I think I'm changing my colours...seems pretty clear to me...
Thank you for writing about marijuana legalization.
Marijuana prohibition has not worked. The Green Party of Canada fully supports removing marijuana from the drug schedule. The Green Party would legalize marijuana, create a regulatory framework for the safe production of marijuana by small growers, and institute a tax rate similar to that on tobacco. The war on drugs has been disastrous for our country. The Canadian government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars enforcing drug laws and the industry has only grown. All we have to show for our efforts is a drug trade that operates underground with impunity, a mistrust of law enforcement among marginalized communities, and a criminalized youth. As marijuana would be regulated similarly to tobacco, small scale personal production should be supported by the new regulations.
We need a new strategy for healthy and strong communities. The Green Party of Canada believes that it is time to have an adult conversation about ending the war on drugs. This may mean shifting towards an understanding of drug addiction as a health problem, not a criminal vice. By redirecting the millions of dollars spent on law enforcement into mental health and addiction services we can tackle the problem of substance abuse in a simple way: by supporting those seeking help with addictions, not jailing them!
The Green Party recognizes that marijuana use has risks and negative health effects. However, there is little reason to believe that these risks are any greater than those of alcohol and tobacco. Adult Canadians have the right to make reasonable choices about their health, as long as they are also provided with the full information about their choices. For this reason, when marijuana is legalized and taxed, the Green Party would dedicate a share of this revenue to research and public education about the health effects of marijuana. After years of utterly ineffectual policies, it’s time for a new approach to how we deal with marijuana. Legalization and taxation is the only sensible way forward.
You can learn more about our drug policy
here.
Thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
Justeen
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Justeen Gales
Information Officer
Green Party of Canada |
Parti vert du Canada
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