There are thousands of things in our daily lives that are far more harmful on both an individual and social scale than marijuana could ever be.  Tobacco and alcohol are two that are often thrown around.  However, they are only slightly significant - people just like to use them as examples because they are also seen as ‘bad’, even though they are legal.

Peanut butter kills more people each month than have ever been directly linked to marijuana use.  So too do bicycles, sex, dog attacks, and police officers.  Then we have the pollution from cars causing asthma, acid rain and tons of other social and environmental harms.

Of course the prohibition of pot causes far more harm than the plant itself does as well.  Gangs and street crime surrounding the illegal trade in marijuana cause injury and damage to property and individuals.

So what does it mean to be ‘harmless’, and is it even relevant to any discussion of marijuana prohibition? Clearly you can see that NOTHING is 100% harmless, so ‘harm’ is an irrelevant concept in discussions of prohibition.  This article from Salon.com provides another really interesting explanation of the idea.

Eric

Here is a little video (from a US marijuana advocacy group) that briefly explores the reasons why pot is illegal in the U.S.  Now for those of us reading this post in Canada, it is important to remember that while this is video relates to the US, much of what happens here (in terms of government policy) is heavily influenced by pressure from US anti-drug agencies.

So why is Marijuana Illegal in Canada?

Well for no good reasons I can think of.

However there are some who would disagree with that, so here are some of the reasons why it is illegal in Canada.

1. Difficult to tax as it is so easy for anyone to grow (unlike alcohol).
2. Fearful politicians - Politicians are typically scared of doing anything that may have a remote chance of losing them a single vote
3. High levels of employment and funding in law-enforcement agencies.  Have you ever noticed how police forces argue so strongly against the legalization of marijuana - that’s because they stand to lose millions of dollars in funding when marijuana is legalized.
4. Industrial lobbying against hemp based products.  Hemp is an incredible source of high quality fibre, and high quality seeds.  The fibre is as good or better than most wood fibres used for paper, and rivals flax for use in cloth and clothing.  It can be produced huge volumes annually - the forest (pulp/paper) industry doesn’t really like this.  The seeds provide very good quality oil that is used for cooking, cosmetics, and many other purposes - but may compete with other oil crops like canola and sunflower.
5. Pharmaceutical lobbying - Since God created marijuana large pharmaceutical companies can’t make their billions flogging it on unsuspecting population like they do their TONS of chemically derived mind-altering substances (opiates, anti-depressents etc.).  They don’t want to compete against one of the most ancient, most natural, and most effective medicines available.

Anyhow, that should be enough to get you started thinking about marijuana legalization in a new light.  If you’d like to learn more about the history of marijuana prohibition, I’d recommend reading this article from Salon.com

Do your part….learn more…become an advocate for marijuana legalization in Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dwain Lingenfelter on his successful bid to become the leader of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan. While I’m offering him my congratulations, and best of luck, I’d like to extend a simple challenge to him as well.

As a member of the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party I’d like to see him take the very simple step of changing his party’s opposition to the legalization of marijuana. It would be very easy for the NDP take a stand in support of the legalization of marijuana and strengthen their current, albeit weak, support for the decriminalization of marijuana. Doing so would move them more in line with popular opinion on the use and legalization of marijuana.

Marijuana is far less harmful, both socially and medically, than other recreational substances, such as alcohol, which are legal. As a medicinal product, it has many benefits, with fewer side-effects than many drugs commonly prescribed by doctors which are often very addictive (opiate based pain killers), or have serious and multiple side-effects.

Having marijuana use and production as a criminal offense is an untenable and expensive drain on society. It needlessly clogs the court system with trivial cases, steals 10’s of thousands of man-hours from police forces, and wastes millions of dollars keeping people who are otherwise lawful in prisons around the country. This is perhaps the worst part – thousands of ordinary people like you and I can be labeled as criminals, and carry a criminal record for an act that Canadians see as acceptable, and have for the most part participated in themselves.

So, Mr. Lingenfelter, I’d like to ask you to take a simple step and bring your party in line with popular opinion and actively support the legalization of marijuana. It’s good for the economy, good for the criminal justice system, and good for the people.

What: Saskatoon’s 5th Annual Global Marijuana March

When: Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 @ 4:20 p.m.

Where: Vimy Ridge Memorial beside the Bessborough Hotel

Why: To educate the public about drug policy.

We start the march at Vimy Ridge Memorial and we end up at the front steps of city hall, just down the street from the Saskatoon Police station.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Civic Square at City Hall, 222 3rd Avenue North

Concerned individuals are hosting Neil Magnuson of the Freedom Tour 2008

Neil Magnuson will be in Saskatoon Saturday, September 20 on the Saskatoon leg of his Freedom Tour 2008.  Neil is rollerblading from Vancouver to Ottawa, celebrating what he recognizes as a new human right: the right of access to hemp in all its forms.

In the U.S., private, for-profit prison corporations are raking in billions of dollars filling contracts using prison labour supplied by the justice system at taxpayers expense (yet another hidden subsidy).

The reefer-madness of the 1900’s continues today with misinformation and horror stories. If we were really concerned about harms caused by drug abuse, we would encourage the use of cannabis as a safer and saner alternative to really deadly drugs like tobacco and alcohol.

The truth is that many people use cannabis. If you don’t know many people who use cannabis, then you have lived a sheltered life.  Recent surveys report that more than 16% of Canadians admit to a stranger that they use cannabis.  Cannabis, however, is neither bad nor good: if used properly, it can provide some individuals with great benefits and at worst is a waste of time for those who use it improperly.  The fact that the great majority of people can make this decision wisely is reflected by the fact that by every measure – educational success, intelligence, monetary achievement, longevity, and health – cannabis users are indistinguishable from the rest of the population.

Legislation passed first reading in the recently dissolved parliament to introduce mandatory minimum jail sentences for cannabis-related crimes. If these laws are reintroduced, then we are in for a U.S. Style war on drugs with many more people in prison and many more people hurt.

Don’t let it be said:

When they came for the pot smokers,
I did not speak out …

see http://freedomtour.ca

I would like to thank everybody who made this event possible. I greatly appreciate the fact that City Hall always approves my application for a permit. I owe a special thank you to Sargeant Kane who showed up at the end of our event and spoke to many young people about the drug laws. I am grateful that there are so many wonderful people in Saskatoon who support our cause.

Tanya Derbowka

What: Saskatoon’s 4th Annual Global Marijuana March

When: Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 @ 4:20 p.m.

Where: Vimy Ridge Memorial beside the Bessborough Hotel

Why: To educate the public about drug policy.

We start the march at Vimy Ridge Memorial and we end up at the front steps of city hall, just down the street from the Saskatoon Police station. Join us for free hot dogs and pop.

Update: Here is a picture of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. I have also included a map I copied from Mapquest.