I still have trouble believing it, but in just a few hours it will be Marijuana Freedom Day in Canada.
And although some of the old geezers in the blogosphere are claiming it's no big deal.
It is a big deal, for this reason alone.
It will help keep young people out of jail, or from having their lives ruined by a criminal record.
Especially minority kids or indigenous ones.
And it will also spare the millions of marijuana users of all ages from being made to feel like criminals, for using a drug that is gentler and safer than alcohol.
I wish the TV stations had mentioned that, but they didn't. Instead their coverage resembled an updated version of Reefer Madness.
Which although it wasn't as scary as this version.
Still seemed so unnecessary.
For ending the Great War on Marijuana is a good thing. A very good thing.
So is this.
And as a bonus, millions and millions of mostly young people all over the world will think of Canada as a really cool place.
For which we must thank Justin Trudeau who took the political risk five years ago to do the right thing...
And though he took a lot of heat for it, he never backed down.
It remains a political risk, for you can be sure that Andrew Scheer will be looking for anything he can use against Trudeau.
And that if he ever becomes Prime Minister he will re-criminalize marijuana and jail thousands of young Canadians just like the monstrous Stephen Harper did.
As for me, when midnight arrives I'm going to smoke a joint I've been saving for weeks.
I'm going to crank up a reggae music CD, which I also made for this occasion, with several versions of "Legalize It."
I'm going to think of all those who suffered for nothing, and all those who fought those unjust laws.
And then I'm going to walk on to my balcony, look up at the sky, and shout (not too loudly.)
Hallelujah !! Hallelujah !!
The Great War on Marijuana is over at last...
Living in B.C. where weed stores have been part of the commercial landscape for some years, legalizing it, is just a yawn. However, back in the late 1960s you'd get tossed in jail for dealing even small amounts. If you weren't well to do you could get tossed in jail for possession. By the 1980s things had chilled out in B.C. Yes, the criminal element has big and they were a problem, but that was organized crime and not much was done about that type of dealing. There would be the big bust from time to time, but not so much you'd notice.
ReplyDeleteNow it is a legal drug sold in legal stores and taxes will be paid on it. yes, some will still go to their old dealers, because its less expensive, but many will simply grow their own.
I'm happy Trudeau legalized it. No one can be sent to jail for it any more, it can't wreck lives, like it did in the 1960s and 70s.
As an aging baby boomer, there have been people who have been smoking weed since the late 1960s to date. They grew up, got educations, developed careers, marriages, businesses, etc. Had kids, raised them, have grandkids and there was no "refeer madness" as some idiots like to declare. Most of them would ban booze if they could. Dancing, also. its a religious thing.
there are a lot of mind altering substances out there. The one that really makes some people violent, is booze, and lord knows the number of abused spouses and children walking around this country having been a victim of a booze induced rage. Never did meet anyone who beat up their spouses and/or kids when smoking weed.
Now if they could just get around to giving people clean drugs at the Safe Injection Sites. Yes, I know there is a problem with them in dougie's mind, such as it is, but in B.C. they've been great and save lives. Now if addicts were able to go to a safe injection site and receive their shot of heroin things would be a lot better because in B.C. it has been determined there is no clean heroin left. its all stepped on with fent.
So at last! I knew this day would come, I truly did, so I'm going to have a drink. Might take up growing my own 4 plants although back in the day it was 6 plants under the grow lux lamps. Oh, I did work full time, had a career, paid taxes, the whole 9 yards,
Hi e.a.f...thank you for this great comment. I agree with everything you say. The war on marijuana never made any sense. Not when alcohol is so much more dangerous. I don't drink or take any other drugs, but occasionally I enjoy smoking a joint, and as I said in my post I'm glad I can do that now without being made to feel like a criminal. I'm also considering whether to grow one pot plant in my place. I'm sure I would never be able to grow anything good enough to smoke, but it's such a pretty plant I think it would look nice in the middle of my other house plants...🌻
DeleteI just found out that a friend of mine who I knew from another website, and who lived on Vancouver Island, took her own life last night after a lifelong struggle with depression. So this is a bittersweet day for me. Besides the fact that Trump and Sessions have made rolling a joint a de facto justification for doing life at Gitmo, I personally can't and thus don't use marijuana or really have any "vices" (for lack of a better word) even if I wanted to, because of mental health concerns of my own. I don't know if she did either. But I'll light one up in my heart for her nonetheless, and for a friendlier, happier Canada in spite of all the haters on stampede. 🤗
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday eve also to Pierre, who'd be 99 tomorrow, and to Xavier who will be 11 already and shares a birthday with his storied grandpa. The next-generation Trudeaus really are... growing like weeds. 🌱 🌿 🌻
And one more toke over the line for Justin and Margaret, who my friend was fond of, and who've made mental health advocacy and the building of a better world their life's work. Godspeed Canada, and best wishes from the "Untied" States. The Maple "Leaf" Forever. 🍁 Now burn that Con scum up in smoke. 🔥
Hi Jackie...I am so sorry to hear about your friend, what a sad thing. My heart goes out to you. Depression is such a beast and so hard to beat. Even those who don't suffer from it have every reason to be depressed today. But we have no choice but to continue to fight for those who didn't make it, and for those still to be born. The wicked will not own this world, and we will defeat them...
DeleteThe whole 'Reefer Madness' thing, especially with the likes of the CBC and the Conservatives is over the top.
ReplyDeleteI have a teenage son. I have friends who are cops. They tell me the likelihood of him buying illegal cannabis (prior to legalization, that is) is 100%. They also tell me there's an 85% chance that street weed will be laced with something exponentially more addictive and deadly such as fentanyl.
So, you'd better believe I'm behind legalization of weed 100%. Those who aren't clearly don't understand how things have changed in the illegal trade of drugs.
Hi anon...good point, I should have mentioned that when you buy weed from an unknown source, you have no idea whether it has been treated with some pesticide or worse laced with some other drug. If only for public health reasons legalization makes sense. And I'm proud that our country is serving as a good example for others...
DeleteI listen to CBC and read the papers and the media seems to be hyping it up as a wild new world where people can smoke pot. Yawn. If I had the cash I could probably buy a couple of kilos of weed in an hour walking around downtown.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that thousands of people will not get arrested and end up with a criminal record is the real point and the proposed pardons is fantastic.
I can still remember being at a dance at the Prison for Women in 1972 and dancing with a very nice young woman who was serving a 10 year sentence for possession of marijuana. That was just after dancing with an older woman who was in for killing her second husband with an axe. That is, the second husband that she had killed with an axe. Rumour was that she was sensitive about criticism of her cooking.
Right then, I decided that our drug laws were insane.
We can hope that Scheer advocates re-criminalizing marijuana. IIRC, the majoority of Canadians have been in favour of decriminalization since the late 1970's so that policy is unlikely to be a vote-getter.
Harper is probably gibbering with frustration. People will not be going to jail.
Hi jrkrideau...yes, as I said in my post, I thought the media reaction was absolutely hysterical, and almost ignored the way the marijuana drug laws ruined the lives of so many Canadians. And your example is a great one. How could people who were only guilty of possessing a plant find themselves jailed with murderers? It really was reefer madness...
Delete“Liberals move to end solitary confinement of federal prisoners”
ReplyDelete“Streamlined Pardon Process For Marijuana Possession Convictions On The Way”
Kudos and thank you to Prime Minister Trudeau from the bottom of my heart as tears of pride well up in my eyes for ending this Harper government policy and erasing yet another dark stain of the Harper era.
Neither are Harper era policies and in fact predate Harper by many decades.
DeleteHi anon...yes, legalizing marijuana and ending solitary confinement are two very good moves, they are the sort of moves I would expect to see in my Canada, and Justin Trudeau deserves a lot of credit for leading us towards the light...
DeleteHi anon @12:50 PM...while it's true that the marijuana laws predates the Harper regime, Harper went out of his way to send as many Canadians as possible to jail, just to pleasure his bloodthirsty base. And his views on drugs were so extreme they bordered on insanity...
DeleteLooking forward to seeing people staring at me when I enter the NSLC.....haha
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen...I don't think they will, from what I've seen marijuana users come in all sizes, shapes and ages. As I always say the more the merrier...😀
Deleteamen
ReplyDeleteI hope someone puts together a montage of Weak Andy's failure to stop legal pot.
ReplyDeleteAlso before the right does it please make a non playable character Andy.
Hi Steve...I'm sure his rabid religious base must be up in arms, demanding that marijuana users be sentenced to life in jail. But Scheer is such a coward you probably won't see him make his scary views public, until he becomes PM if he ever does. They don't call him Schmeagol or Weak Andy for nothing...
DeleteKudos and thank you to Prime Minister Trudeau from the bottom of my heart as tears of pride well up in my eyes for keeping pot out of the hands of youth and profits out of the hands of criminals with legalization of marijuana.
ReplyDeleteHi anon...The media has done all it can to make Justin Trudeau look like a criminal for legalizing marijuana. But I'm sure most Canadians will appreciate what he has done, and history will be kind to him...
