will serve as the right step towards addressing the overrepresentation of ethnic, young males in our criminal justice system. Further, funneling money away from the prison system and into social service organizations and addictions agencies will go a long way in creating stronger communities where drug abuse is seen as a medical problem that can be tackled.

—————————————————————————————————

If interested in reading more: