GUEST SOAP: Pot can help the economy, stupid
By: Adam Smith, Mcgill Tribune (CN QU Edu), 11-29-05


Advocating a continued ban on marijuana, as Genevieve Jenkins did in the pages of this paper last week, is completely off base for a number of reasons. She says that it can't be argued that pot should be legalized because alcohol and tobacco are equally bad yet already legal, but she's wrong. The reason those things are legal, despite their ill effects, is that society accepts them as such. Marijuana has now reached essentially the same stage. Like it or not, a lot of people are smoking pot these days, and our anti-marijuana laws are no longer in line with the will of the people.

Jenkins writes that "once the government becomes involved [with pot], it would be responsible for covering the health care cost for marijuana-related health problems." She also complains that "Canada supposedly spends $400-million a year to enforce marijuana laws and that this would only increase if it were legalized." However, she is wrong on both counts.

When someone gets lung cancer, the government doesn't ask how they got it and refuse to pay for the treatment if it was caused by marijuana smoking; our universal health care system already pays for all marijuana-related health problems. As for increased enforcement costs, that is ludicrous. If pot were legalized, legitimate growing businesses would start up. Rather than having grow-ops hiding in basements, these sanctioned operations could take advantage of economies of scale and produce pot at a much lower cost, driving the grow-ops and dealers out of business. The only costs would be setting up the same sort of regulatory system that is now in place for alcohol and tobacco, which should not be very expensive.

Marijuana is part of the underground economy, so it is hard to say exactly what effect legalization would have on its price, but there should be enough of a reduction for pot to be cheaper than it is now, even after the government slaps a nice fat excise tax on it. Indeed, the added tax revenue is perhaps the biggest argument in favour of legalising pot. It could help pay for the health problems it is already causing, as well as an improvement in anti-drug programs.

There is no point in moralizing on this issue. Pot is already illegal, yet its use is widespread. Pundits may go on and on about its evils, but that isn't going to stop people from smoking it. The time has come for the powers that be to take a sensible, practical approach to this issue. Legalizing marijuana would not only bring in more tax revenue, it would also allow the government to regulate the industry and better control the cannabis trade to protect consumers.

It may surprise you to learn that I don't smoke pot; I can't stand the stuff. However, the fact is that the government needs to get with the times. People are using marijuana, and that's not going to change any time soon. The government should make the smart decision to legalize it, tax it and regulate it.

© 2005 H.U.M.A.N.: Hemp Users Medical Access Network - Toronto Medical Marijuana