Health Minister Jane Philpott spoke before the United Nations General Assembly today. The purpose of the meeting was to address drug problems on a global scale. While some might assume the health minister would discuss law enforcement efforts to stop drug crimes, she took a different direction. According to Philpott, Canada is going to strive to make marijuana legal by 2017. She expects it to happen in the spring of next year.
Naturally, making marijuana legal could also cut back on crime, as fewer arrests would need to be made for distribution, possession and other related charges.
She acknowledged that this is not what is being done in many countries, and that it ran counter to the status quo. However, she said it was the single best way to increase public safety and protect the younger generation at the same time.
On thing she noted was that she felt it was impossible to make enough arrests to end the problems with drugs. She was perhaps referencing the War on Drugs that has been going on in the neighbouring United States since the 1970s. Despite millions of arrests, marijuana use is still widespread. Philpott's suggestion is that it is not more arrests that are needed to improve things, but the legality of marijuana.
There are not many countries that have made marijuana completely legal, as Uruguay did it first in just 2013. However, this movement has been gaining traction, both in the United States and Canada.
It's critical for Canadians everywhere to keep an eye on the laws to see if the promised changes do come to pass by 2017.
Source: Global Post, "Canada to legalize marijuana in 2017: health minister," April 20, 2016
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