FACE TO FACE: Should Canada (pass the Cheetos) legalize marijuana?
It seems my colleague opposite and I both agree that the current laws and regulations that deal with marijuana are not working.
The laws, which prohibit cultivation, distribution and use of the drug, have led to high rates of gang violence and huge expenses associated with growing enforcement costs and expensive legal proceedings.
Where my colleague and I differ, however, is on how to move forward.
My colleague suggests the solution to these problems is decriminalization. While decriminalization is a good first step, it's only a half-step and will not stop the gang violence.
According to a recent report commissioned by Stop the Violence BC, incidents of drug market violence are on the rise despite a continent-wide "war on drugs" that has collectively cost North American taxpayers more than $240 trillion over the last 40 years.
Neill Franklin, who heads Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, recently told The Province newspaper that the criminalization of pot is the direct cause of most murders in British Columbia.
The only solution to alleviate the crime, associated with the pot trade, is to legalize the drug. We need to treat marijuana like we do alcohol and tobacco.
Certainly, as police officers and health professionals will tell you, smoking marijuana can have many adverse effects. But there are also adverse effects associated with drinking and smoking, and we don't prohibit booze and tobacco. Instead, we regulate and promote responsible consumption.
Legalizing marijuana would allow governments to regulate the growth, production, distribution and possession of the substance. It would also give governments the added benefit of earning tax revenue from its sale.
The Fraser Institute pegs the value of Canada's illegal cannabis market at approximately $7 billion annually - at minimum, that could mean upwards of $2 billion in tax revenues for federal and provincial governments.
That would mean hundreds of millions of dollars a year to invest in our health care system and hundreds of millions of dollars to promote responsible use of pot.
Simply put, prohibition of marijuana has been an abject failure in this country. It's time to put the gangs that make money from weed out of business.
Andy Radia is a Coquitlam resident and political columnist who writes for Yahoo! Canada News and Vancouver View Magazine. He has been politically active in the Tri-Cities, having been involved with election campaigns at all three levels of government, including running for Coquitlam city council in 2005.
