After watching what has occurred in Colorado in the aftermath of marijuana legalization, some people in Canada are calling for legalization. They claim the drug is harmless and not highly addictive. They claim it is not a gateway to harder drugs. They claim that legalizing it will not cause an influx of users. They also claim it will greatly benefit society by allowing the government to collect taxes on the sale of it.
To claim marijuana is harmless is like saying smoking tobacco is harmless. We know smoking can lead to cancer including cancer in individuals who don't smoke themselves but are exposed to the smoke from other people's cigarettes. I don't know if smoking marijuana can lead to cancer like cigarettes but marijuana does alter your brain. Any substance that alters the way you perceive things or the way you think is dangerous. And how does long term marijuana use affect brain functions?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse website (http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana), marijuana affects brain development and if used heavily by youth it can affect thinking and memory for a long time or even permanently. "But youth won't be allowed to buy it," the pro-legalization camp counters. Really? How many of you know kids who started smoking cigarettes in their teens, or drinking alcohol, or using illegal drugs? I knew of kids that did and I grew up in a sheltered small town where most youth avoided those substances. Do you really think a teen won't find a way to get marijuana? They are getting it now and it isn't even legal yet. There were children in Colorado who took marijuana from their parents or grandparents and tried to sell it at school and they weren't even teenagers yet. According to a Denver Post article from November 2013 ( http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24501596/pot-problems-colorado-schools-increase-legalization) school officials are seeing an increase of infractions involving marijuana among students of middle and high schools. Colorado law prohibits marijuana for anyone under twenty-one. Just because the law says they can't have it doesn't mean a determined youth won't be able to get it.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse website also states that heart rates increase immediately after smoking marijuana and that smokers have an increased risk of heart attack especially if they are older or already have heart issues. Using marijuana also causes mental health issues. It can cause an increase in problems for those with certain mental illnesses like schizophrenia and long-term use can lead to psychosis. And don't even get me started on what it can do to a baby if the mom uses it while pregnant. We already have so many babies affected by alcohol and drugs while in utero do we really need to add to the problem?
Some claim that the police no longer want to enforce laws regarding possession and I understand why an officer does not want to go through the time and paperwork to arrest someone with one joint but that doesn't mean it should be legalized. I think they can come up with some kind of alternate way to deal with this kind of infraction without legalizing marijuana.
And what about the hazards imposed on others by marijuana smokers. Does secondhand marijuana smoke cause problems for those who happen to inhale it? I'm not sure but it is proven that driving while high from marijuana increases your chances of being in a collision and that can certainly have a negative impact on the other drivers on the road. The National Institute on Drug Abuse website states that marijuana mixed with alcohol increases impairment more than either substance on it's own. Can you imagine the danger posed by someone who goes to a party, has a few beers, smokes a joint or two and then decides to drive home?
In conclusion, I believe the dangers of marijuana use far outweigh any perceived benefits claimed by the pro-legalization supporters. Legalization will open up a Pandora's box that we will not be able to close again.
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