DeleteAnd what was that crazy Question Period line yesterday? Thankfully pretty much ignored my the media.
ReplyDeleteThe dumbest statement by a political leader in Canadian history: “ I would have signed a better deal”.
Can you imagine the Cons putting together a team from that caucus to take on Trump and his negotiators and his team?
J. W.
Hi J.W...Every time I hear Scheer claiming he could have got a better deal, I don't know whether to laugh or scream. Making a deal requires the ability to compromise, which is a skill Canadians have always been good at. Cons on the other hand think compromise is a sign of weakness and only know how to attack, attack, attack..They disgrace this country every day of the year...
DeleteScheer looks like the kind of guy who would get a kick out of jailing people. Religious fanatics are all into punishing and torturing people.One more reason to make sure Scheer and his ayatollahs never get elected.
ReplyDeleteHi anon@2:11 PM...Most Canadians don't realize how much of a religious fanatic Scheer really is, and how extreme his views really are. But yes, if he ever becomes Prime Minister he will turn this country into a living nightmare...
DeleteHallelujah indeed.What Pierre and Justin Trudeau have done to make Canada a better place deserves to be celebrated, while Scheer who wants to jail tens of thousands of young people should be forgotten as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteHi anon @2:48 PM...Yes. Both Pierre and Justin Trudeau have made Canada a much better place to live in. Their legacy will stand the test of time, while the grubby Andrew Scheer will be forgotten as soon as he is defeated...
DeleteI'm not sure how JT managed to get it through the Harper reeking senate but he did. This is a major accomplishment that will resonate around the world and hopefully compel others to follow suit.
ReplyDeleteThe sky hasn't fallen, idiots are still texting as opposed to rolling joints behind the wheel and the markets haven't crashed. Andrew must be absolutely livid(lol).
Look for Andy and his Cons trying to portray Canada as an embarrassment to the world with stoners running amok(giggling and eating munchies). Even if it's to the detriment of this great land, Scheer will do it as any treacherous asshole would.
JD
Hi JD...I don't know how Justin Trudeau managed to get the marijuana bill through the Senate swamp. The Con beasts must have been distracted or too drunk to notice. But you're right it is a major accomplishment, it will make us look like a progressive country, and I'm sure that other countries will follow our example. And yes, Scheer will no doubt try to Schmear his own country, until the day we can garbage him like he deserves...
ReplyDeleteI'm as happy as anyone else that marijuana is now legal, but you may want to be careful about smoking that joint on the balcony. Under the new law, adults still face a maximum 5 years in prison for having any cannabis they know is illicit. Since you got your joint before weed became legal, you know it's illicit. Happy toking!
ReplyDeleteIt will help keep young people out of jail, or from having their lives ruined by a criminal record.
ReplyDeleteWhat?! The government just passed the first criminal law that penalizing minors for something that's legal for adults! A minor (max 5g) caught with 10g of weed faces criminal prosecution; an adult (max 30g) doesn't.
Worse, an 18-year-old caught sharing a fatty with a 17-year-old faces up to 14 years in jail! And, if the 18-year-old isn't a citizen, add deportation to that. This is the sort of punishment reserved for facilitating terrorism, bribing a judge, child luring, aggravated assault, torture and human trafficking. By comparison, the same situation involving alcohol isn't even a crime.
You can also be sure Toronto's finest won't be rousting the kids at Havergal, UCC, Bishop Strachan and Crescent. You didn't seriously think an old cop like Bill Bliar would give up the white privilege of causing havoc in marginalized communities, did you?
Hi anon...don't be absurd. Are you suggesting the situation is worse now than it was before. If there are any new provisions they are aimed at further disrupting the black market so it can't keep making the drug available to minors. I have problems with the arbitrary state of age limits, particularly in Quebec, but phasing out the grip of the black market doesn't bother me a bit...
DeleteYes, I am suggesting the situation for marginalized communities is worse than before. What I described above is all part of Bill-45, which legalized marijuana.
DeleteThe old law had two common offences: possession and possession for the purpose (P4P). Possession was for small amounts, and P4P for larger amounts or dealing. With P4P marijuana, you were looking at 1 to 5 years; getting caught near a school or selling to minors raised the minimum to 2 years.
Bill-45 replaces P4P with a new offence called "distribution," which includes "administering, giving, transferring, transporting, sending, delivering, and providing or otherwise making available in any manner." An adult (18+) who "distributes" to a minor (<18) is looking at 14 years in the pen. And an adult with an illicit splif is looking at 5 years in the pen, which is a lot worse than the slap on the wrist under the old law. Given the inability of licenced distributors to meet demand, that includes just about anyone sparking up these days!