Pubdate: Sat, 01 Dec 2012
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Michael Ashby
Note: Michael Ashby is director of the National Pardon Centre.

CANADIANS DON'T NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM MARIJUANA

Canadians need to stop framing the marijuana issue in the timeless 
tradition of good vs. bad. We have to get past the medical argument, 
the gateway argument, the economic argument, the addiction argument, 
the failure of the war on drugs argument and many others. It's not a 
question of right or wrong.

The legal status of marijuana, like anything else that is relatively 
harmless, should be based on one simple principle: that a responsible 
adult has the right to be in charge of his or her own affairs.

Like most everything we enjoy in life (alcohol, red meat and running 
a marathon are examples that come to mind right now) the reality of 
marijuana is that it's a double-edged sword. Marijuana is both good 
and bad. The current policy, on the other hand, is all bad, which is 
why it's not the plant that needs to be changed.

Canada, being a modern democracy with an educated population of 
mostly responsible, hard-working adults, should stop treating its 
citizens as though we need to be protected from ourselves. When it 
comes to drugs, we have historically based policy on what people of 
poor judgment do with them, leaving those of us competent to manage 
our daily affairs at a loss and at risk of arrest. Today most 
Canadians think this is a backward approach.

The first time I smoked marijuana was a revelation, not because it 
was so much fun but because it wasn't. Certainly it was an amusing 
experience but it was a far cry from what we'd been taught to avoid 
in school. I experienced no euphoria, no grand distortion of reality 
and no withdrawal. What I did was laugh a lot. Then I scoured the 
kitchen for something to eat.

Today I hardly touch the stuff. Unless I'm home alone bored on a 
Friday night with the kids and wife away and things tidied up nicely 
at work, it doesn't seem like much fun at all. But if it did, I would 
probably need a good movie to watch and a bottle of wine to go with 
it (yes, I might just drink the whole bottle).

Short of that particular scenario and possibly a couple of others, 
marijuana is not something I'm interested in. It's not something I 
crave and it's certainly not something I feel the police need to 
protect me from. I know a few police officers who feel the same way.

So let's forget that it's easier for kids to get marijuana under the 
current arrangement. Let's forget about the money we could tax out of 
a legitimate industry. Let's forget about the decent people who would 
no longer end up saddled with a criminal record. Let's forget that we 
would no longer be wasting judicial resources to the tune of untold 
millions per year. Let's forget that it's probably less harmful than 
that bottle of wine I might just polish off all by myself.

And let's finally remember that we are all responsible for our own 
affairs and most of us don't want it any other way.

What we should be talking about is whether or not Canadian adults are 
able to make adult decisions without a bunch of politicians telling 
us to look both ways before crossing the street. If our neighbours to 
the south can see the light it is time Canada started talking as well.

Legalizing marijuana is not about good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. 
It's about our ability to make those decisions for ourselves.

I feel quite confident I'm able to do that these days, even when I'm high.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom