Marijuana: the substance that should never be legalized

by Amanda Zhu 

Grade 9-10 writing class

44% of Canadians admitted that they have used marijuana at least once in their lifetime; in fact, 28% of Canadian students, under the age of 18, said that they have smoked weed in 2012. Canadians have different opinions about the legalization of marijuana. Some people believe that the legalization of cannabis will be accompanied with strict rules to prevent youths from touching drugs and will bring people with a prescription for the drug pain relief. However, others believe marijuana should not be legalized because of its side effects. Though marijuana has a medical use for killing pain, it should not be legalized in Canada, so as to avoid crimes caused by its side effects, and to prevent the increasing number of drug users as well as keep youths from using drugs.

To start with, legalizing cannabis can be seen as an encouragement to buy and consume drugs, hence, increasing the number of drug users and addicts. According to Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey, 92.8% of Canadians admitted that they had used alcohol at least once in their lifetime. Since alcohol is a legalized good in Canada and has such a large consumption, it is sure that the use of marijuana will increase rapidly after its legalization. Selling marijuana legally creates opportunities for drug addicts to get the things they want easily. Due to the Legalization of Marijuana Fact Sheet from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the legalization will lead to a lower price of cannabis, thereby increasing its use. The fact sheet also mentions that the use of marijuana now is restricted by the expensive price from drug dealers, as soon as the price goes down after the legalization, people with drug dependencies can have easier access to the drugs.

Moreover, the legalization of cannabis provides chances for people to use marijuana who have never been exposed to drugs and can result in addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that people who use drugs to kill pain could become drug dependent. Long-term use of marijuana causes users to have difficulties controlling their drug use and to need marijuana to function daily. Marijuana can entice people to start using drugs and purchasing more drugs and it can lead to drug dependency.

Despite the encouragement to use drugs and drug addiction as negative outcomes by the legalization of cannabis, even the medical use of marijuana can be a reason why a car accident or even violence happens. Marijuana has the effect of euphoria that makes people feel high and induce hallucination according to the introduction on TeensHealth. Driving after consuming marijuana is as hazardous as drunk driving. The Police Chief magazine has identified medical marijuana as a serious danger to highway users. According to research, almost 30 percent of hurt drivers tested positively for drugs other than alcohol, with marijuana being the main culprit. 

Beside car accidents, the consumption of marijuana also increases the possibilities of violence. The statistics from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes showed that 101,965 Canadians committed drug-related crime that includes violence as homicide and sexual violence. While it is true that marijuana comforts people from pain, it can also be argued that smoking weed increases people’s anxiety and panic that can lead to aggression. For example, CBC news reported that in February 2012, eight youths were arrested and were charged with 48 criminal offences after police raids; moreover, they were suspected to have long-term use of marijuana. Therefore, marijuana should not be legalized because of the hazards and the insecurities its side effects can cause.

Apart from the negative effects that using marijuana will bring, selling marijuana as legalized goods promotes underage drug use. Some people believe that strong regulations that restrict youths from using drugs will come out with the legalization of marijuana. However, it must also be recognized that only the regulation cannot stop teen desire to get age-restricted products. Canada has strong rules about underage drinking, but 2012 Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey showed that there are still almost 10 million youths that have consumed alcohol in 2012.  UNICEF reported that Canadian kids smoked the most marijuana in the western world. Large numbers of Canadian kids have already consumed marijuana even before a proposed legalization. The legalization of marijuana will only provide youths with a wrong idea that the medical use of marijuana will not cause any harm or dependency and offer them opportunities to get drug easily if their parents have prescription for marijuana. The facts about teens and drug use shows that prescription medicine causes more teen deaths than other illegal drugs; and teens who have painkiller abuse get their medicine from friends or relatives. According to Laurence Steinberg, distinguished university professor, "The teen brain is a work in progress, making it more vulnerable than the mature brain to the physical effects of drugs. The potential for developing substance abuse and dependency is substantially greater when an individual’s first exposure to alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs occurs during adolescence than in adulthood.” Canadian teens are not mature enough to welcome marijuana as a legalized prescription medicine and to resist the temptation of marijuana when they can get or steal it easily from peers or relatives with a prescription for it.

To conclude, Canada should not start to sell marijuana legally. Canada’s government should not waste millions of dollars on a legalization that will increase the possibilities of committing crimes and underage drug use. Society is not prepared enough to resist the temptation of marijuana that may result in drug dependency and even deaths. Every Canadian should learn the hazard of marijuana and recognize that the legalization of marijuana will be an error, just as what the U.S Supreme Court said about the legalization of cannabis: “It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error.”