Saskatchewan Marijuana Party

One of the main arguments used by marijuana prohibitionists (people who want it to be illegal) is that marijuana is a dangerous and harmful drug.  However whether or not marijuana is harmful is a moot point when it comes to legalization of this wonderful plant.

There are thousands of things in our daily lives that are far more harmful on both an individual and social scale than marijuana could ever be.  Tobacco and alcohol are two that are often thrown around.  However, they are only slightly significant - people just like to use them as examples because they are also seen as ‘bad’, even though they are legal.

Peanut butter kills more people each month than have ever been directly linked to marijuana use.  So too do bicycles, sex, dog attacks, and police officers.  Then we have the pollution from cars causing asthma, acid rain and tons of other social and environmental harms.

Of course the prohibition of pot causes far more harm than the plant itself does as well.  Gangs and street crime surrounding the illegal trade in marijuana cause injury and damage to property and individuals.

So what does it mean to be ‘harmless’, and is it even relevant to any discussion of marijuana prohibition? Clearly you can see that NOTHING is 100% harmless, so ‘harm’ is an irrelevant concept in discussions of prohibition.  This article from Salon.com provides another really interesting explanation of the idea.

Eric

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So why exactly is marijuana illegal in Canada?  Well for the most part because Canadian politicians have historically followed along with many laws originating in the United States, and years ago decided to list it is a controlled substance.  Now we do need to be fair about things, Canadian marijuana laws, and law enforcement are no where nearly as draconian as those in the US where pot laws are flat out ridiculous.

Here is a little video (from a US marijuana advocacy group) that briefly explores the reasons why pot is illegal in the U.S.  Now for those of us reading this post in Canada, it is important to remember that while this is video relates to the US, much of what happens here (in terms of government policy) is heavily influenced by pressure from US anti-drug agencies.

So why is Marijuana Illegal in Canada?

Well for no good reasons I can think of.

However there are some who would disagree with that, so here are some of the reasons why it is illegal in Canada.

1. Difficult to tax as it is so easy for anyone to grow (unlike alcohol).
2. Fearful politicians - Politicians are typically scared of doing anything that may have a remote chance of losing them a single vote
3. High levels of employment and funding in law-enforcement agencies.  Have you ever noticed how police forces argue so strongly against the legalization of marijuana - that’s because they stand to lose millions of dollars in funding when marijuana is legalized.
4. Industrial lobbying against hemp based products.  Hemp is an incredible source of high quality fibre, and high quality seeds.  The fibre is as good or better than most wood fibres used for paper, and rivals flax for use in cloth and clothing.  It can be produced huge volumes annually - the forest (pulp/paper) industry doesn’t really like this.  The seeds provide very good quality oil that is used for cooking, cosmetics, and many other purposes - but may compete with other oil crops like canola and sunflower.
5. Pharmaceutical lobbying - Since God created marijuana large pharmaceutical companies can’t make their billions flogging it on unsuspecting population like they do their TONS of chemically derived mind-altering substances (opiates, anti-depressents etc.).  They don’t want to compete against one of the most ancient, most natural, and most effective medicines available.

Anyhow, that should be enough to get you started thinking about marijuana legalization in a new light.  If you’d like to learn more about the history of marijuana prohibition, I’d recommend reading this article from Salon.com

Do your part….learn more…become an advocate for marijuana legalization in Saskatchewan and Canada as a whole.

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I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dwain Lingenfelter on his successful bid to become the leader of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan. While I’m offering him my congratulations, and best of luck, I’d like to extend a simple challenge to him as well.

As a member of the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party I’d like to see him take the very simple step of changing his party’s opposition to the legalization of marijuana. It would be very easy for the NDP take a stand in support of the legalization of marijuana and strengthen their current, albeit weak, support for the decriminalization of marijuana. Doing so would move them more in line with popular opinion on the use and legalization of marijuana.

Marijuana is far less harmful, both socially and medically, than other recreational substances, such as alcohol, which are legal. As a medicinal product, it has many benefits, with fewer side-effects than many drugs commonly prescribed by doctors which are often very addictive (opiate based pain killers), or have serious and multiple side-effects.

Having marijuana use and production as a criminal offense is an untenable and expensive drain on society. It needlessly clogs the court system with trivial cases, steals 10’s of thousands of man-hours from police forces, and wastes millions of dollars keeping people who are otherwise lawful in prisons around the country. This is perhaps the worst part – thousands of ordinary people like you and I can be labeled as criminals, and carry a criminal record for an act that Canadians see as acceptable, and have for the most part participated in themselves.

So, Mr. Lingenfelter, I’d like to ask you to take a simple step and bring your party in line with popular opinion and actively support the legalization of marijuana. It’s good for the economy, good for the criminal justice system, and good for the people.

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Saskatoon’s fourth annual Global Marijuana March was a smashing success. On Saturday, May 3rd at exactly 4:20 p.m., marchers met at the Vimy Ridge Memorial. The crowd of over 100 marchers was in high spirits as they marched past the Delta Bessborough hotel and down 2nd avenue. From there the marchers proceeded to City Hall. Peaceful protesters carried signs, banners and smoky medicinal herbs.

I would like to thank everybody who made this event possible. I greatly appreciate the fact that City Hall always approves my application for a permit. I owe a special thank you to Sargeant Kane who showed up at the end of our event and spoke to many young people about the drug laws. I am grateful that there are so many wonderful people in Saskatoon who support our cause.

Tanya Derbowka

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