Marijuana
Laws are meant to keep society safe by forcing people to be accountable for their actions. While many laws are appropriately and effectively serving their purposes, unfortunately there are some laws that are not. No single rule, regulation, or law should not be set in stone since societal values and needs can change over time. The laws that are expected to run smoothly and be effective must reflect such changes. Canada’s marijuana laws were enacted with the intentions to benefit society, however, they are doing much more harm than good. Canada should definitely reform its laws regarding marijuana. Rather than criminalizing or decriminalizing marijuana altogether, marijuana should be made legal only for adults over the age of eighteen but prohibited while driving. Such reforms to marijuana laws can create benefits for society including decreased crime rates, improved Canadian economy, and helpful for medical purposes.
Canada needs to reform its laws regarding marijuana in order to decrease the crime rates in Canada. It has been reported that more than 60,000 Canadians face marijuana possession charges every year (Schwarz, 2013, p.2). The maximum penalty for cultivation of marijuana is 14 years. Frum (2012) suggests that many people try marijuana and quit without suffering from any long term side effects. If these individuals were caught in their “experimental stage” and were charged and convicted with marijuana possession, they would obtain a criminal record and potentially suffer consequences for the rest of their lives. Marijuana use is almost inevitable amongst individuals who have a curiosity for it and this curiosity should not result in criminal sanctions. According to Schwartz (2013), in 2002 a Senate committee released a report suggesting that Canada should legalize marijuana. In the report, it is argued that marijuana use should be an individual, personal choice that should not be faced with criminal penalties. However, the report also urged that rather than decriminalizing the drug altogether, it should be regulated like alcohol, wine, and cigarettes. Legalizing marijuana is an important step towards decreasing crime rates in Canada. Decreasing crime rates in Canada is also important for the well-being of Canadians, in regards to having criminal records. If an individual is caught and convicted with marijuana production, trafficking, or use, it can result in terrible consequences for the individual, including criminal records. Having a criminal record in Canada can have severely negative impacts on someone’s life, including the inability to get employment and travel out of Canada. Also, marijuana related arrests and charges are more likely to disproportionately affect blacks and Aboriginals. Although it has not been proven that Aboriginals or blacks use marijuana more than whites and other ethnicities, it has been found that police searches and arrests are targeted to these individuals more. Reforming the marijuana laws could reduce some of the discrimination and racism in the justice system. If marijuana was to be legalized, several other crimes would no longer be considered crimes anymore and crime rates would go down. The criminalization of marijuana results in an increase in crimes because of the taboo around the production, trafficking, and selling of marijuana being concentrated in illegal gangs and underground, dangerous businesses.
Legalizing marijuana can also be beneficial to the Canadian economy because it reduces government spending on the war on marijuana, keeps Canadian dollars away from criminal and international sources, and creates jobs. The legalization of marijuana can reduce the pressure on the criminal justice system in many ways, thus saving the government time, money, and resources. Police funding and resources can be better directed towards other, more serious crimes, courts can be relieved from the high case loads, and incarceration rates can go down. Overall, the criminal