jeff.hume.ca DYNAMIC

This information is a little disconcerting. The US says there will be "consequences" if Canada decriminalizes pot. I don't like this attitude. I don't see why the American government should be "forced to respond" to our policies. We aren't hurting them. Their argument that it would make it easier for Americans to get pot is absurd since so many Americans have it already anyways. There wont be a huge black market across the border or anything.

Also, how would it make Canada look worse in the eyes of the World? Many countries would probably like the decision and respect it. A simple thing such as this shouldn't change a country's status in the global community and it wont. I heard an interesting interview on CBC this morning that said that a large number of Americans want pot to be decriminalized, however, the government doesn't want to face that. The man argued that they want to suppress this in Canada so that Americans don't get any ideas about having decriminalization there instead of suppressing it in Canada so that Americans can't get it.

I don't know where I stand on the whole pot thing. I don't do it, and I never will, but I don't judge those that do. I don't drink alcohol either. Are they equally as safe? Yet one is legal.

Either way, I sure as hell don't care what other countries do. Just my own. And lately my own seems to be acting like a three year old. "I want it my way or I'm gonna scream my head off."

Posted by: Erik J. Barzeski at May 7, 2003 03:06 PM

I read another interview from the U.S. ambassador to Canada and he said that if it were still illegal to traffic and export, the U.S. wouldn't have a problem. I think the threat is coming from a misunderstanding of what Canada is proposing. All they're saying is if you get caught with a small amount of pot, you'll get a fine instead of jail time. No other policy changes are being considered.

It is true that the official stand of the U.S. government is vastly different from most American people. I think the new policy should help Canadian tourism (:

Posted by: Guinevere at May 7, 2003 05:05 PM

Erik,
Weird. I haven't noticed any problems with the remember info. I'll look into it though.

I don't condone pot use and don't use it myself, but I can't understand why it is criminal. A criminal record can seriously screw some things up.

I just don't like the US sticking it's head into our issue.

Guin, how could they have had that big a misunderstanding? I guess they don't read up on the issue before they speak out against it.

Posted by: Jeff at May 7, 2003 10:01 PM

I feel like it would be worth mentioning that it's a fairly well-known fact that colored people bear the brunt of the law enforcement when it comes to drugs. Is this because of disproportionate usage? Who gives a shit? Why the hell is marijuana illegal when alcohol is legal? Sometimes I feel like it's just so we'll have an excuse to arrest more black people.

Posted by: The Valrus at May 7, 2003 10:25 PM

I think you're right on the money Jeff, they simply didn't take the time to understand what Canada was going to do. However, the drug enforcement agency in the U.S. is very serious about their work and would probably consider even this minor change an extreme problem. The ambassador might understand the issue more.

I don't know how much of a black/white issue this is in Canada, but there is a definate rural/urban discrepancy in treatment. There was a story on Canada.com a week or two ago that where kids in Toronto were getting only warnings from police for possessing small amounts of pot, kids in rural parts of the country were getting arrested and amassing criminal records.

Posted by: Guinevere at May 7, 2003 11:23 PM

"I feel like it would be worth mentioning that it's a fairly well-known fact that colored people bear the brunt of the law enforcement when it comes to drugs. Is this because of disproportionate usage?"

That's absolutely why, that and their propencity to be so open about it. The people I hung out with, back in my herbal ages, did the stuff in privacy, out in the woods, on camp-outs, or in our garages. The guy we bought from, who was black, was smoking his inventory in the middle of pretty busy suburb streets under street lights...

In any case, Marijuana is our prohibition. We've lost the war on drugs, and prisons are filling up on your tax dollars because we confine these people. People want a war on drugs to keep these drug dealers off our streets... If you take away the crime, they won't be on your streets, they couldn't compete with the mass production of the corporate growers that would undoubtedly rise if they could. No one can argue that the stuff is harmful, and therefore should be illegal, look at all the harmful crap that's completely legal to buy, including alcohol.

Posted by: Mike at May 9, 2003 04:16 PM

Well, it is interesting to note that about 40% of the pot used in the USofA, comes from Kentucky. That's not to mention some of the places in California. I myself am all for decriminalization of pot, but certainly Canada doing so should have nothing do with our country's policy towards canada at all, except maybe stricter border patrols. It's not that big of a deal as our government makes of it. It's a domestic problem if anything. Bah! It makes our government look extremely like Big Brother. Oi.

Posted by: Vinay Venkatesh at May 11, 2003 03:45 PM

I am all for decriminalization of marijuana. this will lower the class A drugs consumption.

Posted by: seeds at September 20, 2003 11:23 AM