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Should Marijuana Be Legal?


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somebody got put in jail in Canada for smoking pot?

When was that?

Really, who gives a shit in 2015?

We just wasted 45 pages and some brain cells on a non-topic.

Surely, being charged with possession, not even convicted, can stop you being admitted to the US? So it is a topic for any of us that travel.

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People don't go to jail for marijuana possession, not even with Harper as PM. Legalizing dope is a wedge issue, the only reason for it is to sway a few voters in the direction of the Libs or NDP, otherwise no one cares - not even the conservatives.

No one cares? Try telling that to 59,000 people who were charged with possession in 2013. It's not a wedge issue it's just time a sensible approach was taken.

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And how many went to jail? The fact that you are obviously outraged enough just proves my point.

That's what a wedge issue is; Political parties take a menial issue like this and prop it up in hopes that weak minded individuals will forget about economy, taxes, crime, job creation etc etc. and focus on something so utterly ridiculous like marijuana and vote for them.

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And how many went to jail? The fact that you are obviously outraged enough just proves my point.

That's what a wedge issue is; Political parties take a menial issue like this and prop it up in hopes that weak minded individuals will forget about economy, taxes, crime, job creation etc etc. and focus on something so utterly ridiculous like marijuana and vote for them.

It might not be so ridiculous if you were on of the 59,000 who either went to jail and or had their ability to travel and acquire jobs curtailed over something as silly as smoking or carrying a joint. Not a wedge issue at all.

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OK...so what's more important...business, holidays, and relatives...or possession of dope ? Seems like an easy decision to me.

So if they brought a law in outlawing alcohol, you would apply the same logic? The law is nonsense on both sides of the border. Some people, mainly poorer people, are getting criminal records for an activity that is ubiquitous. In BC, the law has broken down, is widely ignored by the police and Harper is doing nothing about that because he knows he would lose votes if he does.

By any health measure, marijuana is safer than alcohol and causes far fewer social problems. Continuing with these laws makes no sense to reasonable people on either side of the border. The majority of Canadians want decriminalization at least.

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People don't go to jail for marijuana possession, not even with Harper as PM. Legalizing dope is a wedge issue, the only reason for it is to sway a few voters in the direction of the Libs or NDP, otherwise no one cares - not even the conservatives.

The RCMP are all to willing to lay charges. City police, not so much.

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People don't go to jail for marijuana possession, not even with Harper as PM. Legalizing dope is a wedge issue, the only reason for it is to sway a few voters in the direction of the Libs or NDP, otherwise no one cares - not even the conservatives.

And to add to that - if we're okay with it, let's formalize it - regulate and tax its sale.

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And how many went to jail? The fact that you are obviously outraged enough just proves my point.

That's what a wedge issue is; Political parties take a menial issue like this and prop it up in hopes that weak minded individuals will forget about economy, taxes, crime, job creation etc etc. and focus on something so utterly ridiculous like marijuana and vote for them.

Completely missing the point.

Even if people don't go to jail, they can wind up with a criminal record. This can be a tool for police to hassle young people. And speaking of crime, the biggest beneficiaries of prohibition are those in organized crime.

And proponents of prohibition should be forced to prove that the benefits of prohibition are greater than the cost. It can't be done.

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And how many went to jail? The fact that you are obviously outraged enough just proves my point.

That's what a wedge issue is; Political parties take a menial issue like this and prop it up in hopes that weak minded individuals will forget about economy, taxes, crime, job creation etc etc. and focus on something so utterly ridiculous like marijuana and vote for them.

Having a criminal record is a serious problem in many careers.

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Marijuana should be at least decriminalized, maybe even legalized - I agree! But out of the 0.1% of the population that ever gets charged, I can guarantee the the larger percentage of those end up thrown out, fined and given no record at all. If you're charged with possession, its bound to have extenuating circumstances attached. Sure it's a law, but so is trespassing and jaywalking.

As I said, it's a wedge issue. It's one issue that the NDP and Liberals can use to guarantee a certain amount of votes. They want to mobilize those people who show up at parliament on April 20 and smoke weed. People who care or know nothing else than "how cool it would be to legally smoke weed in the street".

I think voting in a government based on this issue is extremely irresponsible - but that's kids today.

Edited by Hal 9000
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Marijuana should be at least decriminalized, maybe even legalized - I agree! But out of the 0.1% of the population that ever gets charged, I can guarantee the the larger percentage of those end up thrown out, fined and given no record at all. If you're charged with possession, its bound to have extenuating circumstances attached. Sure it's a law, but so is trespassing and jaywalking.

As I said, it's a wedge issue. It's one issue that the NDP and Liberals can use to guarantee a certain amount of votes. They want to mobilize those people who show up at parliament on April 20 and smoke weed. People who care or know nothing else than "how cool it would be to legally smoke weed in the street".

I think voting in a government based on this issue is extremely irresponsible - but that's kids today.

Why do you suppose Harper wants to keep such an inane and archaic law on the books if not to try and suck up a few votes from it?

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You call it what you want, the fact you understand, like most Canadians that the law needs to be dropped, indicates you may be getting it.

It is what it is, i'm not making it up. I also think helmet laws should be dropped, but i'm not dumb enough to vote for someone based on that.

You see, conservative politicians know some of their constituents don't agree with legalizing weed, so the issue can be summed up by "keep it out of our face and we'll let it slide". I know many many people who smoke weed and have every day for years, and although some, a lot in fact have been caught or seen smoking weed by police, none have ever been charged.

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It is what it is, i'm not making it up. I also think helmet laws should be dropped, but i'm not dumb enough to vote for someone based on that.

You see, conservative politicians know some of their constituents don't agree with legalizing weed, so the issue can be summed up by "keep it out of our face and we'll let it slide". I know many many people who smoke weed and have every day for years, and although some, a lot in fact have been caught or seen smoking weed by police, none have ever been charged.

Then let's get it off the books if it's no longer needed.

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I also think it's important to recognize the word "incidents". You people - and most of the yellow articles you're citing are exchanging the word incidents with "charges" or "arrests". This is disingenuous. An incident could be a fine, it could also be a simple confiscation. Factor in the arrests that get thrown out or guilty with no record and the numbers of people with records suddenly become very minuscule.

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I also think it's important to recognize the word "incidents". You people - and most of the yellow articles you're citing are exchanging the word incidents with "charges" or "arrests". This is disingenuous. An incident could be a fine, it could also be a simple confiscation. Factor in the arrests that get thrown out or guilty with no record and the numbers of people with records suddenly become very minuscule.

I wouldn't call 59000 people in one year minuscule.

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But it's not 59,000 arrests and it's certainly not 59,000 people getting criminal records, that's the point.

No, the point is even being charged with that offence can have long reaching affects for such things as employment and travelling outside Canada, especially the US. Anyway, I suspect whichever party replaces Harper's will get that off the books in short order.

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