Pubdate: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 Source: Daily News, The (CN NS) Copyright: 2007 The Daily News Contact: http://www.hfxnews.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/179 Author: Candy Palmater Note: 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. 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek