While marijuana became legal in all states and territories for adults 18 and older, it made Canada the second country to authorize recreational drug use. However, most notably, the Cannabis Act had many purposes. The production and sale of edible marijuana, marijuana extracts, and marijuana titles became legal in Canada under the Cannabis Act by provincial and local retailers. Cannabis dealers are licensed for medical purposes, but there is a need to ensure that the downside of legalization: More potheads, by Margaret Wente (2018) arguments are essential to note. While there are some fundamental gains from marijuana use, there is a need to take an active role in understanding what impact marijuana has and how to navigate them.
The downside of legalizing marijuana by Margaret Wente (2018) offers some basic understanding of the impacts of marijuana use from a practical perspective. There are indications that marijuana use has increased, and cases of marijuana-related crime among young people are very positive. There is no doubt that marijuana is a harmful substance, and legalizing marijuana normalizes it, increasing the user base and adversely affecting humans. I tend to understand the position of those opposing legalizing marijuana comes from. According to a criminal expert, legalization has been a significant factor in reducing the crime rate for marijuana cases. The legal benefits of cannabis are not shared equally, as the industry is white, unlike men.
According to the Cannabis Act, there are three main objectives for public health: keeping marijuana out of the hands of young people, keeping profits out of the pockets of criminals, and protecting public health and safety by allowing adults to obtain legal marijuana (“Cannabis Legalization and Regulation”, 2022). The benefits and adversities promoted by the use of marijuana stem from the hype generated by the media. Each province and region has compliance with additional regulatory requirements, including property restrictions, private investment, public use, and increasing the minimum user age. The act’s consideration of essential factors is commendable, but it must ensure that they are adequately implemented in practice.
The market and industry players are essential stakeholders to consider drug use’s adverse effects. Wente (2018) outlines that marijuana is presently viewed as an opportunity for profitability as the cannabis market in Canada is enormous, with a significant percentage of those benefiting from the sales of marijuana being business people. It is essential to explore this angle in the debate as they are stakeholders with considerable impact on policy development. The value of legalization in terms of impact on the business prospect is quite convincing and might have a more significant impact on the approach taken by the government (“Cannabis Legalization and Regulation”, 2022). Legalizing marijuana benefits is critical to everyone involved but needs to be reviewed often to navigate negative impacts.
The use of marijuana has some recorded benefits, which are considered against a need to take an active role in understanding its negative impact and how to navigate them. The detrimental aspect of drug use is an important consideration that needs to be adequately explored. While Wente spoke about how the view of pot had changed because it was introduced to have medical properties, there is a long-term impact of drug use that is significant in the discussion that often gets underplayed. The claims were made that the use of marijuana could treat cancer is a possible bait that the media, through business people, would have used to tilt the discussion since these claims impacted the demand for marijuana increased.
Cannabis Legalization and Regulation. Justice.gc.ca. (2022). Retrieved 9 April 2022, from https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/cannabis/.
WENTE, M. (2018). The downside of legalization: More potheads. The globe and mail. Retrieved 9 April 2022, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-downside-of-legalization-more-potheads/.