The world we know has not
always been this way. People and their customs change, and so do cultures and
countries. All in all, humans were never meant to remain in the same spot.
Although my point is vague, I am getting somewhere, I assure you. Before a new
practice can become mainstream, and widely accepted, society has to evolve. But
I am not going to continue speaking about pointless things; let’s look at the
recent controversy about the legalisation of cannabis in Canada. Our federal
government has decided to make history. “Let’s legalise marijuana,” they
promoted in their campaign, which came under fire by many who oppose the idea.
Now, let’s look at why people would fear the hemp. Generally speaking, cannabis
is already being consumed rather freely by many, and it is difficult to not
know at least one person who smokes it even without consuming it yourself. So
why is it such a controversial subject of discussion? Wouldn’t it be logical to
just legalise it and control the substance instead of having your kids, friends
or the hobo-down-the-street have to buy from the “man in the trench coat” who
gets his pot from “a guy”? Would it be wrong to control the substance? Well now
I made a mess by opening this massive can of worms.
“It’s immoral to sell drugs and
profit off the dependence of an addict!” a woman in the room exclaimed.
“Drugs are bad; why else would
we already ban cigarettes?” another man joined in.
“I don’t smoke; why should this concern me?”
the uninterested teenager asked.
Well quite simply put, all
these arguments (excluding that savvy teenager) are real concerns, but that can
be rationally justified with some quick facts.
With my joint in-hand I begin
to answer my fictional (yet real) questions. Directing the half lit joint at
the concerned lady I say to that, “bullhawky!”
Let’s first remember that marijuana is categorised as soft drug, meaning that it
does not give a “high” great enough to make you dependent, at least not without
excess. If, like anything in life, you take it in excess, you will likely
become dependent and/or die, to be blunt about my point. So, of course, someone
might become dependent like one would with alcohol if consumed in excess. Look
at the living situation for those victims to marijuana right now, however. To
make a fair assumption, if you have a dependence (let’s say it’s problematic
and potentially crippling) then what do you do right now to seek help if what
you are doing is criminal? Are you tempted to seek help if you’re, in the eyes
of society, a no-good criminal? No, instead, they might throw you in a cell or
force you to rehab, but, either way, your life is on hold. Here is where
legalisation actually becomes a benefit to the consumer; it removes the stigma that
is attached to “pot-heads”. Instead, you can become a social weed smoker like
you can for cigarettes and alcohol consumers. As for the people who have
trouble, then we can have actual open help for them, and people would be better
educated about the use and handle or cannabis because it would be under
governmental responsibility.
Now, look at that man that
jumped into the conversation without first presenting himself… He raises the
fair point that legalising weed shouldn’t be done because we’re already trying
to ban cigarettes. In other words, why eat a donut instead of a cupcake if
they’re both going to make you fat? Well, cannabis (pure cannabis with no THC)
is actually not so harmful (if it even is), especially when comparing it to a
cigarette, which is essentially like inhaling bleach, in my totally unbiased
opinion. Recent research has actually shown it has beneficial consequences
(when taken in moderation) because it calms down the nerves and numbs the body
slightly. Its popularity has greatly increased in recent years as a medicinal
drug, raising further points such as the fact that many health experts use it
without any major reported incidents that backfired. So to make my point
clearer, drugs aren’t always bad and have nothing to do with cigarettes; both
are different.
Now looking at that teenager,
well I really want to say that, no, it doesn’t concern you immediately, but it
might affect a loved one, or a friend or one of their loved ones. Essentially,
I’m getting to a point where pot has become so widely spread that everybody
knows someone (whether it be directly or indirectly) that smokes it. So their
wellbeing and freedom of choice is at stake. Of course not everyone will agree
with my assessment and my opinion may shock others but speaking from a sound
mind, it seems to me that those who consume cannabis aren’t the bad guys here
(for the most part); they are those who oppress their freedom of choice, and
who, unknowingly, are doing the wrong thing. Alas! the world is full of people
with good intentions and who’s to say what is right and what is wrong?
To finish off, society is
still evolving and, in Canada, people are starting to accept cannabis but so many things are still left
undiscussed and mysterious to most. This is why a healthy discussion about a
healthy substance makes for a great time! If everyone were as stubborn as I
was, we would never reach an agreement, lets just be glad that at times like
these we can light up a joint and just chill.
P.S. I don’t smoke pot, but I don’t
oppose it!
No comments:
Post a Comment