On October 17th, 2018, Canada legalized the use of Marijuana, spiking many controversies of whether this was a positive or negative addition to the federal and provincial governments. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The country of Canada will benefit in abundance to the legalization of Marijuana. There are many pros when it comes to the legalization of cannabis, including tax revenue, reducing crime surrounding cannabis, and the medical benefits that come from Marijuana itself.
One of the most discussed benefits to the legalization of Marijuana was the tax revenue. In today’s society, Marijuana would generate a substantial amount of revenue for Canada’s economy. Legalizing would boost the employment rate by providing a mass amount of jobs to Canadians all over the country, including the majority of the unemployed. When Marijuana was legalized in Colorado in 2015, it created over 18,000 full-time jobs, generating over 2 billion dollars in economic growth. According to Statistics Canada, over 2,000 people were employed by 55 licensed marijuana producers by the end of 2017. Canada’s value of gross domestic product will grow to produce up to $8 billion to the country’s economy alone. In addition, sectors revolving around the cannabis industry attract investors allowing Canada to exploit the potential growth and high return of products and companies that may be popular in the future.
The Cannabis industry has grown rapidly in very few years. Because the government plans on legalizing recreational marijuana use, and the regulations regarding cannabis in Canada is going to continue to evolve, cannabis companies are promising investment companies the chance to capitalize on the considerable future growth. The expansion of the cannabis industry not only capitalizes investment opportunities but for many new companies that provide products and services beyond cannabis itself, regarding the cultivation and distribution aspect of the industry. Today, there is a wide variety of businesses contributing to the cannabis industry that do not even grow or sell cannabis directly, making investment opportunities boundless. In addition, Marijuana laws cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year.
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The taxpayers typically pay for every individual that is sentenced to prison for the possession of marijuana. The majority of these people are caught with the possession of marijuana and are arrested because it is a violation of their probation. These individuals are not necessarily involved with enough criminal activity to extremely expensive for taxpayers to contribute to every single lawsuit or legal action that leads up to the offender’s confinement. It is estimated by a Harvard study, that over $7 billion is spent annually on marijuana prohibition. The government announced in regards to legalizing cannabis, to clear records of Canadians that were previously convicted for offenses involving marijuana. These convictions affect their ability to travel, apply for jobs, and volunteer with charities. According to studies, an estimated 850,000 Canadians possess a criminal record for the possession of marijuana. The government did not spare all past convictions, but instead for more “less serious” cases be omitted to prison, but since the law is violated, they are sent to prison for many years. In today’s society, regardless of what the law states, millions of people use cannabis every day for their own recreational use.
The cannabis is typically obtained through the black market, illegal traffic, or trade-in officially controlled or scarce commodities. Because it is illegal to consume or possess it, it must come from an illegal source. The black market is not a simple thing but consists of many complex channels of crime that involve trafficking and brutality. Essentially, marijuana will always exist on the streets whether it is illegal or not, but legalizing it eliminates the demand for the black market allowing stronger public health. With cannabis being illegal, a countless amount of court disputes begin and stay in session unresolved for long periods of time. This is because a lot of these court cases are minor and the level of justice cannot be identified. This intervenes with the significant court cases causing them to be pushed back. If cannabis was legal, these court disputes could be easily resolved and justice could be served on the appropriate level.
Ultimately, legalizing marijuana will reduce overall criminal activity. In Canada, the legal age to possess and consume marijuana is 19 years. The vast majority of the users are under the age of 25. Keeping cannabis away from teenagers is in fact almost impossible, but this is no different from alcohol and tobacco. The problem that arises associated with legalization is the fact that youth have much easier access to the drug, however, this is insignificant. Canada’s government has rules and regulations in place that are primarily used to control these problems. First, the age to possess and consume cannabis is restricted to 19 years or older, the same as alcohol and tobacco products. Secondly, there are strict consequences in place for selling cannabis to youth or creating products that are appealing to youth. Thirdly youth will always be asked for proper identification upon purchasing cannabis, compared to buying off the street where age is not significant. The government is ultimately working to keep young people from using substances. All companies involved with cannabis must abide by all the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate, which can vary from country to country. Should laws change, the company may be required to adjust its operations to comply with the law or risk having legal action taken against it. In some cases, this may mean ending its business.
Marijuana is known to be an illegal substance. Whether it is used for recreational use, transport, or production and distribution, it is illegal. While legalizing marijuana may convince society to believe that these are now all legal it poses a huge red flag to the country of Canada, they are not. With legalization, all possession, production, and distribution outside the legal system will remain illegal. Laws and regulations restrict these to an appropriate level to ensure public safety. These restrictions include only being able to carry certain amounts/types of marijuana at once, homeowners are only allowed to cultivate four plants per household, and any sort of recreational marijuana use cannot be sold privately.
Marijuana is known widely as a psychoactive drug that stimulates the mind. Marijuana has after-effects after smoking/consuming. The most common is known as a euphoric, ‘high’ feeling. Marijuana is most commonly used recreationally, but a high percentage of people actually smoke for a sense of relief. Marijuana is known to calm feelings of anxiety, stress, and even depression. Marijuana is also used to help with the pain. Medical cannabis has been known to treat people with epilepsy, combat Alzheimer’s, help with pain, and to counteract the harsh drugs people use to treat these diseases. Many people rely on cannabis for medicinal purposes. Because cannabis is illegal, it is difficult to purchase it. There are ways to obtain marijuana legally under a medical marijuana license, however, it is also difficult to obtain and the disorder must be validated and classified as appropriate. Legalizing marijuana will allow people to have easy access to their medical uses. People who need marijuana for medicinal purposes can now purchase it easily and comfortably to fulfill any needs in which requires the consumption of the drug. While cannabis is scientifically proven to pose health benefits to frequent users, the smoking aspect is the only thing that diminishes this. However, cannabis does not have to smoke to be ingested but instead provides a variety of safer alternatives to consume such as eating. Research of cannabis over the years has helped developed extremely accurate information about the drug that highlights the key benefits it has to offer compared to other typical“street drugs” such as being physically impossible to overdose on marijuana. Marijuana being illegal still poses these health benefits, however, if it were legal it is much safer to purchase it from the legal source. The improved quality and control are regulated so there is no risk of overdosing on hidden drugs that could be contained in the marijuana sold on the streets.
