By Jon Hiltz
In a highly predictable move, the prohibitionist group in Canada named Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is calling for a minimum age requirement of 25 for marijuana consumption.
The statement called for the legalization of marijuana to be a very slow process in Canada, a ten-year period so that Canadians can be ‘educated’ about its so-called ‘risks.’ In a report from News 1130, SAM member Pamela McColl said: “The Canadian population is not educated on marijuana, the perception of risk is declining and so they may be well advised to take ten years to do this.”
McColl went on to cite the often-used and always disproven argument that normalizing weed for adults and making it available will increase the number of teens using it. A recent article in Scientific American revealed a study that marijuana use in Colorado high schools has dipped since legalization and is below the national average in the U.S.
The marijuana task force in Canada, made up of nine members appointed by the Trudeau Government, are the bodies responsible to usher in this new green era for the great white north. One of their assignments is to establish a minimum age requirement for recreational marijuana consumption, and that can either be across the country, or each province may be able to choose their own.
One of the industries that the group is looking at closely is alcohol, which is heavily regulated across Canada by the federal and provincial governments. The minimum age requirement for this highly consumed product is 19 in most provinces and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec.
It should be noted when comparing these two industries and the minimum age requirement, that alcohol poisoning causing injury or death is an unfortunate part of society but nonetheless a regular occurrence. Statistics Canada reported to Marijuana.com that in 2012 there were 69 reported deaths across the country due to alcohol poisoning. Overdosing on marijuana on the other hand is scientifically proven to be impossible.
No doubt as Canadians input their opinions on marijuana reform, groups like SAM will have their views included. The important thing is for those of us who want marijuana to be as free as possible, meaning consumers are able to buy in many places and cultivate at home, we need our views to be heard more. There’s nothing wrong with a little sour cream in your donut, but ultimately the whole thing has to be sweet.
