Legalization of Drugs in Canada

Legalization of marijuana is upon us in Canada. The government has looked into this for years and are trying to safeguard Canadians the best they can of any potential issues like driving impairment and possible medical issues. Nothing is 100%, and I'm sure they're doing the best they can to implement the new laws smoothly.

This subject comes up a lot with some of my friends. We often go on a tangent and get into legalization of drugs in general. Is Canada falling into a slippery slope of allowing more drugs to be legalized? Maybe the legalization of marijuana is a testing ground for other drugs to be legalized. I actually hope it is. I can see a ton of benefits from legalizing all drugs. However, I do see some reasons why we should have some laws against it.

Before I begin, I might want to begin by mentioning that I grew up sheltered. Please mind my ignorance for those that have suffered from drug abuse or victims of those that abused drugs. I realize this is a huge issue as well, and I won't be able to sway any of your opinions. I also have never had any drug issues in my life or have explored the drug scene. My viewpoint is definitely skewed and biased. Regardless here are some of my views.

I think all drugs should be legalized. I really don't think the government should be able to tell its citizens what they can and cannot do. They're supposed to be working for the people, not the other way around. Yes, I understand the laws are to protect us, but, if I want to become obese and eat poorly, I should have the option of doing it. The same thing goes for using cocaine. The counterpoint is that users of drugs could potentially harm others in an altered mental state. I understand that this could be an issue, but this is why we have laws against driving under the influence. We also have police to stop these individuals from repeat offences.

Then I come to the realization that we all pay taxes to relieve some of these issues: extra police and medical staff for universal health care. If people on drugs get into accidents, overdose, or cause harm to others, it'll come back to me. How many upstanding citizens do we have that properly pay taxes? I would have to pay for drug users' medical expenses through taxes? My opinion changed a little after thinking about that. I could see a lot of people going to the hospital, especially in the beginning when everything is new. However, we're supposed to make income from taxing the drugs. Not all users will go to the hospital and some users will remove themselves from our system when they overdose. That's a bleak and horrible point of view, but this is just a made up idea that I doubt will ever happen.

Legalization should also help steer people away from black markets, thus preventing gang violence—well, less of it. There will probably be a black market no matter what, but it's supposed to reduce some organized crime. That's definitely a possibility, and I believe that was one of the main reasons why marijuana is being legalized in Canada. I hope that's the case because gun violence in Canada seems to have risen.

Also, I always had this crazy vision of walking the streets where everyone was drugged up, and I would be able to take advantage as my mind would be clearer for not having taken any drugs. I guess it was my hope that the world would enter this cheat code for me so that I could instantly become that much stronger and smarter than a whole slew of people.

The legalization of marijuana probably won't cause too much of a change in Canada, but here's hoping that it might—at least in favor for me!