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http://www.canada.com/news/national/legalization+activists+caught+cannabis+conundrum/6205820/story.html#ooid=hudjhsMzr8JhATQyfglk5mR-NbjjMfoh
Two different views on pot legalization.
About 75 years ago, parliamentarians sounded the alarm over an emerging "menace" — marijuana — that if left unchecked, could have "far-reaching, poisonous and demoralizing effects" on the country's youth, according to debate records.
A front-page Globe and Mail article from 1937 said the "narcotic evil" had the potential to cause insanity and turn "quiet, respectable youths into raving murderers."
Today, marijuana is accepted as a medical treatment. Stores peddle all forms of paraphernalia, from ganja party games to bong cleaners. And some groups are lobbying to end pot prohibition altogether.
They concur that prohibition has failed because it has created a black market, overrun by violent gang members and because the drug's availability and consumption — including among teenagers — has not fallen, despite billions of dollars spent on enforcement.
They agree that legalization is a better way to go because police resources would be freed up to deal with more serious crimes and that it would boost tax revenues.
dquan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/dougquan
Original source article: Pot legalization activists caught in a 'cannabis conundrum'
A front-page Globe and Mail article from 1937 said the "narcotic evil" had the potential to cause insanity and turn "quiet, respectable youths into raving murderers."
Today, marijuana is accepted as a medical treatment. Stores peddle all forms of paraphernalia, from ganja party games to bong cleaners. And some groups are lobbying to end pot prohibition altogether.
They concur that prohibition has failed because it has created a black market, overrun by violent gang members and because the drug's availability and consumption — including among teenagers — has not fallen, despite billions of dollars spent on enforcement.
They agree that legalization is a better way to go because police resources would be freed up to deal with more serious crimes and that it would boost tax revenues.
dquan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/dougquan
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Original source article: Pot legalization activists caught in a 'cannabis conundrum'
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