Canadian Decriminalization of Marijuana

Canadian Decriminalization of Marijuana

The decriminalization of Marijuana will be in effect as of October 17, 2018, and available to any person 19 years of age and older in Canada. In 1923, Marijuana – Cannabis Indica – was criminalized through an Act introduced by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie. In 2000, the Canadian Court ruled that Canadians have a constitutional right to use Cannabis for medicinal purposes. Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2013 electoral platform included the full legalization of Cannabis and its removal from the Controlled Drug and Substances Act for the betterment and safety of all Canadian citizens. Trudeau’s platform outlined decriminalizing the drug and controlling the sale of the narcotic, thus creating more difficulty for underaged individuals to obtain the drug: similar to cigarettes. Regulating the sale of Marijuana through decriminalization would enable the government to monitor its usage more effectively. While some Canadians welcome and anticipate the full legalization of Marijuana, other parties view it as harmful and dangerous. The effects of Marijuana and its usages are vastly unknown and present a concern more notably among medical professionals and researchers. The perceived rush to legalize Marijuana leave professionals apprehensive of the long-term side effects it may have on an individual. The general belief is that enough data has not been collected to establish an adequately weighted medical consensus to approve the use and sale of the drug entirely. Uncertainties remain about the drug’s effects, yet there is one factor that is agreeable between both sides of this argument: the need for controlled and continued research of Cannabis Indica.

Works Cited

Schwartz, Daniel. “Marijuana was criminalized in 1923, but why?” CBC News, May 6, 2014, www.cbc.ca/news/health/marijuana-was-criminalized-in-1923-but-why-1.2630436.

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